Stanley stared down at the young girl he had brought back to his cabin, his head cocked as he studied her closely. She had intrigued him the second he saw her. Normally, the girls he went in search for were strong-willed, assertive, and put up one hell of a fight. He had a feeling she would end up being the polar opposite, and was excited to see how things would unfold.

And those looks – never before had he seen a more beautiful creature than she. Her thick, chocolate brown hair was long and soft to the touch. Kneeling next to her, he lightly ran a finger down the bridge of her small, upturned nose, and traced the outline of her full pouty lips. He could see her eyes moving around beneath her eyelids, and noticed the way her long, thick eyelashes brushed her high cheekbones. It really was a shame his plan didn't quite turn out like he had planned:

"May I help you, sir?" a soft voice behind Stanley said.

He turned around, and found a young woman standing there by him, looking up at him with a sweet smile. "Pardon?" he asked.

Her smile widened. "I had asked if there is anything I can help you with? Is there a certain artist, or perhaps a particular album you are looking for?"

Not wanting her to leave just yet, he said, "Yes, there is, actually. I've been trying to find this old band I used to listen to when I was younger, but I can't seem to recall their name. I never have been good at remembering those sorts of things."

She smiled at this. "Alright, well do you remember a name of one of their songs, or maybe the name of one of their records?" she asked.

Stanley thought hard, trying desperately to think up the name of some old song he knew. "I think one of their songs was called…Desperado, maybe?" he finally said, hoping he sounded convincing enough to fool her.

"And you said it was an older band?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Hmm…well the first group that comes to my mind is The Eagles. Does that maybe ring a bell to you?" she suggested.

Stanley appeared to think. "You know, that does sound pretty familiar. Do you have anything here by them?"

"Oh, absolutely. Here, follow me," she replied, and led him over to one of the other racks of CDs they had there in the store. "You know, they're a personal favorite of mine," she commented as she searched through the E section.

"Really?" Stanley added. "Aren't they a little before your time?"

The young girl smirked at this. "Just because they were before my time, that doesn't mean I haven't heard of them. I happen to be a fan of that particular era of music," she replied, and finally found what she was looking for. "Did you want a certain CD of theirs? Or maybe just a greatest hits album?"

"What would you recommend?"

"What would I recommend?" she echoed, and he nodded. She quickly scanned the selection they had, and finally lifted up a disc. "This is a really great compilation of their greatest hits, and has a few unreleased tracks on it as well. I actually own this one, it's fantastic."

"I see. You know what? I think I will buy this," he replied, and took the case from her. "You're a very persuasive salesperson … I'm sorry, I never caught your name."

"It's Sunny," she said, and flashed another smile.

"Well, Sunny, thank you for all your help," Stanley replied with a smirk, and winked before walking over to the cash register to purchase the item.

Once he was out of the store, he got into his van, and waited patiently until one by one the workers started walking out. He kept a close watch for his pretty little brunette, each minute going by painfully slow, until he finally saw her walk out with one of her coworkers, and watched her head over to her car. Luckily, everyone else drove off right away like a bat out of hell, while Sunny took her dear sweet time. "It's just you and me, sweetheart," Stanley thought to himself, and waited until she had pulled out of the parking lot to follow her. He maintained a close distance behind her, but not so close as to draw suspicions. When the time was right, he leisurely passed her, and turned back into her lane right in front of her. He waited a couple more seconds, and then quickly put on his brakes. Within seconds, Stanley was greeted to a hard shove, and the sound of crunching metal as her car hit his with the full force of the speed she had been going. He knew there would be some major damage, but that was the last thing on his mind as he started up his barking dogs tape and got out of his car. "Miss, are you-" he started to say, but stopped when he saw her. She was slumped over her steering wheel, and smoke was pouring from the front of her car. She had hit him harder than he realized. "Miss?" he said as he got closer to her, and pushed her hair back from her face. Blood was pouring down her forehead, and he could immediately tell she was out cold. "Oh shit. Should I just leave her? Or should I bring her along anyway?" he thought to himself as he looked down at her. He looked around, and was relieved when he saw no buildings or houses around them. He decided it would be best to just take her along, and undid her seatbelt before lifting her out of the car. At one point, she started to mumble incoherently, but Stanley shushed her, and her head fell against his shoulder as she once more grew silent. Lying her down in the back of his van, he got back behind the wheel, and let out a sigh of relief when his van started up. Reaching over, he grabbed the CD he had just bought, and put it in the CD player before driving back home.

