My parents both had alcohol and drug problems, and in a rage they hit me and locked me up in a small storage basement. My mom also pulled out a kitchen knife. I remember hearing things like, “You inconsiderate brat. You worthless daughter.” I legitimately thought my mom was going to kill me that night. I was in that small dark storage closet just bawling my eyes out, and at one point I thought I was going to die from the lack of air.

Keep in mind that up to this point I actually never felt in danger, just awkward and weirded out.

After a few hours, my mom let me out of the closet. She cried and said I needed to keep doing this so they could have enough money to survive. I think she kind of regretted punishing me, but she wanted to try a different angle to get me to continue to be her sex slave. My father wasn’t in the room while this was happening. In many ways I think my father was less to blame than my mom, but he sort of complied with the whole thing because he also needed the money.

During this whole time I was still kept in school. After the incident I contemplated telling my school counselor. My parents were careful so I didn’t have any markings on my body that would lead anyone to believe that I was beaten. I was so embarrassed by the whole thing, but I finally mustered up the courage to tell my counselor.

It was unfortunate that my counselor happened to be probably one of the dumbest people in the world, and she did the stupidest thing anyone could do. She told my parents that I had talked to her instead of reaching out to the child protective services to get me out of that situation.

Of course, my parents weaseled their way out of it somehow by saying I was an over imaginative kid that had watched too many movies. That I was lashing out because I was mad at them so I was trying to get them in trouble. As a grown woman now I sometimes still get enraged about how stupid that counselor was.

That night I was locked in the same closet for the whole night. Again I believed I would die that night.

That’s how these things get covered up so well. My parents, on the outside, seemed like a very normal family. I was a great student that didn’t have any character flaws. My parents made me study and get good grades. No ONE believes that the straight A student with seemingly “normal” parents would be a victim of human trafficking.

The mental abuse I suffered caused me to never want to tell anyone else anything about the incident. Especially after I felt so betrayed by the counselor. So I never reached out to anyone again about it.

The next stage of my life was horrifying.