Falling II: Flora’s Tragedy (a story about human trafficking)

 Grab the book here: Falling II: Flora’s Tragedy

This is a story about human trafficking. Content Warning: This story takes place in a dystopian environment and contains mature themes, including descriptions of graphic physical violence, self-harm, and suicide. Reader discretion is advised. Introduction: Falling—my life is falling, falling, and falling; my life is drifting away from the surface of Earth. Falling—everything is falling apart. Everything; The memories of my mother, my family, and my friends are fading. Fading…

A part of the book:

Flora joined us. Now we were four—a private, exclusive team. We took care of Flora—or I should say, we all took care of each other.

A few days later, Norman found out what had happened to Keith. It was horrible news.

Keith had failed the tests, so he couldn’t join the Green Gang. He was sent to another factory, where they made him a real beggar—the kind people stare at, the kind who can’t do anything else. They cut off his arms. Nothing was too cruel for The Eaters.

Each and every day, they would take him to the city center, sit him on the side of a busy street, and tell him to beg. “If you don’t hit your targets,” they told him, “we’ll cut your legs off too.”

“That’s every boy’s fate if we fail to join the Green Gang after we turn sixteen,” Norman told us—Jean and me. He wasn’t sure if he should tell Flora the truth.

“What about you?” Jean asked.

“Me?” Norman shrugged. “Oh, I’m a lucky guy.”

“What do you mean?” She gazed at him.

“You know, I’m very good at being a thief. Mina’s gonna promote me to trainer, remember?”

“So you don’t even need to join the Green Gang?” Jean gasped, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “How wonderful!”

I interrupted her before she could say another word. “Aren’t we going to leave here?”

Yeah, wonderful for you! I was thinking.

“Oh right,” Jean smiled, covering her face with her delicate fingers as if she were ashamed. “We will get out of here.”

“Yes, we will,” I said. “And we must.”

“Of course we will,” Norman said. “So, uh, should we tell Flora?”

“No!” I blurted. “I—I think she’s too…too fragile to know this horrible news.”

We all agreed to keep this terrible news from Flora. But two days later, Flora ruined our plan when she asked Norman, “Do you have any news about Keith?”

Norman shook his head. “I’m sorry, Flora. I’ll keep looking.”

“Oh.” Flora frowned, her voice lowering as she bowed her head. I could feel her disappointment and her sadness. “Thank you, Norman,” she said, and left us to go to the library.

I followed her there.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“I…think so. My medicine is running out,” she responded dryly. “And Keith won’t come back.” Her eyes watered.

“We’ll find you the medicine. And we’ll find Keith,” I promised. “Whether he can come back or not, we will find him.”

 Grab the book here: Falling II: Flora’s Tragedy