Chapter One page 2

      'No Mom... No'  Allora begged her mother.  Her small eight year old frame was weak and shaking.  Her body almost numb entirely at the thought of what her mother was ordering.  Desperately she looked around for an escape knowing there was none but something within compelled her to look away.  Perhaps she was begging a silent god somewhere in the universe to make a way of escape, maybe she was looking to see if some super hero had come through the door, some knight in shining armor like those in the stories she read.  

     Her mothers bone chilling grip on her arm tightened and Allora's body quivered and shook.  ''Look at me you damn girl. I told you I have a headache... it MUST be done, I've promised it... so you will do it for me.''  Allora's electric blue eyes looked up at her mother, pleading once more on her behalf.  
     
    "You love mommy right?  Then it's no big deal, just do it and get it over with... I'll be there to help I just have a headache, you know how bad my headaches get.  I owe him Allora and you owe me.''  Allora could feel her body moving as her mother dragged her into the living room. She understood by now that attempting to not do as told would result in things so much worse.  There was no escape, no god to save her, no hero to carry her away, no knight to slay her dragon and rescue her.  There was only this.  The life she'd been given and the task she must now accomplish for her mother.

        As the darkened hallway disappeared behind her and the dimly lit living-room came into focus she could see him sitting on the sofa, naked, waiting. She shivered violently a moment. Suddenly an  overpowering cloud of cigarette smoke, weed, and alcohol wafted into her nose, making her gag for a moment.  Waking her from her zombified state for a moment she struggled, tried to loosen the grip her mother had on her enough to slip away and run... she didn't know where or much care she just had to run.
        ''Allora, stop acting insolent child. You've done it before. This time it won't be with a little sixteen year old prick though... you'll have a real man.  You want to be a 'woman' so bad.. now is your chance.  Do what women do and suck it up.. literally.''  The laugh that followed her mothers cold words startled her and she fought even harder. She didn't want to be a woman, she just wanted to play barbies like her friends, go fishing with her uncles, she just wanted to go back to bed.  
         How did her skinny wasted mother have so much strength?  Was she really this weak herself that she couldn't get free? She could hear herself crying and trying to scream but she couldn't escape.  ''If you don't do it I'll go wake your brother, do you want that? Do you want him doing what a woman should?''  Allora stopped suddenly in her efforts, a crushing blow.  Her mother knew she would never allow her brother to be harmed.  She'd done everything she could for four five years since his birth to be sure he was never harmed in any way.  Taking the full front of her mothers rage along with her mother's 'suitors' rage.  Her little Daniel was still very much a sweet innocent boy and she wanted it keep it that way.  He would not harbor the hurt and bitterness that she herself did already at her young tender age.  
   ''NO... alright alright...''  Her tears threatened to fall but she held them back, refusing to allow her mother to see the pain and anguish.  Allora's mother walked her over to the coffee table in front of the sofa and sat her there, directly in front of the naked man.  As her mother talked, giving her instructions Allora's thin frail body began to shake yet again.  She knew she had no escape.  She knew death would come in this moment like it had once before over a year ago. She longed for the real death to come but knew that the death to befall upon her would be much worse... and she'd never be able to escape it.