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I get up first and find some clothes. Thankfully, Ares went and got me some from my apartment, so I don’t have to resort to wearing their clothes all the time—not that I hate it when I’m sleeping. Brawley does the same, and once we are dressed, we head downstairs where both Clay and Ares are waiting.

When we get to the bar, Ares leads us to a table in the corner, and we sit down. Clay spreads out some papers on the table, listing things we’ve already been over a hundred times.

“The maintenance road leads out to the outer fence, and beyond that it splits. He either went north along the perimeter or cut back inside once he got to where the cameras cut out,” Clay says.

“There is no way he left the island,” Ares adds. “My surveillance didn’t detect him leaving, and we know there’s no way he swam past. Also, Cave couldn’t swim in his outfit, and taking an unconscious man into the water makes no sense.”

“He had to have cut back onto the island,” Brawley says.

“So he has to be somewhere no one would think to look.” I gaze bleakly at the three men.

The door opens, and a man walks inside, one I vaguely recognize from around the island. He always has trinkets attached to him, but this time it looks like tools. He takes a seat at the bar, and I turn back to our table.

The conversation goes in circles, covering all the things we have been through before. The new server eventually hands the guy, who I believe is called Cipher, his order. It’s bagged up and seems like a lot of food for just one person, but he takes it and leaves.

We order and eat, but don’t come up with anything new. Before we leave, one of the cooks comes out and talks to Ares quickly, telling him not to worry, that Vero always comes back. Unfortunately, it reassures none of us.

We walk back toward the house, Clay slightly ahead, Ares just behind him, and Brawley and me side by side. The island is alive with people today, and as we pass the cornfield, it has a sign up to say it’s out of order. Clearly Cave isn’t back, and I wonder if anyone is missing him. It makes me realize I know nothing about most people on the island besides them.

“Does Cipher live on the island?” I ask aloud.

Clay glances back at me. “Yes.”

“By himself?”

“Yeah . . . why?”

I shrug. “Just curious. He ordered a lot of food for one person, so I figured he must live with someone.”

“He does that sometimes,” Ares says. “He takes extra meals back when he is working on a project.”

“Are you hot for Cipher now?” Brawley jokes, and I whack him with the back of my hand.

“You assholes are enough for me. I just noticed the food, that’s all. It made me think how I don’t know a lot about anyone on the island. He looks like an interesting person. Does he have friends, or does he keep to himself?”

“Keeps to himself,” Clay answers. “He talks to everyone, and Vero winds him up sometimes, but he is normally fixing something in his shed. It’s out behind the residential area a little.”

I stop walking. “His shed . . . where is it exactly?”

“Just past the residential area there are some dense trees, and it’s in there. Why?”

“Is it in the camera zone?” I ponder.

They’ve all stopped walking by now and turn to me. Clay then looks at Ares.

“It’s . . . not,” Ares says slowly.

“It sits just outside the dead zone,” Clay adds.

“But Khodi swept the area,” Brawley says.

“Actually, he checked the paths. The shed is off the track. He wouldn’t have passed it, and there would have been no reason to check since it’s also Cipher’s house.”

“But surely he would have reported them,” I insist. Maybe I’m thinking too much into it.

“Cipher keeps to himself. He may not know about the alert. He generally only comes up to the main part of the island for food and to fix something.”

“It’s worth checking,” I tell them, and Clay nods, then leads the way.