Anne sat on the bed with her legs crossed.

She was reading the books her parents read to her during bedtime. She wanted to learn how to read them herself for when she wanted to go through the stories and her parents weren't able to at that moment. Anne already went through a couple stories by herself, those of which sat beside her bed. Each word she read, she repeated in a near whisper.

A creek from the door caught her attention. Anne put down the book immediately, thinking it was one of her parents. Unfortunately, she was wrong and her heart sank to her stomach. The young girl crawled back to the end of the bed. She pulled her legs up to her chest and pulled her nightgown all the way down as the man she's grown to fear came closer to her. She never knew what he was thinking, especially when they were alone like they were now.

He sat down at the opposite end of the bed. He reached into his pocket. Not knowing what he was gonna take out, she looked away. Anne wasn't sure if she wanted to know. She felt his hand touch her face, going from the lower part of her cheek to her chin. Her heart raced as his thumb rested at the top of her chin and all but the index fingers closed. He gently pulled her to his direction, making her face him.

The man's eyes were dark and seemed devoid of anything that would make a person human. She always hated looking into them, even before he started using her for his disgusting desires. A candy bar was then waved in her face, catching her attention immediately.

"This is just for you, cinnamon." He told her in a low, calm voice.

He handed it out to her. She stared at him, watching his every move. As she did so, she slowly yet hesitantly took it from his hand. Anne opened the wrapper to reveal the chocolate underneath. She took her eyes off him and started eating. She was taking bites as if danger was close and she had no time to really eat. In nearly no time, the chocolate bar was almost gone with only one bite left.

Before she could take that last bite he got on top of her. Her eyes widened as she gulped. She had prepared herself for what he was about to do. The next thing she knew, his hands were wrapped around her neck. Anne dropped the candy after realizing what was going on. She scratched at his hands and kicked him as much as she could. Her heart ran faster than it ever did. It kicked like it was going to burst out of her chest. She felt the air being stolen from her lungs as she tried to break free.

Everything around them turned black from the bottom up; it was if they were falling without feeling her body drop. No matter what she did she couldn't break free from his grasp. Her vision started to blur. Any second and she could pass out, but she couldn't let herself do that. Not now, not while he was around. She wouldn't be able to fight then, and she had to.

The last thing she saw was his shit eating grin.

Anne shot up in a cold sweat, gasping for air.

She immediately looked around her. It was the same old, dark basement she was used to for the past few months. She sighed in relief that it wasn't real. Not it happening for the second time anyway. She put one hand at her neck, still having the feeling of being strangled. That part struck out as odd to the young brunette. Aside from that, she didn't expect to have nightmares about the past. It had been a few years since the last one, making her wonder why it was happening again.

"Anne?"

She looked up, seeing the door open with Hop Pop behind it. The old frog seemed worried, which she didn't blame him really. He came down the stairs while closing the door behind him. He walked up to her. His hand touched a mushroom for a brief moment before it lit up that part of the room some with its dim lighting. Hop Pop sat down next to Anne.

"Are you alright?"

Anne looked at him, back at the floor, and simply nodded. They stayed there in silence for what felt like a few minutes, with Anne waiting for him to do or say something while Hop Pop was possibly doing the same. Hop Pop put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at him again albeit slightly unlike before.

"Do you want to-"

"He never choked me." Anne looked away. Before she did, she saw his eyes widen from how unexpected that was. "Yet in… In my nightmare, he did."

"It's just a nightmare, Anne." He reassured her. "He won't hurt you anymore."

She slightly smiled at the fact Hop Pop remembered who she was talking about, even if she never mentioned his name to him nor anyone else in the family. It faded as soon as it showed up. Her legs went up to her chest and head while she wrapped her arms around them.

"I thought I was getting better, H.P." Anne laid her head on her arms. "I thought I was finally getting past what he did to me…"

Hop Pop got in front of her. Her eyes shifted up towards him. He cupped the little girl's face.

"Even if it happened a long time ago, trauma doesn't disappear overnight." He said. "Recovery is a long road. You may hit some bumps on the way, like you are now, but you will be okay. We're here for you if you ever need us."

"I know…"

Anne hugged him and quietly gulped. She felt glad that she had some people to help her through things, even in a different world like this one. Hop Pop hugged her back. Soon enough he pulled away from the hug.

"Do you want me to stay for awhile?"

Anne thought about it for a moment. Since she arrived, she hadn't really talked about it when she needed to. Even now she didn't really go in depth about it to the family when she told him about her being sexually abused. Anne needed someone to talk to on it aside from playing games on her phone, especially after that nightmare she had. She then nodded, finally answering his question.

"I'd like that. Mind if we go upstairs?" She asked.

Hop Pop got up. "Wherever you're more comfortable at. The kids are asleep, so they shouldn't bother us until sunrise." He held his hand out.

She took it and he helped her up. When she got up, Hop Pop walked ahead. He opened the door and held it open for her, who walked out of the basement. He closed the door once she walked through. She sat on the couch.

"Sorry if I woke you up, by the way."

He shook his head. "You're fine, Anne, you didn't wake me. I came down here for a drink when I heard you. Speaking of," he started going to the kitchen, "do you want anything?"

"Yeah," she answered with a genuine smile on her face. "A glass of water would be nice."

He smiled back as he went into the kitchen. She crossed her legs and laid her hands onto her lap. He came back a minute later with two cups. Hop Pop handed one to Anne.

He sat next to her.