I chew on my lip, turning over a hundred different conversation openings. None of them seem appropriate. Theo is going through something that I can’t possibly understand right now, but I want to help the way he helped me.

“Theo,” I whisper.

He hears me. Though his head stays still as a statue, his dark eyes flick to me.

“How are you doing?” I almost went with are you okay but that’s too stupid.

“I’ll be okay, Piper. I just need to process.”

“You’re here,” I say. “Everything they threw at you, everything they did…you survived and you’re here.”

His lips curl into the ghost of a smile, my words not quite enough to offer comfort. “I appreciate that,” he replies.

It’s only then that I hear the roughness in his voice, as if he’s been screaming. He’s been here the longest, he’s done more rooms than anyone, and it still affects him like this.

I swallow.

“Theo,” I whisper again, my eyes stinging with the threat of tears. I reach out and touch his hand. He doesn’t flinch, so I leave it there, offering him touch that isn’t full of hurt and bad intention.

“Does anyone want anything in particular to eat? We have microwave lasagna and pies,” Priya asks. “I’m making dinner.”

I shake my head and offer a smile. Priya has a role in here which helps her, I’m sure. She told me that she’s different people in here and in the torture rooms. Here she takes on almost a mother’s role. She cooks and makes sure we’re all fed. Hazel heads over to help her.

Kevin says, “Whatever you want to do, Priya.”

“Anything is good with me, thanks,” Lucie says, sitting back into the sofa and kicking her legs up on the coffee table. I’m not really sure what Lucie’s role is exactly. She’s both encouraging and antagonistic.

Theo doesn’t move his hand away from mine until Priya and Hazel finish making dinner. Then, he silently gets up and takes his seat around the table.

Above us the lights flicker as if they’re about to go out. We all look up.

“All the bulbs are going out at the same time?” Lucie asks.

The ceiling is lined with spotlights, ten in total, so all of them going out at the same time seems unlikely.

“Err, I don’t think it’s the bulbs,” I say. “I think it’s them.”

Theo snorts. “They control every aspect of this place, electricity and heating, too.”

“I take it this hasn’t happened before?” Hazel asks, frowning at the lights.

I’m going to get a headache if I keep watching the strobe effect going on right now. Thankfully it’s not bright enough to hurt, but I definitely can’t ignore it.