How To Heal A Broken Spirit

Pairing; Hayden X Ashley(Hiccup X Astrid)

Rated; M for Mature

Disclaimer; I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use.

Characters;
Hayden Haddock; Hiccup-General Manager for Berk's Archia Burger & Volunteer Dragon Rehabilitator-Owner of Toothless, Cloudjumper, and Thornado
Ashley Hofferson; Astrid-Former slave to Virgil at Dragon Eye Casino & Hotel-Owner of Stormfly
Seth Jorgenson; Snotlout-Physical Education Teacher at Berk High School-Owner of Hookfang
Alicia Jorgenson; Adelaide-Employee for Archia Burger-Owner of Graythorn
Roxanne Thorston; Ruffnut-Co-owns Thorston Designs-Owner of Barf
Travis Thorston; Tuffnut-Co-owns Thorston Designs-Owner of Belch
Ford Ingerman; Fishlegs-World History Teacher at Berkian Academy-Owner of Meatlug
Hailey Bazirk; Heather-Worker for the Dragon Shelter; Dragon Heart Rehabilitation & Shelter-Owner of Windshear
Devon Bazirk; Dagur-Physical Fitness Trainer-Owner of Sleuther
Eli Trapp; Eret-Employee of Archia Burger-Owner of Skullcrusher
Gabriel Forger; Gobber-Lead Mechanic for Berk Automotive Repair-Owner of Grump
Virgil Grimborn; Viggo-Owner of Dragon Eye Casino & Hotel & Former master of Ashley
Kyle Hunters; Krogan-Entertainment & Appointment Coordinator for DECH
Johnathon Traytor; Johann-Advertising Handler
Ricky Grimborn; Ryker-Punisher of slaves at DECH
Shawn Helnor; Savage-Punisher of slaves at DECH

Betrayed

A teenage female with golden blond hair and sky blue eyes stood behind the counter of her simple, average paying retail job. It was a grocery store, and the woman was a cashier. The hair was pulled back into a braid; she wore a blue shirt, black pants, gray vest, and close-toes flat shoes. The name tag on the left side of the vest red the name; Ashley. It was the month of April, finally Spring. Ashley Hofferson was a seventeen-year-old Junior in High School. In two months, she would begin her summer vacation, and then when September came around, she would be a Senior. Ashley was a fierce girl with a temper that one did not want to be on the wrong side of, but she had a kind heart and helped those in need. Ashley had been working for this employer since she was fifteen and managed to get A's and B's in school while on top of working twenty-four hours a week. Ashley went to school from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm, then work from 4:30 to 10:30 pm Monday through Friday, but home by eleven every night of the week, and then worked one weekend day; Saturday or Sunday, but never both. Typically, Ashley would have two days off during the week, then one of the weekend days. It was a good setup for her and didn't interfere with school.

However, while her school, work, and social life were out of this world; her home life was horrendous. Ashley lost her father a year ago in a drunk driving accident and now lived with her alcoholic, neglectful mother who seemed to be unable to cope with losing her husband. It marked one year since his passing March, and Astrid would have fallen apart if not for her incredible friends being there to help her through it all. Astrid had known these people all her life, since Pre-School in fact. Ford Ingerman, Seth Jorgenson, Hailey Bazirk, Roxanne and Travis Thorston. Finally, there was Hayden Haddock; her best friend, and crush. Hailey was someone Ashley didn't meet until Freshman Year of High School when she and her brother, Devon moved to Berk after their father got killed in action overseas during his third tour of duty. Ford had it bad for Hailey and had been warned by Devon that if he hurt his baby sister, Devon would make his death look like an accident. Ford was very careful around Hailey regardless, even with the threat of imminent death looming.

Seth was an overconfident jackass, but we still cared about him. Unfortunately, the one girl he wanted was Ashley, and she wasn't interested. Often, Seth found himself getting punched by Ashley, and reminded that he would never get to be with her. The twins were the pranksters who made everything a joke, and the two could get very annoying, but the friends put up with it and were likely the only ones who could. Hayden Haddock was Ashley's first friend when they met, and crush in Freshman Year. Sadly, she's never found the courage to tell Hayden how she felt, afraid that it would ruin their friendship. Today was a Friday, and Ashley was working, and remembering her father; the day she had to say goodbye to him.