It had been nearly a day, and still the girl had yet to wake up. Stanley was beginning to wonder if maybe this was a mistake. There was no way he could provide her with the medical attention she would need if her injuries were severe. What if she never woke up? What if she ended up dying right here on this mattress? Then what would be the point of taking her out to the lake? It just would not be the same without having her conscious throughout it all.

Going over to the sink, he ran a washcloth under the cold water, and rung it out well before walking back over to her. Squatting back down next to her, he gently dabbed her forehead, making sure to be extra careful around the horrid gash slicing through her soft skin. As he finished bandaging the wound, her eyes once again rolled around beneath her eyelids, and he was brought back when they suddenly fluttered open. She blinked a couple times, and looked around the room, before her gaze fell on him. It was difficult for him to look her directly in the eye. Those large, bright emerald orbs sucked him in, and nearly took away all the power he had over her. "Where am I?" she whispered with a frown, and closed her eyes as she grabbed her head. "I think I'm going to be sick," she added with a groan, squeezing her eyes shut as a wave of nausea rolled over her. Stanley watched her intently, anticipating the worst, and after a few deep breaths he could see her body relax slightly.

"Would you like some medicine for your head?" he asked, avoiding her question, and walked out of the room when she nodded. He came back in with some pills, and a bottle of water. "Sit up, Sunny," he said as he helped her to a sitting position, and gave her the pills. "Better?"

She nodded, and looked back over at him. With a brought back expression, she commented, "Do I know you?"

He figured she would recognize him. "Not quite."

"I get the feeling I've met you before, but I don't know why," she said, partially to herself, and grabbed her head. "How did I get here?"

"You were in a bad wreck, so I took you in to take care of you."

"Well, I thank you for that, but now if you'll excuse me"- she started to say, when she suddenly noticed the large shackle attached to her one ankle. She slowly looked back over at him, and asked quietly, "Why is this on me?"

"It's best if you don't know," Stanley replied simply. Standing up, he added, "In a while I'll draw you a bath, but for now, I think you better get some rest."

"Hey, wait!" Sunny called out as he walked away, but he shut the door behind himself without giving so much as a glance back at her. Confused, scared, and in pain, Sunny drew her knees up to her chin as her tears slowly slid down her cheeks.

Stanley looked in at Sunny from the two-way mirror, and watched her as she silently wept. Something about this wasn't settling right with him this time. Maybe it was because she had gotten hurt. Or maybe it was the fact that she clearly wasn't angry with him. "Don't let yourself get weak now, Stanley. She's just another girl, no special or different than the others. You brought her here for a reason, and that was to complete your garden," he thought to himself. He could imagine how she would look underwater, her luscious hair flowing gracefully around her face, the white dress he had picked out for her billowing softly around her, and those big eyes permanently opened wide with a vacant look within them. A lazy smile came to his face as he imagined her struggles, and the sound of her sweet voice begging for her life as he dragged her out to the water. She would make the perfect centerpiece for his garden.

Knowing she had to be hungry, Stanley headed into his kitchen to prepare a meal and a fresh bottle of water for her. He then also grabbed the bag he kept her robe in, and carried them into the room to her. When he entered her room, she simply looked up at him, nothing but sadness on her face. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he sat her food down by her.

Sunny looked down at the floor. "Why does it matter?"

"Because you're clearly hurt, and I want to help you get better."

She shook her head. "It's not like you care whether or not I'm hurting," she muttered.

Stanley gently but firmly forced her to look up at him. "If I wanted to see you suffer, trust me – you would know it by now. Understand?" Sunny swallowed, and slowly nodded her head. "I want you to put this on, and place your clothes in this bag so I can wash them. Once you finish eating, I'll draw you a bath," he added as he stood up, and once more left the room.

As she ate her food, Sunny tried to make sense of this whole situation. Why was she here? Why did he have her chained up? And how did she get hurt? The last thing she remembered was leaving work. Did he plan on hurting her? It was this that truly had her confused. She felt like he meant it when he said he didn't want to see her suffer, but at the same time she felt there was something false about this statement. She didn't know what to think of all of this. Just as she finished eating, the door opened, and he once more walked into the room. "All finished?" he asked, and she nodded. "Do you need more medicine for your head?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine for now," she said quietly.

"Well, then let's get you a bath. I'm sure you're sore, and that warm water will help," he replied, and went to undo the shackle, when he stopped and looked up at her. "I trust you, Sunny. And it is because of that trust that I am willing to do this. Do not make me regret it, because I promise you, you will not like the consequences. Have I made myself clear?" Sunny quickly nodded, and he finally freed her from her constraints. "I am going to step out of the room so you can get into the robe."

