The knock on the door was soft but insistent. Tammy looked up from her magazine and padded across to the door in her socks.

  She opened it to find Waylon Jones filling the doorframe—easily over six feet tall with broad shoulders straining against his cheap bck suit. His expression was calm and matter-of-fact.

  "Oh, hi Mr. Jones," she said.

  "Hey Tammy," he rumbled in his deep voice. "I came here because Mr. Tetch and Alice asked me to bring you to them. They have someone who wants to meet you."

  Tammy tilted her head slightly. In all her time here, neither Tetch nor Alice had ever sent someone to fetch her for a meeting. Usually they called through the intercom or collected girls during scheduled activities.

  "Oh, okay," she said. "Who wants to meet me?"

  "Yeah, I'm gonna take you to see them. So let's go," Jones said, not answering her question.

  Something felt off, but she couldn't put her finger on what. "Well, let me get myself ready."

  "Don't worry about what you got on. It's good enough."

  "Let me get my shoes at least." She turned back toward her bed, her mind starting to turn over the strangeness of the situation.

  She slipped on her sneakers and tied the ces. When she straightened up, Jones was waiting patiently by the door.

  "Ready?" he asked.

  She nodded and followed him into the hallway. As they walked toward the elevator, she tried again to get information.

  "Where are they exactly?"

  Jones made a noncommittal grunt.

  "And what do they want with me?"

  This time he didn't respond at all, just kept walking with that steady, unhurried pace.

  Her caution was shifting into something sharper now. The ck of answers, the unusual pickup—none of it felt right.

  The elevator chimed softly as the doors slid open. Tammy's face lit up when she saw who stepped out.

  "Hey Selina!" She rushed forward and threw her arms around the older girl. "How are you doing?"

  Selina returned the embrace warmly, but Tammy could feel tension in her posture. She leaned in close and whispered urgently, "Selina, I think I'm in trouble. I need help—"

  Before she could finish, Jones's hand settled on her shoulder with firm pressure.

  "Yeah, Miss Tammy, it's time to go see Mr. Tetch and Alice," he said calmly.

  Selina looked up at the towering man with a bright smile. "Hi! I'm new here. What's your name?"

  "Waylon," he said, already guiding Tammy toward the open elevator.

  But Selina quickly stepped between them and the doors. "You know, Tammy and I are best friends. We've known each other for ages. Isn't that right, Tammy?"

  "Yeah, that's interesting," Waylon said, his tone ft. He put his hand on Selina's shoulder and moved her aside with casual strength.

  Selina stumbled but recovered quickly, reaching out to grab Tammy's arm. "Hey Tammy, before you go, I got something I want to show you—"

  "No." Waylon's voice carried quiet authority. "I think we need to go now."

  He pushed Selina again, harder this time. She hit the floor, her shoulder striking the wall. Waylon didn't apologize or look down. He simply took Tammy's arm in a firm grip and stepped into the elevator.

  "Wait—" Tammy started, looking back at Selina on the floor.

  The elevator doors closed.

  Selina pushed herself up from the floor, her shoulder aching. She touched her ear with shaking fingers.

  "47? 47, are you there?" Her voice cracked slightly. "Something really bad just happened. This huge guy just took Tammy and I tried to stop him but he's really strong and he knocked me down and—" She took a shaky breath. "He dragged her into the elevator and she looked scared and I don't know where he's taking her. Can you help?"