Maggie grabbed her T-shirt and slid it over her head. When she turned around, Sabrina was holding her underwear. "Come on. Let me help you," she told Maggie.

Maggie walked over to the bed where Sabrina was sitting. Putting her hand on Sabrina's shoulder, she put her right foot into her panties, and then her left. As Sabrina pulled the panties up for her, Maggie felt something poking her skin in the bottom of her underwear. She lifted her arm to reach back and find out what it was, but Sabrina quickly gave her a funny look that told Maggie not to do anything more. Bernie was still on the other side of the room buckling his belt.

"OK, Sabrina, it's time to go," Bernie said. Then he turned to Maggie. "We'll be back to see you again, and hopefully next time Aunt Sabrina will want you to join us instead of just sitting there playing with yourself. Wouldn't that be nice? Would you like that?"

"Sure," Maggie said without enthusiasm. "Whatever you and Aunt Sabrina want."

Maggie couldn't stop thinking about what was inside her panties. She hoped it wasn't something that would hurt her. By the look on Sabrina's face, she knew to wait until she was back in her cell. Maybe it was candy or a piece of gum, she thought hopefully.

After John William had locked all the kids in their cells that night, Maggie waited for over an hour before she reached into her panties and pulled out a small piece of paper. She slowly opened it and could see that something was written on it. In the dark of the cold, damp room, she squinted, straining her eyes to make out the message: Flush all the notes down the toilet.

Baffled by the message, Maggie went over to the toilet and looked down into the black abyss. The toilets in their cells didn't flush. Every few days, John William made Max open the metal flap with a stick and dump a bucket of water in each toilet to wash the waste down. Then he would let the flap close and dump another bucket of water in to fill it back up. Maggie sat down and peed. Then she took a small strip of newspaper they used as toilet paper and wrapped the note into it. She wiped herself and dropped it down the hole. Maggie didn't tell anyone about the note, not even Cali. She didn't know what the message meant, and she was afraid that Cali would be mad at her for bringing something from a client back to her cell.

The next night, all of the children except Shana were used by perverts and spit back into their cells. After John William locked Maggie's cell door, Cali called out to him. "John William, where's Shana? Is she OK?" she asked.

"Shut the fuck up and mind your own business," John William scolded. "She'll be back when she gets back. I don't answer to you, and if you ever question me again, I'll beat the shit out of you!"

"I'm sorry, John William," Cali immediately replied. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to know if you needed my help with anything. I mean, maybe you need me to talk to Shana and make sure she behaves," she babbled, trying to avoid a beating from John William.

"Well, when I need your help, I'll tell you to do something. Until that time, keep your mouth shut and stop interrogating me. You're my slave, and slaves don't get to ask questions or have an opinion. Understand?" he blurted. He stared at her, waiting for an answer.

"Yes, sir," Cali replied, wishing she could rip the metal door that separated them off its hinges and beat John William to death with it. Cali was a practical girl. She was raised to obey and respect adults, which is exactly what had landed her in sex trafficking.

When Cali was thirteen, she'd been walking home from school when a car pulled up next to her. The woman inside was hysterical. "My daughter was just in a car accident. I need to get to Beebe Medical Center. They called and said she is probably going to die. I just have to get there. Do you know where it is?"

Cali, a compassionate girl, felt sorry for the woman, who looked to be the same age as her own mother.

"Yes, just turn right at the next light. Keep driving until you get to Savannah and make a left. Stay on Savannah, and you'll see Beebe on your right," Cali explained.

"Oh, please, honey," the woman begged, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, "I can't remember all that. Just get in, and you can show me. Please, please, this may be my only chance to see my daughter before she dies."

Unfortunately, Cali got into the car with the woman, who turned around and drove in the opposite direction. On instinct, Cali reached for the door lever, but it had been removed. When she began to scream, the woman told her that a couple of men were sitting outside Cali's home, just waiting for a signal from her to kill Cali's mother. The woman drove her to an abandoned building nearby.

The woman shut off her car as Cali looked up at the old broken down building. Right before two men took Cali from the car, the woman leaned over and chastised Cali with a sneer. "You stupid girl. Didn't your mother ever tell you not to get into cars with strangers?"

Cali was forced into a van with other teens. She was taken to an isolated house, and since then, not a day had passed that she didn't regret her decision to get into the car with the stranger. She missed her family and home in Lewes, Delaware, as much now as she did when they took her four years ago.

Chapter Thirteen.

Cali stayed up all night, waiting for John William to bring Shana back to her cell. Finally, at daybreak, she heard him trudging down the hall. She rushed over to her cell door and peered out the small window to see him dragging a lifeless Shana behind him.

As John William opened the cell doors, the children spilled out into the hallway. Cali didn't dare rush to Shana's cell. When John William opened Maggie's cell, he looked down at her with disgust. "I want you to go over to Shana's cell and fix her up. Something's wrong with the little wimp, and I expect you to figure it out and fix it."

