It’s either Evan or Kevin.

Evan walks through the door, rubbing his forehead.

There is no blood on him, no injury or sign of a struggle, and he’s carrying a bag of clean clothes. His brown hair is still disheveled in that purposeful way.

He hasn’t been in room zero. But his head is hurting.

“Sound?” I ask, my shoulders now free of stress. He’s safe.

But we don’t know if Kevin is.

Evan nods, his eyes are semi-vacant as if he hasn’t been able to bring himself back from wherever he goes mentally while in those rooms.

“Yeah, sound. I’m okay, though.” He drops his hand. “Everyone else all right?”

“We’re all fine,” Priya says. “Do you need anything?”

“Sounds like dinner is cooking,” he replies.

The microwave is humming.

She brushes her long black hair over her shoulder. “Yes, it will only be another minute now.”

Theo opens the fridge and tosses Evan a bottle of water.

“Thanks, man,” Evan says.

The two of them are less frosty with each other, which is nice. It’s not Evan’s fault that any of this is happening. And it’s not his fault that Kevin appears to have taken his place in exile.

“You were there a long time,” I say.

He pauses on the way past. “I was?”

“Yeah. A little over five hours, Evan.”

“I-I don’t know if I’ve been in that room that long before. When you’re in there…”

“Time is meaningless. I know.”

Smiling, he adds, “It didn’t feel like any longer than usual.”

When you’re in one of the rooms, it could be for minutes or all day. It’s impossible to tell.

“Well, at least you’re back now. Do you need aspirin?”

“I’m all right. I’ve gotten used to not having anything. My head isn’t too bad.” He flops down beside me. “What have you been up to while I was gone?”

I shrug. “Nothing. TV.” Worrying about you mostly.

He glances over. “The Da Vinci Code, huh?”

“It’s one of the better DVDs we have here,” I reply. “Keeps my mind busy.”

“What do you usually watch at home?”

“Ironically, anything crime-based. I love those documentaries about getting into the minds of serial killers.”

“Really?” he asks, lifting his eyebrows.

“Yep. So, I should have known Caleb was a creep, right?” So stupid to have trusted him.

Evan throws his arm over the back of the sofa behind me. “We’re all in the same position, Piper.”

“Yeah, I know. I still feel like I should have seen it coming. I know not to get into cars with strangers.”

“Caleb is rich and respectable. You knew who he was, right? I mean, everyone knows about those guys.”

“I knew about him, yeah. But that doesn’t mean I’m not an idiot.”