Chapter 16 - Alanis #2
“They did not just sell us to buyers,” she continued, the words now rolling out like a poison that she must expel.
“They had a system. When a girl turned fifteen years old, they would begin training her on how to please men, how to be docile, how to submit to pain, and not to fight back. They called it training. I called it torture.”
She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold, despite the cozy room.
“I endured six months of it, starting just before my sixteenth birthday, and every day they would bring in pack members to see how I was doing. To touch me, to hurt me, to judge my performance. They said it would make me more valuable, that buyers paid premium prices for girls who had been ‘well-trained.’”
His hands clenched in fists by his side, but Rael said nothing. He just listened.
“On the eve of my sixteenth birthday, they had a last test. They gathered all the pack elders in one room to decide whether I was fit to be sold or whether I had to undergo further training.” Alanis’s voice cracked.
“And I knew that I would have to stay there, and be sold, and then for the rest of my life, I would be bought and sold by one beast after another. So, I ran.”
She raised her head, locking eyes with Rael, expecting him to look disgusted or maybe even worse—look at her with pity.
Instead, she saw rage. Pure, incandescent rage.
“I’m going to find them,” Rael growled. “I know you said they disappeared, but if I have to pull all the pack’s resources, I will. I will find them and make them regret even breathing the same air as you.”
He walked closer, and Alanis looked down, noticing his hand shaking. “No one gets to do that to you and walk scot-free. No one.”
“Oh, Rael.”
“And when we find them, and we will, I want you to be there. I want you to see them pay. You deserve that.”
Alanis sob-laughed. She had anticipated criticism. She expected him to treat her differently now that he had heard the full story of what happened to her. Maybe also treat her as broken, used and inferior.
But, no. Rael was planning revenge on her behalf.
“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.
“You need not say anything. But I want you to know that what happened to you has not made you any less worthy. You have survived something horrible, and instead of letting it ruin you, you have spent years helping other people to get out of similar situations.” He lifted her chin with his fingers.
“You are not damaged, Alanis. You are the strongest woman I have ever had the privilege to meet.”
The tears came before she could stop them, hot and fast, years of holding everything together finally breaking apart. She expected Rael to step back and give her space to compose herself. Instead, he pulled her into his arms.
She sobbed into his chest, holding on to him, while he murmured words of comfort she couldn’t quite make out over the sound of her own crying.
“Shh. I’ve got you.”
They stayed like that for a while. Until Alanis cried her eyes dry. When she pulled back, Rael’s shirt was soaked with her tears, but he did not seem to mind.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, wiping her eyes. “I had no intention of breaking down in front of you.”
“No need to apologize. You needed that. Especially with all you have experienced and after this evening with those women in that warehouse. It must have brought back memories.”
“It did, and that is why I could not leave them there, because I know how it feels to be in that position, to wait to be sold and to know that no one is coming to your rescue.”
“Somebody did come to their rescue, though. You did.”
“We must get in touch with the Lumen,” Alanis cleared her throat, pulling herself together. “Those women need appropriate long-term care and money to build a new life. The Shadowridge medical facility can stabilize them, but they require more than that.”
“How fast can your organization act?”
“Within hours. They have response teams in various locations, once I am able to access a secure line.”
“August can create a secure line, and we should tell him about the Lumen, anyway. He will insist on arranging their arrival.”
They located August in the main office of the facility, keeping track of communications. Rael gave him the condensed version of Alanis’ story.
“A rescue and rehabilitation organization? That sounds interesting and helpful. I will get started on the secure line, so Alanis can make the call.”
Ten minutes later, Alanis sat in a private office with an encrypted cell, dialing a number that she hadn’t called in weeks.
On the second ring, Deva answered. “Identify yourself.”
“It’s Alanis.”
“Oh my god. Alanis! Are you okay? Are you safe? What the hell?!”
“Yes. I am safe. Look, I will explain later, but I have ten women from the trafficking network who need long-term care”
She provided Deva with the coordinates, situation, and urgency.
“We shall have a team over there in four hours,” Deva replied. “Where have you been, Alanis? We’ve been searching for you for weeks. We thought you were killed or taken prisoner or—”
“It is complicated. I will tell you everything soon.”
Deva sighed. “Fine. See you in four hours.”
The call ended, and Alanis sat for a few moments, taking in what she had just done. She’d revealed the Lumen’s existence to outsiders, compromised operational security, and violated procedures she had been obeying for years.
But looking through the office window, thinking of those women being treated, Alanis was sure she made the right decision.
Protocols were not as important as some things. There were things that were worth the risk. She only hoped that Deva would think so too.