/Flashback/

{Ashley's POV}

I stood in my black dress; it fell a little past my knees while holding a single red rose in my hands. There seemed to be no end to the tears forming in my eyes, but they refused to fall. I didn't understand why; perhaps I just couldn't cry anymore. The pain was overwhelming to know my father laid dead in the casket that sat just a foot or two in front of me. Everything had been perfect in my life. Mom, Dad, friends, a job, and then everything my image of perfection was ripped away when two officers showed up at my house to tell my mother and me that my father had been killed in a head-on collision because of a drunk driver. My heart had stopped, and the first thing I did was run to my room, and cry my eyes out. The memorial service was yesterday afternoon at 4:30 pm, and now, today was the funeral. I was standing next to my mother while the priest was talking; I tuned it out. Nothing mattered to me right now, except trying to accept that my dad was dead, and I'd never see him again.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I knew who it belonged to; Hayden Haddock; my best friend in the entire world. All my friends were here today, and their parents too. All of us had been close since we met; playdates, birthday parties, summer get-togethers, etc. All of us had been together from the beginning, and it meant a lot to me that they could all come out for this, even missing school because it was a Thursday morning. When the man stopped talking, I tried to step forward to place the rose on to the casket but found that my feet refused to move.

"Do you want me to walk with you?" Hayden asked. I turned my head to look at him and nodded slowly. Hayden moved out of the row of chairs behind my mother and me. Hayden put his arm around me and helped me walk to the spot I needed to be in. I placed a kiss on the rose, then put it down slowly, shaking.

"I-I love you, Daddy," I whispered, voice cracking. Hayden only hugged me tightly, and I turned to cry against him. Hayden didn't move, only hold me and whisper that he knew he couldn't make this better, but was here for me no matter what, and to call if I needed anything. I didn't respond to him, but he knew I'd heard him. Hayden understood me like that, and I loved him for it.

/End Flashback/

{Ashley's POV}

I took two weeks off school, and my friends gathered my assignments for me and turned them in too until I came back. Losing my dad hurt my mom bad, but I never imagined she would turn into what she was now. An alcoholic, drug-addicted, neglectful mother. Gods, I hated it, and nobody knew how my life at home was. At the first signs of my mother changing for the worst, I stopped letting people come over and didn't talk about how things were either. I was coping with my father's death, but not my mom, she completely let herself go. Mom lost her job, and now we struggled with the mortgage because of all the debt from the funeral, and bills. My mother was drinking and doing drugs constantly it seemed, and what I hated most was that she was bringing home different men, sleeping with them. My only saving grace was going to school, then work to escape going home. Sometimes I would stay at Roxanne's or Hailey's, but obviously, not on school nights.

I hated being at that house, and I couldn't wait to graduate next year, then move out. I'd been putting money away, hiding it from my mother. As soon as I turned eighteen, I was done with this place, and I'd likely never look back. I don't hate my mom, I don't think I ever could, but I hated the path she went down because she chose to.

"Ashley?" I snapped out of my thoughts as I looked to see my manager standing next to my register.

"Sorry, Andy," I sighed.

"I know it's a tough time of year for you with your father's passing a year ago in March. It's slow today, and we have extra people. Why don't you head home early?" Andy Kingston suggested.

"Yeah, I think I will. Thanks, Andy," I offered a small smile, then signed off my register terminal. After that, I clocked out and made my way to the bus stop just down the street. I sat down and waited with a sigh. Perhaps I'd just take a hot shower, then get a nap in. I would message my friends later, and maybe they'd want to hang out.

(Hofferson Residence)

The bus dropped me off, and I began my quick walk up the street to my house but saw a car in the driveway. Though, it shouldn't surprise me; my mom was always bringing men home. Walking in the door, I figured I would just ignore whatever I heard, and go to my room. However, that wasn't the case. I saw a man in his late twenties with dark brown hair and a goatee around his mouth, then there was a taller male, bald, with a mustache, and small bit of hair on his chin. My mother sat on the couch, looking a bit surprised that I was home early.

"Uh, what's going on?" I asked.

"Oh, Ashley, dear…these men are from…child protective services," my mother whimpered. Something didn't seem right. My instinct told me to run. I was going to be eighteen come April of next year. Yes, I'd just turned seventeen, about a week ago. So why would child services be here out of the blue?

"Hello, Ashley. I'm Virgil Grimborn, in charge of this case. An anonymous call was placed to our office that your mother has been using drugs, alcohol, and neglecting you. Your mother hasn't denied anything, and unfortunately, that means we have to take you out of this unsafe environment," said the younger male.

"But I'm…going to be eighteen next year, doesn't this seem, a little pointless?" I inquired.

"Oh, at CPS, we don't care how pointless it seems. Our job is to take a neglected or abused minor from their home and provide them with a safe one. Parents are always welcome to get their lives on track and fight to have their rights reinstated. Until then, we have to take you, sweetheart. We have a foster family all picked out," spoke the older one.

"And when I'm eighteen and no longer in the system, what happens?" I wondered.

"We release you, and the case will drop. You're free to stay with friends or live on your own. Now, why don't you go pack some clothes, and we'll get a move on," Virgil smiled. Yeah, something was wrong here. I nodded to him, then went upstairs to pack some clothes. I grabbed things I wouldn't want to lose, or have my mother mess with while I was away, and shoved them into a box with the money I'd been saving. I'd come back for it when I was eighteen, and I'd be all set. Something rang wrong about this situation, and I was protecting my assets if it could be said that way. I moved into my closet and lifted the flap of rug up, then opened the trap door. I placed the locked safe inside, then put the rug back, and made it look like nothing was out of place. Nobody knew about the rug and trap door except for me, so I knew it would be untouched until I came back for it.

