All the people in the big area turn to stare at me and I try to curl into myself.
“This is her?” A man with long pink hair states coldly smirking. “Thought she’d be prettier” he states, relaxing on the sofa, his eyebrow piercing glinting in the TV’s low light.
A young guy smacks the guy's arm, “that’s mean, Joel.”
A pale asian girl leans down between them, her blue hair in a messy pixie cut, “I think she’s cute,” her eyes scanning over me a bit too intimately. 
“Get her upstairs” the boss calls behind her and I'm pulled away and up the wooden stairs that are on my left. It creaks as I ascend to the second floor. We take a right at the top of them and the rest of the building’s floor is laid out in front of me, stairs at the end of the corridor leading to the next level up. Doors lie on the left side of the corridor.
“Used to be an apartment building” the scrawny guy says, letting go of my arm to tie his auburn hair back into a man bun. We pass a few beige doors before we come to one on my left. A rusted 1E sign hangs precariously on it, as if one hard knock would send it falling.
“Boss will be here in a few minutes” Jason says as he shoves the door open and pushes me through it before slamming the door behind me.

I glare at the door, imagining it blowing up as they come back to open it. I reluctantly turn to survey the room, my eyes skimming over the plain and unfamiliar space.
I need to think. How do I get out of here?
I spy the large window frame in front of me, it’s white paint flaking, revealing pale wood underneath.The other side offers a fire escape. I run for it, dragging my fingers over the wooden slats for the lock to heave the window open but…
“Shit” I bark as my fingers sting, half hammered in nails cutting my fingertips.
I turn as the door opens, the ‘boss’ walking in with Jason behind her. Is he her second in command?
I pull my hands behind my back so they can’t see the finger cuts.
“How dumb do you think we are?” she says, grabbing a chair from the small table against the wall to my right and bringing it in front of the bed to my left. She spins it around so she sits on it with her arms over the back of the chair.

“Sit” she gestures to the bed and I reluctantly move forward and sit on the edge of the bed in front of her. “So you’re Valerie?” she asks, cocking her head to the side, scrutinising my very existence. 
“Why does it sound like everyone is disappointed when they confirm that?” I groan, my hands wringing together in anxiety.
“I’m Leah” she says, pushing her ponytail back over her shoulder, “and I’m the boss here, understood?”
I glare but nod.
“Good. I just need you to confirm some things for me.”
“Not until you tell me what is going on,” I state angrily. How dare she ask anything of me when she’s the one who won’t answer my questions?! “You kidnapped me. I’m not answering any of your questions till you answer mine.”
Leah sighs and runs a hand over her hair. “Guess how old I am.”
I stutter, that is not where I thought this interrogation was going.