Neil grabbed his bag and climbed out. Jean walked him to the door and put in another numbered password. The light over the keypad flashed green, so Jean tugged open the door. Instead of going in, he looked back at Neil.

"Take a look at the sky. You won't see it again until you leave."

"I've seen it," Neil said.

Jean's smile mocked that bit of defiance and he gestured for Neil to precede him. The door had opened to a stairwell going down. Everything was painted black. The only light and color was a red tube of light down the middle of the ceiling. It wasn't quite bright enough. When Jean slammed the door behind them Neil almost tripped down the stairs. He put a hand to the wall for balance and slowed down. At his back, Jean didn't rush him.

He counted steps, wanting to know how deep they were going, and made it to twenty-six before the stairs dead-ended at another door. Jean reached past him to put in a third password, and Neil stepped into the Ravens' living quarters.

"Welcome to the Nest," Jean said.

"Cult," Neil said again.

Jean ignored that and took him on a tour. This space was originally built to house visiting teams, but Coach Moriyama gave it to his Ravens instead. If the Ravens weren't in class or on the court, they were supposed to be down here. At first glance, it wasn't a bad setup. The Nest was spacious and well-stocked. Neil passed two full-sized kitchens, a lounge complete with a bar and pool table, and three dens with TVs. A long hall connected the social quarters to a weights room, and another hall took them to the dormitory.

A sign on the wall indicated Black Hall was to the left and Red Hall to the right. Neil looked both ways but honestly couldn't tell them apart. It wasn't worth asking about, so he followed Jean into Black. All of the bedroom doors were open, so Neil peeked in as they passed. The bedrooms were almost as big as the suite Neil shared with Matt and each one was outfitted with only two beds.

The Nest had the potential to be everything a college athlete could want—except for the low ceilings and the dark decor. Color was fleeting, and usually showed up only in shades of red. Everything else was black, from the furniture to the sheets to the towels draped over desk chairs to dry. The shadows were sucking the air out of the room and Neil was suddenly keenly aware of the weight of the stadium overhead. Neil wasn't claustrophobic, but he thought two weeks down here might change that.

"Here," Jean said, and motioned for Neil to follow him into the last room. "This is where you will be staying. You should be in Red with the rest of us, but the master has made a special allowance. He knows you require Riko's personal attention."