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I blinked my eyes lazily, waking up. But my laziness disappeared within a fraction of a second. Heart pounding against my ribs and lungs, I jolted up, hitting my head on a low ceiling. Pain rang through my head, as I pressed my hand to the bump that was already forming. Gritting my teeth, I looked around as my initial surprise began to subside. It was dark. Very dark. There was barely any light where I lay, propped on one elbow. I almost thought it had been night, except for the musty scent of dust and still air. 1

Now, with my head throbbing, as I looked around, I could see small pinpricks of light coming through panels of wood. A cellar maybe... The floor beneath me was dirt, and I could see shadows of support beams through the dark. I'm not certain why, but that fact calmed me a little. It didn't make much sense, but I suppose I felt better having an idea where I was, as opposed to an open mystery. 2

Scooting myself out of the small nook, under which I'd been lying, I stood in the wider, open area of the cellar (if it indeed was a cellar). For a short time, I explored, as if I were a child, but that soon became boring, as I could only make out the outlines of things. Sitting down, next to a wall, I tried to recall how I had ended up there. 3

Wrinkling my brows, I concentrated on how I had gotten there. Nothing came to mind, and the harder I thought, the less I could remember. Frustrated, I raked my brain for answers. I HAD to remember some how. How had I gotten there!? The last thing I could remember were flashing lights. That's all. I couldn't even remember what those lights were! Tears formed on the edges of my eyelids, as I became more and more frustrated. I didn't know where I was or even why I was there. Choking back a sob, I wrapped my arms over my chest. Slipping down from the wall, I laid my head on the floor, the dusty dirt sticking to my hot tears, now dripping freely from my eyes, as my breath caught on raspy sobs, wishing dearly that I'd had at least one shred of an idea of where I could be. 4

Knowing without knowing was somehow worse than simply not knowing. The frustration of not remembering, yet having an idea of where you were, it was horrible. And the dread it filled you with, that only made it worse. Pulling my knees closer to my face, I pressed my eyes to my denim-covered knees, letting my tears soak the material. I wanted to know where I was. 5

Slowly, I managed to go to sleep on the cold, dirt floor, with tears staining my face, and hair hanging over my eyes, and my limbs pulled close for warmth. Exhausted from crying, my body just let itself drop back into unconsciousness. 6

* * *7

My nose was stuffed up when I woke up, and my mouth was open, dry from breathing through it. Sniffing the mucus out of my nose, I sat up bleary eyed. The second thing I noticed was a blanket placed over my body, keeping away the cold. And then next to me, a plate of food and a small lantern had been placed; I could see their outlines. 8

Reaching out, I took hold of the lantern, running my fingers over it until I found a small switch on its side. It stuck when I turned it, not wanting to twist, but forcing it forward, a yellow light flared up, illuminating the cellar. Now that I could see clearly, I saw that the cellar was actually quite large, but tools and things cluttered one side of it, taking up a large amount of space. The other half, where I sat, was for the most part empty. To my left a staircase lead upwards. Forgetting the food, I stood and climbed the stairs, though as I turned the knob, I knew it would be locked. When my suspicions proved correct, I dejectedly walked back down, and collapsed on to the floor.9

Sourly, I turned to look at the food, my lips pursed. There wasn't anything special: bread, jerky, and a bottle of water. Carefully, I picked the bread off of the tin plate and lifted it too my mouth. About halfway there, a small voice in my mind whispered, What if it’s poisoned? Moving the bread back, I stared at it, scrutinizing it, like I’d be able to determine whether or not it was poisoned just by looking at it. 10

Who ever brought it could have poisoned it, the voice continued. There’s no way to know. Tossing the food down, I pushed it away, refusing to even look at it, despite the hunger pains in my stomach. There was a heavy chance that I’d been kidnapped (for all I knew they could’ve hit me on the head, and that’s why I couldn’t remember anything). If that was the case, then I was not eating that food. 11

The rest of the day, I looked through things that I could use to pry the door open. Nothing had happened to me, yet, and wasn’t going to as long as I had anything to say about it. I wasn’t going to wait around, giving someone more time to hurt me! 12

