Sebastian laughed from the front, and Rory’s face filled with more heat.

“Who’s fighting in this battle?”

Rory shrugged. “Two armies I guess.”

“The good vs the bad?”

“Something like that.”

“And where do you see yourself in the piece?”

Rory frowned at Mrs. Mason, then shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

“Are you in the picture?”

“No—”

“I think Sebastian is.” Ollie snorted.

Rory glanced up at him. “What?”

He tapped the picture. “This one with the massive coc—”

“It’s a gun.”

Sebastian flexed his bicep. “I’ve got massive guns, too.”

Mrs. Mason narrowed her eyes and studied the drawing. Rory shuffled in his seat, and his hairs stood on end. He didn’t have a clue why, but her judging his random doodles was unsettling.

“Jesus, it’s only a stickman picture.”

“Sometimes drawings are a window into our subconscious.”

“Only to barking mad people.”

“Oi!”

Rory turned around and looked at the guard. His arms were folded, and his eyebrow lifted when their gazes met.

“Any more of that and you’ll be out, understand?”

“Yeah…”

Mrs. Mason continued, “Who’s winning the battle?”

“No one’s winning it.”

Rory looked at the picture. Death and destruction on both sides, but no victor. It was a snapshot of a moment, it was nothing.

“There’s casualties on both sides.”

“It’s a battle, there’s no outright winners in battles.”

Pauly snorted, and Rory’s attention snapped to him.

“There will be in the upcoming one. Are you sure you’re on the winning side?”

“Positive. You’re not on it.”

Pauly wrinkled his nose and turned away.

Mrs. Mason hummed and tapped her finger on her chin. “Interesting.”

“No, it’s not. Do you know what is interesting?” He snatched the piece of paper from Ollie’s hand, then ripped it in two, then four, then struggled to rip it into eight, but just about managed.

“There,” he announced.

Rory saw the guard approaching and didn’t protest. His bicep was grabbed, and he was hauled to his feet.

“Right, Rory, I’m taking you back to the wing.”

Pauly stood up. “I’m gonna go, too.”

The guard narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“Got a bad case of the runs.”

“Fine, then.”

Sebastian stood up, but the guard pointed at him sternly. “No, you can wait.”

Rory walked out the door first, and Pauly quickly followed. They walked side by side back to the corridor, but didn’t speak or glance at each other. They stopped at the gate, the guard opened it, then they were back on the wing.

“Interesting picture you did…”

Rory rolled his eyes. “Don’t you start.”

“You forgot to draw the red bandanas though.”

“Whatever.”

Pauly blocked his path. “You wanna know what my picture was of?”

“Not really.”

“I called it splats.”

“Splats?”

Pauly hummed. “Yeah, red splats, blood splats, all that will be left of Sebastian once we’re done with him.”