15th May 1949

Chapter 2

I gently assisted Jade to get on her feet, "Can you walk?" I asked her with concern. She looked at me and nodded, my gaze locked into hers and I sensed fear, I cursed the poorly functioning streetlight that didn't allow me to see her eyes properly, I wondered what shade of brown they were.

I held Jade and we slowly walked towards the more lit street, I asked her where she lived and she showed me the way, we silently walked on the way and I heard faint breaths coming out of her mouth as I noticed the look of pain on her face, "Do you want to take a break?" I asked her.

She shook her head, "No, we're almost there. And it's not safe walking at this time of night for two girls" she said weakly. My heart broke at her words thinking of what the poor girl had just experienced.

We arrived in front of a small two-storey house, some bricks were abandoned on the ground, while on others you could see the wounds left by the bombs. I wondered how it was possible that it had not yet disintegrated and I wondered how Jade or any of the people here could live in such decay, I realised that I had been blessed with good fate to be born and raised in a wealthy family, with a father who was influential in that society.

Jade lived on the fringes of society, she was one of those people who no one would care if she died in an alley or in a riot, just as Leigh-Anne had said.

We entered the house and I was astonished to see the conditions in which she lived, the flat in total was little smaller than my living room only, there was a stove, a sink, a small single bed, a small table and two chairs. A large trunk was propped under the window. There wasn't a bathroom.

A/N - Jade's house. Cut out the children

I helped Jade sit on the bed and took a candle I found on the floor, placed it on top of the trunk and lit it, the dim light was enough to illuminate the small room. I went to the stove and took a cloth, wet it with water and went back to the girl who was looking at me intrigued.

I approached her and asked permission to help her, she agreed and I gently wiped her dirty and bloody face. I looked closely at her cheeks and noticed her eyes circled in red, I squeezed her hand as I silently continued to clean her face.

"I'll take off your dress, is that okay?" I said carefully, she looked like a deer caught in the headlights but when she recovered she nodded and allowed me to help her undress.

My eyes widened at the sight of her naked body, I noticed purple marks on her neck and breasts and wondered what they were, they looked like small bruises but they were also different, I had never seen them done like that.

My gaze fixed itself on her full breasts and hard nipples and my breath caught in my throat, I heard a small giggle come from her and felt the colour rise on my cheeks as I realised that I had been staring at her for who knows how long.

"Is this the first time you've seen another woman naked?" she asked derisively.

My cheeks were boiling by then and I nodded trying to pull myself together and get back to the task I had set myself, I cleaned her breasts, stomach and belly, then my gaze lowered to her soft, perfect legs. My eyes widened as I noticed the blood between her thighs.

"Does it hurt?" I asked her worriedly.

Her gaze lowered and a few tears streaked her face, "It's fine" she said without looking at me.

I decided not to insist even though I knew she was lying, I finished cleaning her legs and returned to look at her, "Where do you keep your clothes?" I asked her looking around the cramped space.

She pointed to the trunk and I hurried to it, I moved the candle to the encrusted window sill and pulled out a dress with numerous holes in it, however, it looked like one of the best she had. I walked back to her and asked her to lift her arms as I cautiously slipped the dress on, "Why are you doing this?" her voice interrupted my thoughts, I looked at her confused, "Why is a rich white girl in this neighbourhood helping someone like me?" she asked curiously.

I didn't have an answer, I didn't know why I was doing that, I just knew that it was right to help her and that I didn't care if Jade was rich or poor or if we were two opposites. I didn't answer her question, instead I thought about how to get out of the uncomfortable conversation.

"What were you doing near a brothel?" I asked her trying to change the subject.

She laughed at me, "I work there," she said simply, I looked at her with wide eyes and gasped at the unexpected statement. I had never met a prostitute, certainly not in my father's social circles, but not even at demonstrations, I had only heard about them, I knew they were women who sold their bodies for money. I had never stopped to wonder why they did it, though.

Again Jade laughed at me, "So the rich white girl has never seen a naked woman or met a prostitute before," she declared wryly.

I stayed silent and finished helping Jade get dressed, "What are you doing here, Perrie? You don't belong here" she told me seriously then.

She was right, I didn't belong there, but I also felt that I didn't belong where I came from, I felt alone and lost and had no idea where I was headed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come" I told her, I stood up but felt Jade's hand hold me back, her skin was warm and soft and I felt a shiver run down my spine at her gentle touch.

"Wait" she said softly, I turned to face her and saw gratitude in her gaze, "Thank you for helping me" she smiled sincerely at me.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you, Jade" I told her sorrowfully.

She laughed bitterly, "I'm a whore" she stated without emotion, "And this wasn't the first time. It probably won't even be the last" her gaze was distant and my heart stopped at her statement. I realised that Jade had already endured more than I could have ever imagined.

