The rest of the afternoon blurred together in a haze of orientation. Bethany showed her the library—a small room with donated paperbacks and magazines, heavily monitored. The recreation room where girls pyed cards or board games under the watchful eyes of guards. The TV lounge where reality shows pyed endlessly, keeping the girls passive and distracted.

  Everywhere they went, Selina catalogued details: camera positions, guard stations, fire exits that were probably locked. The building's yout was more complex than she'd expected—multiple floors connected by secure stairwells, each requiring keycard access. Getting out wouldn't be simple.

  By evening, most of the girls had dispersed to various activities. Some were in the common room watching TV, others had cimed spots in the library with books they probably couldn't concentrate on. The card games in the rec room had gotten louder, more competitive, as boredom set in.

  Selina had excused herself, ciming exhaustion from whatever they'd drugged her with. It wasn't entirely a lie—the sedative still made her feel sluggish, though her mind was sharp with adrenaline. She made her way back to the dormitory, relieved to find it empty.

  The quiet felt different here than it did on the streets. On the streets, quiet meant danger or opportunity. Here, it felt oppressive, like the building itself was holding its breath. She settled onto her bunk, then gnced around to make sure she was truly alone before activating her communicator.

  "47, are you there?"

  His voice came through immediately. "Status report."

  "I found Tammy." Selina kept her voice to the barest whisper. "She's alive and appears healthy, but the situation is complicated. She's sitting with the bosses—Jarvis Tetch and Alice—not as a prisoner, but like she's part of their inner circle. Laughing, touching his arm, wearing nicer clothes than the other girls."

  There was a pause before 47 responded. "Could be Stockholm syndrome, or she could be pying a long game for survival. Either way, it complicates extraction."

  "My guide—Bethany—says Tammy is Jarvis's current favorite. That she figured out how to 'py the game' quickly. I don't know if she'll want to leave willingly."

  "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Your primary objective is gathering intelligence. Don't compromise your cover by approaching her directly."

  "Understood. There's something else—Bethany seems too helpful. Like she's probing for information to report back."

  "Assume your cover is thin. Be careful, Selina. If they suspect you're not what you cim to be..."

  "I know. Someone's coming—going dark."

  She quickly deactivated the communicator as footsteps echoed in the hallway. When no one entered the dormitory, she settled back onto her bunk, staring up at the metal sts above her, trying to process everything she'd seen.

  Tammy with Jarvis and Alice, ughing like she belonged there. Bethany's calcuting friendliness, the way her eyes had tracked every reaction. The other girls, some resigned, others still fighting in small ways. This pce was a machine designed to break people down and rebuild them into something compliant.

  A soft creak of the door made her tense. Footsteps, light and cautious. She y still, listening as someone approached her bunk.

  "Selina?" The whisper was familiar, urgent. Tammy's face appeared at the edge of her vision, pale in the dim emergency lighting. "I saw you today. I thought I was dreaming."

  Selina sat up carefully, her heart hammering. Relief flooded through her despite everything she'd witnessed. "Tammy. We came for you. You're not alone."

  Tammy's eyes welled up, and she grabbed Selina's hand, squeezing hard. Her fingers were soft—softer than they'd been on the streets. Whatever else was happening here, they were taking care of her physically. "How did you find me? And who is 'we'?"

  "Long story. But we're getting you out." Selina hesitated, studying Tammy's face in the low light. She looked healthy and well-fed, but there was something fragile in her expression. Something that hadn't been there before. "Bethany told me you're... sleeping with Jarvis and Alice."

  Tammy's face shifted, defensive but not ashamed. She didn't pull her hand away. "It's true. But after a while, I figured—why not enjoy having sex with someone instead of always putting on a performance for cameras? Jarvis isn't... he's not all bad. And Alice, she treats me okay. Better than the streets." Her tone was fierce, like she was trying to convince herself as much as Selina. "I do what I have to do to survive. But I want out, Selina. Please believe me."

  Selina's heart ached. She recognized the conflict in Tammy's voice—the same tone she'd used when she'd had to steal food or find warm pces to sleep. Survival wasn't pretty, and it didn't always align with the person you wanted to be. "I do believe you. But Bethany—she said you're his favorite. Warned me about getting too close to you."

  Tammy's expression hardened, and for a moment, Selina saw a fsh of the street-smart girl she remembered. "Bethany wants my spot. She'd throw anyone under the bus to get closer to Jarvis and Alice. She's been here longer than me, but she's too obvious about what she wants. They like girls who seem grateful, not desperate." She wiped her eyes with her free hand, fierce now. "She's not your friend—don't trust her. She's probably already told them everything you said today."

  That sent a chill down Selina's spine. If Bethany were reporting back, then her cover might already be blown. "What should I expect?"

