And we watch.
My heart – it flips. Turns and jumps andsomersaults. “How long has she been standing there?”
“That’s the thing. She moved as soon as you left. Hasn’t moved since.”
Silence.
“I don’t understand,” Jake says finally. “What does this mean?”
We all turn to Oscar. He studies the small figure on the screen intently. “I think… She heard us talking. Before we left. The slot was open.”
I think back. Think over our conversation, Oscar pushing me to leave. “You think she understood us? She knows we left her?”
“And she’s waiting for us to come back.” Oscar’s fingers brush the screen. “Which means—,”
“She’s still there,” Theo breathes. He staggers back a step. “Kenny’s still in there. She has to be.”
And she thinks we left her.
As one, we turn. I make it through the door first, the others battling it out behind me as my feet eat up the concrete path leading to Kenny’s room, picking up speed until I’m flat-out running.
She’s still there.
Left. Left. Right. I slam my hand against the pad, pushing at numbers until the door begins to open and I shove it to move it faster.
And then I’m in front of her, my breathing ragged. “Ken?”
Scarlet eyes look through the glass, that small frown back between her brows, drawing them down. Kenny’s hand is pressed against the glass.
And on her face—
My knees smash into the solid floor as the others arrive. They fall silent, taking her in.
“She…,” Even Oscar can’t finish.
Because Kenny iscrying.
She’s not making a single sound. But tracks of tears stain her skin, telling me she’s been standing here for a while.
Waiting.
“She can’t hear us.” I force myself to my feet even though my knees feel like they’ll cut out again at any moment. None of the others move as I press the keys, inputting the code to give us access to the slot.
And then I carefully slide it open.
Her head tilts the barest amount, her eyes sliding to the small gap.
“It’s me,” I breathe. “We’re here, Ken. Can you… can you hear me?”
Her head tilts further, as if in silent question. A small noise, almost questioning.
She takes one, single step back.
“Don’t go.” My throat closes up, my words pleading. “Stay with us, Ken.”
But she takes another step, and then another. Withdrawing from us, fromme. My vision wavers as I watch her settle back into her usual corner position. She doesn’t roll over this time, keeping her eyes on us. On that fucking metal slot in the wall that separates us.
“She stopped crying,” Oscar murmurs. He sounds shaken too. “We need to tell Abrams. See if we can test it further.”
