A sudden noise caused Lily's eyes to fly open. Darkness. She waited, hoping that her eyes would adjust to the blackness of her room. Perhaps if I sat up, I could get my bearings. Lily thought to herself, but as she went to move, she quickly realized that her arms were above her head and she couldn't move them. Panic set in! Lily struggled against the ties at her wrists, she quickly evaluated her legs - Tied as well. Slowly her eyes allowed her limited vision, she scanned the room, but it wasn't familiar. She wasn't in her small room, and she wasn't in her family's wooden cottage anymore. Think! What is the last thing you remember!?! Were the thoughts that flooded her mind. She obeyed them, instantly. The alarm . . . Yes, the alarm in the village went up. Someone or something was attacking them, but who? Running, she ran from their cottage with her parents, but where were they? Where was anyone from the village? She found herself creating more questions than answers. Cold! Why was she suddenly realizing that wherever she was at the moment was cold? Lily glanced down - NAKED! More panic set in. Tied in a strange place and worse, her clothes were no where in sight. The pastor would be outraged, if she ever saw the pastor again. Lily's village was strictly religious and nakedness out of the vows of wedlock was very much a sin. BAM! The noise again, her head strained to look around the room. Finally, she spotted something. A massive figure, but what was it? A man? He was much bigger than any man who lived in her village. She could just make out the muscles that made up the powerful back. Scared. Naked. She was confused and tied to a bed in a strange place. Lily was only 18, and up against whatever that dark figure was. She had always been accused of being too bold by people in her village. She tried to muster some of that courage now.
"Who . . . who are you? Why am I here?" Oh yes . . . I'm sure whatever this monster is was extremely intimidated by your quivering voice! So much for trying to scare it into letting you go, you might as well be pleading and crying, for Christ's sake! Oh god! I'm sorry . . . I. I didn't mean to take your name in vain! Please forgive me and save me from this . . . whatever this is that I've gotten myself into! Lily had always had the silent conversations with herself, the ones that took place inside her head. Apparently, her inside voice didn't approve of her choice of tone, and sadly she agreed. Her next thought was interrupted by a low, thunderous laugh. Whatever it was in the corner was laughing. Laughing at her! She had never heard a laugh like that. It filled the room. It almost made the room shake. She could feel the vibration from it in the ropes that held her. Not at all like any laugh she had heard from anyone in her village, much less, any human she'd ever met. It annoyed her, it hadn't answered her questions and now it was laughing. Lily could feel the anger starting to build, but before it could get too strong inside her, the figure moved! She shivered. It was moving toward her! Whatever it was, it moved like a human. It was upright on two legs like a human - Massive. It was all she could do to come up with to describe him. Yes. Him! It must be a male. No woman has such a deep laugh.
"Who are you? Why don't you answer me?" The figure stopped, just short of the bed. He was looking at her. It was as if she could feel his eyes on her skin. She couldn't hold back the cold chill that rippled over her skin. Another deep chuckle. She didn't know what else to do . . . obviously he wasn't interested in answering her questions. She doubted he would just let her go if she asked. She'd have to get loose herself, yanking at the ropes on her wrists, feeling them cutting at her skin. Burning and pain is what met her as she struggled. A strong hand grasped her wrists hard.
"Stop that! You'll ruin your beautiful skin!" A deep voice growled.