“Ugh!” I grunted, frustrated, as I threw a bucket down. Whoever had put me there had done a pretty damn good job of making it so I wouldn’t be able to escape! There weren’t any saws, no ax, not even a screw driver or a hammer! All the tools that I’d seen for gardening or for children’s play! Scowling, I flung a toy shovel away from me. It hit another stack of junk with a hollow clash, before dropping to the ground in a small cloud of dirt. “There’s nothing here!” I shouted, frustrated, my voice raspy (from disuse?). 13

Despite the tight feeling in my stomach, I kept looking, hoping that I would find something. Anything. But the most helpful thing, I could find was a spoon and a trowel. What was I supposed to use those for? Digging a tunnel? That would take too long! I needed a way out now! 14

I took the trowel and spoon back to my sleeping area, attempting to find a better use for them. I couldn’t think of anything, but still, I kept them with me, just in case I decided to dig that tunnel after all. Hey, you never know.15

The light that was coming in through slits in the wood dimmed as night grew closer. I sat down next to my tools, the food lying uneaten off to the side as my stomach growled. Biting my lip, I forced myself to ignore the emptiness of my stomach. Staring hard ahead into the darkness, I wondered. Why was this happening to me? It wasn’t like I was a very pretty girl. Kind of plain with my brown hair and eyes, a light scattering of freckles across my nose. I didn’t look like the kind of girl that would be kidnapped. 16

And who had kidnapped me? I hadn’t seen them yet. Did I know them? Had they been stalking me? When I got out of there, I’d want to know so I could tell the police. 17

But what if you never reach the police? the voice asked. They could kill you. I shivered. I didn’t want to think of that. I couldn’t think about what could happen to me. What they could do. I had to concentrate on figuring a way to escape this place. There had to be a way out, and I was going to find it. At first, I’d been scared, hysterical. But now that my hysteria had subsided, I was determined. Determined to escape, and to get whoever had put me there arrested. I wasn’t just going to sit around and wait for them to murder me. I still had a life out there. I couldn’t die now. I was only nineteen. 18

My fingers twitched, tapping the ground next to me. My eyes darted, nervously side to side, glancing up at the door every now and again. The calm that I’d managed to hold on to most of the day was rapidly disappearing. The idea of being killed, actually being killed, put me on edge. My breathing was shallow, kind of raspy, the way it sometimes got when I was nervous. And at my side, my right hand curled itself around the trowel’s handle, tightening, until it felt as if my knuckles could split open. The tightness of my hand’s muscles did little for me however. In my chest, my heart still thundered away. 19

God, I was going crazy. Ever since I’d woken up, my moods had been changing like the snap of a finger. One second calm, the next second in tears, and then now acting like I was in a horror movie. If I ever got out of there, I was going to a therapist.20

A soft step outside the door sounded in my nervously alert ears. Eyes wide, I whirled my head to face the door. I gripped the trowel even tighter as if it could protect me lest my captor be hostile, which seemed an ever increasing possibility. Getting to my feet, I backed away from the door, the trowel before me, my only weapon. 21

The door open and white light flooded down into the basement, drowning out the yellow of my lantern and making me blink. A figure stood in the doorway, black against the light, making it impossible to make out their features. Blinking, I backed up further, pressing my back to the mountain of junk. The figure began to descend the steps, their shoes slapping softly against the concrete steps. 22

As they reached the bottom, the advanced towards me. I brandished the trowel, but my kidnapper didn’t seem to care. He pushed the tool down with his hand and stood before me, keeping his hand over mine to prevent me from holding out the trowel again. 23

Frozen where I stood, I stared at him through wide, fearful eyes. He didn’t look like a kidnapper, I was surprised to find. The man before me was kind of dirty, with dirt across one tanned cheek, and dust coating his long black-brown hair. He wasn’t the biggest thing either, only a little taller than me, but sinewy and muscled. A kind smile was plastered on to his mouth. 24

“Finally awake, eh?” he asked, his voice just as kind as his smile. I couldn’t believe this was my kidnapper. How could he be? He’d taken me hostage and now I was thinking he was sweet? What was wrong with that picture? 25

