The DeSilva Girl

“Rose!” Maureen DeSilva sharply called, looking across the small hall where twelve teenage girls, all wearing the same black leotards with their hair neatly pinned up in a bun, were standing in a row.

“I’m sorry, Miss Maureen, but there’s a dog outside in the garden limping; it looks in pain,” Rose replied, turning away from the window to face the elderly, grey-haired, chubby woman dressed in a black dress. “Can I go and check on it, please?”

“Don’t be silly girl!” Miss Maureen sharply spoke, walking towards Rose and tapping her on her back with the cane she always carried. “Stand up straight and practice your pointe.”

All the girls concentrated on their ballet pointe for the next two hours before lunch. Even though Rose tried to concentrate, she couldn’t get the dog out of her thoughts; she felt sorry for the scruffy black and white dog she’d seen.

When their ballet lesson ended, the girls ran upstairs to their rooms to change; they loved the weekends. After wearing white dresses all week, they were allowed casual clothes. Rose dressed in her jeans and stood in front of her mirror, turning from side to side, stroking her hips; she loved the tightness of the soft denim against her skin. After applying her makeup, she slipped on her favorite pink t-shirt and unpinned her bun; her long black hair fell loosely over her shoulders as she brushed it.

While sitting at the dining table, waiting patiently for Miss Maureen and Miss Anne to bring their food, the girls excitedly talked amongst themselves. Every Saturday afternoon, they could choose what they wanted to do in their spare time. They could relax in the living room and listen to classical music on an old record player. They could play board games and cards, dressmaking, cross-stitch, and baking. The girls had never seen a television, so they knew nothing about what was going on in the outside world.

Miss Maureen and the thin, dark-haired figure of Miss Anne wheeled in the trollies of specially prepared food for each girl’s dietary requirement; the girls had to be kept healthy. The girls went silent and sat up straight while they placed the food on the table. Miss Anne placed Rose’s plate of steamed fish and vegetables on the table and smiled. “Rose, please join me in the dance hall after dinner.” She said, then turned to Violet. “And you too.”

“Yes, Miss Anne.” They said in unison, wondering what she wanted them for; they never questioned the two women who cared for them.

After their meal, the girls began their activities while Rose and Violet made their way towards the dance hall. “I wonder what Miss Anne wants us for?” Violet asked.

“I don’t know,” Rose said, linking her arm through Violets. “Maybe it’s time for us to leave the house; we are both eighteen.”

“But what if we’re not chosen to leave? Do you think we’ll have to stay here forever?” Violet stopped walking and rubbed her forehead, feeling worried.

Rose stared at her friend; she couldn’t give her an answer. “I don’t know,” she shrugged. “Don’t worry about it; none of the girls left here have been over twenty.”

“Come on, girls,” Miss Anne impatiently called from the dance room doorway, “we haven’t got all day.”

Both girls ran along the corridor towards Miss Anne, who sweetly smiled as they approached. They followed her into the hall where Miss Maureen was waiting for them. “Don’t worry, it’s just a health check,” she said, gesturing for Rose to go to her while Miss Anne took Violet to the other side of a curtain. Rose undressed, stood on the scales in front of her, and stared ahead into the huge mirror fixed into the wall. She was used to the health checks but wondered why they were taking place in the dance hall, not the medical room like they always were.

“Nine stone 5 pounds, height five foot four,” Miss Maureen quietly said, pausing to write in a notebook. “That makes a body mass index of twenty. Perfect,” she beamed, looking at Rose. “Now raise your arms,” she ordered, checking for hair, then checked between her legs and around her legs to ensure all hair had been shaved off correctly. “You can dress, and then you’re free to leave,” she said, placing the notepad on the small wooden table beside her.

As Rose left the hall, she waved to the dark-haired figure of Violet, who was still with Miss Anne. She thought about what she would like to do with her time and decided that baking a cake for everyone would be nice.

Rose was in the kitchen for the next hour. The cake was slightly burned on the top when she took it out of the oven. Carefully slicing the burned bit off, she opened the kitchen door to the garden and threw the burned bits out for the birds. Rose shivered as the cold winter breeze blew around her; she gazed across the garden, wondering if it would snow again, like the previous year, when she noticed the black and white scruffy dog limping towards the hedges. Knowing she would be in trouble if she went outside, Rose sighed; she felt sorry for the dog and wanted to check on it. Glancing behind her to see if anyone was about, Rose’s heart began to thud as she stepped into the garden. Running towards the hedges, she quietly called to the dog and noticed it by the side of the porch at the front of the house. Pausing for a few seconds and wondering what to do, she knew she would definitely be caught at the front of the house, but she was sure if she explained about wanting to help the dog, Miss Maureen and Miss Anne would understand. As she approached the porch, the front door opened. It scared the dog; it limped away as fast as possible towards the forest.

