1 PROLOGUE

Drip.

Drip.

Drip. Drip.

Drip.

Thud!

“Rose? Rose? Rose!! Where are you?! Get here this instant!” His voice called out filled with so much concern and worry that I almost gave in, but like water been poured all over me, I did not miss the threat that laid within his concern, I kept quiet, hidden behind the masses of blankets like they would protect me from the one who calls me daughter.

His footsteps thundered and echoed through every room with each step he took, each one taunting and frightening than the last “I promise I won’t hurt you any more darling, am sorry. Please Rose, you are worrying me” he whispered that I could feel his breathe down my neck, I closed my eyes as the sound of my beating heart accelerated and my mind thought of all the worst things that have happened to me.

“Please Rose!” he cried and cried, like a woman losing her child, he cried trying to bring me out of my hiding place, his cries turned to sobs making my heart clench and cry out to him ‘his sick Rose, only you can help him’ my conscious said, yes, he is sick, I thought, I must help him, all I want to do is help him.

‘Help him! Help him! Help him! HELP HIM!!!!’ it yelled.

“All – all I want – wanted to do was help” I stuttered and the blanket was ripped away from my grasp making me scream which seemed to make the beast of a man smile through the tears and mucus flowing down his face, his yellow weird shaped teeth were on display for the world to see, his once blue eyes now turned grey and dull with madness, his once honey skin now grey and pale due to not going out of the building, and his hair, once a soft muddy brown now a sticky dirty red.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. What were you doing little Rose?” He asked squatting down to look into my eyes which I casted away from his, he sighed when he saw I was not going to talk to him “Answer me! What were you doing, you little demon!!!?” He growled making me flinch away only to be pulled back towards him by his rough hand around my tiny wrist.

I knew not to speak, he would get angry either way, but there he was demanding I speak which only frightened me even more. Has he not had enough? How long is he planning on keeping me here? I thought.

My scalp burned bringing me out of my train of thoughts, soon the sound of tearing echoed through the hall way and I screamed only to be cut off by another scream of my own. My head throbbed, my vision blurred from the tears that threatened to escape and the blood flowed from my scalp like an erupted volcano that I still wondered how I did not die, and my ears rang. I looked at the beast of a man, seeing his shoulders shaking as his mouth moved and eyes closed. He was laughing, but yet I could not hear him for a while.

In his hand, he held what was long threads of red ‘my hair,’ I mentally cried’ my ruby shiny hair!’ I cried, and the tears physically leaked from my black eyes onto my pale hollow cheeks, suddenly my head turned to the left with brutal force that I fell on the dusty floor, I whimpered feeling the throbbing stinging sensation on my right cheek.

I looked up towards him, his chest raised and fell rapidly “Do I look like a fool to you? I am making you a master piece! And this is how you repay me?! Ungrateful bitch! Just like your kind!” he roared and soon his fists kissed my face repeatedly until; I couldn’t breathe properly, my ears rang, my scalp and head throbbed like it was a heart itself, and black dots danced in my eyes until everything slowed and darkened. It was just me and the shadows. He wasn’t my father. He never met or knew my mother. Yet he calls me his daughter.

“Rose?” someone called behind and I turned looking at a young beautiful girl; her red hair tied in two pigtails with SpongeBob ribbons, her honey tanned skin seemed to glow under the sunlight and her beautiful dark eyes that looked like pits of darkness with no ground, and she was dressed in a yellow dress and glass slippers.

I turned back looking around wondering who she was calling, but it seemed we were the only ones here, wherever here was, I turned back to face her “Am sorry, I think you’ve got the one person” I said my voice coming out deep and raspy making my throat hurt, I looked down at myself suddenly noticing the grey and black shorts that a covered in dried blood and dirt showing off my bruised and scared legs , and the large white shirt that has holes in it and is as well covered in blood and dirt with drops of yellow on it.

“Then what’s your name?” the girl asked tilting her head with a frown, I frowned “what do you mean what’s my name? My name is…my name is…my name,” I trailed off as my mind tried to say something but nothing came up, my mind could not find what it was looking for, what I was looking for. I could not remember my name.

A giggle escaped from the young girl’s lips as she skipped towards me until she stood in front of me looking up to me with twinkling pools of darkness “That’s alright, I know your name,” she trailed off swinging on the heels of her feet “do you want me to tell you your name?” she asked tilting her head again, I slowly nodded my head and she smiled like she received a present from Santa.

She gestured for me to come closer, I frowned but squatted to her height, she again gestured for me to come closer which my body complied making me lean my face towards hers, she turned my face to the left and I felt her breathe on my outer ear before she spoke “Rose, your name is Rose”.

My eyes widened as I slowly got up, eager to put some distance between me and the girl “That’s – that’s not my name” I stuttered suddenly feeling suffocated to be next to her, I took a step back but my body collided with a cold metal floor or wall, and suddenly I was staring at a white ceiling and I felt the ropes on my wrists and ankles keeping me in place.

Fear cruised through me knowing he was coming for me anytime; what new form of torture is he going to use on me now? What number were we on? Will this one hurt more than the last one? Will a machine be used or will he use his hands?

“Calm down before you pass out Rose” a familiar voice said and I lifted up my head as far as I could to see the young girl eating a lollipop “Who are you?” I asked not liking her anymore, she was giving off a wrong vibe, one that was worse than the beast clothed in the man’s skin.

My neck started hurting so I put my head back down on the cold metal table as I heard her footsteps “Am daddy’s little princess” she said joyfully “what’s your name?” I asked her and soon she was next to me, looking at me with her dark eyes and a sadistic smile that resemble that of the beast “well, since you are my first friend, I will tell you and promise me you won’t leave me alone” She said turning to lay on her stomach with her lollipop in her tiny hands.

I slowly nod craning my neck to get a better look at her “My name is- “she vanished as a scream pierced through the once calm air, and the white ceiling turned back to the rusty brown ones I have looked at for a long time, and I screamed as the beast clothed in a man’s skin stood before me with the same sadistic smile like the girl’s.

“What’s your name? What’s your name? what’s your name?! WHAT’S YOUR NAME?!!” he screamed at me, spitting in my face and my mouth opened before i could comprehend what happened as I stared at beast.

“ROSE! YOUR LITTLE ROSE!” I screamed.