I grabbed the bag with my clothes, as many as I could manage to get in the bag, then made my way downstairs. "Don't worry, baby. Mama will get you back, I promise," my mother, Asvora Hofferson cried.

"I won't hold you to that, Mother," I remarked then left the house with Victor and this other guy. I got in their car, and then buckled my seatbelt. The bald male got in the driver's seat, and soon we were off. "S-So where am I going?"

"There will be a lot of other girls there, plenty for you to keep yourself busy," Victor said, his voice seemed colder now. I patted myself down for my phone and pulled it out as I secretly pulled up my messages with Hayden, the last person I'd been talking too. I typed out a quick message, and then the older male saw my device. Virgil turned to see it as I quickly pressed send pressed the lock button on top. I knew they wouldn't be able to figure my passcode. Without warning, Virgil snatched it from my hands.

"Hey, that's mine," I protested.

"Sorry, no cell phones allowed," Virgil said.

"B-But," I began. Suddenly, Virgil tossed it out the window as my eyes widened seeing it go over the bridge, and into the water. "You can't do that!"

"You will find that in our custody, we can do what we feel is necessary," Virgil informed. All I was grateful for was the message I'd gotten to Hayden before the phone was taken. I knew he would figure out something was wrong, and he'd tell his dad who happened to be the Chief of Police for our island; Arc Isle. These people weren't from CPS; I didn't see badges hanging around their necks, or folders, anything. I sat quietly in the backseat; I wouldn't do anything just yet, not until I knew more.

(Archian City)

The drive was close to forty minutes, but soon we'd stopped in a parking garage of a casino. Dragon Eye Hotel and Casino to be exact. Victor opened my door, then pulled me out. "Hey, you don't need to grab. I can walk on my own," I growled a bit.

"Shut up," the older male said.

"Ricky, don't be that way; she'll learn with time. They all do," Virgil stated. I didn't like how this sounded, and I only prayed that Hayden would realize something was off, and he'd come for me. Hayden was amazing like that; he had an uncanny ability to know when something was wrong, and he always protected me. I was taken inside of a back door and set my eyes on everything going on. A few males stepped forward, and I got nervous.

"Ah, is she the new one?" asked of the males.

"Yes, Shawn, she is. Kyle, Shawn, Johnathon, this is Ashley Hofferson. Let's make her right here at home," Virgil informed. The one called Shawn and Ricky grabbed my arms, and I struggled to get away from them, but they were strong.

"Get your hands off me!" I screamed. Suddenly, I felt a hand go across my face, and I stopped quickly in shock.

"I told you to shut up, bitch," Ricky glared. "You belong to my little brother, Virgil now,"

"What…are you talking about?" I demanded to know. The males began chuckling.

"You didn't believe we were from Child Services, did you?" said one male, I believed his name was Kyle.

Virgil put his finger under my chin; I saw him smirking at me. "Dear Ashley. I'm afraid your mother lied to you,"

"You maybe wanna tell me something new? My mother is a drug-addicted, alcoholic slut ever since my father died last year," I huffed sarcastically.

"This is Dragon Eye Hotel and Casino, which I happen to own. However, we have a little secret department down here in the basement for men and women looking for some extra fun while they are here. Welcome to Fantasy, where we make anyone's deepest fantasy come true. You want an entertaining show? We have that. You want half an hour with a beautiful girl; you got it. Get the picture? Your mother sold you to me to cover her debts from the casino, and a little extra to pay off the mortgage," Virgil informed.

"Virgil is your master," said Shawn.

"NO!" I said quickly. Ricky slapped me again, but I refused to cry. I was a fighter; I wouldn't give up.

"You'll do as your told, or suffer the punishments of slaves who disobey orders!" Ricky demanded.

"Brother, easy now. It's new for her as it was for all the rest. I don't want the pretty face all marked up for business, so try to show some restraint, please?" Virgil asked.

"Aye, sorry, Virgil," Ricky bowed his head.

"I'll never give in to you," I growled.

"That's what they all say, princess. Every male or female slave you see here said the same thing, and each of them has broken one way or another. I wonder what it will take to break you, and how long," Virgil grinned before putting a kiss on my cheek. I jerked away, glaring, then he chuckled and walked away. "Do what you must to prepare her, but try not to brutalize her up too much," he ordered. After that, I was dragged away, still struggling, by Shawn and Ricky. I was thrown into a solitary room; then the door was shut tight, and locked from the outside. Of all the things my mother had done, I couldn't believe she would sell me to a whorehouse for money to save her ass. I felt nothing but anger, and utter betrayal.