The man was Antoine, basically her uncle. He had known Katherine since she was a baby, had held her when she was young, and had talked to her when she was upset. He had been to all of her birthday parties and got her the best gifts. 

"Now, there's no need to cry, I will take good care of you." Antoine got up and walked over to a wall of shelves lining the opposite side of the basement. He grabbed a rag and walked back over to Katherine. Grabbing a rag, he walked back over, grabbed Katherine’s face, and wiped her tears. She tried pulling her face out of his hand but his grip was iron-tight. Katherine spat in his face and turned her face away from him. Antoine grabbed her face again and with force turned her to face him. There was pure rage on his face. Katherine froze and the next thing she knew, her face was burning. Her face went numb for a few seconds. Looking back at Antoine, his hand was red obviously from the slap he had just given her.

“Why would you do that? Now your face is ruined.” Grabbing the chain, Antoine dragged Katherine into another room in the basement. Hidden behind the wall of shelves, the stark white lights of a bedroom nearly blinded her.

“Isn’t this nice? A room all to yourself, no little siblings touching your stuff, a room away from everyone and everything.” Antoine yanked Katherine up from the ground and guided her toward a bed pushed against the wall. The room was well decorated. It was bigger than her room. In the middle of the room was a queen-sized bed with a fluffy purple blanket, purple pillows, and a duvet. Shelves filled with books and trinkets lined the wall. The books were lined up neatly and the trinkets were separated by color. Across from the bed was a dresser decorated with photos and a vanity with make-up neatly placed on top. “Sit on the bed, my dear Katherine.” 

Still feeling the sting of the slap, Katherine sat down on the bed. It sank a little underneath her. It was soft, but unsettling. Antoine stood in front of the bed watching her. He didn’t say anything just watched her. After about two minutes of stifling silence, Antoine grabbed the chain, and walked over to a corner of the room, and attached it to the ground.

“Soon you’ll see that I am doing this for both of us.” Antoine walked over to the dresser, picked up a few pictures, and brought them to her. Laying them out on the bed, he picked one in a golden frame. “Do you like my pictures? I have collected them over the years and got them framed just for you.” He turned it towards her and Katherine had to fight back the urge to smack it out of his hands. It was of her when she was younger. She was sitting on his lap smiling, holding the Christmas present he got her. Katherine’s skin crawled as she looked at the photo. Antoine had watched her grow up. Hewas there for her first steps, her first words, and more.

Antoine started showing Katherine the rest of the photos. They were all of her. Another was of her changing her clothes in her room. Another was of her in a wedding dress being carried by Antoine. Katherin felt sick to her stomach and didn’t want to see any more photos. She tried pushing away the photos, but Antoine brought them closer and moved her arms away.

“Something's wrong with you.” Katherine spat in his face. Antoine raised his hand like he wanted to slap her again; however, he pushed her back onto the bed. Caressing her face, Katherine tried fighting him, but he held her down tighter.

“You’re mine, and you aren’t going anywhere.” Antione kissed her, Katherine stopped fighting him, and just lay there. She couldn’t move, she was frozen. After what seemed like an eternity, Antoine let her go and got off the bed. Katherine stayed lying down, and tears ran down her face.

“Now be a good girl, and behave yourself until I get back.” Antoine left the room and locked the door behind him. Katherine’s body went numb, and curling up into a ball, she cried. She cried until she fell asleep exhausted, praying that it was just a nightmare and she would wake up in her bed.

Waking up in the same room, the stark white lights blinded Katherine, and she knew it was real and not some hallucination. Katherine looked at the chain attached to her leg. She tugged on it trying to pull it out of the ground, but it didn’t budge. She tugged harder and ended up slicing it into the palms of her hands. She gave up, feeling defeated, and just sat there on the bed, not knowing what to do. There was a knock on the door. Katherine just stared at it. She knew who it was but she didn’t want to let him in. She thought maybe if she stayed quiet he would leave her alone, thinking she was asleep. To her dismay, he opened the door. The bright grin on his face made Katherine feel nauseous.

“Did you sleep well?” He came closer to her and sat down next to her on the bed. He raised his hand, and Katherine flinched, remembering the slap he gave her the day before. Seeing her flinch, Antoine backed up slightly. “Don’t be scared of me, I won’t hurt you.” He caressed her face and brushed the hair that was still plastered on her face behind her ear.

“Um, I guess I slept fine.” Katherine lied, and she gritted her teeth while doing it. There was no point in being rude. Hemight just kill her. Hearing her response, Antoine smiled. He kissed her cheek, and Katherine felt her body shut down.

The next couple of days were all the same. Katherine would cry herself to sleep, then wake up. Antoine would then visit her and bring her some food then leave. Katherine would then be left in the room all day with her thoughts. Antoine would come back and visit her, bring her fresh clothes and dinner. Then he would leave, and everything would repeat.

After about a week of this routine, Katherine knew that she wouldn’t make it out there no matter what. Knowing this, she tore off the bed sheets, ripped off the sheet covering the ‘bathroom’, threw all the books on the floor, slid all the photos off the dresser, and curled up in the corner crying. 

“Now what the heck is this? I told you to behave yourself didn’t I?” Antoine burst open the door. Looking around the room, he picked up the picture with a now broken golden frame and looked at Katherine curled up in the corner. He walked over to her and grabbed her.

“I’m so sorry for your loss. She was such a bright young girl.” Antoine hugged Allen and Samantha, Katherine’s parents. “I’m sorry that we couldn’t do anything to help her." He wiped the tears streaming down Samantha’s face. He picked up Annie, Katherine’s younger sister, and kissed her on the cheek. Going back to the house Antoine held Annie in his arms the entire time, caressing her cheek. When they reached the house Antoine brought Annie into her room. She was fast asleep. Placing her on the bed, he took out his phone and took a photo of her. He put his phone back in his pocket and walked back downstairs.

“I’ll be here for you guys through this tough time. Let me know if you guys need anything.” Hugging Allen and Samantha, Antoine left the house and got into his car.