"I don't want you to go" she said softly, "It's too dangerous, you can stay here until tomorrow morning"

I faltered at the suggestion to stay, that place was rickety and dirty, there was no bed for me and I didn't even know where I was exactly, my mother and Jesy were probably going crazy by then not knowing where I was. However I knew that venturing out into the dark, cold night in that neighbourhood would be even more dangerous, so I accepted her offer, took off my shoes and looked around for a blanket or something to put on the ground to block out the cold, but Jade again grabbed my wrist and again I felt a jolt pierce my body.

"I won't let you sleep on the floor" she told me seriously and there was sweetness in her eyes, "Come here" she said as she moved to the edge of the bed, I did as I was told and lay down next to her, I tried not to show my uncomfortableness even though it was obvious.

The only other person with whom I had been so close, except for my mother, was Jesy, during the nights when she stayed over and we comforted each other over the horrors of the war, inevitably the memories returned to my mind and I felt the sadness hit me, Jade noticed and squeezed my hand, I looked at her and smiled, thanking her silently.

I suddenly felt her hand settle on my stomach as she rested her head on my chest, I stopped breathing and froze not knowing how I should react.

I felt a strange sensation I had never experienced before overtake me, I didn't know how to identify it or describe it, I could feel my heart speed up and shivers hit me but it wasn't because of the cold. Shortly afterwards Jade's regular breathing echoed in space and I released a deep sigh. I cuddled in the warmth that her body on top of mine emanated and without thinking I began to caress her soft brown curls and scratch her scalp, I felt Jade's grip tighten on my stomach as if she was afraid I might escape and shortly afterwards her body relaxed.

It didn't take long for me too to fall into a restless, doubt-filled sleep.

15th May 1949

The next morning I woke up with sunlight streaming through the windows, I noticed cracks in the glass and felt the cold strike me in the bones, I realised I wasn't at home and I was frightened trying to piece together the memories of the previous evening. I remembered Chris nailing me to the wall and my breathing quickened, then I remembered running until I was lost and finally.... Jade.

Memories flooded in one after the other and I realised I was at her home and in her bed, I looked down and found Jade's curly hair splayed across my breasts and neck, I felt my cheeks flush at our closeness and a shiver run down my spine.

I asked myself why these strange sensations were happening and wondered why I wanted them to continue.

My confused mind didn't let me realise what I was doing until I heard Jade sigh and ask me to continue, so I realised I was stroking her hair again, immediately I froze but her unsatisfied moaning led me to continue.

Moments later I heard her raspy voice whispering good morning to me and my whole body was shaken with shivers, as if a discharge had just pierced me and I gasped. Jade slowly stood up and looked at me, smiling.

"Thank you for staying" she stroked my face and I felt my cheeks turn a deep shade of red, "I wouldn't have been able to be alone tonight" she admitted sadly.

Her eyes became watery and without thinking I wrapped her in a tight embrace, I felt her snuggle into my body and her face fitted perfectly into the crook of my neck, her breath on my skin left me goose bumps and I realised that I wished this moment would last much longer than just a few seconds.

However, soon after we parted, Jade stood up and told me that the bathroom was just a bucket outside the house, I decided to hold off until I got to my house and she laughed at me and my sophistication.

She offered me a piece of white bread which was all the food she had and some tea, I accepted the hot drink but left her the food thinking that she needed it much more than I did. I could not help but look at her too thin body and wondered how often the poor girl managed to eat.

The light coming in through the windows finally allowed me to get a good look at her face, I realised that her skin was much darker in contrast to my pale white one.

Her eyes were chocolate brown and she had shades of honey in places, her features made me realise she was not English, I recognised that she was probably part of the wave of immigrants who had come to my country in the last few years.

"Where are you from?" I asked, hoping the question would not offend her.

"Egypt" she said quietly, "I came here with my family right after the end of the war, looking for work. My father was a soldier in the British army, sent to my country during the British occupation of Egypt, on his return from the war he was discharged and died in the factory a few months later and my mother works as a laundress but when my father died I had to find a way to help her so... well, there wasn't much I could do besides laundress or prostitute, but the latter pays better"

I nodded not really knowing what to say, Jade was one of those people who came here in search of a bright and prosperous future and was cheated by fake and unrealistic promises. She lost her father and had to adapt to selling her body to men without dignity, just so she could eat.

Again I realised that Leigh-Anne's words rang truer and truer, the contamination was nothing but a lie sold well, but the truth was very different and much darker.

"How old are you?" I asked her. I gathered that the longer I stayed with her, the more I wanted to get to know her.

"Eighteen" she smiled as she drank her tea, "You?"

"Seventeen" I said looking at her and losing myself in the vastness of her eyes.

When I finished my tea I thanked Jade for her hospitality, I understood that even though she had almost nothing, she offered me everything she owned, just so that I would stay safe, even though I represented the lie that had led her to believe she could have a future here, that had been snatched from her too soon.