"Yes sir," she softly replied, and once he exited the door she stripped out of her clothes, and slipped into what was a surprisingly soft robe.

As she was tying the robe shut, he walked back into the room. Just as she was about to say something, he caught her off guard by suddenly blindfolding her. She panicked for a moment, but calmed down at the feel of his strong arm around her, guiding her, and she tightly held onto him the entire time. Finally, he stopped and removed her blindfold before taking his place in the chair sitting in the corner of the room. He respectfully averted his eyes, and Sunny quickly got into the water. For a long moment, they sat there in silence, until Sunny mustered up the courage to ask, "May I ask you something?"

"I see no harm in that, so sure."

She hesitated for a moment, before finally getting out, "Why am I really here?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's pretty obvious I'm not here just so you can take care of me. I want the truth."

"Well, obviously I wasn't lying when I said you were hurt, but the real reason you're here is…well, let's just say you're a part of some research I'm doing."

Chills ran down Sunny's spine when he said this, and she asked quietly, "You're going to kill me…aren't you?"

"Now what makes you think that?" he asked innocently. She remained silent. "Maybe I will…and maybe I won't. You won't know until the time is right. I assure you, though, that until I do need you for my research, I won't do a single thing to harm you."

Sunny was still leery of how honest he was being, but once again got this feeling deep down that he spoke the truth. Looking over, she stared at him for a moment. He was actually a very handsome man. His dark hair had a soft look to it, and fell down to his collar. His complexion was smooth and a golden tan, clearly from hours spent outside. And those eyes…what beautiful, big brown eyes he had. They were soulful, and seemed to hold an endless depth within them. Maybe that was why she didn't feel scared like she knew she should be. He didn't have the appearance of someone scary and intimidating. "May I ask you something else?" He glanced over at her. "What's your name?"

"You want to know my name?" Hesitantly, she nodded. Considering the fact that she would be dead within a couple days, he saw no harm in telling her. "Since you told me yours, I guess it's only fair, right? It's Stanley."

"…I told you mine?" she asked in a confused voice.

Stanley gave a small smirk. "You didn't hear me call you by your first name earlier?" he asked in an amused voice.

"Well, of course I did, but I've been wondering the entire time how you knew it."

"Well now you know," he replied simply, and noticed she was rubbing her neck. "Is your neck bothering you?" he asked, and walked over to her when she nodded. "Here, lean forward," he added as he sat down on the edge of the bathtub, and started gently massaging the base of her neck.

This gesture officially stumped Sunny. It seemed like just when she thought she was starting to figure out his motives, he went and did something like this that drug her back into the dark. "You confuse me," she admitted after a moment of silence.

This comment amused Stanley. "And how is that?"

"You chain me up, yet you take care of me. That makes no sense whatsoever."

"Would you rather I treat you like some animal?"

"No, of course not. I just don't get it, that's all. I don't get what is going on, and it's starting to frustrate me."

"Look, I'll make it clear that I'm not letting you go. That is final, and that is why I keep you chained, to make sure it stays that way. Now I'm being nice, here, in trying to keep you comfortable while you heal up from your accident, but I can easily change my mind, which I don't think you want. So don't question it, and just be glad I'm willing to do this for you," he replied as his hands moved down to her shoulders. She reluctantly let it go, and remained silent as he continued to massage away the soreness in her neck and shoulders. Once he finished, he held up her robe and added, "Time to go back."

Sunny took the garment from him, and tightly wrapped it around herself. Stanley gently cleaned and bandaged the wound on her forehead before once again blindfolding her, and led her back to her room. Once he removed the blindfold and put the shackle back on her ankle, he was about to walk back out of the room, when she suddenly stopped him. He turned back around to face her, and she hesitated before hugging him around the waist and taking him completely by surprise. "Thank you for taking care of me," she said quietly, and gave him a light squeeze before letting go.

Baffled by this, Stanley simply said, "I'll have your clothes done here soon," and walked back out of the room. Once he was on the other side of the door and out of her view, he let out a shaky sigh and ran a hand through his hair. What just happened? He wasn't used to having a girl there who was so willing to go along with whatever he said, and showed complete trust in him. Plus, the fact that she not once showed an ounce of anger toward him amazed him. All the others had made their hate and frustration toward him quite known, but he got the feeling she felt neither of these. He no longer knew what to think of this young girl. He tried to tell himself she was no different, but he just couldn't fool himself anymore. She was completely different from the others. "It will just make her placement in the garden that much more special," he told himself, and gave a slight smirk at this. Yes, she would be special indeed.