I COULD FEEL my chest tightening up,

and my breath becoming short.

Whenever I got overly panicked or

stressed, my asthma would kick up,

giving me a sudden nerve-wrecking

attack, which I was going through at

the moment. However, I didn't want to

show them I was weak, so I struggled

silently.

"Who are you?" I repeated.

The lumberman spoke first, his voice

grizzly and deep,

"You'll know soon enough." Was all he

had said, before the younger guy

grabbed me by the arm and yanked me

to my feet, making me gasp. He pushed

me along, and before I could react, I

was pushed into a cage, the door

slamming behind me.

"Wait!" I cried and lunged towards the

door, but he had already locked it up.

The man stared me right in the eyes,

my frightened eyes, and for a

moment, I thought I saw a glint of

sympathy, but he just swept around

and stalked off. The three men

muttered to each other, climbing up

the thick stone steps and through

another caged door.

My breathing became rapid, and I

finally let out the urge to cry, freeing

the tension of my panic.

"Oh gosh..." I breathed, and clung to the

cage doors, tugging them back and

forth, but it was no use. I wasn't going

to get out of here. Then suddenly, I felt

a trembling hand cling to my shoulder,

and I spun around to see the girl. She

was dirty and her clothes were old and

worn out. Her face was sprinkled with

dirt, faint clear lines that cascaded

through the dirt, indicating fresh tears.

Her hair was knotted and long, almost

looking like wannabe dreadlocks. By

the looks of her, she had been here for

quite a while. Another thing I noticed,

was her weight. She was awfully

skinny, her clothes and thick hair

making it look like she was larger than

she actually was. My face went pale

when she narrowed her eyes at me,

her sullen brown eyes. Then, without

warning, she dug her head into my

stomach, clinging to the sides of my

clothes, and letting out a ugly cry. I

jumped, surprised by her sudden act,

but without knowing what to do, I just

sat there.

"You're the only one..." she choked out,

her soft cries mellowing out.

"You're the only one I've seen.. besides-

besides..." she clung to me harder and

wept. How long has this girl been here?

And was she the only other victim of

these cruel men? Or were there

others? I pushed aside my awkward

and uncomfortable feeling, and

embraced the small crying girl,

because I knew that would be exactly

what I would want in her shoes.

"Who are you? And how long have you

been here?"

The girl looked up to me, her face wet

and muddy from her tears, but beyond

her messy face, her brown large eyes

were heartwarming.

"My name...?" She asked confused, and

as if finally comprehending my

question, her eyes widened.

"My name... is Emma.. Er- Emma Riche..

I think."

"You think?"

"I-I.." Emma's eyes began to tear up and

I frantically waved my hands.

"It's okay! Don't cry!" I said, but to be

honest, I was about to cry myself.

"How old are you?" I asked gently.

"I think I'm... Thirteen. The m-men...

upstairs, I can hear them. Sometimes I

can hear them call out the date, they

last said the date three days ago."

I looked down, knitting my brows.

Three days?

"Emma, how long have you been here?"

I asked, and I was scared to hear the

outcome.

"Three years."