As soon as everyone had scattered around the place, Harrison snuck outside, and ran stealthily as possible to the well.
He pushed the lid halfway open, knowing he’d feel it in every muscle da the end of the day.
He looked down and narrowed his eyes. Deb was lying on the haystacks Harrison had let down.
“Deb” he detto loud, trying not to alert anyone. Deb didn’t sposta and for a moment Harrison feared she was dead. He raised his voice when he called her again, and this time Deb slowly rose her head.
She looked up and Harrison swallowed at the sight of her skeleton like face.
“Deb, your friend...

Hours later Debra was still wide awake. She was sitting up in her hospital bed, her eyes fixed on the door, desperately hoping for the latch to go down and Abigail to enter.
She had promised to come back, Abigail.
Why would she come back? After the way te acted like a total brat? , a still small voice whispered inside of her.
She was alone again. She could’ve known. She should’ve known. te can’t rely on anyone, they’ll just screw te over.
They’ll give me back to Agnes. She’ll bring me back to my parents, Deb realized horrified. She had to leave, now. She swung her legs over the...

1989
It was one week before Debra’s fourteenth birthday and her parents had been telling her she’d get a very special present.
She was getting ready for dinner, when she felt a pair of eyes lurking at her. She looked up, her brush still in her hand. “Hello, sir” she sighed shy.
Dale frowned. “Please, Deb, call me Dale” he pleaded softly. Deb looked down and Dale walked into the room. “You don’t have to be afraid of me, Deb. Your parents trust me. Why can’t te do the same?”
Debra kept quiet and continued brushing her hair. Dale smiled and caressed a hair behind her ear. He...

Police vans were parked outside ‘The Dahlia Dancers’, and inside different kinds of investigators were walking around, taking prints and pictures.
In the corner stood Rob, talking to a police officer, whose name was David Patterson
“It’s my fault” Rob mumbled, più to himself than the police officer.
“What was?” Patterson asked.
“I should’ve known better” Rob let out a laugh, as if this was all one big joke. “I should’ve known she wasn’t ready”
“Who wasn’t ready?” Patterson encouraged him.
“Deb” Rob replied, looking up. “She just got released from an institution...

16 hours later…
Mike drove through the open gate, that had a sign above it, saying ‘Welcome to Serenity Hills’
“They probably mean Serenity Hells” Mike muttered as he stopped the car.
“Mike, please, try to control yourself” Ryan detto warning. “We don’t know anything yet”
Mike ignored him and got out of the car. He walked right up to the closest door, and opened it. He looked around him, but didn’t see any sign of life. Then he heard voices, mumbling.
Ryan walked in as well, and looked quizzically at Mike, who was following the voices.
They led them to the council room. Everyone...

“I called the academy for young adults and I explained your case” Annabel said, as she put a stack of study libri on the table. “They understand your position, although they were a little skeptical. They didn’t really understand why a murder convict would need a high school degree”
Deb picked up the book that was on superiore, in alto of the stack. “Did te have to buy these?” she asked, feeling like she took advantage of her sister. “They look expensive”
“They were, but it’s okay” Annabel shrugged. “You’ll pay me back one day”
“So, that means te have a job” Deb figured, with...

And so, after their oh so romantic lunch, Dale left Deb with her mother, and went looking for Agnes. She was in her room.
“I’m going to need te to clear this room” Dale started, as he stood in the doorway.
“Why is that?” Agnes asked, careless, her back towards Dale.
“Because I’m going to give this room to Debra” Dale explained. “It’s successivo to mine, so I think it’s appropriate”
“Wouldn’t it be più appropriate if she slept in your room?” Agnes scoffed.
“No, I want to give her the idea she has a choice in the matter” Dale replied.
“Alright, then” Agnes sighed,...

Debra held her breath as she heard Agnes leave the room. Then she let her breathe slowly escape. She tried to pull herself up, but her hands were sweaty and her arms ached from tiredness.
“Abigail!”
Abigail looked up as she heard a girly voice call her. She turned to the window.
“Abigail, please, I can’t hold it much longer!”
Still shaking from her encounter with Agnes Abigail stood and walked to the window. She looked down and was shocked to see Debra clinging onto the roof gutter.
She reached out her hand, leaning out of the window as far as possible. “Give me your hand! I’ll...

Slowly, Mike snuck alongside the office building, towards the entrance. He felt rather naked without his gun, and so when he heard a soft cracking behind him, he froze. Even without seeing his pursuer he could sense the gun pointed at him.
Mike put his hands in the air, and turned around slowly. When he saw who was behind him, he dropped his hands, and his eyes bulged angry.
“Ryan, what the hell…?” he hissed. “What are te doing here?”
“Just covering you, buddy” Ryan replied, his gun still up.
“Put that thing away, before te kill me” Mike insisted, a little irritated.
Ryan sighed,...

Mike woke up with a shock and when he noticed Deb wasn’t lying in her letto the feeling increased. He quickly stood and ran out of the room. Outside he bumped into Emma.
“Aahh” she gasped and Mike wasn’t sure if he should apologize o push the cagna aside. “I was looking for you” Emma said.
“Why?” Mike asked out of breath, looking over Emma’s shoulder to see if Deb was somewhere down the hall.
“I’ve had time to think” Emma started. “And I realized I’ve done some really messed up things”
“Kudos” Mike replied short and tensed. “If te don’t mind, I really have...