I opened my mouth to talk, but he stopped me. Noticing the uneaten food, he turned to me asking, “Why didn’t you eat…? You need your strength…” He couldn’t seem to reach my terrified conclusion of poison. “Do you not like jerky?” he asked, bushy brown brows furrowing over his eyes. 26

“I-- uh-- I,” I struggled to find the right words to say. I didn’t want to say anything about my suspicions, to keep from insulting him, and because something told me not to. 27

The man was unfazed by my stammering. He just smiled and picked up the plate. “I’ll see if I can get you carrots and tomatoes from the garden next time. I think they’re about ripe…” 28

I blinked at him, unsure of what to say. He wasn't acting how I'd expected him to act. Kind of the opposite, in fact. He wasn't throwing things, yelling, grabbing me, anything that a kidnapper was supposed to do. I didn't know what to say. It was too much of a shock for me. 29

“Oh, I'm sorry,” the man said, a red color tinting his dark cheeks. “I didn't tell you who I am yet.” He laughed. A sort of nervous laugh for his cheerful demeanor. “My name's Levi. But it's pronounced different than the jeans.” 30

I blinked again. Why was this not sinking in for me? My kidnapper was a gentleman. A scruffy, little gentleman.31

“What's yours?” he prompted me, with a small wave of his hand.32

“Oh! Um, it's Mel,” I said, stumbling through my words. “It's short for Melanie...” 33

“That's a nice name,” he said with a smile. He turned slightly looking towards the stairs. “I'd stay longer, but I think I should go make you some more food...” He gave a small wave and smile, before hurrying up the stares and through the door. I was about to follow after him, hoping that he'd be kind enough to let me come up, but the door slammed before I could even reach it, and the click of the lock sounded magnified in my ears. 34

With a sigh, I sat down, pondering what had just transpired, and how my kidnapper had come to be so strangely pleasant.35

* * *36

Levi visited me a lot. He was always pleasant, always sweet. But it was like he was hiding something from me. He'd cough nervously at times. And he'd ask me strange questions. He'd also never allow me to go upstairs with him. I could tell he tried to play it off casually. He'd flick his hair out of his shining brown eyes and tell me that he'd be gone only a minute. Then he'd leave without allowing me a chance to follow, and be gone the entire day. 37

I liked him though. For all his excuses and secrets, he was a good man. He brought me down things if I asked for them. He brought me a small cot even, when I complained about the dirt, and he brought down a battery-operated heater to fight the cold nights. He brought down several board games for us to play together. He made me as comfortable as he could, down there in the basement. 38

Still, he would not answer the one question I was dying for an answer. Whenever I asked why he had kidnapped me, he would stop speaking. Or else, he'd just leave the room and have nothing to do with me the rest of the day. 39

As much as his evasiveness bothered me, I put up with it. He was strange, yes. Secretive, yes. But his kindness and gentleness somehow redeemed him in my mind.40

One day, after Levi'd left me again for asking why he'd taken me, I slipped on to my cot. I didn't have many things to do. Most of the things he'd brought me, were better if there were too people. Aside from the couple books he'd given me, I didn't really have much “alone” entertainment. So instead of straining my eyes against the lantern's light, I climbed onto the cot, pulling my blankets up around my chin, and closed my eyes. 41

Within minutes, I was asleep. (I hadn't realized how tired I was). And seconds later, I was dreaming. 42

I found myself in a blindingly white room. Hospital-like, with cold beds and the smell of anti-bacterial products. I was in one of the beds, my sight blinded by a horrible light situated over my head. I squinted, trying to see, but a dark figure bent over me, becoming a blot in my sight. I couldn't make them out. I could only tell that they were wearing surgical gear; all of their features hidden beneath it. 43

I tried to open my mouth, to talk, but I found my mouth unmovable. I tried to squirm, to make noise, but all were impossible for me. I was paralyzed.44

The surgeon touched my stony lips with its finger, its skin frosty beneath its rubber glove. “Shhh,” was all it said, in a dark, rattley voice. I wanted to scream, but again my voice wouldn't come. I closed my eyes, trying not to look at the surgeon. I didn't want to look at it! I wanted to wake up! 45

