yikes this chapters is kind of short. but I figured it was the chapter that they all deserve right now. thank you so mu everyone who had favorited, followed, and reviewed this story so far :)

Dear Dad,

I miss you so much. I'm trying to stay strong for you but I'm not sure how much longer I can do this. I've been telling myself that I need to stay strong so that I can come find you once this is all over but it's getting harder and harder to convince myself that that day will even come. How long do I have to wait? Five more years? Ten?

Mrs. Donna sent me a package the other day. A few books and things I didn't have room to pack. But she also sent my photo album. I didn't know how to tell her there was a reason why I wasn't going to bring it with me.

It's been sitting on my dresser since I opened the box. I don't think I can open it. Every once in a while someone will come in my room and I'll see them look at it. But no one has said anything about it. I have a feeling there's a lot of things they're afraid to say to me.

Apparently I'm intimidating.

In a different universe I could see you and mom getting along with Ted and Karen (who asked me to call them Ted and Karen. I'm doing my best to be well behaved and proper don't worry). I could see you and Ted talking about politics and mom and Karen telling embarrassing baby stories.

But it would probably never happen.

Their house is huge. You wouldn't believe it. Sometimes it hits me all over again out of nowhere. I'm living in a mansion. Yes, I'm living in a hidden room in a closet that is smaller than my bedroom at home. But everything else is so big. They have a library. I'm always either in my room, the kitchen, or the library.

They have a little girl, Holly. I think you'd be proud of me if you saw how good I am with her. Suddenly I'm able to talk to kids. It's kind of a miracle. She's six years old and is the cutest thing I've ever seen.

I want you to meet them.

There's a million things I want but I feel like wishing is sort of pointless right now.

Please be safe.

Jane.

The longer Jane lived with the Wheelers the easier it was to forget that she was in hiding. She could do nearly whatever she wanted inside the house. The only restrictions came with stepping outside of the house. Since the only people her age she knew were Nancy and Mike there was no desire to go out and meet up with friends. Every once in a while, when she was craving some fresh air, she would sit on the back patio once the sun started to set. Usually someone came with her "just to be safe". Most of the time she was content with leaving the windows open. But the warmer the weather got the more she found herself itching to leave the house.

Mike and Holly were off on summer break. She knew that they wanted to go on some sort of vacation and that she was holding them back. As much as she tried to ignore the guilt that made her stomach feel sour whenever she thought about it it was easier said than done. She had brought it up to Nancy and told her that they should just go.

"And leave you here all by yourself?" she asked, "That's not happening."

Later that night at dinner Nancy asked if they could just have a beach day and bring Jane with them. Even before Ted replied that it was too dangerous she knew what the answer was going to be. If the topic had come up her first couple of weeks at the Wheelers the thought would have terrified her. But she was starting to develop cabin fever and it was making her feel a little bit reckless.

By the time it was the beginning of July she started taking baths instead of showers and pretending she was in a pool when she closed her eyes.

While she sat in her room reading a book (exactly like she had been doing for the past month and a half) she heard someone coming into the nursery. Despite the fact that she had yet to have a run in with a soldier since moving in she still felt her stomach jumping into her throat at the sound of footsteps. It was a worry she didn't think she could ever shake. She only had to wait a moment before the door opened and Nancy stepped in.

Jane could feel the confusion on her face as she took in the older girls' outfit. She wore a two piece swimsuit, the bottoms reaching halfway up her hips, underneath a large and open button up. A pair of sunglasses were perched on the bridge of her nose even though she was inside.

"Did you pack a swimsuit with you?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah, I was planning a few weekend getaways during my stay." Jane replied sarcastically.

Nancy snickered as she walked across the room. She grabbed Jane's arm and pulled her to her feet and then towards the door. "You can borrow one of mine. Good thing you fit in my clothes."

Jane could feel herself starting to get hopeful, which was always dangerous. "Did your parents change their mind about me going out?" she asked

"No." Nancy answered. Even she sounded disappointed. "But they're out with Holly and it's really nice out so we're going to make do."

"You mean sneak out?"

"No." she let go of her arm as they started down the staircase. "We're just going to hang out in the backyard. I saw both of our neighbors head out for the day so it'll be safe."

