Bailey awoke and was happy to hear
her alarm clock ringing loud
She scrambled out of her bed in haste
putting anything on she found
She struggled to try and contain her joy
as she tip-toed down each stair
Then brushed her teeth and tried to comb
her tangled, auburn hair
Today was her birthday, now thirteen
not a girl in the mirror she saw
Instead, a young lady, she smiled (unaware)
innocence would be her flaw

Arriving at school, she strolled into class
nonchalantly joining her friends
She rested her round perky face in one palm
while waiting for school to end
When the final bell rang, the students dispersed
at last the hour hit three
Bailey skipped home and rushed to the box,
her gift she longed to see

As soon as her parents came through the door
they sang her a birthday tune
She gave them a hug and her mom cut the cake
it'd be time to open it soon
When the family finished, they sat on the couch
as Bailey began to unwrap
Her blue-golden eyes oversized with delight,
a personal computer on her lap

Now alone in her room, content with the night
she joined in a chat online
Thinking, oh what the hey, it’s just girls on this site
her parents would think it’d be fine
So she laid on her bed and began to type
to one friend first, then a few
Her sandal-tanned feet twirled around in the air
as she looked to find someone new
Soccerchick101 popped up and said, "Hi!"
and Bailey replied with a, "Hey :D"
They exchanged conversation and planned they would talk
again the following day
Bailey learned her new friend soccerchick101
(her real name being Adele)
Lived in Hapeville, near her town of Atlanta
the city she knew so well

A couple months passed, and their friendship grew
Adele and Bailey were sure
Though they still never met face to face, they claimed
"best friends" was what they were
Adele never judged when Bailey was mad
she was kind and open to share
So Bailey continued to spill out her heart
to the friend who always cared

One day in the summer, the two girls agreed
they'd make an effort to meet
It'd been over five months, and their goal to do that
now deemed possible to complete
This weekend Adele planned to visit Atlanta
with family to Piedmont Park
A place not far from my house, Bailey thought
she'd make it home before dark

Today was the day, Bailey anxiously sat
wanting the wait to end
But then the phone rang, and she quickly picked up
hoping that it was her friend
Bailey greeted, "Hello?" and then heard a voice
of a girl her age say, "Hey!"
They chatted a bit and laughed 'til she said,
"Okay, I'll be on my way!"
She was home all alone but she thought to herself
I’d only be gone for a bit
If I stayed over time, then a little white lie
would not be too hard to commit
So she quickly got ready and put on some shoes,
left and whisked out the front door
Just a couple of blocks then she'd be at the park
excited for what was in store

When Bailey arrived, she spotted the girl:
blonde, well-dressed, and tall
The same in the photos Adele had sent
but thinner if she could recall
Adele waved to Bailey and ran for a hug
from the end of the lone parking lot
Hesitant, she asked, "Want to meet my family?"
Bailey chirped, "Sure, why not?"
A man grinning big, leaned on the Mercedes
"My dad..." Adele softly said
"You're Bailey, correct? We’ve heard about you."
she nodded, her face turning red

They talked a bit longer then soon it was time
for Bailey to start heading out
Bummed to leave, she said her goodbyes
today was great, no doubt
The dad asked, "Need a ride?" Bailey responded,
"No thanks, I don't live far."
But before she could leave, Adele opened the door
and pushed her inside the car
Shocked and in terror, she screamed out her lungs
but a hand had muffled her cry
With her eyes being covered, a gun to her head
she thought she was going to die
Suddenly Adele blurted, "I'm sorry!" and sobbed
"SHUT UP!" a man yelled in return
He slapped her hard, Bailey flinched at the sound
a punishment, she would learn
There were two other men in the car besides "dad"
one held her painfully tight
She squirmed in his lap, then he snickered with joy
"It's okay baby girl, I don't bite."

Cold and afraid, she questioned herself
What did I ever do wrong?
Then crossed her fingers, and desperately wished
this nightmare wouldn’t be long

Bailey awoke and was startled to hear
the men getting out of the car
While dragging her out, the door slit her leg
leaving a permanent scar
A man picked her up, and she pounded his back
as they climbed the apartment stairs
Once in the room, he threw Bailey down
then pulled her up by the hair
Now able to see, five men she saw
were hungrily staring, amused
They each took the pleasure of having a turn
no matter how much she refused
She was weak and disgusted, drowning in tears
an encroachment she’d never forget
Though it wasn’t her fault, she still blamed herself
and inside she was full of regret

Early next morning, “dad” woke her up
stripping off all of her clothes
Then made her stand in the tub, arms out
as he sprayed her down with a hose
He called it a “shower” to get her clean
then gave her some things to wear:
A provocative skirt with a very loose top
her stomach, exposed and bare
He pulled her aside and briefly explained,
“I’m your pimp, now you work for me.
You’d be stupid to think about running away.
One shot, you’ll be dead. Guaranteed.”
He continued with tips about picking up “Johns”
the men buying sex with a price
“There’s also a quota to meet when you’re done.
A Benjamin will not suffice.
I could care less how the money is earned.
By the time you get home, it’s mine.
See, baby girl? Just a few simple rules.
Obey, and you should be fine.”

Eventually Bailey found out where she was
somewhere downtown in Savannah
A city, roughly a four hour drive
from her home that was up in Atlanta
Every night she would long to be back in the arms
of her mom and her dad once again
Instead of the ones that were holding her now
belonging to middle-aged men
But that to her, was only a dream
since then she had lost all hope
She would often get high to ease the pain
an addiction that helped her to cope

Months had passed, everyday a routine
and sometimes her pay was too low
So she’d suffer a beating much worse than the first
that Adele had received long ago
One day she noticed her stomach felt strange
weeks went by and it grew
But soon the pimp had demanded abortion;
something she couldn’t undo
Knowing she’d taken the life of a child
remorse had flooded her heart
To remove all the guilt, she relied on her drugs
but couldn’t stop falling apart
She soon would lose track of the countless nights
protection was never in use
Though infected with AIDS, they forced her to lie
to clients she had to seduce
Her weight began dropping from the disease
fragile and pale she became
And every night since that day in the park
she prayed this was all just a game

Bailey awoke and was craving to hear
police cars passing their street
Looking out windows and searching for sounds
was a habit she’d come to repeat
She struggled to try and contain her grief
as she faltered down each stair
Then brushed her teeth and tried to comb
her bleached and stringy hair
Today was her birthday, now fourteen
in the mirror, not a girl she could see
But a hollow shell of what was left
of the child who longed to be free