When it was time to go I knew I wanted to spend more time with Jade, to get to know her better, to become her friend and find out everything about her, but our time was over. This strange and senseless acquaintance had only been a twist of fate. Just a small impasse in our lives, I would go back to Chris and marry him, with all the consequences that would follow, she would return to her life of hardship and danger and probably forget about me soon after.

Our worlds were too far apart to meet, we were just two lost souls in a broken city with nowhere to go.

If the strange turn of events of the previous evening had not happened, we would never have met or perhaps, if we had, we would have ignored each other, her loathing the spoilt rich British lady, me loathing the dirty Egyptian prostitute.

There was no way that two people like us could ever have come into connection.

I knew that the moment I would say goodbye to her, Jade would be just a memory that would only have faded with time, until one day all that would remain of her would be the memory of the girl in the alley, I would forget her name, her voice and her sweet touch. At some point I would have forgotten her chocolate brown eyes, her soft curly hair and how they felt in my hands. I would have forgotten the regular sound of her breathing as she slept leaning against me.

The moment I left that house, Jade would have been nothing but another shadow in my life.

I looked at her for a long time, trying to memorise every one of her features, every one of her expressions, the thousand different shades in her eyes and her soft pink lips. I stared at her lips and wondered what it would be like to have them on mine, then I realised the sick thought and felt disgusted with myself. However hard I tried, I couldn't help myself.

I realised that no one would ever know about this encounter and I allowed myself to look at her lips again and daydream about them.

I saw Jade smiling at me, probably knowing that the end of our meeting was approaching.

"It was nice to meet you" she told me candidly. I returned her gaze and smiled at her, "Maybe in another life" the words hung in the air but no explanation was needed, Jade knew exactly as I did that we would never see each other again and never meet.

This was a goodbye and we were both aware of it, even though we both wanted more.

"Bye, Jade. Take care of yourself" I smiled warmly at her as I left the house.

"You too, Perrie"

On my way home I paid attention to the dirty and degraded neighbourhood I had stumbled upon only the night before, I saw the brothel where Jade worked and wondered how many men she would satisfy that night, I felt disgust at the thought of them all touching her body and her being forced to please them.

I tried not to visualise Jade's naked body but the images of the previous evening invaded my mind and it took little for the pictures of men around her touching her without any care or respect to come together in a pitiful painting.

I saw children running through the streets paying attention to the rubble and staring at me with awe and curiosity, I also noticed the gazes of adults reflecting the same emotions.

A/N - The neighbourhood where Jade lives 

Jade was right, I didn't belong there.

About an hour later I arrived in front of my house, I took a deep breath already knowing that the conversation I was about to have would be intense and unpleasant. I knew it would be pointless to tell my father what Chris had tried to do, but I had to try.

If I wanted to be part of the change I so desperately desired, I had to find the courage and not keep quiet.

I entered the house and immediately found my mum looking at me with concern and red rounded eyes, dark circles marred her beautiful face and I felt guilty for making her go through what was a night of anxiety and fear.

"Are you all right, dear?" she asked in agitation.

I nodded and followed her to the living room where I helped her sit down, "I'm fine. I'm sorry for running away but-" my mother's look reassured me and convinced me to tell the truth. "Last night Chris came into my room and he approached me... he tried to..." I couldn't continue.

"I understand, sweetheart" she replied sadly, "I'm so sorry, my child" she said holding back tears.

"Jesy and Leigh-Anne, the count's daughter, stopped him, but one day it will happen, right? I'll be his wife and I'll have to do what he says" I said more to myself than to her, "I'm scared, mother" I admitted looking at her.

"I know. One day you'll learn to love him, Perrie. You'll see..." her tone was full of regret and resignation and I realised my mother was speaking from experience. I had always believed that my parents were in love when they married, in that moment I wondered if I too had believed the same lie my father had sold to his guests the night before.

"Where have you been?" my mother asked but was interrupted by my father's loud footsteps, I got up to face him but before I knew it I was on my knees holding my freshly hit cheek.

'What were you thinking last night? The guests were astonished! You ran away like a thief and your mother and I had to do everything to keep a scandal from coming out!" my father shouted and all I could do was shut up to listen to him. It was the first time I felt drained and used and I felt indignation and resentment coursing through my veins.

"Christopher tried to rape me!" I screamed in anger and despair.

"Oh, please, Perrie! You're not going to believe all that bullshit those feminists say! You will be his wife soon and your duties as a woman will be to please him as he wants! I never want to hear you talk like that again! You're going to marry Christopher and you'd better not cause me any more trouble!" he shouted angrily, so much so that I could see the vein grow and throb on his neck.

His red face and indifferent expression made me realise that he would never give up this marriage, no matter what I or my mother thought about it.

I had been sold for money, just like Jade.

I realised that, after all, although we came from two different countries, two different cultures and two different pasts, our fates were not so far apart.

Jade and I were more alike than we thought, we just didn't know it at the time.

"You are going to marry Christopher Taylor. The discussion is closed" 

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A/N - Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed the chapter and see you at the next update! ❤️

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- C