Ava stepped into the dimly lit, slightly grimy bar. She counted six booths on her left before settling on the seventh.
It's hard to tell what was louder--the sound of her teeth grinding or the rhythmic tapping of her foot. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in every guest in sight.
One of the waitresses approached her and smiled, "What can I get you, young lady?
"Oh... just a... fuck, oh yeah, a shot of F.S.S. whisky, make it two." Ava took a deep breath as if she had passed the most challenging test of her life.
The waitress sat across from her, two shots of whiskey already in hand. She slid one over to Ava. " You know what, maybe you could use both of these," she said, sliding the second one over.
"I shouldn't; I'm not actually 21 yet." Ava's eyes shift from the drinks to the mysterious woman sitting before her. "I won't tell if you don't," the woman said with a subtle wink.
Ava paused, looking her over. This waitress couldn't be more than five years older than her. Still, her voluptuous build and confident presence put them in very different leagues. Her shorter blonde hair was prim, and her piercing blue eyes were too intimidating to keep eye contact with.
She took another deep breath and downed both shots.
"Good job, girly," the waitress said, almost with a look of pride across her face. "Now, follow me." She got up and walked towards the back door, nodding to the bartender as she opened it for Ava to walk through.
"Where are we going? No one said anything about leaving the bar with you?" Ava hesitated before walking through the threshold.
The waitress placed her hand on Ava's lower back and nudged her forward. "We're just going to take a short ride, and I promise we will be back in thirty minutes tops."
"I don't even know who you are," Ava shouted. She froze as the door shut behind her. A car's headlights flashed them from the back of the alley before she could find her bearings.
"Sorry, my dear, they call me the Matron, and if you stick with me, all your family problems might just disappear."
Ava was constantly cleaning up her parents' messes, but gambling debt like this wasn't getting fixed by a part-time job at the cafe. Nope, this mess had her meeting sketchy women at random bars who call themselves The Matron; how about that.
She reluctantly followed the woman down the alley toward what turned out to be a decent-looking limo. The driver jumped out of the car as they approached and opened the door for them with a bow.
"Thank you, Charley." the Matron said, gliding across the seat to make room for Ava. Only when entering the car did she realize he wore a mask over the top half of his face, only able to see the most unsettling smirk below it.
She sat down, her stomach switched from twisting to performing somersaults. "Please just tell me what's going on. My dad told me I'd just have to sign a few things, and you guys would take on the debts. I-I can even make a small payment now, please."
The Matron stared at her body, paying no attention to her words. "You really are quite small, aren't you?" She rummaged through a suitcase that already sat in the car. "I knew you were petite from the pictures, but..."
"What pictures? What is happening?" Ava finally traded in her fear for anger. "I'm not playing this game anymore; let me out of the car."
The woman chuckled, "Maybe this one will fit you; try it on for me."
"Fuck you," Ava said as she pulled on the locked door handle.
The Matron set the garment bag down next to Ava and returned to the suitcase again. This time, an envelope appeared. She threw it on top of the bag. "My dear, your father is an addict and, as you can see now, quite the liar, your mom even worse. You cannot sign anything because they signed for you days ago."
Ava ripped the envelope open to find copied documents signed by both her parents, that named her Maiden Ava of the F.S.S.
Her head started spinning, "Is this a joke? They don't own me. I'm 19, and you can't sell a person, I'm not an object!"
"They can, they did, and you are. They owed $80,000, but if you look below, they signed for $500,000. You pay me that right now, and we are square."
"I have $90 combined in my accounts; how am I supposed to find that kind of money?" Ava started hyperventilating, and a wave of thoughts crashed into her.
The Matron patted the garment bag lying between them. "I like you, Ava, but honestly, just shut up and remove your clothes." She stood up to hit the glass, separating the driver from them, and the car began to move.
Her tilted world came to a halt. The Matron's words were now direct and much harsher. "What, why?"
"Ava, I do wish I could help you through this trying time, but your potential Patron is waiting for us not five minutes from here, so let's save the questions for another time. I can't let anyone see you dressed like that." Her eyes scanned the sloppy T-shirt and jeans Ava had quickly put on for the meeting.
Ava knew nothing good could come from this, but she slowly removed her shirt. The bagginess hid her petite frame; she only then noticed her lack of a bra and quickly covered her smaller B-cup breasts.
"Girly, it's no time to be shy, and don't worry; plenty prefer yours to mine," the Matron remarked, seeing Ava glance again at her chest.
She gently pulled Ava's hands down and took a long look of her own at the young girl's perky little breasts and perfectly paired nipples. "Plenty indeed." She said a smirk crept across her face. "Now pants, too, and underwear, if you bothered with those."
