Darkness. Screams. The girls’ faces etched with permanent sorrow. Broken. Drowning. Water filling their lungs. Their hands reach out for her, but she cannot save them. Their cries, "Why can't you help us?!" Desperation. They lash at each other, blaming, shaming. "How could you not have known?!"

"If it wasn’t for your weakness he would have just asked us!"

“If you could have just brought in more tips, they would have need the money!”

“If....stop.....money...”

They plunge into the darkness.

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Sapphire awoke from her nightmare. Her heart pounded against her chest, trying to escape its prison. She sat there for a moment contemplating. She needed to tell them, but what good would that do? They would be weighed down by such a putrid truth, and that wouldn't change the situation. She sighed and decided on a course of action. She would get them out of there, then months, or even years down the line, she would tell them when the reality of it all wasn’t so close. The squeak of a door opening broke her train of thought. Carin's fearful look smoothed away slightly once she saw Sapphire. A relieved sigh came from her, and her furrowed brows lost some of their intensity. " Oh thank God It’s just you. Why am I here?"

"Sit down first. I'll make you some breakfast." Carin obliged even though that question burned in her head. Sapphire took out a box of pancake mix from the pantry and pulled out the other ingredients she needed. As she worked, Carin absentmindedly strolled around the apartment, looking some deeper insight into her nightly companion. The sizzling of the pan brought her gaze back to Sapphire, who seemed very focused on the pancakes for some reason. It was as if they were the most important thing in existence at that very moment. She laughed silently to herself at the peculiar sight. Sapphire started to turn towards her and she darted back onto the couch before she could see her being nosy. They ate in a comfortable silence, but once the meal was over, it was Sapphire's time to explain things.

"So...Um-You are here because you got really woozy on your way out of the club. I didn't want you driving home in that state so I took you home, and you ended up passing out. I think you probably were just overworking yourself again. I know you don't like bothering people for breaks, but if you need them, you need to tell someone." Carin pondered this for a moment, and accepted Sapphire's white lie. "Oh- and Uh...Carin?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever thought of doing something else?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, stripping clearly isn't your thing. You can’t even experience what they feel. Maybe you should do something that you actually would enjoy, like writing. You are really good! I still have that poem you wrote for me. It's in my desk drawer." Carin was taken aback, her cheeks tinted a soft pink.

"Well-I guess I would like that but...." She sighed and kept her head down. "In a city like this, it's so hard to get your feet off the ground. This was the only job I could get where I would be secure from day one. If I tried writing, I could be poor for a year until I publish a book, and that doesn't even guarantee people will read it."

"Then start writing now. Publish anything you can. Then once you can support yourself, leave." Sapphire scooted next to Carin and looked into her eyes. "Look. I know this job isn't for you. You are expected to ooze sex appeal but you don’t even want it. I think of you as a friend, and I hate seeing you forced to do something that's still uncomfortable after how many months?" Carin couldn’t look at her.

"Seven"

"Exactly. This job will never be right for you, you need to escape."

"Escape? Why escape? I get that it may not be the best for me, but it's not like it's a prison." Sapphire looked sullen, which Carin picked up on, and it instantly worried her.

"Sapphire, something is wrong isn't it. I can see it on your face. Please, I need you to tell me because if it concerns me I need to know."

"I can't-"

"Please." Carin's eyes started to water. "I know this job isn't the best for me, but I am doing it to make ends meet. If I really am in some kind of danger. I need to know. I am already as scared as it is." Sapphire averted her eyes and stood up abruptly, keeping away from her. "Bring everyone here. This is something that concerns all of you. I want to keep you safe from this horrible truth, but you are right, you deserve to know. But promise me this." She whipped around to stare Carin directly in the eyes. "Once you know the truth, you need to not let it get to you. I can't bear knowing that I caused you all that kind of pain, even if it isn't my fault."

Carin just stared at her, wide-eyed, but her expression soon went calm. "Okay, I trust you."

A/N I would love to hear your feedback! I was thinking of continuing this series, so please let me know if you would like to see more!