  "They'll test you. Small things at first—see how you react, whether you fight or comply. If you're too resistant, you'll disappear to a different floor or... just disappear." Tammy's voice dropped even lower. "But if you're too eager, they'll know something's wrong. You have to find the middle ground—scared but grateful, like you know this is better than what you had before."

  "How long have you been here?"

  "Four months." Tammy's grip on her hand tightened. "The first month was hell. Then I figured out the game. Jarvis likes girls who seem innocent but not stupid. Alice likes girls who don't compete with her for his attention. If you can thread that needle..."

  "You get privileges."

  "Better food, nicer clothes, sometimes trips outside the building. And when they use you for videos, it's gentler stuff. Romantic scenes instead of..." She trailed off, but Selina could fill in the bnks.

  They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of it all pressing down. Tammy finally stood, gncing toward the door. "I should go back before someone notices I'm gone. They do bed checks sometimes."

  "Tammy." Selina caught her wrist. "When we get out of here—and we will—are you going to be okay? With leaving them, I mean?"

  For a moment, vulnerability flickered across Tammy's face. "I don't know," she whispered. "That scares me more than anything else. I don't know who I am anymore without this pce."

  And then she was gone, slipping out like a shadow, leaving Selina alone with the weight of that confession.

  ---

  After lights-out, girls started moving around the dormitory. The brunette from the bottom bunk slipped across the room to the redhead's bed. Selina had seen this plenty on the streets—girls hooking up when there weren't any decent guys around, or just because they wanted to.

  "Missed you," the brunette whispered.

  "Alice was being a bitch today during filming. Made everything take longer." The redhead's voice was tired, strained. "My butt is still sore."

  More girls paired off. Some whispered sweet things—"I love you" and promises that might or might not be real. Others just seemed to want someone warm to sleep next to, someone who understood without having to expin. A few were getting busy, soft sounds they tried to muffle but couldn't quite hide.

  Selina had messed around with a girl when she was thirteen. It wasn't a big deal, just felt good at the time and there wasn't much else good in her life then. These girls were doing the same thing, except they'd been stuck here long enough for it to become something more complicated—part comfort, part genuine feeling, part just being teenagers who needed to feel something that was theirs.

  "Did that asshole hurt you today?" one girl whispered to another.

  "Nah, it was fine. Quick scene, nothing rough. Better than st week."

  "Good. Hope it stays that way."

  Then Selina saw Bethany slip across the room to a bck girl's bunk, and she felt a jolt of recognition. Her helpful guide, the one who'd been so eager to show her around and fish for information, was settling into another girl's arms with obvious familiarity.

  From her bunk, Selina watched and listened, cataloging everything.

  "Hey, baby," Bethany's voice was completely different from the cheerful tour-guide tone she'd used all day. Softer, more genuine, with an edge of exhaustion.

  "Missed you today," the other girl replied, pulling Bethany close. "How'd it go with the new girl?"

  Bethany was quiet for a moment. "She's... interesting. Asked a lot of questions. Might be trouble, or might just be smart." Her voice dropped even lower. "I'm so fucking tired. Tired of pretending, tired of watching, tired of being afraid."

  "Hey." The other girl's voice was soft and loving. "You're okay. I'm here."

  Selina observed as the girl pulled Bethany closer, and the smaller Asian girl buried her face against her neck. "I love you," Bethany whispered, and Selina could hear the desperation in it—not just romantic, but the way someone might say they needed air or water.

  The other girl's hands moved over Bethany's bare back, and Selina watched them both trying to find something real in this pce. When Bethany shifted to straddle the girl's thigh, pressing against her with quiet urgency, Selina noted how they moved together—human and messy and complicated, born from a need to feel something that belonged to them instead of to the people who controlled them.

  They kept their voices low so the guards wouldn't hear, but their bodies moved together openly in the darkness. These girls had no privacy, no modesty left after months or years in this pce. For a few minutes, Bethany and the other girl could focus entirely on each other, shutting out everything else.

  When it was over, Selina heard Bethany's voice, softer now: "Thank you, baby, I needed that."

  The other girl's quiet ugh was tired but genuine. "I love you too," she whispered back.

  Then they settled together, Bethany doing her best to comfort her girlfriend, to be whatever shelter she could be in this pce.

  Selina closed her eyes, listening as they talked quietly about things she couldn't quite make out. Around the room, other girls were having simir conversations—some about love, some about survival, some about the horrible things they'd been through and how to get through tomorrow.

  This wasn't some romantic boarding school situation. These were young females who'd been thrown together in hell and were trying to find ways to stay human. Some of them had found love, some had found comfort, and some were just trying to make it through another night without completely losing themselves.