Hope made it sure that her neighbor didn’t get a glimpse of her the following day. He had been spying on her. She may not know it for a fact, but she could feel it. Years of imprisonment had taught her to trust her guts.

She stood by the window, hiding behind the wall, watching him go about his room.

Carl had long been gone.

It would have been the perfect time for her to work on the iron grill, but she had to handle her neighbor first.

He saw him peek through his window across to hers and then at the street.

It was not a normal survey of the street. It was like an obsession on his part, she thought.

He would constantly reappear in front of his window and look out at the street as if he was expecting something.

Hope knew what it was.

He had that look on his face.

Fear.

It was written all over his face. It may be subtle, easily hidden by his features, but it was visible to her. She could almost taste it.

She went back to her winged chair, deep in thought.

She could use his fear against him if she needed to.

But she had to know what it was he feared first.

Fear was their common denominator.

She just had to find out what made her neighbor climb out of bed in the middle of the night and to check his bedroom door and the window.

*****

Devin watched the news as he ate his breakfast.

They were still on the barrel case of the famous actress who went missing years ago.

He had to suffer minutes watching the screen flash old photos of the said actress.

He didn’t know her but she somehow perked a feeling of familiarity.

He shrugged it off. Maybe he had seen her in a movie in the past. That was highly possible since she was that famous as the news had said.

Walking back to his room to start working, he wondered why he hadn’t seen her neighbor. She should be working on that grill of hers by now.

Shaking his head, he reminded himself that he had a client waiting for him online. Spying on his crazy neighbor would have to wait until later.

*****

Before Carl could come home from work, Hope dropped on the floor to talk to Patty.

“Will you do me a favor?” her friend asked from behind the wall.

“I’ll do what I can. But you know I am chained so I hope you don’t ask me to do anything outrageous as walking down the stairs,” she joked dryly.

“Will you find my mother and tell her I am sorry if you get out of here and I can’t?”

Hope was shaking her head even before Patty finished her sentence. “No. We are going out together. Why are you even thinking you can’t get out of here? We will get out of here, Patty. I promise you that. Then we will make sure that the sick bastard gets what he deserves. We will live close to each other as we promised. We will go back to school, graduate, work and continue our dreams. We had a solid plan. Don’t waver.”

The silence from Patty’s side made Hope uncomfortable. It was not the usual silence they usually had.

“Patty. Did you hear me? I promise you that we are going out of here.”

“But promise me, Hope. Tell my mom I am sorry. Tell her I love her. But don’t tell her of the things we went through. That will break her heart. Just tell her I love her. You will do that, right?”

“No, you will do it. You know why? Because we are getting the hell out of here. You will tell her that in person, in her face.”

Another long silence.

“How are your wounds?” Patty didn’t have to tell her the injuries she suffered the previous day.

“Not as bad as the invisible one.”

Hope just nodded. “Watch out for infection. The last time I had one, I could barely walk.”

“I remember.”

“No alarming redness? Pus?”

“I am physically okay, Hope,” Patty whispered.

“Good. Work on your chains. Don’t let him catch you again.”

“He gave me a new one. I don’t think I can work on it again.”

Hope closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. She stared at the ceiling. “You have to be strong, Patty. When the opportunity presents itself, we are leaving together.”

“How’s the neighbor?” her friend changed the subject.

“I think he’s hiding from something…or someone. I am thinking we can use that to our advantage.”

“You have always been so wise, you know that? I don’t know if I can even escape this hell if you’re not on the other side of the wall.”

Hope heard Patty change position by the sound of her chains against the floor. “We have to survive.”

“My grandfather once told me that.”

Hope just nodded.

“I dreamed of them last night, you know.”

“Your family?”

“Yes. We were in my grandparent’s. They have this small farm outside the city and we used to go there for weeks during breaks. I dreamed of one of my favorite days in that farm. We were outside. The sun was bright but not stingy. It was a cool kind of summer. We decided to eat our lunch at the picnic table outside my grandparent’s house. I heard their laughter. It was so clear that I almost lost myself in that dream, as if I was at that very moment. As if I never left. And my brother was running around with the old dog yapping behind him. I was reading a book as my parents prepared the tables. My grandmother was walking toward us with that big smile of hers, carrying a steaming casserole.” Both of them just sat there in silence for a while, painting a picture of the scene of Patty’s dream. Hope had a face for Patty and she smiled as she saw a younger version of her with a book in a summer day, not thinking of the tragic days ahead of her.

“I didn’t want to wake up. I wished I never woke up.”

Hope could now see the Patty sitting on the floor at the other side of the wall behind her, her face streaming with silent tears, her body full of bruises and whip marks. Her image of a great summer day was suddenly shattered.

“We’ll go back to that farm house, Patty.”

“I am not even sure if they are still alive. I am not sure of anything except that I want this all to end.”

“It will. Just be patient.”

Patty had broken down a couple of times before and Hope had managed to help her through it. One of them had to be strong and if it meant it had to be her, then she would be that pillar.

