…Or not?

"Aha, you're not mute. That means I have no reason to cut down on the gold I am to pay for you." The man nodded and used his index finger to draw a circle in the air. "Turn around. Show me what you've got."

Alika sensed the air around her compress, pushing her to move. Her body spun around of its own accord, oblivious to the internal screaming of resistance. She felt worse than a dog, doing tricks to satisfy its owner's every whim. In that instant, she was a rag doll at the infinite mercy of a spoiled child.

"Tsk... It will have to do." He sighed.

What?! It will have to do?! Who did he think he was to judge her looks as if she were a pig at an auction?! She knew she was pretty. Beautiful even. At least that was what her parents always told her… And the worst question of them all came to mind. Why in the Underworld would she care what this idiot thought of her?!

"A few months of dieting, a minor surgery, some magic, a bit of makeup… And you'll look decent enough not to be an embarrassment," the demon concluded. "Nothing that can't be fixed."

Dear Phoenix! Alika had never been chubby. She considered herself too skinny from the lack of proper nutrition. What kind of pervert suggested she go on a diet?! At this rate, a newly resurrected skeleton would look better than her.

"I hope you last long enough for it to be worth it. I'm doing you a great honor by coming down to this dump in person," the demon declared, taking a step closer.

Alika wanted to flee, run across the room, and jump out the window. She needed to scream and call for help. But. She couldn't. Her feet were glued to the old floorboards that were only half-coated with paint. The other half peeled away a long time ago. She was helpless and could do nothing except succumb to her fate.

Something inside her broke. All Alika could do of her own free will was cry. Even that could have been planned by the stranger. She wasn't sure about anything anymore. Hot tears escaped her eyes, rushing down her cheeks to drop to the floor one after another.

The man grinned and was yet one step closer. Was that crooked teeth-baring grimace meant to be comforting? And he laughed!

"What a sweet, teary face! So wonderfully sad and devoid of all hope. It's the most beautiful of sights! Now, this was worth traveling all the way here for!" The demon licked his lips, his black eyes blazing with evil flames.

'Mom! Dad! Where are you?! What is the meaning of this?!' the thoughts in her head shouted out.

Once Alika's body listened to her again, she leaped for the door. Alika fumbled with the lock. Her trembling hands turned the simple task into a real challenge. It finally budged under her efforts, and the girl ran down the steps outside. The front door slammed behind her.

Alika's knees buckled, and she felt her body sink to the ground. The next thing the girl knew, she was sitting on the grass, blinking. She looked up into her parents' faces. The hem of her dress was dusty, the skirt stained with green.

"Mom, dad! You couldn't have known, right?!" Alika asked. She was desperate to hear it was alright and she was safe. She wanted to know that nothing in the world could hurt her. Their expressions bore no trace of surprise. No guilt. No fear. Or any other emotion she expected to see. Wanted to. Hoped to.

"Alika. It has to be done. Accept your destiny. It's the only way. You're old enough to understand that," was all the woman said. This woman was none other than the one she called "mother". The one who the girl considered to be the wisest, the kindest, most caring, and perfect person she treasured and loved more than life itself. Her mother was her idol and role model. The one she admired beyond words and the standard she wanted to live up to.

Alika felt the world she knew crumbling around her. Everything so dear to her heart was shattering into a million tiny pieces. Could this really be happening? She couldn't make herself believe it.

Could there be a good reason to explain her parents' decision? She wanted there to be. But can slavery ever be justified? No, no way. How could any of this have happened? What did she do wrong? Or... was her future predetermined the moment she was born?!

"You need to gather your things for your journey now. A carriage will be waiting for you in the morning," Alika heard her father's stern voice say.

The girl swallowed and forced herself to give a slight nod. The tears on her cheeks were yet to dry up. Her lips were still quivering. As seconds ticked by, her heart filled up with determination.

There was still time. Alika still had a chance! She wasn't about to let it slip through her fingers just like that! Thoughts she never imagined would have flooded her mind.

'No. It's all clear to me now. Nobody will take my freedom away from me! I'd rather meet my end fighting, I'd rather die free!

No. I will defy this destiny! I'll run and escape, learn and grow stronger to survive any hardships fate throws my way. Just wait till I find my path and become the master of my own life!

And then… Then, it will be my turn to laugh at this broken world, just like it dared to laugh at me!' Alika promised herself.

The girl swore that evening had to be the last time she was controlled by fate. The night ahead would be different. From that moment on, her life choices would be hers alone!

The dream broke off. And the next Alika saw the events that took place a day later…

The wind brushed against Alika's tear-stained face. Her long, fiery auburn hair whipped across her back. Loud and shrill, the seagull cries filled the air. The girl wiped her cheeks with the back of her sleeve. She allowed herself one last sniffle before biting down on her lip to stop any more of the tears from rolling down.

That was it. Enough with the crying! She had nothing to hold her down, just like those white birds in the sky. Her life was full of options and the power of free will. Go wherever she wanted? Do anything she wanted? Yes, she could do that and much more. She would fight to keep it that way. Forever.

There was no way Alika was returning to that house. Ever. She would not become a slave. Particularly to a demon she had never seen before. Dear Phoenix, nobody even cared to show her the man's picture! Nothing could make her believe it was the right thing to do.

Alika had enough of it all. They didn't give a damn about what she thought, how she felt, and what became of her. They didn't care about what she lived for or whether she lived at all. And they were supposed to be the people closest to her. These people were the only family she had ever known.

Alika clenched her hand into a fist. Her nails dug deep into her flesh, but she didn't mind the pain. Anything was good enough if it could take her thoughts off of what happened mere days ago. That horrible event turned her world upside down. It made her doubt every living, breathing thing in existence in a matter of minutes...