Katarina sat on the floor of the suite, wiping tomato sauce off Kaylee's face.
"That man is a monster," Katarina muttered. "A brain-damaged, arrogant, suit-wearing monster."
The balcony door was open to let in the breeze.
Next door, Dimitri was smoking a cigar on his balcony. The partition between them was high, but sound traveled.
He heard every word.
Brain-damaged? He narrowed his eyes. Monster?
He wanted to shout back, "I can hear you!" But that would be petty. He took a drag of his cigar, fuming. He crushed the cigar out, checked his watch, and decided he'd had enough of her voice for one night. He slid the glass door shut and locked it, retreating into the soundproof cool of his suite.
Inside, Katarina put Kaylee to bed. "Goodnight, bug."
"Night, Mommy."
Katarina went into the bathroom to shower.
As soon as the water turned on, Kaylee's eyes popped open. She grabbed her tablet and crept to the balcony door.
She peeked out. The man next door was gone. The lights on his balcony were off.
Safe.
On the other side of the frosted glass partition, she saw a shadow.
"Psst," she hissed.
A head popped up from the other side. Draven.
He climbed up on a patio chair so he could see over the railing gap.
Kaylee climbed on her chair.
They stared at each other in the moonlight.
"Your dad gave me a hanky," Kaylee whispered. She held up the silk square.
Draven nodded. He held up a piece of paper. He had drawn a picture of Katarina holding him. He pressed it against the glass.
"He likes you," Kaylee interpreted. "He just doesn't know it."
Draven nodded vigorously.
"My mom thinks your dad is a monster," Kaylee said. "But she kept the hanky. She put it in her purse."
Draven's eyes widened. He typed on his iPad and held it up.
SWITCH.
Kaylee squinted. "Switch?"
Draven typed again. Tomorrow. Stairwell. 9 AM.
Kaylee gasped. "Like in the movies?"
Draven nodded. He pointed to himself, then at her. Same face.
"But I talk too much," Kaylee whispered. "And you don't talk at all."
I try, Draven typed. For her.
Kaylee felt a shiver. "And I will be quiet. For him."
The water in the bathroom turned off.
"Gotta go!" Kaylee scrambled down.
Draven disappeared.
Katarina walked out, drying her hair. She checked the balcony door. It was open. She locked it.
"Weird," she murmured.
Her phone buzzed. A text from Francis.
9:00 AM. Lawyer's office. Be there or I burn the rest of the photos.
Katarina stared at the city lights. Francis could wait. First, she needed leverage. She needed his weak link.
"Tomorrow," she said to the night. "Everything changes."
Next door, Dimitri put out his cigar. He looked at the balcony divider.
"Tomorrow," he said. "I find out the truth."
And in their beds, two identical children smiled identical smiles, dreaming of chaos.
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