After my grandmother secretly sold me to human traffickers, my mother went insane. My father spent the rest of his life resenting my brother for not watching me closely enough. My brother spent ten years searching for me alone. After traveling the length and breadth of the country with no hope, he slashed his wrists... My grandmother, along with my uncle’s family, seized our house and all our assets. I wanted to burn the house down with them inside. Instead, I was reborn. I was back to that day. I heard my grandmother take the money and tell the trafficker: [Take the girl. Leave my precious grandson for now.] 1 If I hadn't been snatched by traffickers, I would have been the princess of the family. My dad, my mom, and my big brother adored me. But I was sold into the mountains. A high fever left me slow and "dull," so the family that bought me sold me again because I was a "waste of food." I was passed around like a bad penny. Eventually, no one wanted to buy me as a person. They said even if my brain was broken, my kidneys and heart were still good. So, I was stripped for parts and died on a cold table. Only in death could I finally go home. I learned that after I disappeared, Mom and Dad couldn't handle the grief. They passed away one after another, leaving my brother, Leo, all alone. But Leo never gave up. For ten years, he carried my photo everywhere, asking strangers if they’d seen the little girl with the big eyes. “She’s my sister,” he’d say. “She’s very pretty and very good.” He wore shoes until the soles fell off. He starved himself, living on plain water and stale bread, crying himself to sleep holding my picture. When he finally heard news of my death, the last thread of hope snapped. He was just skin and bones by then. [Mom! Dad! Bella, wait for me. I’m coming to find you!] The blade sliced across his wrist... [Leo!] I tried to save him, but my ghostly hand passed right through his body. The grief and rage were overwhelming. Was I helpless? Was I forced to watch my family die because of me? Suddenly, a blinding light shot through the window. When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in the back of a truck that reeked of stale cigarette smoke. I stared at the man in the black leather jacket. Him. The trafficker. That bastard. He pulled a stack of red bills from his pocket and handed them to the woman opposite him. [Auntie, count it. Five hundred bucks. I hear you got two boys, too? I’ll pay triple for them.] 2 Five hundred dollars. That was the price of my family’s destruction. Through the haze of smoke, I saw my grandmother’s "kind" face. She stuffed the money into her pocket with a satisfied smirk. [Dream on. I’m not selling my grandsons.] A chill went down my spine. Tears welled up in my eyes. Why Grandma? Why would she sell me? The trafficker asked what I was thinking: [Auntie, aren't you scared your youngest son will find out?] [You don't say, I don't say, nobody knows,] Grandma scoffed in her thick country accent. [Besides, what’s wrong with selling a girl? She’s just gonna be raised for someone else’s family anyway. If I don't sell her now, she’ll just get married off later.] [His older brother got arrested and needed a thousand for bail. He refused to give it! Wouldn't help his own brother but treats a useless girl like a treasure. Me selling his daughter? He forced my hand!] The trafficker laughed loudly. [Alright, Auntie. Call me when you have new stock.] [With this money, I can get my eldest son out!] Grandma added one last instruction: [By the way, take this girl far away. One less mouth to feed, and maybe my rich youngest son will finally give me more alimony!] Because of that one sentence, in my past life, I was sold to a deep mountain village in another province. I never saw the sun again until I died. This time, they will pay. The sedative in my system hadn't worn off yet. I memorized the route, looking for a chance to escape. There was another child in the truck—a boy who looked like a porcelain doll. He was unconscious, probably snatched too. The truck stopped on a small country road. A woman in a hat leaned into the window and whispered: [Mike, you got a boy this time?] Mike, the trafficker, looked around cautiously and nodded. 3 [Yeah. Twelve hundred.] [Done.] The woman sighed in relief, excitedly handing him cash. She turned around to reveal a bamboo basket on her back. [Put the boy in here.] [Waaah... Mom, don't leave me alone! Take me with my brother!] I struggled up, grabbing the woman's sleeve. I knew this was my chance. [Why would I buy a girl?] The woman turned away, but her eyes flickered. The boy in the basket woke up. He didn't expose me. Instead, he started crying for his "sister." Mike seized the opportunity to upsell: [Buy her for company. Girls are cheap and can do chores. Sally, we go way back. I won’t gouge you. Seven hundred, take her.] The woman, Sally, was persuaded. I was tossed into the basket for a discounted price. The basket was covered tightly with a cloth. Sally, careless with two sleeping kids, set us down by the roadside while she went to the bathroom. [Stay put. There are bad people around here.] Once her footsteps faded, I shook the boy awake. [Want to go home?] The little guy nodded silently. [Then follow me. No crying. I’ll take you back. If you make a sound, I leave you behind.] I put on my fiercest face. We climbed out of the basket and bolted into the crowd. I didn't go to the police. The local cops might be in on it. I couldn't risk it. At the bus station, I used the single dollar in my pocket to buy two tickets. Back then, you didn't need IDs for buses. The ticket lady looked suspicious, but I grabbed the boy’s hand and smiled sweetly. [Miss, we’re going to the county seat to find Mom. She’s waiting at the station for us.] We made it to the county town, but we had no money for train tickets to the city. So, I smeared dirt on my face and begged all the way. The little boy, whom I nicknamed "Bun," had a stomach rumbling like thunder. He looked hungry, but he never complained. I was starving too. [We’ll be home soon.] When it got unbearable, we raided trash cans for leftovers. Finally, we scraped together enough for tickets. I spotted a woman boarding and tailed her closely, pretending we were her kids to sneak onto the train. 4 Just as Bun and I stepped onto the train, a group of people rushed the platform. Sally pointed at us and screamed: [My babies! Someone stole my babies!] She lunged to drag us off. Other passengers started pushing us from behind. [Kids, quit running around. Go home with your mom.] My heart hammered in my throat. Was there no escape? I remembered Leo slashing his wrists, clutching our family photo. I went feral. I bit Sally’s hand as hard as I could and wrapped my arms around a seat leg. [Liar! You’re not my mom! Help! She’s a trafficker!] Sally shrieked in pain and slapped me across the face. Crack. Her accomplice kicked me in the ribs. [You dare bite your mother?] I curled into a ball, gasping. The bystanders looked indifferent. Domestic dispute. Not their problem. Through the dizziness, I saw a college girl try to stand up, but her mother pulled her down. [Don't meddle. It’s family business.] My scalp burned as someone grabbed my hair. The accomplice asked, [Sally, what about the girl?] Suddenly, a small body threw itself over me. Bun cried incoherently: [No... don't take sister.] Sally scooped him up, her face instantly shifting to a loving smile. [Oh, my precious son. Come on, Momma’s taking you home.] The taste of blood in my throat woke up every nerve in my body. I looked up and screamed with everything I had left: [You don't even know our names! My mom loves me! She would never hit me like that! You are lying!] Eyes turned toward me.
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