Breaking out of my dream, I jerked awake, breathing heavily. Trying to regain my breath I looked around myself. In the shadows, just a little ways away from my cot, I saw something that made my eyes widen to the size of saucers. Levi stood, his upper body bathed in the darkness of the shadows, with a syringe in his hand. Electric blue liquid swished inside of it. 46

“Y-you,” was all I managed to stammer out. I didn't know what to say. Everything I'd been thinking about him had been wrong. He was evil, sick, demented. 47

“Wait, Mel,” he said, taking a step towards me, concern on his face. “It's not wait you think!”48

“You were drugging me?” I asked, disgusted. How could he do that to me? Play like he was nice and then do this? What else had he been doing while I'd been asleep? Raped me? What? He took another step towards me, but before he could reach my cot, I jumped backwards and hurried away from him. “No! Don't come near me!” I shouted, my voice straining hysterically with tears. 49

“Mel,” Levi started again, but I cut him off, my voice high and cracking.50

“No! I hate you! I hate you!” I shouted. He'd kidnapped me, but had somehow become sweet like the Beast in that Disney movie, but now, now he was a monster. A hideous, despicable monster. He'd done worse to me than any other person ever had. I despised him for his kindness now, for making me like him. 51

I had to get away from him; had to escape while I still could. The door wouldn't be locked while he was in here. I could escape. For a second, I stared at Levi, with wide, tear-reddened eyes, and then took off running towards the door. 52

For a second, I actually thought I was going to make it. I'd reached the stairs and had bounded up them. I was reaching for the door, my heart bouncing between my stomach and throat. But I never even touched the knob. I was hit with a great force, and brought crashing down to the stairs, gasping for air as my chest was forced against the ground. I struggled to lift my arms to pull my self to the door, but Levi grabbed hold of my arms and forced them down. 53

“This is for your own good,” he said. And then a sharp pain erupted in my skull as something struck me. I blinked my eyes dazed a few times before my vision went black. 54

I felt something push into my skin. But it was far off and distant. I could barely even feel it. I floated through my subconscious on a sea of euphoria. I felt light and airy as I floated through my own mind, unable to remember what had happened before. Everything was alright now. Alright... 55

I woke up the second time that night, with my head pounding. I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth in pain. Propping myself carefully up to look around the cellar, I saw that Levi was gone. Good. I didn't want him there. I didn't want to see that bastard's tan ass ever again. I'd never be able to get over what he'd done. What kind of sick sadist tricks people into liking them before betraying them and drugging them all at the same time? 56

The kind that kidnaps young girls, the voice whispered in my mind, irking its head for the first time in several days. I wanted to block it out, but it was as if every pessimistic thought I had, had grown into it's own entity. 57

“Bastard!” I shrieked at the closed door. Tears began leaking from my eyes, making salty tracks towards my mouth. The dark of the unlit cellar, encroaching on me, my body shook with sobs. I’d never felt more betrayed in my life. And it was by a guy who’d kidnapped me! Even in my racking sorrow, I couldn’t get over the irony in that. 58

Gasping out sobs, I lay down again. With tears slicking my face, and my face twisted with my sobs, it was easier to lie down than sit… Lying took no effort. And I didn’t want to put effort into anything. Pulling the blanket up to my chin, I sobbed into my pillow. 59

You know you were expecting this, the voice whispered, making me sob harder. I had! I had expected something like this, the moment I’d woken up in the damn basement! But what happened? I thought my kidnapper was nice. Who in their right mind thought a kidnapper was nice? I was an idiot; a fool. I never should have trusted him. And that made it worse. I should have known. But I didn’t and now I was hurt.60

I thought back to the times I’d had fun with Levi, and it quieted my cries a little. He acted like such a little kid when he played board games; gleefully laughing as he moved pieces forward, and frowning, upset when he lost. It had seemed so innocent... How could someone that had acted so sweet and childlike be so evil? I didn't want to believe he was evil, but his actions had forced it upon me. I choked on a sob, quietly forcing it down, as the air caught in my throat. 61

