Kamaria
I didn’t know how long they kept me down there. Weeks? Months? It felt like years. I tried counting based on the meals they brought us, but I didn’t know if they brought meals three times a day, or once, or merely when they felt like it. All I knew is that I was slowly losing my mind. Every night I had nightmares.
“Are you going to finish your bread?” a voice called out.
I wouldn’t have called it bread, it was more like a rock that you could eat if you tried really hard. My stomach rumbled, begged me to try, but I didn’t want it.
“No, take it,” I said.
I threw it in the direction of the voice. It landed with a loud thud on the other side of the room. I heard a chain rattle and a strained noise.
“Damnit, I can’t reach it!”
“Not my problem,” I said.
They didn’t talk to me much after that. I think we all hated each other, despite the fact that we hadn’t ever met prior to this room. It was like all of us just wanted someone to blame.
The door swung open with a loud groan and the silhouette of a man stood in the center for a moment.
“I’m coming in there,” he said, “No sudden movements.”
He lumbered through the doorway and walked toward me. I vaguely heard the man calling to me as he stood over me. I felt his hands reached down and grab the shackle around my ankle.
The chain was off and he pulled me up. As I walked out of the room, I had to shut my eyes against the light. It felt like I was staring directly into the sun. They pulled a bag over my head that smelled like dirt and sweat. One of the men took me by the arm and led me through hall after hall until we emerged into the scorching sun. I felt the heat on my skin as they pushed me into the backseat of a jeep.
The engine grumbled as the car bounced across the uneven landscape. Dirt roads stretched out in every direction, there was no such thing as a smooth ride out here. We drove for a long time before the car stopped. They pulled me out and we walked towards the sound of plane engines. They led me up a ramp and into a cool and air-conditioned environment. I sat down in a thick and comfortable seat as they pulled the bag off of my head. Light flooded my sight. My eyes screamed in pain as I shut them tight. I briefly saw the empty seats around me as I tried to slowly open my eyes and catch a glimpse at what surrounded me. The plane started to move as I tried to move my hands and realized they were handcuffed to the seat.
I managed to regain my sight, despite the glowing lights above me. In front of me, a small screen was playing a movie. It showcased men in a prison, but I didn’t pay attention to it at first. It reminded me of my own story. Of being imprisoned and forced to do what you must to survive. However, I had little else to do or look at during the flight, so I waited and watched the movie.
I didn’t have sound, but that almost made it better. I imagined what they were saying and I tried to follow along. When they brought me food, it was better than I had expected. The food was delicious and when I was finished, a woman in a business suit came over and sat on the seat across the aisle from me. She had shoulder length black hair and a thinly framed body.
“State your name, please,” she said, extending a recorder.
“Kamaria Ife,” I said.
“Good, now I must brief you on the relationship you’re about to enter into,” she said.
“Relationship? What are you talking about?”
The woman ignored my question and looked down to a clipboard in her hand.
“Your new husband’s name is Daiki Uchida. He’s an Asian billionaire with powerful ties in both the corporate world, and various resistance movements and military groups in Africa, the Middle East, and in Russia. All you need to do is make him fall in love with you. Do you understand?”
Falling in love was the easy part, it was the fear of losing someone else I loved that scared me the most.
“Why am I being taken to him? Did he choose me?”
The woman sighed and placed her hand on mine. It was the first sign of compassion she had shown since our conversation started.
“Oh no, he didn’t choose you, but he’ll like you all the same. Trust me, you’re his type,” she said.
“How do you know so much about him?” I asked, “Do you work for him?”
She laughed. “No honey, I’m his wife!”
I felt like I had been punched in the stomach.
“He’s married? Then why do you want me to take him from you?” I asked.
She set down the clipboard as her eyes wandered around the room.
“Things are different where I come from, Kamaria. Where I’m from, money and power is far more important than love. I loved my husband once, but that was a long time ago. It’s time we parted ways, but he doesn’t see that. I need our divorce to be mutual, otherwise I can’t take half his fortune when I leave. Do you understand?”
I nodded, even though I didn’t understand in the slightest.
“Good, so what’s your job?”
“Make him fall in love with me.”
“Very good. Can I get you anything before we land?”
I shook my head.
“Great. Thanks for doing this. I know you didn’t have a choice in the matter, but I appreciate your help all the same.”
I didn’t like the way any of this felt, but anything was better than being locked in that room. I wasn’t sure if I could love again, but I tried to keep an open mind as the plane landed. Soon it would be time to meet my new husband