“Nope,” Theo says. He clears his throat and blinks hard. “Let’s just eat.”

I know that means he doesn’t want us to give them the satisfaction of reacting to the lighting. So I pick up slice of bread and take a bite.

The lights go out completely, and something somewhere clicks. Every light shutting down simultaneously? With only the small window and the sun disappearing for the day, the room is cloaked in darkness.

Sighing, I drop my food and hear it thud to the plate.

“Are you for real?” Theo shouts.

“Shh, Theo,” Lucie hisses.

Can’t blame him. He’s already tense from the room he was in yesterday and now this. The mind games are difficult to deal with. Second-guessing everything they say and do is tiring.

My pulse hums. I lay my hands on the table and look straight ahead in the dark. If they can see us right now, I want them to see me sitting still and waiting patiently. What they won’t be able to see is my heart racing and my palms sweating.

Something is going on. They’re up to something.

Light fills the room.

I take a breath. Theo’s eyes meet mine, and he raises an eyebrow.

I shrug, telling him that I don’t have an idea, either. Beyond wanting to mess with us, I don’t know why they’re doing any of this.

“What was that? Do you think they’re doing something to the building?” Priya asks.

“Maybe,” I reply. I suppose it’s better to think they turned off the lighting for some electrical work that needed to be done than to admit they’re just trying to keep us on edge. “Looks like it’s done now, though.” I smile through the lie.

Whatever they’re doing, it hasn’t even started. Unless…

“What if that was a power failure? Did anyone notice if the microwave turned off?” I whisper, my voice barely audible.

“What difference does that make?” Hazel snaps.

Really? Could she be that obtuse?

Theo smirks, his eyes now losing all of their earlier tension. Voice low, he says, “The doors.”

I nod. “The locks are controlled centrally. Electronically. In the event of a power failure, will the doors be unlocked?”

“Do you think so?” Kevin whispers.

“I don’t know if they would just stay locked or if it would trip something, but the next time the lights go out, we need to try that door.”

Theo nods eagerly, the renewed hope my idea has given him unlocking his bunched shoulders. “Nice one, Piper.”

Maybe it’s a dead end, and maybe they turned the lights off. Maybe a generator kicks in when the electricity cuts to prevent the building from losing power. But maybe it’s a chance.