But now, I knew what I needed to do. The next time Levi came down here, I'd be ready to escape. Last time he'd stopped me, but I was going to let him again. Climbing from my cot, tears and mucus drying on my face, I walked dazedly towards the stair case. Levi had stopped me the last time, when I'd started from near my cot. I'd start my escape from the stairs this time, that way he'd have less chance to stop me. Reaching the top step, I crouched down by the door, and waited. 62

He'd have to come down sometime, I figured, to give me my food. Or to drug you, the voice added, and I shivered. Hugging my arms around my torso, I shifted my legs to keep them from falling asleep. Resting my head on the wood beside the door, my eyes remained trained on doorknob, watching for any sign of it turning. Again, I sniffled a little, hating Levi. 63

Finally, what seemed like hours later, the door knob turned. Immediately, I became more alert, anxious to escape from that masquerading demon. My back straightened a little, and my finger tips touched the floor ready to push my body up to escape through the door the moment it opened. The door opened and light poured into the cellar. That was my cue. 64

Jumping up, I pushed past Levi into the house. Like an anchor, his hand latched around my wrist, holding me back. Wide-eyed I looked back at him as I tried to pull my arm free from his vice like grip. His normally bright eyes were dark and clouded with an emotion I couldn’t determine. Anger? Frightened, and my heart pounding wildly in my chest, I fought his grip, flailing my body wildly forward, hoping to break free. 65

And finally, I did. With a sudden jolt, I fell forward, my arm having broken through his clasp. For a moment, I blinked with surprise, dazed from my success. But with a creak of the wood, I remembered Levi and his determination to keep me captive. It only took a second’s thought for me to take off running.66

I had no idea at all of where I was headed. I hadn’t expected such a big house! At most, I’d expected a two-story country home; a house that would have fit Levi, more. But instead, the house was huge! Not a mansion perhaps, but it was huge! And as dirty as Levi, himself! Even as I ran, panting by, I couldn’t help but take in all the cobwebs and red-brown dirt dusting nearly everything. I didn’t see anything that didn’t have a sheen of red on it! 67

Foot prints, the voice whispered in my mind, and I glanced at the floor. The dust on the floor smudged where I had gone, and further back, I could hear Levi following me. I gave a gasp. Even if I wiped away my prints, he’d still be able to follow me. I couldn’t throw him off in the least. I whimpered a little in self pity, wishing very much that I had some way of throwing him off, and then with a glance over my shoulder, hurried onward.68

Escaping the center of the house, I found myself in a long hallway passing alongside a row of windows. They were all boarded, with nails sticking up in jagged, awkward angles, threatening to pierce the skin of anyone dumb enough to touch it. I avoided them, my heart clenching a little bit at my inability to escape through one of them now. 69

The floor creaked behind me, making me jump. I didn’t even look behind me, before throwing myself into a sprint towards the end of the hallway. As I reached it, it did not end as I had thought, but instead took a sharp turn to the right. I felt my stomach give a lurch as I continued to run onward. 70

This time thankfully, I could see a door at the end of the hall, and I full out ran for it, my breathing ragged and heavy, as sweat slickened my skin. I grabbed the door knob and slammed full on into the door a second later. 71

Fumbling with the knob, my sweaty hands slipped on the metal. Getting a grip on it, I twisted and threw the door open, before leaping through and slamming the door closed. Breathing heavily, I looked for something to jam the door. 72

Several feet from where I stood, back to the door, was a table, surrounded by chairs. Without a second thought, I grabbed one of the dusty wooden chairs, and propped it beneath the door knob. I sighed in relief and stepped back. A second later, something slammed into the door, making me jump, but the chair held, and I sighed again in relief. 73

As my breathing slowed to a calm, I slowly moved from the room, carefully looking, now, for an exit. It was nearly impossible. I almost didn’t think there was one. Except, Levi had mentioned growing carrots and things in a garden, so I knew there had to be an exit. 74

I had to poke my head through each door I came across just to make sure, I wasn’t over looking it, or anything, but most of what I found were halls and closets, nothing to help me. Now, I opened a door, my heart no longer jumping with anticipation, but as soon as I opened the door, I regretted it. For, there was Levi. Walking towards me. As he saw me, his eyes shone and he started walking quicker. I bolted away. 75