Jane followed Nancy into her room. More than once Holly had dragged her in for some girls only time. Her room was easily twice the size of Jane's room back at home and she had a queen sized bed. When they came in Nancy walked straight over to her closet and dug through a set of drawers that were tucked away inside. Jane walked over and peeked at what Nancy was picking just as she pulled out a black and white pokadotted swimsuit. Normally Jane wouldn't be caught dead in something with pokadots. But she was so desperate she practically ran into the bathroom down the hall to put it on.

When she came back into Nancy's room she was handed an oversized button down and a pair of sunglasses. She slipped her arms through the sleeves and set the sunglasses on top of her head. "Are your parents going to be mad if they find me outside?" she asked. As much as she wanted to go out she would rather suffer through the cabin fever and still have a place to stay.

Nancy took off her glasses just so she could roll her eyes. "It will be fine." She said. "You need to stop worrying that they're going to kick you out. You're not going anywhere." Jane could feel her cheeks getting red hot which only seemed to make Nancy smile. "In case you haven't noticed you're practically part of the family now. And I don't think Holly would ever forgive us if we made you leave."

Before Jane could protest Nancy held onto her arm and headed out of the room. Though her mind was stuck on what she had said. Was it that obvious that she was scared of them abandoning her? Every so often Nancy was able to read her so easily. As if she were a book. Just a few weeks before they had been making dinner a bit little earlier than usual. Jane had gotten caught up in her thoughts about her parents and her friends and how much she missed them. Nancy took one look at her and told her that she would finish the rest of the meal.

When Jane stepped onto the back patio she had to place the sunglasses on her nose. She hadn't been outside during the day in a month and a half. Her eyes burned from the bright light and she had to squint even with the shades on. As Nancy started to attach a sprinkler to the hose Jane could hear music coming from somewhere in the distance. She looked over at the houses next door and spotted an open window in a room where the lights were on.

"I thought you said that they went out." Jane said. She had a hard time keeping the worry out of her voice.

Nancy looked up and followed her gaze to the open window next door. She stared at it for only a moment before she continued setting up the sprinkler. "It's probably the girl. She hardly ever comes out of the house. It'll be fine." Jane wasn't quite convinced, which Nancy seemed to pick up on. She stood up straight and dropped the sprinkler on the ground. "If they as we'll just say Mike had a friend over."

Jane nodded and glanced around the back yard. "Where is he?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Being weird somewhere." She said, only half joking. "He said he would come down in a little bit." Nancy perched her glasses on top of her head. "I'm going to go turn the water on. You'll be okay here?"

Her eyes instinctively glanced up to the open window next door. She doesn't come out Jane told herself. She could have laughed when she realized how much she and this girl next door had in common. "Yeah, I'll be okay."

Nancy nodded and walked to the side of the house following the hose. Once she was gone Jane sat down on the top step and pushed her glasses up. She wished she had a bit more of a disguise than a pair of sunglasses but she figured it would have to do. It wasn't as if anyone around knew who she was and would be able to recognize her.

It wasn't a minute later that she heard footsteps behind her. She looked over just in time to see Mike step onto the front porch. In shorts and a tank top she was able to see just how thin he was. He came over and sat down on the step next to her. Ever since her little episode a few weeks back things had been different. It got easier to talk to him and she didn't feel so nervous around him.

She grinned once she settled next to him. "You need a haircut." Jane commented. He'd needed a haircut back when she moved in. His bangs were starting to hang in his eyes and reach halfway down his neck.

Mike groaned. "Yeah, I know, my mom keeps reminding me." He said. "But I don't know if they want to spend the money on something we don't need to."

His statement came as a bit of a shock to her. There was no doubt that the Wheelers were a wealthy family. But she never imagined that they could be struggling too. Compared to how she'd been living (eating only one meal some nights and consistently skipping out on paying the monthly bills) she would have never thought that a family living in such a grand lifestyle compared to her own would have difficulty. Mike seemed to pick up on her shock by the way he smirked. "I think you think too highly of us."

"Well I could cut your hair for you." Jane suggested, both desperate to change the subject and eager to help.

Mike's eyebrows came together and he eyed her suspiciously. "I don't know if I'd trust you with a pair of scissors near my head."

