Prologue.
The sun bled through the cracks of the boards that covered the windows and striped the clothing of the child that sat hunched in the middle of the room. A small motionless creature lay on the wooden floor boards, covered in dust and grime, beside the child who drew in the dust that covered the floor.
The girl's blonde hair hung limply infront of her face as she rested her head on knees, hugging them with one arm to her chest. Her eyes gleamed with the wetness of tears that threatened to fall but she refused to cry when they were so close.
A squeal of wood underfoot had her frozen in place. She counted backwards from ten but there was no sound other than the small breaths she took of the putrid air. Her small hand reached out and snatched the lump on the ground and hugged it to her chest as she scrambled back - away from the door.
The handle was worked, turning first left then right before completing it's turn. With a heavy shove the intruder pushed the door open, giving a grunt at the effort.
She licked her cracked lips as she remained motionless, huddled, in the corner of the chambers staring up at the figure silhouetted in the doorway. She held her breath and waited, praying that whomever it was would leave her be.
The figure squatted down, and she watched warily as it reached into a cloak and drew out a silver flask. She licked her lips and watched, hugging the thing to her chest tighter as fear began to wash over her.
"There's no need to fear, child." the coaxing voice of a man murmured to her but she knew better than to trust a man.
She knew that men were trouble, that's what her mother had told her. That men only wanted sex or money - if they didn't get it willingly then they took it by force. The little girl's eyes glared at his hand, a brave feat on her part considering she was paralized with terror that the man would take her - force her to give him something she didn't have.
"Hmph." the man grunted as he rose to his feet, but he tossed the flask to her and it clanged loudly against the wooden planks. She jumped, staring at the flask as though it were a live snake looking to bite her.
"We're not here to hurt you, Annabelle." the man told her calmly, as he reached out and grabbed the door's handle.
She turned from the flask and looked up at the man, "Where's my mother?" she asked him as she held the bear out in one hand. "She said not to trust strangers!" she told him, her eyes wide.
The man looked down, "Did she give you that bear?" he asked her, as he looked at the once-white grime covered thing.
Annabelle nodded furiously, "She told me - keep him safe and he'll keep you safe too." she said as she looked down at the bear and smiled at it, giving it a tight hug.
His mouth turned down in a frown. "They told me you wouldn't remember anything..." he grumbled to himself before reaching down and easily plucking the stuffed bear from her embrace.
"No!" she wailed, her eyes burning with tears. She reached up and worked her hands in the air trying to get the bear back from the greedy man's hands. Her lip quivered as she tried desperately not to cry infront of the man who wanted to take the only memory of her mother from her.
"I'm just taking it for a little while, Annabelle. Just to get a wash and clean it's fur." he told her, but Annabelle knew he was lying. She knew that he was taking away her teddy bear to throw it away.
Her mother was right, men were mean creatures that stole everything - even her memories. She stared at the man even as tears rolled down her face, "I hope you're happy everytime you hurt someone." she told him, "Because I know I wouldn't be."
The man stared at her for a long time and she willed him away, hugging her knees as she cried against her knees. She heard the door squeal it's protest as the man closed it slowly and she hoped he was happy because the only thing that had prevented her from losing hope had been her teddy bear.
She looked over at the flask that rested by her legs and she kicked it away - she wouldn't take the gift of a man who had destroyed her means of hope. She wouldn't accept the niceness of someone whom had taken her mother from her.
