Theo backs up, pulling me with him. I let him because there is no other option. My eyes stay with Lucie as she braces herself against the wall. Theo moves me back enough for the door to close.

Lucie’s heart-wrenching sob is the last thing I hear before the door clicks locked.

26

It has been a little over forty-eight hours since Lucie was taken. Three days for Kevin.

Not knowing what happened is eating away at me. Where are they? What are they going through? Questions I may never get answers to.

Caleb, Owen, and Matt have been deathly quiet, too. No one has spoken to us since we were ordered back into the room, and nothing was showing on the TV when we turned it on. For the last two nights there hasn’t even been any music, and we’ve had full control of the lighting.

Something isn’t right.

We don’t know what’s happened with Lucie, if she’s okay, what they plan on doing with us, or anything. The waiting is excruciating; so much rides on what they choose to do. My heart hasn’t slowed since they took Lucie.

I just want to know.

Priya is making soup for lunch, Hazel is hovering around helping her by divvying out rolls, and Theo and I go over a hundred scenarios. None of them are particularly great. The best ones are that they will keep her in those rooms for a while as punishment. It’s what we assume has happened with Kevin.

The worst scenario is that she’s dead. They have two teens they want to get rid of. Room zero is a strong possibility.

That being said, we still don’t know if Kevin is alive.

We don’t know anything!

Theo grits his teeth, his jaw hard and eyes tight. He’s been angry for the past two days, believing that Lucie has ruined our only chance for escape, and he is quite possibly right.

There is no way they would keep that window as it is now.

All yesterday we heard banging, drilling, and other odd noises coming from the hallway. Possibly even welding noises as they make sure no one can ever get out through that window.

“The building is going to get a security overhaul,” he growls.

I hold my palms up. “Theo, chill. I know what this means, and I’m angry, too, but we can’t let them see us arguing. Remember what happened last time there was a fight in here?”

Lucie was sent to room five, and I was sent to room five. Then Lucie got caught trying to escape. We have to be smarter.

Theo slumps back in his seat and blows out a breath through his teeth. “Okay, I get it. But what are we going to do now?”

My heart plummets as I admit, “I really don’t know.”