She shoved him lightly. "Shut up." Jane said. "I cut my dad's hair. And I cut my own hair. I'm due too. I'll do mine first so you can see I'm capable."

Still he didn't look convinced. "Maybe." He answered shortly.

Moments later Nancy came back around the corner of the house and walked back over to the sprinkler. "I don't think it's working." She said as she knelt down on the ground and began fiddling with it. "Mike, come here and help me."

Jane saw him roll his eyes before he got to his feet and walked over. From where she sat she could see Nancy screwing and unscrewing the hose into place. Once Mike was only a few feet away from her she unscrewed it entirely and quickly aimed it right for his face. He let out a shout as he tried to shield his face from the water while Nancy just laughed. With his hands in front of his face he kept heading towards Nancy until he was close enough to grab the hose. They each tugged on it for a few moments until Nancy's grip slipped.

She instantly ran over in Jane's direction. Before she knew what she was doing Nancy was pulling Jane onto her feet and hiding behind her. Jane grabbed onto her arms and tried to switch places her but Nancy was determined to stay shielded. The two girls struggled and Jane began to regret not being more of an athletic person. She made the mistake of putting her back to Mike and moments later felt ice cold water hitting her back.

Jane squealed and tucked her head down towards her chest. In her ear she heard Nancy whispering. "How about you get the hose and I'll tackle him?"

She nodded and forced herself to turn to face Mike despite knowing he would have a perfect shot of her face. Nancy darted out from behind her and Jane quickly followed her lead. Mike seemed to realize what they were doing when he dropped the hose and started running towards the other end of the yard. While Nancy chased him Jane headed straight for the hose. Just as she reached down for it she heard and thud a few feet away. When she looked up she saw Nancy struggling to pin Mike down on the ground. Apparently she was stronger than both him and Jane.

By the time she reached them Nancy had managed to grab hold of both his wrists but he was still struggling. She held onto the hose tightly as she walked over. Once she reached them Nancy looked up at her. "Aim for his face!"

"No don't!"

Jane couldn't hold back a grin. She had given up on trying not to smile a few weeks back. It felt incredibly good to feel, even if only for a few moments, some sense of normalcy. Hanging out outside and having all her worries in the back inside the house. It helped that they didn't seem worried at all either. She remembered a few summers back when Rita's parents had bought a bunch of balloons that they filled with water and tossed around all afternoon. As much as she missed her friends she knew it was wrong to not let herself enjoy her time with her new ones. It's what they would want for her if they knew how upset she had been.

She aimed the hose right for Mike's face. Her and Nancy laughed and squealed as he tried to get away. After almost a minute he suddenly stopped struggling. Before she could wonder why he grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her down towards the ground. The hose fell from her grip as she fell down in the wet grass next to him. She could feel him trying to reach around her for the hose and she did her best to push him off.

The three of them rolled around and wrestled for the hose in the grass for what felt like hours. They finally all collapsed on the ground soaking wet and out of breath. The hose lay running on the ground a few feet away from her and had started to create a muddy puddle. Jane stared up at the sky, her eyes shielded by sunglasses, and struggled to regulate her breathing once more. She couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun. It had certainly been awhile.

Nancy suggested they get inside before the rest of the family came home and the three of them quickly hurried inside. They left wet footprints on the hardwood floors of the kitchen and living room which she figured they would have to wipe up before the others came home. All three of them grabbed a towel from the second floor bathroom before heading into their rooms to get dressed

Jane wrapped her hair up in the towel as she changed out of the borrowed bathing suit and into more comfortable clothes. For the first time since it had been sent to her she felt tempted to open her photo album. It was constantly staring at her and daring her to pick it up. She practically glared down at it sitting on top of her dresser but she couldn't bring herself to touch it. Instead she stared down at the picture taped onto the front. A shot of her from when she was a baby. She sat on the floor with a toy in her hand and stared wide eyed at the camera. Jane imagined her parents trying to get her attention so she would stare up at the camera.

She could feel the familiar throat-burning feeling and quickly turned her back on the album. Jane took a few deep breaths to collect her composure before heading out the door to wipe up the wet footprints they'd left on the floor.