Annora

The voices I wrote about in a previous post still haven't stopped so I have decided to let the one yelling the loudest out for a bit. I want everyone to meet Annora. She hasn't told me her last name and to be honest after everything she has been through I am not sure she even remembers it anymore.

What I can tell you about her isn't happy. She had a typical childhood for the first twelve years of her life. Her parents divorced while her mother was pregnant and shortly after she was born her mother found the true love of her life and settled down with Annora's stepdad. Both her mother Bethany and her stepfather Richard loved her fiercely but her biological father did his best to stay in the picture.

Unfortunately he was not the devoted parent Bethany and Richard were so even though he fought for custody he was denied most of his requests. He was granted visitation rights but after she returned home with bruises and became withdrawn at the sound of his name her mom went to court to keep him away from the family. Less than a year later her mother was killed in a hit and run and while he denied any involvement suspicion fell on her stepfather.

Both adamantly stated there was no way he could have done it but the eye witness reports mentioned a vehicle identical to his and one person even got a partial matching license plate. He was arrested and she was placed with the only parent or at least parent figure she had left, her biological dad. He came prepared to show he had cleaned up his act and gained temporary custody of Annora.

She was miserable about the judgement and vowed she would find a way to help her stepfather. She moved in with her dad but kept her distance from him even when he attempted to try and be her friend. It just never felt like home to her and she would cry herself to sleep every night.

Shortly after moving in with him she was walking home from the bus stop after school when a van pled up beside her and grabbed her. She was driven away before anyone could get a clear description of the men and the plates had been removed. Her father put out a message that he would offer a reward for her safe return but there was never a ransom call and no leads ever developed.

Her stepfather was found innocent and all charges were dropped when his alibi was confirmed and he was ultimately released from jail. He filed notice immediately to get Annora back only to be told she was gone. Her father picked up and moved without any forwarding information and there was no one keeping her case from going cold. He made a public plea but no one knew a thing.

Meanwhile Annora's kidnappers had sold her to a human trafficking ring and she was being kept in a dungeon one of her owners had built under his house. She fought tooth and nail in order to survive unmanageable. She just fought harder to prove she couldn't be broken.

She was abused and used as a personal toy by some of her captors and she could hear other children come and go from her prison. She struggled to free herself and became truly scared for the first time when she overheard one of the men saying they were organizing a big sale and getting rid of some loose ends. She knew she would be on that list. She plotted her strategy to attempt and overpower the man that would come for her. She was just afraid that after everything they had put her through she may not have the strength to succeed.

There is so much more but I just wanted to give a taste of what she has told me and I am beginning to look forward to sharing more of her story with my readers.