Chapter 3

Ava's POV

She looked me over, grabbed my arm, and drew me in with a swift movement. I was perplexed for a moment because I could usually read people by their eyes and this was the first time I got it all wrong about someone.

She growled and murmured something to herself. I was still surprised that I had been wrong about her; I had expected her to be extremely pleasant and friendly.

"What's your name?" she inquired

"My name is Ava," I introduced myself.

"Do you have a last name, hun?" she inquired.

"Um... I-I uhh w-well I ummm," I stammered.

I refused to reveal my surname because I despised who I was related to. I hated my parents even though it had been 6 years since I had seen them. I never looked for them and just hoped that karma had taken care of them.

"Never mind," she grumbled, "just go down that hallway and it's the second door on the left."

"All right, thank you!" I regained my composure.

I proceeded down the hall, opening the second door on the left. I was stunned when I opened the door. What I saw surprised me.

I saw three girls wearing tiny, tight dresses. The woman in the first seat was dressed in a deep red dress that reached her high thigh and had an open back. The next girl was dressed in a neon pink dress that reached her knees but had a slit near her thighs through which you could see her neon pink underwear.

The girl next to her was dressed similarly, but in blue. I quickly felt out of place, and I wondered if I had misjudged the time or location because they appeared to be interviewing for a stripper job. I quickly turned around and approached the maid who had directed me to that room.

"Are you sure I'm in the right place?" I inquired.

"What are you talking about?" she retorted.

"Is this the place where they're looking for a babysitter?" I inquired.

"Of course, as I said, it's the second door to the left," she said, her voice slightly filled with a hint of annoyance.

"Um, okay," I replied.

I returned to the room and took a seat next to the girl in the blue dress. Within ten minutes, three more girls arrived, all dressed in short dresses or shorts with a skimpy top.

I had a moment of doubt and thought I was about to be sold again, but I reminded myself that not everyone wants to sell you.

I was afraid of being sold again; I thought that if someone looked at me the wrong way, I would be sold again, but I realized that the world did not revolve around me and that men, being men, would look at me like a piece of meat regardless of their intentions.

A few minutes later, a woman emerged from another door and informed us that the interviews would begin immediately. She summoned the first girl in the red dress and informed her that the interview would be one on one.

About 5 minutes later, the girl stormed out, cursing up profusely.

Girl after girl would storm out, saying something like, "I hate you, I am too fu#cking good for your family anyway." or "Your daughter is ugly in any case, she's a brat." All of this made me nervous , but also shocked, because no one should insult a young girl.

When my name was called, I was shocked.

"It is time for your interview, Ava."

I walked into the room, trying to keep my breathing under control.

All of the girls who had entered had left. "This is a legitimate interview," I told myself as I sat in the chair across from the older lady who was seated in a large chair behind a desk.

She was tall and thin, and she carried herself very high. She was dressed conservatively in a pencil skirt and a suit jacket. She had lovely light brown hair that was tucked behind her head and secured with a diamond clip.

She had a few wrinkles around her eyes, her eyes were a beautiful blue, and she looked very familiar, but I couldn't place where or when I had come into contact with such a woman.

"Ava," she said, softly smiling.

"Yes, Ms. Jayson," I said, returning the smile and handing her my resume from my purse, which contained all of my information.

"Oh, I like you; you can call me Veronica" she said as she took the file from me and began reading it.

I was already feeling good about this interview because she said she liked me and said I could call her by her first name.

"Ava I'll be honest with you: you were the only woman who showed up with a resume and a proper attire "She said this while looking at me up and down.

I was dressed in black slacks with a white blouse.

"I know your resume says you have no experience with children, but I believe this is a good opportunity for you to gain some," she said as she closed my file and looked up at me.

"And I'm sure you're nervous because you know who you are, but I swear to you, no harm will come to you," she said as she stood up to shake my hand.

"I apologize; I don't want to appear rude, but "I'm not familiar with your family. I saw your advertisement for the interview and came here today because of it "I said this as I stood up and shook her hand.

She looked at me with a shocked expression written all over her.

"You have no idea what our family does... you have no idea about the Jayson's-." She began

"Oh, well, this makes everything better." As she walks out of the room, she tells the other girls to go home.

I remained perplexed in my seat. I had never heard of the Jayson family before, and I was curious as to what she meant by "no harm will come to me" and "what her family does, "Before I could finish thinking about it, she walks in front of me and leads me out of the room and into another.

The room we enter is enormous; it is the size of my apartment. The room has two couches on each side of the room, one in the middle, and a large flat screen television. The walls are light grey, the couches are all white , and a glass coffee table sits in the center of the room. I find it strange that they have white couches with a three-year-old, but given the size of this room, I am sure they can buy new couches every day if necessary.

"All right, Ava, let's talk about everything," Veronica says, motioning me to sit on the couch.

The couch is much softer than I expected, with two pillows on either side, and I almost sank into it when I sat down.

"First and foremost, you will be paid weekly, and there is a house outside if you want to stay with us instead of commuting from your current residence."

I nod.

I don't know if I want to stay here. It is gorgeous, but I want my own place where I can feel safe and have my own space. Living here would make more sense in the end, but I'm not sure I'm ready to give up my apartment just yet.

"If you choose to live here, we will feed you and deduct no money from your salary; if you choose not to live here, you will only receive your salary. Whether you decide to live here or not, you must be awake and ready for the day at 8 am

I nod once more. I reason to myself that not only would I receive the same amount of money, but I would also be fed, allowing me to save even more money and attend school.