By the time anyone had returned to the room I was in, my stomach was practically growling from hunger, as if a tiger had somehow crawled in and was making its home there. I had never felt this hungry in my life. When I heard someone open the door, I immediately banged on the lid of my box as hard as I could and screamed.

"Help!" I pleaded. "Please…" I banged again and almost cried from exhaustion. "I just want some food."

There was a low laugh and it echoed throughout the room.

"You haven't thought outside the box yet, as I can see." It was the man from before. I shivered.

"I thought," his weight fell upon the top of the box again. "I thought we might get to know each other. I'll ask a question, and for each answer I'll give you a piece of food. So answer correctly or… Well…" He laughed to himself. "You'll be toast."

It was a bad joke. The one from before and this one now was starting to bring together a picture of who my captor really was.

Gotham was protected by the Batman, a mysterious vigilante who avoided the police and yet brought down many criminals and sent them to Arkham Asylum. One of the more lethal enemies to Gotham was The Joker, a psychotic killer who had no true aims in life except to inflict harm on all those he deemed worthy. My hunch was that he had somehow found me. Why he had chosen me was a question I could not answer. But if this was The Joker… I was in for a very bad time.

"Alright." His voice softened and seemed almost kind. "What is your name, dear?"

I hesitated, considering an alias, but figured it would do me no good in my current situation.

"L-Leyla." I shifted uncomfortably inside the cramped space, a section of the box's hard plastic design digging into my knees and pinching my ankle. "Leyla Thomas." I managed to shove a small amount of confidence into my shaking voice.

Before I had even realized what had happened, a tiny hatch had opened in the top of my box and something dropped directly onto my face, falling and rolling next to my ear. Just as suddenly as the compartment had opened, the beam of light disappeared as it closed. I contorted, reaching for whatever had fallen next to me. Having gripped it and holding it awkwardly up towards the three holes of light, I realized that it was a plump, ripe strawberry. I tore the leaves off ravenously and shoved the entire thing in my mouth, the sweet juices bursting against my tongue as I bit into it. I made a small noise of satisfaction. It was the greatest strawberry I had ever tasted.

I heard him chuckle outside and I self consciously chewed in embarrassed silence.

"Next question." He shifted on top of the box and took a moment to think before speaking. "What brought you to Gotham?"

I tried my best to wipe my face of the strawberry juices before answering, but ended up spreading it across my face instead. "I finished my Business degree at Berkeley a few months ago and was offered an internship at Wayne Enterprises." I was building a small amount of confidence now. It struck me as I was speaking that this was the first real conversation I'd had with someone since moving here. I never really considered myself to be a shy person. In fact, I was very outgoing and communicative, one of the biggest reasons as to my success in the business world so far. I was always willing to take chances. But as I sat there and explained my position as head of marketing for the Telemarketing portion of Wayne Enterprises, a very small, but crucial part of the enormous company, I realized that I had not taken any time in the first months that I had been here to truly indulge in the socialite atmosphere that Gotham offered. I was appalled to realize that I was relieved to be having this conversation with my yet unnamed captor. My stomach suddenly clenched in a knot as this realization came to me, the second strawberry falling onto my face from the hatch above.

I ate it swiftly, but quietly and waited in anticipation for his next question.

"Where are you from?"

"Kansas." I replied immediately. I was not proud of my past and would answer no more questions about no matter how hungry I got.

Another strawberry dropped in.

"What do you fear most?"

I froze at this question, not expecting something so off the wall so early into the conversation. A small twinge at the back of my mind knew I shouldn't answer. Somehow he would end up using this against me, and I was scared shitless at the moment. Any worse and I was anticipating a heart attack.

"Do… Do I have to answer? Please don't make me answer that." I shivered, images of things I feared filling my head.

"Yes."

It was a simple answer. But his tone made it abundantly clear that there was no backing out of this. I had to answer whether I liked it or not.

I sat for a long moment, silent and contemplating. I breathed heavily before opening my lips to speak, shaking as I unleashed a sentence I knew I would come to regret.

"It's silly really." My fingers suddenly dug into my knee involuntarily. "There's lots of things that scare me. Sharks. The dark. Bugs. Being alone. But the only thing I truly fear…" I cringed as the words slipped from my mouth in a dying whisper. "Is the loss of reality."

We talked for some time after that, and I obtained several more strawberries and was comforted when he finally left me on my own, the familiar clang of the door signaling his exit. I was filled with a sense of relief at his absence that was quickly met with an undying, all-consuming panic as the reality of my situation set in.

How long was I going to be kept in this box? How long had I been there already? What was he going to do with the knowledge that I had bestowed upon him? Would he take advantage of my fears?

I laid still and shivered in terror, contemplating what sort of plan would be exacted upon me. I feared madness itself. I feared losing my sanity. And it wasn't that hard to lose it in the first place. How far from sanity was I? And how much farther until I lost myself?