3 Chapter 3

The middle-aged man scrambled to grab a rescue floaty as the little girl stared at the majestic white sailboat.

"Splash," a red and white donut-shaped floaty fell towards the water, and the man anxiously yelled. "Grab on!" The little girl did as he said and weakly grabbed onto the floaty as the middle-aged man tried to finagle the floaty towards the back of the boat to pick up the girl easier.

As the floaty floated towards the back of the boat, the man jumped into the water and helped the girl up towards the ladder, leading towards the 40-foot sailboat that the man was sailing on. A young woman peeked her head out and watched as a little wolf-eared girl climbed the ladder with the middle-aged man's help and made her way onto the boat.

"Are you okay?" the man asked as he went towards the insides of the boat to get a towel. "Maria, get her some food and water." exclaimed the man as he looked at the young woman who was just standing there. Maria nodded as she ran towards the boat with the middle-aged man.

Minutes later, the wolf-eared girl was covered in a warm towel, a bottle of water set next to her as she munched on a sandwich.

The wolf-eared girl stared at the floor as the two people on the boat stared at her with wide eyes.

"Sweety, do you need anything else?" softly asked the young woman as she nudged a little closer to the little girl. Tears fell from the wolf-eared girl as she cried wet tears for the first time in a week. She nodded her head as she hugged the young woman and continued to cry. The woman patted the little girl's head for a few seconds, slowly stopping as she discovered that the ears on the little girl's head are actually really ears.

She stopped patting her head and stared wide-eyed again as she studied the wolf ears on this little girl's head. The woman slowly picked up the little girl and laid her down on a bed inside the boat before exiting and sitting next to the middle-aged man.

"Those ears are real." She softly said, as if she were scared to wake up the little girl. The middle-aged man slowly nodded as he looked at the young woman and grinned. "Do you think they would take her instead of the money we owe?" The man asked as he smiled wider at his idea.

The young woman nodded slightly at first, then harder after she came to agree with the man's idea. "She's probably some weird hybrid that they could sell for a fortune!" she exclaimed as she jumped up and down happily. "We won't have to stay in debt with those money suckers anymore!" She chirped as she grabbed onto the man and hummed.

Days went by as the duo nursed the little girl back to health. The pair changed their course and slowly sailed towards their new destination, anxiously waiting, wishing the boat could sail faster.

On the 20th day of the trip, the crew could faintly see a giant statue on the horizon. It depicted a woman holding a torch, colored light green and surrounded by what seemed to be tall buildings soaring into the sky. More boats came into sight as the duo changed course towards a beautiful dock filled with yachts and sailboats. Shirtless men could be seen scrubbing their boats as women in bikinis snacked on the ships, sitting in the sun.

The duo docked their boat quickly and carried the little girl with them towards a warehouse not far from the dock. People stared at the crew, or more specifically the girl, as they made their way towards the building, whispering to themselves.

The duo arrived at the warehouse and eventually met with a man guarding the entrance. He had his hand on his hip "Scram. This isn't a place for family outings."

The middle-aged man ignored what the guard said and walked up to him softly, saying, "I'm here to pay a debt."

The guard nodded his head and took out his phone. "Boss, some shit is here saying he wants to pay his debt."

The guard walked towards the side as incomprehensible noises could be heard from the phone. After a few seconds, the guard walked towards the door and opened it. A loud screeching noise could be heard as the door scraped across its railings. "Boss says this better be good, or he will have your head."

The middle-aged man gulped as he nodded his head and walked through the door. The young woman holding the wolf-eared girl followed after him.

They walked through the warehouse. Bloodstains and smoke could be seen as they made their way towards the boss's office. The smell of weed was strong, and body odor was second on the list.

The trio found themselves in front of a fancy door, slowly knocking and waiting for it to open. Minutes later, the door opened, and a bald, muscular man came out, staring at the group of three. "This better be worth my time," he said.

The bald man kept the door open as he walked back towards his desk. He sat down and continued staring at the group. The middle-aged man walked into the room, sat on the chair in front of the man's desk, and beckoned the girls to stand in the corner.

"I found something that might interest you." Said the middle-aged man as he signaled the young lady to put the wolf-eared girl on the ground. "It's a little girl with the ears of a wolf."

The bald man looked towards the little girl with sharp eyes and beckoned her to come over. The little wolf-eared girl shyly nodded as she walked forward.

The bald man placed his hand on the little girl's head as he felt the little girl's ears and watch as they twitch slightly as he rubbed her head. He nodded in satisfaction with a grin on his face. "Great job," he said. "I don't need you anymore. Leave." He said as he beckoned the duo out. They both nodded, walking out of the room, closing the door in the process. Minutes after they left, gunshots could be heard from outside and two thuds landing on the concrete.

The bald man smiled as he looked at the little girl as small tears welled up in the sides of her eyes. The Bald man slowly wiped away her tears and lifted her by her hands. "Carl!" He yelled. A young skinny man hurriedly opened the door. Blood was still on his shoes as he walked in. "What do you need, boss?" The young man asked.

"Chain her up for the next auction." Said the bald man as he handed the now crying wolf-eared girl to Carl and sent them away.

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A door opened in a dark room, and a chained little girl was thrown into the room. Water dripped from the stone ceiling, and sniffling could be heard coming from the new occupant of the room. The door closed with a bang as the room went back to being pitch black. Only the occasional scream and the rhythmic dripping of water could be heard.

This little girl never thought that the day she and her dad set off would be the last time she saw her parents. She was alone, wet, and crying in a dark cell in New York City, trapped in the mafia's basement, ready to be sold at a private auction.

Days of darkness passed. Light only shone when food was given to her through the door. All she did was hug her legs and cry in the corner of the cell and eat food.

One day, after she lost track of how many days she was kept in her cell, the door opened, and no food came with it. Two men walked in and picked up the little girl.

They walked out of the cell, walked along the long passageway, and into a room where a woman with makeup could be seen dressing up another crying girl. "Stop crying, you sissy, just accept your fate," she said as she finished the touch-up and beckoned for the guards to take the girl away.

The guards nodded and took the girl out. Only the wolf-eared girl and the woman were left in the room. "Hello, little lady. Come here and let auntie do your makeup." Said the older woman. She walked towards the crying wolf-eared girl, placed her on a stool, and started applying makeup to the little girl. "These ears are quite neat if I say so myself." mumbled the lady as she continued applying the makeup.

After half an hour, she stopped and beckoned for the guards outside to take the wolf-eared girl away.

The little girl was then taken out of the room and placed in a cage with wheels, then taken towards another door before she was knocked out.