Rose froze when she heard Miss Maureen’s voice; she knew she’d be caught now. Her heart thudded as she crouched by the porch and held her hand over her mouth. Curiosity got the better of her when she heard the sound of the deepest voice she’d ever heard. Stepping to the edge of the porch, she peeked around the edge. Her heart thudded so hard it was almost painful; standing on the driveway was a tall, dark-haired man dressed in a black jacket and trousers. Rose stared wide-eyed in fear at the handsome, well-groomed man. She stepped back behind the porch as he turned to face Miss Maureen. “And don’t worry, the body is somewhere no one will find it.”

“That’s good,” Miss Maureen sighed, “Did you feed her to the pigs, like the others?”

“Of course I did,” The man laughed, “I hope this one lasts longer than the other. I pay good money for these girls.”

“How long did you say Blossom lasted?” Miss Maureen asked.

Blossom? Rose thought. Blossom was her friend who left the house six weeks previously.

“Four weeks,” the man answered, “it’s a shame; she had the most enjoyable scream.”

“Well, hopefully, your new purchase will please you,” Miss Maureen laughed,

“Oh, she certainly will; I’d never been so excited when I saw her standing naked before me,” he answered.

Rose heard the crunching sound of footsteps along the gravel as the man walked away, then went quiet. “Ms.DeSilva,” the man called, “what time will she be delivered?”

“Sometime this evening, I’ll phone you when we’re on our way,” she called back.

“And again, what was her name?” He asked.

“Her name is Rose,” Miss Maureen answered, then closed the door.

Rose collapsed on the floor in shock; tears streamed down her cheeks, and her head spun with what she’d just heard. The girls didn’t leave the house to learn about the outside world; Miss Maureen sold them. Her friend Blossom was dead; she’d been fed to pigs, and she was going to be taken to the man that night.

Running around the house towards the kitchen door, she was going to tell the other girls what she’d just heard. The door was closed; she frantically rattled the handle to open it, but it was locked. “No!” she cried, slumping against the door and slowly sliding down it. Sitting with her head in her hands, she began to sob; she didn’t know what to do now. Raising her head, she gazed across the garden and noticed the scruffy black and white dog sniffing around the trees surrounding the grounds. She wondered where it had come from. Thinking if she followed the dog, it might lead her to find the other house so she could ask for help. Rose stood up and shivered; the evening sky had just darkened. Staring at the forest, then glancing back at the house, she felt sad for leaving the girls, but she had to. “I promise I’ll come back for you,” she whispered, knowing that Violet could be taken at any time, but at least she could save the younger ones.

Running across the grounds towards the forest, she scrambled over the tall wire and ran for her life.

Two hours later, the girls were sobbing at the dining room table while waiting for their evening meal. They couldn’t believe that Rose was missing. Every corner of the house and grounds had been searched, and no one could find her. Miss Maureen and Miss Anne were dishing out the dinner in the kitchen. “Did anything happen today that could have upset Rose?” Anne asked.

“I’ve questioned all the girls, and the last time they saw her was at dinner,” Margret answered, scraping the saucepan to serve the last scoop of mashed potatoes. “I’m going to have to phone Maxwell to tell him she’s disappeared; he’s going to be furious.”

Anne shuddered, thinking about how much trouble they would have with Maxwell; he was not a man to cross. “We’re going to have to put barbed wire around the fence to stop them climbing over; it’s not the first time a girl has run.”

“I know,” Maureen laughed, placing the dinner plates on the trolley, “but two returned after a few hours, and one may have made it through the forest, but luckily for us, she was found dead on a roadside.”

Anne gazed out of the kitchen window at the forest, remembering the night she was watching the news on her television and hearing about an unknown girl who had been found dead from a hit and run; the description fitted Daisy’s.

Margret could see Anne was worried; she placed her hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it. “Don’t worry, Rose won’t make it out of the forest,” she confidently spoke, “she’s not that strong; it’s minus three degrees now, so she’ll either return or the cold will kill her.”

Rose staggered through the dark forest and collapsed, gasping for breath. Her jeans were wet and dirty from falling over, her t-shirt was torn, and her arms were scratched from climbing through thick bushes. Shivering, she curled into the fetal position and began to sob; she didn’t know how long she’d been running, but it felt like forever. Her stomach ached; she was hungry but felt sick; she tried calling for help, hoping that someone was nearby, but no sound came out. Mumbling inaudible words, her mind drifted to home. Closing her eyes, she saw images of the girls giggling while they played board games and sewed new clothes; she saw them sleeping cozily in their beds at night, unaware of their fate. Letting out a heartwrenching scream, she rolled onto her hands and knees. Holding onto a tree, she pulled herself up; her head spun as she staggered through the forest; she had to save the girls.

Through the gaps in the trees, she could see lights in front of her and heard the roar of a lorry driving along the road. Rose fell backward in fright; she didn’t know what it was. Struggling to stand again, she felt dizzy but knew she had to carry on. Seeing an opening in the trees in front of her, she summoned the last of her strength, threw herself through the opening, rolled down a bank, and landed on the road with a thud.

Rose choked for air as she rolled onto her back; her eyes slowly closed as she slipped into unconsciousness.