The corners of Reece's mouth tilt down when he notices my expression. "There are only two and a half hours until breakfast is delivered," he says. "They'll have put Asia back by then. We just need to wait this out."

I remain silent, knowing that sitting and waiting for another two hours will only serve to drive me insane. "Fine," I say anyway, taking a seat on the floor next to Hayley, "but if she's still not back by breakfast, we're looking for her."

He turns back to the camera screen, roaming each frame as though he thinks he might have missed something. I click my knuckles as we wait, desperate to do something useful instead of just sitting here. I have spent too long running and hiding and being afraid; I have spent too long being a coward.

Once the clock hits seven, we crowd around the enclosure camera, despite knowing the footage is looped.

"Ben will call us once the breakfast team has left," Reece says, and sure enough, a call comes through on Reece's burner phone a few minutes later.

I examine Reece's face as he presses it to his ear, searching for some kind of clue as to what's going on. Eventually, he hangs up and turns to face me, his unreadable expression back up like a mask.

"What?" I ask. "What is it?"

Reece takes a breath, unable to mask the alarm behind his eyes. "They didn't put Asia back."

His words feel like a weight on my chest, sucking the air from my lungs. We both know if Asia isn't back by eight, we'll have to leave without her.

I start to panic, knowing that leaving Asia behind isn't a viable option. I came here to save both of them, not just one of them, and I'm not leaving anyone behind this time.

"It will be all right, Aura," Hayley says, taking my hand in hers. "They'll put her back."

It's Reece I look at when I speak. "And if they don't? What do we do then, Reece?"

"They have to put her back before the park opens," Reece says, though the tension in his features worries me. "It just means that Jewel might have to stay in the enclosure a little bit longer until Asia returns."

I shake my head, knowing we're running out of time. "We're supposed to all be back at the lake by eight-thirty. That was the plan, Reece. The park is opening soon."

He shoots me an irritable look. "I know that," he says, running a hand down his face. "Let's just wait until eight for the trainer to check on Jewel. Then we'll make a decision."

Eight comes and goes and Asia is still not back. The closer it gets to the park opening, the more likely it is that we'll all be discovered, and this time, it's not just my freedom on the line: it's Reece's and Ben's and Hayley's, too.

On the screen, Jewel swims around the main enclosure as though this is just a normal a day. Reece needed some footage to put the enclosure on a loop, buying us more time. That way, if anybody checks the enclosure footage when Jewel is gone, they won't notice she's missing.

Once done, Reece messages Ben to get Jewel ready in her tourist clothes and back in the night enclosure.

"It buys us some time before the park opens," Reece says, turning to face me, "but if Asia isn't back soon–" his sentence trails off, but I know what it is he wants to say, anyway. If Asia isn't back soon, we'll have no choice but to leave her behind.

"Then we find her now," I say, nodding at the enclosure camera. "I'm done waiting, Reece. I'll go to the other Testing facility and by the time I've got Asia, the park will be opening and we can escape with the crowds."

Reece shakes his head as though I'm being naive. "It's too risky. The place is already filling up with employees, and if anyone notices Asia's gone before the park opens, we'll be caught."

My eyes stay fixed on the spiral staircase, knowing in my gut that that's where they'll be keeping her. It has to be. "Waiting is a mistake, I can feel it. I have to try, Reece. I have to do something."

"Aura's right," Hayley says, giving me a meaningful look. "Somebody might realize Ben isn't a real guard, or they might not put Asia back before the park opens and we'll have to leave her, anyway."

Reece's pale eyes are insistent as he says, "Fine, then we'll both go."

"No," I say. "You need to be here in case they put Asia back. You'll have to re-loop the footage to include her. Besides, you can't leave Hayley alone with Kenny."

Reece's jaw narrows. "Aura, if you get caught–"

"I won't," I insist. "I'll be fine."

Time stops as Reece stares at me. It seems there are a million things he wants to say, but instead he turns to the screen in defeat. "The palace is right in the heart of the park. You'll need to follow the directions toward Enchanted, but I won't be able to see you once you're in the employee tunnels. That means you'll be on your own."

I nod to show him I understand. "If I encounter anyone, they'll just think I'm an employee," I say in an attempt to reassure him, but I can tell by his expression it doesn't quite work.

Without another word, I take the key card from off of the table, about to head back through the door when Reece grabs my hand and spins me into his chest.

"You have thirty minutes," he says, his hand warm and solid in my own. "If you're not back by then, I'm coming to get you."

I nod, reluctant to let his hand go. "I'll see you guys later."

I make my way back through the tunnels, following Reece's directions to Enchanted. On the way, I pass a group of girls around my age, all dressed in the same yellow employee uniforms.

My body tenses when they stop talking to study me. I ignore them as they pass before turning another corner, relieved when the signs for Enchanted end. I push on until I get to a final door, pressing Kenny's key card to the little black pad. Instead of flashing green, like I'd expected, the pad flashes red.

My heart now pounding, I think back to the time Rob had taken me to the Testing facility, trying to recall the numbers he'd punched into the pad.

8482.

The door clicks out of place. I make my way up the rusting staircase, using the old, cracked railing to guide my way. This isn't the same polished stairwell Rob had led me up, which means somewhere along the way, I have taken a wrong turn. I push on anyway; there's no stopping now.