After Maggie heard John William’s footsteps fade away, she called out across the small hall, “Little boy? Are you OK?”
When there was no response, she called out a little louder, “Little boy? Can you hear me?”
Maggie jumped when she heard a girl’s voice from the cell to her left. “Shut up before we all get punished, you idiot!” the angry voice rattled.
Maggie was shocked into silence at the realization that someone else was down there with them. She was relieved to know they weren’t alone. Then her fear soared as she wondered how long the girl had been there. “Don’t be mean,” she heard an older girl say in a calm voice. “They just got here.”
“Who’s there?” Maggie asked in a trembling voice.
It was the older girl who spoke. “There are several of us here. My name is Cali. I’m the oldest. I’m in the cell to your right. Shana is on the other side of you, and Max is next to the little boy who came in with you.”
“Why are we here?” Maggie asked with desperation. “I just want to go home.”
“We all want to get out of here, sweetheart. You need to settle down. Now, what’s your name?” Cali asked in a soothing voice, trying to calm her.
“Maggie. That guy took me from the mall,” she said sadly.
Cali gathered herself together. “The guy’s name is John William. That’s what we have to call him. We were all taken from different places. Everyone is gonna to be fine. You have to stay calm, though, and just do what he says. OK?”
“But what’s he going to do to me?” Maggie asked.
Cali wanted to prepare the girl, although she knew that nothing could prepare someone for the horrors that they lived. “John William will come back tonight and take you upstairs to have some pictures taken. Maggie, the pictures will make you feel very uncomfortable, but try to remember that if you don’t listen, they’ll hurt you, OK?”
“Uh-huh,” Maggie muttered, fearful of what was to come. Then she felt around in the dark until she found the cot with the dusty, worn mattress. She climbed onto it and rolled into a fetal position. She lay awake for several hours, praying that her mom and dad would come to rescue her.
Only when she fell asleep that night did she escape her suffocating fear. It was hours later when the sound of a cell door being unlocked awakened her. She scrambled to her feet to look out the small opening in her door. She quivered as she watched John William pull Shana across the front of her cell. Shana was crying, but went along with him without much resistance. She heard Cali tell her, “It’s OK, Shana. You’ll be all right. Just do whatever they want you to.”
When the hall went black again, Maggie spoke. “Cali, what’s going to happen to Shana? Who are they?”
Cali thought before she spoke. If she wanted the girl to live, she’d have to tell her what was happening, “How old are you, Maggie?”
“I’m eleven,” Maggie muttered.
“Maggie, these people want to do things with you that only grown-ups should do with each other. Do you know what sex is?” Cali asked, wishing she could hold the scared girl.
Maggie’s head started to spin. The only thing she knew about sex was that it was something that old people did. She knew it involved getting naked. She had seen a show on cable TV in which a couple was lying in a bed, and they looked like they didn’t have any clothes on. Her father had walked into the room and shut off the television when he saw what she was watching.
“I don’t know exactly what it is. I know that people take their clothes off and get in bed together,” she responded, her stomach clamping down into a tight knot.
“Yes, Maggie. They get naked in bed together. When they come for you tonight, just do what they ask. Tomorrow, I’ll explain things to you, OK?” Cali said, dreading the conversation she would have with her in the morning.