Ring Around Rosie by Emily Pattullo Page A

he shook his head.
    “Look, I’m sorry, actually, I need some
help, do you think you could help me?” Ted rushed, feeling the pressure of time
again and realising that a moment of pleasure for him here could mean a moment
of horror for Rosie somewhere else.
    The girl looked confused, then her
expression changed to that of understanding and she nodded, taking his hand and
leading him into another, more private room. It was quieter and clearly
reserved for more intimate dances.
    As soon as she had shut the door she began
undressing him.
    “I can help you with anything you like,”
she whispered in his ear.
    “No, no!” Ted blurted out, pushing her away
roughly. “Not that kind of help!”
    The girl looked frightened as she cowered
in the corner, hurriedly doing up her dress.
    “Look, I’m sorry,” sighed Ted, holding up
his hands. “It’s nothing to do with you. I am trying to find my sister and I
need help. That’s what I meant.”
    The girl didn’t move for a moment but must
have read the pleading in Ted’s eyes because she tentatively sat down on the
sofa awaiting an explanation.
    Ted began the story he felt he’d told a
million times already. When he’d finished he said, “I realise it’s nothing to
do with you, and you have absolutely no obligation to help me, but if you know
anything that may help me find her I’d be so grateful.”
    Ted stared desperately into her eyes,
feeling utterly vulnerable as he realised this was his only lead, and if she
couldn’t help him he was back to nowhere.  He doubted the others had been able
to keep to the task in hand, not when there were other, far greater
temptations, so it all hung on what came out of her mouth next. Ted was aware
he was leaning right into her face and he checked himself, giving her room.
    Her eyes were sad as she looked up at him;
they showed no signs of surprise, merely resignation as if she’d heard it all
before. Ted suddenly remembered the photo of Rosie and pulled it out of his
wallet to show the girl.
    “She’s beautiful… but I can’t help you. I
know nothing about this trafficking you say. Sorry, you have to go. If I don’t
work I get trouble.”
    Ted noticed her glance at the large mirror
on the wall for the third time since they’d entered the room. He forced a smile
and thanked her as they left the room and went to join the others.
    Dillon looked at him questioningly as he
returned but Ted merely shook his head. He felt desperation creep back into his
heart as the realisation dawned that it was going to be impossible to find
Rosie in this world, they were all too secretive, like an exclusive club that
most of them probably didn’t want to belong to but couldn’t be allowed to
leave.
    Ted looked around him at the other men
crawling with girls, their eyes moist pools of pleasure, their mouths fixed in
a half-smile that even in itself seemed to take more effort than they would
like, as they sat slumped in their seats with their hands groping and squeezing
whatever they could reach. Ted hated them all for their blatant lack of
control, for fuelling the fire that was already burning way out of control. He
was even starting to resent being a man himself.
    He leaned across to Dillon and told him he
was leaving. Dillon immediately nodded to say he was coming too. Midge and
Plank, however, looked like they were far too engrossed to pull themselves
away, so Ted just said he’d see them tomorrow and headed for the exit. As he
was leaving, he felt someone grab his hand and push something into it. He
turned and saw the Croatian girl; she didn’t look at him as she walked past and
entered the toilet.
    Ted waited until they got outside to look
in his hand. It was a piece of paper, and on it was written just two words: The
Lock .
    Dillon looked at Ted. “I saw that name on
the way here. It’s just a few streets away.”
    They started running, hope daring to
flicker to life in Ted’s heart. They had no idea what they would find at