Maggie scooted into Shana's cell. John William scraped his oversized, sneakered feet on the floor as he followed her. Max and Cali exchanged worried looks. Shana was lying on her cot naked. Her hair was knotted, and her skin was raw, as if someone had rubbed sandpaper all over her body. Maggie's eyes were glued to Shana's feet. Both feet were covered in large, angry blisters.

"What did they do to her?" Maggie asked, feeling short of breath as icicles ran down her spine.

She looked at John William for an answer, but he continued to stare at Shana. "Just fix her. If she dies, it'll be your fault," he said coldly.

Maggie knelt down on the floor next to Shana. She looked at her raw flesh, afraid to touch her and scared that she might do something to hurt Shana more. Maggie could see that Shana had been burned. Based on what she had read, most of her body appeared to have first-degree burns. However, her feet were cherry red and blistered. Maggie fought back the fear that threatened to seize her own body and prevent her mind from functioning.

"We need to get her into the shower, fast!" Maggie said.

John William stepped into the hall where the other kids were huddled together, waiting to hear that Shana would be all right. "All of you back in your cells," he told the other kids.

After John William locked the last cell door, he went back and lifted Shana from her cot. He carried her to the shower and placed her on the broken floor tiles. Maggie ran to the nearest shower and turned on the cold water. Then she went back to Shana and gingerly dragged her under the water. She sat with Shana in her arms and let the cold water douse her entire body, but especially her feet, to bring down the temperature of her skin.

Almost thirty minutes later, Maggie's lips were turning blue and her teeth were chattering from the cold shower.

"We need to take Shana back to her cell. I'm going to need soap, water, and clean rags," Maggie delicately instructed.

Once back in the cell, John William left and returned with the items Maggie needed. She washed the blisters with soap and water and then she gently laid a clean cloth over the top of them. Maggie ran into her own cell and grabbed the pillow and wool blanket from her cot. She rolled them methodically and put them under Shana's feet to keep them elevated. There was nothing left for her to do but wait and pray that none of Shana's burns became infected.

Over the next twelve hours, Maggie stayed by Shana's side. Every couple of hours, Maggie would place cool water on a cloth and dab at the yellowish blisters on her feet. Shana, only half-conscious, moaned as the hours wore on. The blisters filled with fluid, and Maggie could only imagine how painful they were. Around dinnertime, John William stood at the doorway staring at Maggie.

"She's doing OK. She's in a lot of pain, John William. Is there anything you can give her to help?" Maggie almost begged.

John William's face showed no concern whatsoever. "Yeah, I'll get her something. Just make sure I'm not wasting my good drugs on this little tramp. You better be certain that she doesn't die. 'Cause if she ain't makin' money, then I ain't makin' money. You get me?"

"Yes," Maggie replied, almost offering to take on more clients for Shana.

When John William returned, he handed a small bag of pills to Maggie. "Give her one at a time."

"What are they?" Maggie asked.

"It's hillbilly heroin. Those little bastards will get her good and fucked up. Only give her one at a time. I don't need her overdosing on me. I've had enough drama out of that little bitch for one day. Just remember what I told you: if she fuckin' dies, it's your fault!"

In Maggie's desire to heal her "friend," she helped Shana swallow her first dose of OxyContin.

Chapter Fourteen.

For the ten days that followed, young Maggie spent her nights satisfying clients and her days nursing Shana. Shana's feet were healing, and she was on a constant high from the hillbilly heroin. In her eagerness to numb herself to the pain caused by the burns, Shana quickly became addicted to the drug. Shana was callous with Maggie, reminding her at every opportunity that if Maggie hadn't stolen Myles from her, she never would have been burned.

Cali and Max were annoyed that Shana was so thankless to Maggie, who had slaved and watched over her. The two older teens sat on the floor next to Shana's cot. "You know, Shana," Cali said. "You could be nice to Maggie. She didn't do this to you. The kid has done nothing but help you. If you want to blame someone, blame all these fuckin' crazy pervs."

"I don't care what you say, Cali. I know what Maggie did. The minute she met Myles, she threw herself at him so that he would want her. You know it's true too!" Shana accused.

"Come on, Shana. Be real," Max chimed in. "She didn't even know Myles. He was the one who picked her, just like he picked you. Remember? We don't get to pick anything around here, and you know that. So knock off the shit, OK? It's just making it harder for all of us."

Shana shook her head but kept quiet.

"What happened, Shana? What did they do to you?" Cali finally asked.

Shana stared at the ceiling of her cell. Just thinking about the horrible things the man had done made her insides rattle. "It was a crazy older guy. He was into hurting me. At first, he was slapping me around the room. Then he took a brick out of his backpack. I thought he was going to bash my head in with it, but he just kept grating it all over my body. It fucking hurt like hell. He stopped and left the room for a while, but then he came back. He was carrying two plastic buckets, and I could see steam coming off the water. He started dancing and laughing when he saw how scared I was." She stopped and began to sob.

"Then he stuck your feet in the buckets of water?" Cali asked, unable to process the violence and cruelty that Shana had endured.

Shana nodded, but said nothing more.

"We have to get the fuck out of here," Max announced tearfully.

