Stolen (1)

Chapter Two

I crack open my eyes, and when I do so, I notice four things:
1. My head aches terribly.
2. There's a small bandage on my finger.
3. My ankles are cuffed to the wall.
4. The man is sitting in a chair in front of me.
He sees I'm conscious, and he smiles.
"Ah, you're awake, I see," he says, rubbing his hands together. "How are you feeling?"
I'm flooded with terror and fury, both emotions fighting for control. My mouth drops open and I grasp for words. "I... I..."
The man lets out a booming laugh. "What - cat got your tongue?"
I manage to speak. "Where the hell am I?"
His face turns dark. "Now, that's no way to talk to your guardian."
"Guardian? You're not my guardian. You- you effing kidnapped me!" I yell, face red.
"You are but a frail young lady. The harsh world out there is not meant for you. I did not kidnap you - I merely rescued you from what would have surely been a torturous existence."
Before I can stop myself, I begin sobbing, tears seeping out of my eyes and streaming down my face. "I was happy out there! I had a life! And you- you stole me, and took me god-knows-where so you can do god-knows-what, and I'm... scared; to be honest, I'm terrified. I'm dreading what you will do to me, what you will make me do." With the last of my energy, I attempted to lash out and hit him, but he didn't even flinch. He just caught my wrist and lowered it back down. Then he clucked his tongue.
"Uh-uh-uh, careful there, sweetie. I've got lightning reflexes, and if you ever do manage to get past me, there are guards patrolling the halls and every exit is equipped with top-level security. You're not going anywhere."
My heart stops cold. "Guards? Top-level security? Where... where am I?"
He grins, showing off crooked teeth. "Nowhere other than Tranquil Valley Psychiatric Institution."