Everyone had one thing in common: fear. Some fed on them, others live with them. Hope didn’t want anything to do with it and she would do anything to never feel it again.

“I think I need to rest,” Patty shattered the silence.

“Okay. I’ll need to keep watch on our neighbor.”

“But promise me, Hope. Just in case. Just in case things go bad.”

Hope willed herself to nod. “Okay. I promise you. But I don’t want to hang on to that one for a long time. We’ll escape together.”

She didn’t hear Patty answer. Her friend was already dragging her chains somewhere across her own room.

Hope stayed on the floor for a few more minutes as if recharging after a long battle. Finally, she stood up and walked to her window. She passed by the television and ignored it. She didn’t want to see more of her old photos.

*****

Devin was surprised when she suddenly appeared in front of her window and stared right at him, her face blank but curious.

“Hey,” he called out, his heart racing. She had startled him. He expected her to step back and disappear or close her window, but she did none of that.

What she did quite surprised him again.

She stepped forward and uttered, “Hey.”

Devin smiled at her, wishing his smile was not scaring her at all. He had not been doing that for years. “Glad you finally decided I am not a monster who lives next door.”

He watched her think for a moment, hesitated, then regained her composure, said, “I have wondered of that, yes.”

That was the longest sentence she had addressed him by far. It excited him. Hundreds of questions were already lined up in his mind. What’s her name? Was she really crazy? Why was she trying to break her windows? Was she being chained? Was she planning to escape her own father? How long had she been like this? He had other questions and it seemed that those questions also awakened some thoughts he never bothered to venture before.

If she was really chained, was that even legal? He was sure it wasn’t. But why would Carl do such a thing? Was his daughter that dangerous? Should he be careful? Why was she suddenly talking to him? Was she planning something? Was she using him?

“You are finally talking to me. I wonder why.”

A part of him hoped she’d shy away and never talk to him again because deep in his gut, he could feel that the woman could bring a lot of complications in his life. He couldn’t have that right now.

“I know you’ve been spying on me.”

Okay, he didn’t expect that. She was looking him straight in the eyes. She looked frail and pale, but her eyes were strong and it held his captive.

“I didn’t know I was. I was merely curious,” he replied.

She tipped her head to the side, studying him. Devin suddenly felt uncomfortable with her scrutiny. He shifted his weight. “Why?” she asked.

He shrugged. “You’ve been silent. You don’t go out. You work on that window every day except today. That’s enough reason for anyone to be curious.”

She didn’t move or bat an eye. “I know you’re in hiding. That doesn’t make me curious.”

Devin felt his adrenaline rush throughout his system. How did she find out?

His question must have been written all over his face because she answered, “I just knew.”

“Why does it tell me you know a lot about hiding?”

He saw her eyes waver for a second. “I am not in hiding.”

“Then you are being hidden.”

It was her time to look surprised and Devin congratulated himself for getting that fact out without asking her. “Your curiosity took you far.”

He nodded. “But not that far. There are still some questions.”

She just nodded. “Will you tell him about the window?”

“Would that bring you trouble?”

She didn’t answer.

“No, I won’t tell your father about your window. Happy?”

“Would be if you keep your word.”

“I don’t break my word.”

She just nodded. “We’ll see.”

“Why did you decide to talk to me?” he asked again.

“My facial muscles need some practice.” He thought he saw a small smile tug at one corner of her mouth before she stepped away, saying, “Next time.”

“’Bye. Next time,” he answered in a whisper.

*****

That night, Hope lay on her bed wide awake.

Five minutes ago, she heard Carl enter Patty’s room.

She could hear her whimper, her muffled cry and his rugged breath. The hairs on Hope’s hand stood up. She tried to brush away the picture of Carl doing whatever he was doing with Patty, but they were too vivid to even shut out her mind. She knew everything that was going on in Patty’s room.

It was almost an hour later when she heard Carl walk out next door, his footsteps carrying him to her door. Patty’s muffled cry could still be heard from the other side of the wall though it was fainter now.

Hope closed her eyes, all her other senses now fully alert.

But he didn’t step in. She felt his presence standing by the open door. He closed and locked it after a few minutes.

Hope let out a breath as she listened as Carl’s footsteps carry him back downstairs.

*****

Hope knocked against the wall and waited.

She tried again when no answer came.

“Patty,” she called, alarmed.

She knocked again.

“Patty.”

“I’m here,” her friend’s deadpan voice said behind the wall.

Hope sighed in relief.

“Have you had breakfast?”

“Yes. Something different. He was in a good mood after last night.”

Hope shivered at the thought of what her friend went through last night.

“I am not crying. No tears are coming out.”

Hope didn’t know what to say. “You have to be strong, Patty. We’ve been through the same thing last night for years.”

“I never get over them.”

“I know.”

“If I die, will you hold on to your promise?”

“Patty--”

“Hope, please, I need your word.”

“Yes. I’ll find your mom and tell her.”

“Thank you. My full name is Patricia Leigh.”

A tear fell down Hope’s face. “I’ll remember.”

Hope felt that something bad was going to happen soon but she didn’t want to think about it.