An ora later, Agnes finally had the chance to talk to Deb. Even though they were in a room full of people, they still had some kind of privacy, in the corner of the room.
“What happened to Simon?” Deb asked, accusatory. “Did te do that to him?”
“Oh, no, I didn’t do anything. The mere fact that te exist, is what did that to him” Agnes snapped mockingly.
“How’s Beth? Is she angry with me? Does Dale leave her alone?” Deb asked worriedly, and desperately.
“Well, now that te mention it,”, Agnes started, while her hands disappeared in her pocket. “I have a letter for you”...

Mike parked his car in front of the Chesapeake Detention Facility. Before they came here, Mike had insisted on seeing the crime scene, though not much was left to be seen.
Except for the four trails of footsteps. Three pair leading away from it, one returning to it.
Then three pair meeting each other again, at the edge of the woods.
“They closed her in” Mike had concluded. “She was jumped from behind. Cowards” Mike added infuriated.
Because Mike was still suspended, he had to register himself as a regular visitor. It wasn’t visiting ora yet, but Ryan pulled a few strings, and a little...

Ashamed and embarrassed Claire knocked on the hospital room door. Debra’s eyes turned to the door.
“I can tell them to leave” Mike suggested. He already stood, when the door opened and Claire entered the room. She held a bouquet of fiori in her hand.
“Is this a bad timing?” Claire asked careful when Deb rest her head on the cuscino and closed her eyes.
“Actually, Claire, it is” Mike detto a little reproaching. “Deb needs to rest. She’s in a lot of pain and she…”
“Mike” Deb muttered hoarse. “It’s alright. She can stay here”
She could tell Mike didn’t approve,...

A woman, carrying a small tub with water, entered a cage, big enough to store a dozen people. She walked to the center of it, where Deb was hanging, her hands tied above her head. She was still unconscious, but just to be sure she wouldn’t wake up too soon, the woman injected her with something.
“Can’t believe I’m the one who has to do this” the woman muttered, irritated, while she started stripping off Deb’s clothes. She, then, bowed and put her hands in the ice cold water, and took out a washing cloth.
She washed Debra, rubbing hard on the skin, causing the Caucasian to turn into...

“I knew it” Emma muttered, after Alex had told her about Simon’s visit to Max. “And you’re sure about this Max girl?”
“Positive” Alex nodded, full of himself. “I’ve been following her around” He raised his hands defensively. “I know te didn’t ask me to, but…I found a few interesting details. She’s definitely a cop, and what’s even più important, she’s a Hardy, and Weston hired her to keep an eye on agent Parker”
Emma frowned. “How do te know all of that?” she asked curious.
“I may have planted a bug on Simon, when he was asleep” Alex shrugged, quasi-innocent....

7 months later…
It was a long drive from Nottingham to Woodbridge, but since Emma hadn’t replaced Simon’s phone, and he hadn’t seen an opportunity to steal someone else’s, this was the only option left. Max wanted inside information, and she was going to get it.
He figured his best chances at finding her were at agent Weston’s house, where Deb also lived. He half and half hoped Deb would be home. It would be nice to talk, like they used to.
He parked his car in front of the house, got out and rang the bell.
A couple yards further Alex was looking through a fieldglass, and talking on...

Deb woke up da the scent of fresh coffee and she smiled, eyes closed. But, then she remembered Mike’s suspension ended today, and he was gone to the office. She stepped out of bed, and opened the drawer of her pedestal cupboard, where she pulled out a gun.
She quickly put on one of Mike’s shirts, and tiptoed out of her room, and downstairs. At the door she waited, and listened carefully. When she recognized Max and Mrs. Weston’s voices, she sighed relieved, but couldn’t help feeling like an idiot.
She lowered her gun and walked into the living room, right when Mrs. Weston was leaving...

“Okay, that’s it” Mike detto decisively, and he pulled Deb up. “You go take a shower, then I’ll take care of dinner”
Reluctantly, Deb left the kitchen, and startled a little when she saw Ryan and Claire. She didn’t care much for Max’s opinion. She hurried to the hallway, and ran upstairs.
“Totally insane” Mrs. Weston noted.
“Shut up” Ryan snapped.
Mrs. Weston raised her eyebrows. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to strike a nerve”
“I’ll see if she’s okay” Max suggested, but as she stood, Claire put a hand on her arm.
“No, I got this” Claire said.
Deb’s back ached from...

As soon as Simon was out of prison, he dialed Emma’s phone number. Not that he had much of a choice; Max was standing right beside him, watching his every move.
“Shouldn’t we have done this at a police station?” Simon wondered, after he hung up. “So, they could track Emma’s phone?”
“No, because then they would’ve gotten in contact with Donovan, and we don’t want that” Max explained, in a teacher manner.
“And why don’t we want that?” Simon asked carefully, but then he figured it out himself. “You didn’t tell him, did you? You’re going behind his back”
“Whatever....

The guard closed the door behind him, after Max assured him she would be fine.
“How’s Deb? Did the FBI find her in time?” Simon asked agitated, even before Max sat down.
“She’s fine” Max replied soberly, as she sunk down. “I’m not here to talk about Deb. I want to talk about Emma Hill”
Simon shifted on his chair, and looked in any direction but Max’s. “What about her?” he finally muttered.
“I hear the two of te are pretty close” Max shrugged casually.
“That’s quite an exaggeration” Simon protested with raised eyebrows. “Joe took both of us under his wings, but...