There was a rushed flurry of feet against the floor and doors slammed, but finally it ended. Panting, sweating, and terrified, I threw open another door, and sucked in a breath of relief. A look of astounded wonder on my face, I hurried outside and towards my freedom. 76

What had first caught my attention was the tiny garden, and the green grass that surrounded the house. That’s what I was happy to see… life. But beyond that, what I saw now, was desolate. All I could see for miles was dunes of red sand. It looked almost like Mars. I shook my head bewildered. What was going on here? What? How far from civilization were we? How was I ever going to get back home. 77

I stepped forward, towards the edge of the grass. I was doomed… Doomed, the voice repeated. I could stay with the psycho and die, or I could go out to the desert and die… I was dead no matter what my choice was. 78

Behind me, I could hear Levi stepping outside and onto the grass. I felt the hairs on my neck stand up. But there was nothing else I could do. He had me. I was trapped. There was no way, I’d be able to escape. Ever. 79

“Mel,” I heard his voice. “Mel, you have to rest now; you tired yourself out.”80

“Huh?” I asked perplexed. That didn’t make any-- And I felt my legs slip from beneath me and my eyes close…. 81

* * *82

With ease, Levi, leaned forward and caught Mel as she passed out. Gently, the scruffy, young man lifted her in his arms, and started walking back towards the house. 83

Oh… Mel, she really was more trouble than she was worth. Well not really. She was worth quite a bit to him. She still had a lot of kinks to work out, but he did like her a lot. He probably should have designed her himself instead of using his sister’s template though. She’d come with memories… that had definitely been the most annoying part. Well that and that she thought he’d kidnapped her. He’d have to fix that later. 84

His land needed fixing too. It wasn’t all green like his sister’s was. Everything she touched came to life, but he had to work for it, and so far it was turning out as a failure. His world was barren, whereas his sister’s was vibrant and green. Her people were all different, while he had to borrow her design, even accidentally giving Mel memories that weren’t hers. Oh! And there was that minor detail where he had to inject Life into her every night, just so there wouldn’t be that possibility of her actually dying on him. 85

Levi sighed as he carried the limp girl back to the cellar. He wanted her to stay there until he had completely fixed her. And maybe by then, he’d have a couple other humans too, that way he could actually have his own realm to preside over. 86

After millennia of getting shown up by his older sister, he’d finally decided he wanted hi own planet with his own people, and now he was stuck using her old designs. And even still, things weren’t going like how they were supposed to! 87

But they were at least better than the attempts he had made on his own. Levi shivered at the thought of the first people he’d tried to make. They had looked more like monsters than anything else, with their multiple limbs and gaping jaws. Not anything like the attractive creatures his sister made. He felt grateful to her for giving him a couple of designs. It made it easier.88

Lying Mel down in her cot, Levi crouched down beside her. She was pleasant to look at, with her sprinkling of freckles. He was very proud of those freckles; they hadn’t been in the original designs. They were all his. The only thing that marked her different from the original Mel that his sister had made. 89

Gently, he brushed a strand of her dark brown hair from her face. “I’ll fix you later, don’t worry,” he whispered, assuringly to the girl. He patted her shoulder and stood up. 90

Where was that syringe…? He’d left it down here after that whole incident with Mel. It wasn’t filled anymore, but that wasn’t a problem for him. Locating the needle among the gardening tools in the back, Levi jabbed the needle into his own arm, drawing out electric blue Life. It glowed and swirled inside of the shot.91

Careful this time, not to wake Mel, Levi, slid the needle gently into her white flesh. She stirred slightly, but he calmed her, by stroking her hair gently. The Life slipped into her easily and quickly. 92

The girl’s skin became a soft pink, and the bags beneath her eyes disappeared. Her breathing was slow and steady.93

Levi felt himself well with pride. Things weren’t going as he had initially planned, but they were going well, he supposed. Mel hadn’t died, and neither had his garden. It was taking much longer than it had taken his sister, but at least it was working. 94

Levi stroked the Mel’s freckled cheek with the back of his tan hand, smiling down at her. Not perfect, but she was his first real creation. His first minor success, and he loved her for it. 95

Gently, Levi kissed her forehead before climbing the stairs, maybe to go work on expanding his garden. 96