"Run Cassandra, run." The last images of Cassandra Frame's mother ran clearly through her mind. "Run," she pleaded again. Cassandra stood still, shook her head and squeezed her mother's hand. A tear ran down her cheek as her mother knelt to kiss her. "I'll always love you," her mother whispered. Cassandra took off as fast as her tiny feet could run.

A gunshot stopped Cassandra in her tracks. "Mommy," she screamed and made a beeline to return to her mother's side. A young man stepped out of the shadows and pulled her away from the light. "Mommy," she cried again.

He squatted down beside her and covered her mouth. She didn't feel danger, somehow, she knew he was there to help her. "Stay back here and be quiet," he warned. Cassandra shook her head and attempted to pass him. He held her back and calmed her. Cassandra looked in to his eyes. They were electric, the bluest she'd ever seen, and they seemed to soothe her. Cassandra took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. "I'll be back," he said, "I promise."

The memory of her mother's death caused Cassandra's eyes to pop open. She realized the danger that surrounded her. A blinding beam of light shined through a broken window and her eyes flinched. Cassandra looked around and tried to figure out where she was. The room was small and dirty. Tiny particles of dust danced around in the sunray, and a musky scent filled the air.

Cassandra attempted to sit up, but found her wrists and ankles tied. The more she tried to move them, the more the rope dug into her skin. She squirmed and almost fell off the dingy bedding she laid on. Her vision blurred, and her head weighed more than she ever remembered. Cassandra blinked to clear her eyes. A stranger stepped toward her, and she wondered why she didn't notice him before.

She tried to scream, but a rag filled her mouth. The stranger approached as Cassandra wiggled her way back against the wall. "I'm going to take this out of your mouth," he told her. "If you scream, I'll shove another needle in your ass." His words confirmed what Cassandra thought, she was drugged.

He leaned close to Cassandra as he reached for the knot behind her head. She couldn't help but look in to his pools of blue. She blinked again, they couldn't be as blue as the eyes in her dream. His breath burned into her skin as he fumbled with the knot. As she looked at him, something called out to her. There was something other than his eyes that mesmerized her. As the man's brawny body inched closer to her, she noticed his squared jaw and dark brown crew cut. Cassandra looked in his eyes and felt her soul being pierced. She tore her gaze away from his eyes and ignored the rising temperature of her body. He leaned back and pulled the rag with him.

Her tongue felt like sandpaper scraping her lips. "Water?" She begged.  Cassandra's throat and dry mouth burned as she spoke.

The stranger walked to the other side of the room and came back with a bottle. He placed it in her hands. Cassandra attempted to bring it to her mouth, but her tied hands shook. Water spilled out onto her chest. Finally, she placed the opening in her mouth and she took a sip. Her throat closed, and the liquid fell down her chin. The stranger watched but didn't help. She tried again. Water moistened her lips but stung like a bitch going down her throat.

"Who are you?" Cassandra asked after drinking half the bottle. The stranger untied her wrists and ankles but didn't reply. She considered running for help, but every attempt to move failed. Her jelly-like body fell back on the bed as the room spun around her.

The mattress smelled of urine, but Cassandra was too tired to care. She curled into a ball and went back to sleep. "There wasn't a man there," she heard her therapist yell at her. Cassandra woke but kept her eyes closed as she thought about all the therapist sessions she attended throughout her lifetime. The doctor, and her father, told her many times that the man she thought she saw the night her mother died did not exist. Cassandra knew he did and he had eyes that matched her abductor's.

When she opened her eyes, the room was dark except for a small lamp coming from the other side. The stranger slept slouched on a chair. She sat up on the makeshift bed and inched toward the edge. Her legs hung over the side as Cassandra moved to stand up.

"Where do you think you're going?" His husky voice scared the crap out of her and she quickly pushed herself back onto the mattress until her head hit the wall behind her. He leaned forward in his chair and barked again. "I said, where the fuck do you think you're going?"

Tears stung Cassandra's eyes. "I need to use the bathroom," her shaky voice mumbled.

"Do you see one?"

Cassandra's eyes adjusted to the darkness and she looked around. There was a door opposite of her bedding, but it was the only one which she assumed was the entrance to the room, not a bathroom. Her eyes scanned a large bucket and she prayed it wasn't what she would have to use to relieve herself. The thought alone made her forget she had to go.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and rocked back and forth. Cassandra sobbed but tried not to let him hear. "What do you want from me?" She found the courage to ask.

"Shut up and don't ask questions," he screamed.

She stayed quiet for a moment but couldn't help but try to talk her way out of danger. "If it's money you want, my father-"

The stranger threw a mason jar across the room and it shattered. "I don't want shit from your father," he screamed.

Cassandra's pulse raced. If he didn't want money, what did he want, she wondered. "Who are you?" He jumped up from his seat and stormed over toward her. Cassandra buried her head in her bent elbows but felt his presence near her. He reached over and slowly traced her jawline with his finger. Chills went up her spine as thoughts of him forcing himself on her entered her mind. "Please don't," she pleaded.

"Please don't what?" He stopped touching her face but didn't leave her side.

Cassandra gulped then answered. "Don't touch me." She crossed her arm over her ripped t-shirt and hid her breast from him.

The stranger burst out in laughter. "Don't worry, raping isn't my style." Cassandra saw blue in the darkness and somehow, she believed him. She eased slightly, but he continued to talk. "Oh, I'll have you, but you'll be begging me to fuck you senseless."

Just the thought caused a burning sensation between her legs. Cassandra didn't admit it, but she felt an odd attraction to him. He stood too close for her comfort and she inched further onto the mattress. "What do you want with me?"

The captor leaned close and yelled, "I want you to shut your fucking mouth."