Annabelle

They take me to my room and I feel terrified. I knew they'd hurt me like the times before. I tried to fight back and get away, but it only made them squeeze tighter on my arms. The strong grip on my arms made my skin burn.

"Per favore lasciami andare," I begged with a shaky voice. I almost always speak American English, but when I'm afraid, my Italian side comes out. My mommy is African-American and my daddy is Italian-American. He says that some people think that Interracial marriage is bad, but they both agree that love is blind.

They wouldn't say anything. They just threw me onto the floor of my room. I rolled over and crawled away. The thunderous sound of the automatic gated door slamming shut sent chills down my spine. I sat down with my back to the walls and my knees to my chest.

The tumultuous screams of the people in my area filled my small ears painfully. I covered them in the hopes that it'd get better but to no avail. The sight of one of the male orderlies walking over with a needle shot and alcohol pad. My body shivered from fear and the freezing air that swept through from the vent above me.

"No. No!" I took my hands off of my ears, got up, then tried to run past him. As he picked me up in one hand I noticed the other men standing at the gate, watching us.

He threw me onto the bed, climbed on, and straddled me. I whimpered as I desperately tried to push him off. He put the needle shot down, opened the alcohol pack, gripped my shaky, bony right arm, cleaned the area in the bend of my arm, then pricked me with the needle.

The pain radiated throughout my body, increasing when he injected me with the fluid. I feebly laid there, staring into his ivory eyes. My eyes shifted over to the wall and trained on the large red stain. The darkness began to envelop me slowly; stealing my senses one by one.

My sight, smell, and hearing gradually cut off and I didn't understand what was happening.

The hand over my neck was all that I could feel before that sense was taken away as well. I drifted into a deep slumber.

***

Melody

I began pacing the floor of the rec room. I couldn't eat the slop that they fed the others and it wasn't because it tasted horrid. It was because they took away Annabelle and I didn't know if they'd bring her back. I let out a weary sigh and ran my dirty fingers through my matted hair. It hurt a lot, but I didn't care at that moment.

The creaking sound of the white door to our sleeping quarters opening made me look up with hopeful eyes that quickly died when I realized that it wasn't her. Two orderlies stood at the door watching us before blowing their whistle.

The ear-splitting sound made me wince and cover my eyes. The ringing that filled them made it hard to understand what they were saying, but judging from the way everyone sluggishly walked past them and through the door, they were telling us to go to bed despite it being early. I could tell by the daylight that shined through the windows up high on the walls.

I followed the crowd and was confused when I noticed them piling into a room with foggy windows. I followed them and gasped when I noticed a bunch of men and women stripping naked. It was a shower room.

I turned around to leave and one of the orderlies shut the door. The clicking sound that followed let me know that they locked it. I quivered from fear and walked over to a dark corner to undress. It was hard to ignore the eyes shooting in my direction and the naked bodies clear in my eyesight as well as peripherals, but I managed.

I was too afraid to look around for Annabelle. I figured if she saw me she'd come over. The cold shower felt relaxing and pretending that it was warm made it easier. I didn't use the soap, because it was covered in hair, but I allowed the cool water to pour from my scalp all the way to my feet.

The sound of moans and grunting made me open my eyes. I looked around and made a disgusted expression when I noticed a man and a woman having sex on one of the benches. I couldn't look away until I heard the blaring alarm near the exit and the orderlies storming in. They took them out of the room and made us hurry up.

Everyone obeyed and continued showering except for me. I decided that I had enough, so I dried off, put my clothes back on, then ran to the door. After knocking twice it swung open and a female orderly escorted me to my room.

I passed by what looked like Annabelle's and tried desperately to peek through the glass door but to no avail. My nosiness made the strange lady push me further into the hall. I don't like bullies. I don't like this place. I want to go home.

***

I didn't want to go to sleep. I don't know why, but I figured fighting sleep and not eating would solve everything, but of course, reality hit me: They wouldn't care if I starved to death or lived.

I felt so angry. I sat up and began hitting my forehead against the white brick wall at my side. I didn't stop until I saw blood on the wall and the room began to spin. I moaned out in pain and brought my shaky hands to my open wound. Blood dripped down the bridge of my nose and stained my palms.

"Shit," I mumbled before realizing that I was alone. I was alone. I could curse and no one would stop me. A smile grew on my bloody face and I screamed out, "Shit!"

I began to pant while smiling victoriously. I felt so alive.

The euphoric feeling subsided when the door swung open. The sounds of cheering poured into the room and one of the male orderlies came in with a rollable tray of needle shots while the other three stood watch at the door. I wasn't afraid. What for? As I said, they'll be sorry when I get out of there.

As he approached me different smells invaded my nose: Vomit, blood, alcohol. What I was smelling was also confirmed when I noticed the matching stains on his pants and the lower part of his shirt.

"Don't worry," he spoke while holding my arm, a smirk on his long face and in his devilish eyes. "It'll only hurt a lot."

And it did. The pain dispersed from my arm throughout my entire body, leaving me lying there with my irises dilating the size of saucers, and the bright flashlight beaming into my eyes made them water. I began to sweat profusely and my teeth remained clenched. They left and I looked around the room when I finally was able to relax. The pain lingered, but it was bearable, and seeing my mom sitting at the foot of my bed made me smile.

I missed her terribly, even though she left me. She smiled back and scooted closer to me, caressing my clammy, bloody cheek with her right knuckles and shushing me. I always felt safe around her and I guess it's not her fault that I'm there. Daddy was behind it all.

The last thing I was able to hear before I fell asleep was, "Goodnight my little angel. Mommy will be here for you always."