Cali looked at him, wishing it was possible but knowing there was little hope. She leaned over and pulled his head to her chest. She let Max cry until his last sob ended. She looked up at Shana, who was lying perfectly still on the cot, and wondered if any of them would make it out of there alive.

Maggie sat in her cell, reading a home-remedy book to Seth. He looked up at her with puppy dog eyes. "Aggie, I love you," he said with sweet innocence.

Seth adored Maggie; she was the person he turned to when he was scared. Seth and the others didn't know it, but it was his fifth birthday. Up until then, he'd been too innocent for sex trafficking, but now John William believed he was perfect for kiddy porn.

"I love you too, Seth," Maggie answered, feeling a tug at her heart for the small boy who she now felt belonged to her.

"Aggie? How comes you're crying in here at night sometimes?" Seth asked.

"Because I still miss my mom and dad a whole lot and I wish I could go home," she explained.

"But if you go home, are you going to leave me here?" the child asked with a pout.

"There's no way I'm leaving you here, Seth. You and me, we're family. We stick together, right?" Maggie stated.

"Yep. We stick together forever and ever. But when will we be able to go outside and play like you told me?" asked Seth, with the attention span of a gnat.

Maggie laughed at his abrupt shift to another topic. She pulled Seth closer to her and stroked his hair. "I don't know how or when, but I know something is going to change. I can feel it in my bones," she explained, more to herself than to Seth. "When we get out of here, we'll start our lives all over again. We can go to the park and sit on big blankets and eat ice cream. I bet our parents will be really good friends, and when we get old, we'll still be together every Christmas. We'll have a bond so strong that no one will be able to stand between us. I can see our kids growing up together. We'll never tell them about what happened to us in this rotten place, but we'll always know that we survived something horrible. I might even call my first son Seth. How does that sound?" Maggie finished, looking down at Seth.

Seth had fallen asleep in her arms, the rhythm of Maggie's sweet, soft voice allowing him to feel safe enough to let his eyes close. Even the five-year-old was keen to the evil that prowled throughout the prison.

That night, John William came for Seth. He took the young boy upstairs for the first time since he'd arrived in the godforsaken, abandoned building.

Seth was about to have his first photo shoot.

Chapter Fifteen.

Maggie couldn't sit still while Seth was upstairs with John William. She worried about what they were doing to him. John William had only said, "They want him upstairs." He smiled as he watched her anxiety mount.

Two hours later, John William untied the child and carried him downstairs. As he was removing the tight knots from the nylon cord, John William obsessed on the thought of being tied up and confined. This fear had prompted anxiety attacks in John William since he was a child. Being tied to the chair under the stairs was far worse than the frequent beatings he received from his mother. I'm in control now, he reminded himself.

As John William put Seth into his cell, all of the other kids listened to the sounds of his tiny chest heaving in bitter sorrow.

"John William, please let me talk to Seth," Maggie begged from her cell.

"No. He's fine. Mind your own fucking business and go the hell to sleep. There are people coming to see you tonight," he told Maggie.

Maggie's stomach flip-flopped. Her worry for Seth still remained, but doing what clients wanted always made her edgy. Who and what would she face that night?

Later, Maggie sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for another client. Finally, she heard voices coming toward the room. She was relieved when she recognized Sabrina's laughter. Bernie entered the room first, followed by Sabrina.

"OK, let's change things up a little tonight, shall we?" Bernie stated.

"Well, um, like what?" Sabrina asked nervously.

"I was thinking that our stunning toy over here would participate," he said.

"Oh, Bernie, I don't know about that. I don't think I'm ready for Maggie to join us," Sabrina responded, batting her long eyelashes at him.

"Nah, not tonight, hon. Tonight, I get what I want for a change." Bernie turned to Maggie. "Take your clothes off." Then he looked at Sabrina. "You too."

Once Bernie had satisfied his deviant sexual desire, they all dressed. Sabrina slipped another note into Maggie's underwear. Alone that night in her cell, Maggie read the message: Don't tell the others about me.

Then, just like the first note had instructed, Maggie put the note in a small piece of newspaper and threw it into the toilet. For the first time in a little over a year, Maggie had a glimmer of hope that someone on the outside was going to rescue them.

Chapter Sixteen.

"Lorraine, how about if we take Keith to the park today? I think it would be good for all of us," Rob coaxed, sitting at the kitchen table with her.

"Nah. I have to look into some things, Rob. I read this article on missing children. It said to make a list of all the new, different, or unusual people that were around for a year prior to the kidnapping. I need to do research on all of the changes at the school and around our neighborhood. This could be the break we've been looking for. I just have too much to do," she explained.

"What kind of changes are you talking about?"

Lorraine perked up at his interest. "Well, they say you should find out if the school or anyone in the neighborhood did any remodeling or repairs. If they did, we get a list of contractors, take it to the police, and they'll be able to run some checks on all the people. The other thing I need to look at is all the home sales within an eight-block radius the year before Maggie was taken. Sometimes these maniacs go to open houses, like they're interested in buying a home, but they really just scope the neighborhood for kids."