James' POV

It was cold and damp in the basement.... The small amount of light didn't help...well, there was one window but it was so small and high up that there wasn't any chance of escaping that way. The only things our captor gave us was a blanket, two pillows, and the blessing of unbinding our hands and mouths. The only things me and my sister could really do was cry and allow our minds to torment us and run wild with fear. I couldn't help but think about mom and dad...I thought about the good times. The times where we went out for ice cream or went to the movies. Or the time I got a new soccer ball for my birthday. The moments where everything seemed perfect, as if the horrors of the world had just disappeared. But yesterday I experienced what the horrors of the world could really do...no, what a single person could do...

I never realized how scary being kidnapped really was. I never realized how it felt to fear for your life, to have it flash before your eyes. I thought about what I hadn't done yet. I suppose I took it all for granted, didn't I? The most terrifying part of the basement was...the chain attached to the wall. We didn't know what it was for, but I suppose that's one of the reasons it was so scary, the fear of the unknown? There was nothing at the end of the chain though, which was what confused me. What was it for? It's not like he could hurt us with it, right? I didn't know. There were other small things in here, like a pair of handcuffs for example. But the handcuffs didn't scare me all that much, knowing that it was harmless.

I listened to the echo of water droplets that fell from the ceiling and splashing onto the small puddle directly below it, reminding me of how empty the space really was. Why was it so empty anyway? I mean, don't people usually store stuff in a basement? It was so empty that the only things in it were us, our bedding, the handcuffs and chain, and our dirty plate. He certainly did go out of his way to make sure that we didn't have anything to enable our escape, didn't he?

Analiese sat on a pillow in the far corner of the room, crying into her knees. It broke me to hear her cry. Analiese was always a bit annoying at times but now.... more than anything, I wanted her to be okay, to live to see another day. I got up from my spot and walked over to her. I sat down next to her as I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out as I realized that I didn't know exactly what to say. "Analiese...?" I whispered to her. She looked up from her knees to look at me, with tears in her eyes. Her face was once again red and stained with tears. She hesitated for a moment, before asking me something I never thought I'd have to answer. "James....are we gonna die...?" She whispered back. I stayed silent, wide eyed and stunned. I didn't know how to answer that, how was I supposed to? All I knew for sure is that she was losing hope. "Of course we won't. Mom and Dad won't stop until they find us. Y'know, I bet they're out looking for us now. And when they do find us, we're gonna go home and have cake and ice cream for dessert." I reassured her, pulling her closing to me. But I was telling gray lies to both myself and to Analiese. I don't know if that was true, I don't know what Mom and Dad are doing, I can't even be sure that we'll wake up tomorrow. I had to make her believe that we'd be okay...even if I didn't believe myself.

But our heartwarming moment was ruined at the sound of the basement door unlocking. I pulled away from our warm hug as I heard the door make a loud "creeeeeak" sound. Heavy boots slowly ascended down the stairs, gradually showing himself to us. Our captor was wearing the same old and dirty clothes as yesterday, a dirt covered men's tank top, ripped jeans, and hunting boots. In his hand was a clean plate with two slices of bread, and a small bunch of grapes. It must be dinner time. Or perhaps breakfast or lunch? It's hard to tell the time in this prison that almost seems like there is no time at all. My only hope for telling the time is the small window, which unfortunately is stained glass...so telling the time is a lot harder than it should be. Me and Analiese were both too stunned to say anything, so we watched in silence as the man walked over to our empty plate on the ground. He looked at us with an annoyed frown before picking it up and swapping it out for the plate of fresh food. We remained frozen in our corner as we watched the man turn around and walk back toward the stairs without a word.

But as he was half way up the stairs, I stood up. Not only that, but I said something to him too, which I hadn't ever done before. I could have said something that I've read book characters say to the villain, such as "You won't get away with this!" But I instead asked him a question:

"Sir...? What is your name...?" I asked shakily.

He looked at me with his cold eyes, sending a chill down my spine. His expression went from an annoyed frown to a face of confusion. I suppose he wasn't expecting me to ask him such a casual question, while calling him "sir" no less. He hesitated for a long while, as if debating whether to answer or not. At the corner of my eye, I could see Analiese in the exact same spot she was before, still frozen in place. But she dared not intervene. My eyes grew wider with expectation the more I waited. The man looked at me for another moment before opening his mouth to speak one final word before he disappeared;

"Cain..."