7th of October, 2022 - Brooklyn, NYC
Having grown up in New York City, 15 year old Lux was used to the busy and chaotic atmosphere which the city had to offer. Today was no different. Lux had gotten out of school just after noon as it was a Friday and school always ended at 1.30pm on a Friday instead of the usual 3pm finish. She never liked it, always left to wander the streets alone, waiting for her mother to finish workâor at least care enough to lend her the key. Lux didn't have her own to their small two-bedroom apartment.
Lux's home-life wasn't brilliant but it wasn't awful either. Her father had left a few months after she was born claiming that Lux was 'no child of his' leaving her with just her mother. Lux's mom, Jade, wasn't necessarily a bad mom. Not in Lux's eyes at least. Yes, she could be irresponsible at times and feel like more of a friend than a mother but Lux really thought she was trying.
But that's just who Lux was as a person. She was a genuinely sweet girl and always tried her best to see the good in people. Even if they didn't treat her amazingly.
Jade worked long hours at a small tattoo parlour in a slightly more run down area of Brooklyn, often leaving Lux to fend for herself when it came to basic things like meals and getting to school on time. Despite her independence, Lux couldn't help but feel the sting of loneliness in the empty apartment. Her mother's passion for art and ink was inspiring, but it came at a cost; Jade was constantly stretched thin, juggling work and her own dreams, while Lux learned to navigate her world mostly on her own.
There was also a little issue with boyfriends. Jade seemed to have a never ending flow of strange and older men constantly trickling through the apartment. Some were admittedly nicer than others, even going so far as to pick Lux up from school when the traffic wasn't too bad, but they never lasted long. And for every 1 semi-decent man, it felt like there were at least 10 weirdos in-between.
Lux continued to walk. It was colder now that it was October and the air had a noticeable chill to it leaving the small girl shivering slightly. She had grown out of her old coat and her mother hadn't bothered to buy her a new one yet.
She comes to a stop outside the run-down tattoo parlour, taking a seat on the steps outside. She wasn't allowed in. 18+ only. Now it was just a matter of waiting, as it was every day after school - especially on Fridays.
---
The two husbands, Vincent and Sebastian, sat in their sleek blacked out car, watching the small girl as she sat quietly on the steps outside the tattoo parlour. They had been watching Lux, studying and analysing her for a few months now and it was safe to say that they knew almost every detail about her. They knew where she went to school, where she lived, they knew about her mom and the steady flow of men in and out of Lux's life and how her dad had left when she was just a few months old. . They had even hired a private investigator at one point, to dig up any 'deeper' and 'harder-to-find' information on her.
"Poor thing looks cold." Vincent comments, his eyes not once leaving the small girl as she sits, huddled up on the front steps of the tattoo parlour.
"She does" Sebastien replies, his voice quiet and low as his gaze falls upon the young girl outside of the parlour. Her small frame was visible even through the tinted windows of the car and both men wanted nothing more than to scoop her up into their arms where she would be warm and safe.
Something that they would be able to do very very soon because today was the day. Lux was finally going home with them.
They had spent a ridiculous amount of time preparing to take Lux back home with them, making sure that everything would be perfect for her arrival. She had a pretty new bedroom ready and waiting for her with a soft warm bed and as many toys as any little one could ever desire. She also had a very excited big brother, August, waiting at home with a baby sitter.
The two men had worked hard for the life that they had now - well, most of it. They both come from wealthy families, each of them gaining access an extraordinary amount of money when they hit 18 thanks to their trust funds. A lot of that money had been put into the stock market or invested into real estate, giving them back millions of dollars every year. Although they didn't have to work, both of them had very high paying jobs that where also flexible and easy going.
They were, of course, very grateful for this but what they saw as a true success was the little family that they had created together. They took August in the summer of 2019 when he was only 14 years old. Just like Lux, the two men had been watching him for a while and quickly discovered that he did not have a great home life. For them, it was a simple and easy decision to kidnap August, or in their words 'adopt' since they hated the word kidnap. It had been a struggle at the start since August was not used to being treated like a literal toddler but soon enough he slipped right into the new lifestyle. For a while now, Vincent and Sebastian had been wanting another little one to complete their family. Preferably a little girl. That's when they stumbled across Lux.
They had a simple but well thought out plan. When Lux's mother would finally give her the key, Lux would cross the road to get to the apartment, walking right past their car. In one swift movement, the door would open and Vincent would swiftly pull her inside the car, pressing a cloth soaked in chloroform against her mouth and nose. She would pass out in a matter of seconds.
The men didn't necessarily want to do this but it was the easiest and quickest way to grab Lux without making too much of a scene. Plus, Lux was a very small thing, she wouldn't be able to fight back even if she wanted to.
The men continue to watch as she sits on the steps, her school uniform seemingly being the only to keep her warm but even that was doing a terrible job of stopping her shivers.
"Can her mother hurry the fuck up" Sebastian grumbles, getting frustrated at how irresponsible Jade was.
Vincent just chuckles, his thumb brushing over his husband's knuckles in a soothing manner as they wait.
The minuets continue to tick by until finally, after what seems like forever, the door to the tattoo parlour swings open revealing Jade.
Lux immediately stands up, turning around to face her mother.
She was a woman not much taller than Lux with choppy bleached hair which comes down to her chest in a scraggly mess. She was covered in poorly crafted tattoos and stick'n'pokes all over her arms and neck, a few even residing on her face. She was a poorly put together woman with She was a poorly put-together woman with smudged eyeliner and chipped black nail polish, giving her a rough, almost careless look. Her clothes hung loosely, mismatched and worn, as if she'd thrown on whatever was closest. Her expression was a mix of defiance and fatigue, like someone who'd long stopped caring what others thought.
The men sometimes wonder how this mess of a human had managed to create someone as sweet and cute as Lux. On the surface, Lux seemed untouched by the roughness around her but they knew that there were some underlying issues. Issues beneath the surface which were harder to see but still cut deep.
"I'm gonna be home late tonight." Jade says, passing the key to the small girl. "So you better stay the fuck inside the apartment Lux. I'm serious."
Lux nods, putting the key in the pocket of her school skirt.
"There's some tinned soup in the cupboard so don't go out spending my hard earned cash on any type of unnecessary shit that I know kids your age like to eat." She says bitterly, shutting the door in Lux's face before she even had a chance to speak. It was obvious that the woman was in an especially bad mood today.
Lux nods, staring blankly at the door for a few seconds. She'd learned by now not to take her mother's words too personally, but the sting still lingered. With a quiet sigh, she turned away and slipped her hands into her pockets, feeling the worn fabric between her fingers as if it could offer her some comfort.
She turns around, walking back down the steps and onto the sidewalk. She looks both ways before walking across the road, manoeuvring herself between the tightly parked cars. That's when it happens.
They door to one of the cars the walks past suddenly swings open and a pair of large hands seize the girl, pulling her inside. She tries to scream but something is placed over her mouth and nose forcing her to breathe in sharp, dizzying scent of chemicals.
"Shhh," a voice murmurs softly. "It's okay, sweetheart."
The man's tone is almost gentle, as though he's trying to calm her. Through the haze, she manages to glimpse a second man in the driver's seat. But before she can process anything else, her vision blurs, her thoughts scatter, and darkness takes over.