She groaned as she slowly regained consciousness. Darkness welcomed her vision. She then sat up from the unfamiliar bed and looked around.

Everything looked strange.

The faint moonlight was the only thing that illuminated the room. But it was enough to help her distinguish that she was somewhere she didn’t know.

From the unfamiliar furniture and different room arrangement. She knew she was brought somewhere that wasn’t in Western Wind.

Once again, fear filled her mind.

It was the same fear that she felt when she was abducted. It was the same fear that haunted her when she was locked in a room with no windows. It was the same fear that became her companion for all the time that she was alone.

In a panic, she hurried towards the headboard. She hugged her knees tightly as she examined her room frantically.

The door suddenly opened, which made her jump. Two unfamiliar men entered, one of them carried a tray. After the tray was settled on the table, both turned towards the bed. They grinned slyly upon seeing her.

Her heart pounded as she noticed that. As they walked closer to the bed, she moved further back towards the wooden headboard. Even though she was already stuck, she pinned her back onto the wooden board continuously.

In her mind, how she wished that the bed was longer.

The men stopped at the foot of the bed. Both of them leaned onto the poles that supported the canopy above the mattress. “Well, well, well. It seems that our abductee is finally awake. How are you feeling, sweetheart?” one of them asked with a smirk.

A shiver went down her spine as she was called a pet name. She knew what they were trying to do. And the very thought of that disgusted her.

The other man chuckled. “She seems to be a bit nervous.” He turned to his friend and added, “Why don’t we help her… loosen up a bit?”

Her heart pounded quicker and louder. It was ready to burst out of her chest at any moment. She grabbed onto the headboard tightly. ‘Please, please, dont,’ she prayed. ‘Please, don’t do anything to me.’

Noticing that she grew uncomfortable, the first man shook his head. “Tsk. Tsk. Look at what you did to her,” he groaned as he turned to his comrade, “You didn’t help the situation at all. Not even the slightest.” He returned to her and continued, “Don’t worry, sweetheart, we promise to be very gentle.”

With a vile smirk plastered on their faces, they walked towards each side of the bed. Her heart raced faster than before. Her wild eyes frantically switched between the two sides of her bed. Her grip on the headboard tightened, close to breaking her own hands. Her breath quickened which caused a bit of dizziness. Helpless and unable to go anywhere, she closed her eyes and buried her head onto the headboard.

Tears slowly ran down her cheek as she prayed for a miracle. She wanted to scream for help. But she knew that no one would hear her. And if someone did hear her, they would turn a blind eye to it. They never cared for her from the very beginning.

Why should they care for her now?

All she could do was hope that someone or something would save her.

As one of the men reached out in an attempt to touch her, the doors bursted open. Its thunderous thud echoed throughout the room as it slammed onto the concrete walls. Caught off-guard, both men stood frozen for a minute before they turned to the door.

Slowly, she raised her head and saw a tall figure, standing by the door. The light from the hallway accentuated his height. A long shadow towered over the entrance.

“That’s enough for the both of you,” a deep voice boomed as the tall man spoke. “You have done what you were told to do. Now, leave this room before I call for the dogs!”

The two men panicked and sprinted towards the door. In an attempt to avoid bumping into the tall figure, one of them crashed onto the door. This caused the other behind him to trip. Once the rascals left, the tall figure walked towards her, leaving the door open.

Standing beside the bed, he asked her, “Are you all right? Did they do anything to you?” he asked.

Still shaken from what happened, she could only shake her head.

“My deepest apologies if they made you uncomfortable. I was tasked to do something else. And when they presented themselves to deliver your dinner here, I knew I had to return as soon as possible,” Hector - who was the tall figure - explained. “I couldn’t allow them to stay longer. They are always up to no good.”

She remained silent as she continued to cling onto the headboard.

Seeing that she was still in a state of shock, he carefully asked, “Are you all right? I can keep you company if you wish.”

“Please,” she whimpered as she gathered all of her remaining strength. “Please, leave me alone,” she continued, trying to be as polite as possible.

Hector understood. He replied, “I will give you some space. But be assured that you have nothing to worry about. I will be guarding your door this time. Do remember to eat your food.”

She nodded, still avoiding his gaze.

He bowed and left the room, gently closing the door behind him.

Finally, she let go of the pole, collapsing onto the soft mattress. Her life flashed before her very eyes as the two men attempted an assault. But she couldn’t be more grateful for Hector’s arrival.

Hector was the man assigned to her from the very beginning of her confinement. Every single guard or caretaker that she met during her imprisonment, they either didn’t care about her or ill intent was evident whenever they saw her.

Only Hector treated her with respect and protected her from his fellow comrades that had dark intentions towards her. He was the only person that she could trust at the moment, even if it was half-hearted.

Even if Hector has proven himself to be trustworthy, she didn’t want to take any chances. Hector still took orders from his master. He could easily betray her at any moment. The best thing to do was to keep him at arm’s length.

Slowly, she grabbed onto the sheets and wept silently. Her grip tightened as she prayed. And prayed fervently that somebody - just somebody - would come and find her. And bring her back to her family.

To Grandpa Ben.

To Robert.