what?”
“That was my test. If you were the same assistant who tried to climb into my bed yesterday morning, you would have kissed me without hesitation.”
“So that’s what you were hinting at up on the rocks,” he said as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “I…I had a visitor here too yesterday…in the morning,” he stammered out.
“Was it me?” she asked.
“Yeah. That’s why I asked you to wear green. To make sure you weren’t just another one of Jane’s toys.”
“Well, I hope you gave your copy of me the boot as fast as I did,” she said.
“Of course I did,” he said, probably a little too quickly. “As soon as I…well, figured out who she was,” he added.
“So it took you a little while?”
He swallowed. “She was…very lifelike.”
“Lifelike?” she repeated.
He looked at the wall, wishing there were a clock there. “We should probably get going, shouldn’t we?”
She nodded. “We are going to continue this discussion at a later date, right?”
“That’s fine,” he said but hoped she would forget.
Back in the main room, it was quiet and empty. Careful to avoid the doors leading to the other bedrooms, they searched the walls for signs of a hidden door, just as they had pretended to do on the surface above.
“I’m not sure why I thought we would be able to find a hidden door in the dark,” AJ said after a half hour searching.
“This place isn’t that big,” he said. “If there’s something here, we should be able to find it.”
She nodded. “Unless it isn’t here, and this is all in our imaginations.”
The room’s main light suddenly flicked on, temporarily blinding them. They both pivoted around to see Jane standing by the switch on the far side of the room. “Turn that off,” AJ hissed, trying to whisper and yell at the same time.
“You can’t find anything in the dark,” Jane replied calmly.
“We don’t want to wake up Ash or my father,” Jake said.
At that moment, another door opened, and Raines stepped out. “Are we having a late-night party? My invitation seems to have been misplaced.”
“Keep it down,” Jake said. “We don’t want—”
“It’s okay,” Jane interrupted. “Ash and your father aren’t sleeping.”
AJ looked at her. “How do you know?”
Jane walked over and opened Ash’s door. “You can go look. They never sleep here.”
“What?” Raines said as he walked over and went inside. When he stepped back out he said, “She’s correct. His bed hasn’t been slept in.”
“So is your father’s,” AJ said from his open door. “Doesn’t look like he’s ever been in here.”
“Come to think of it,” Raines said. “They have both been the last ones up every night we’ve been here. I assumed they were less tired than the rest of us.”
“So where do they go every night?” Jake asked. All eyes turned towards Jane.
“I realize you all think I’m some sort of freak, but I don’t know everything. I just have trouble sleeping at night, so I wander around sometimes.”
“So you never saw where they went?” AJ asked.
She shook her head. “No, I saw them go into the rec room, but I never saw them come out.”
“So you’re saying they’re still in there?” Raines asked. “Running a simulation?”
She walked to the rec-room door and opened it. “No, there’s no one inside, and there’s no program running either. Jake locked it out, remember?”
They all walked over to the door and peeked inside. The small room was empty and featureless as usual, but the door in the back was no longer there. “What’s going on?” Jake asked as he stepped inside. “Where’s the door?”
Just then, Vee and Jessie both emerged from their rooms. “What’s going on?”
“Might as well wake the doctor,” AJ said.
“I’ll take care of it,” Raines said.
“Already up,” Wood said from his door. “I would offer to give you all tranquilizers to help me sleep, but…”
AJ ignored him as she
“That was my test. If you were the same assistant who tried to climb into my bed yesterday morning, you would have kissed me without hesitation.”
“So that’s what you were hinting at up on the rocks,” he said as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “I…I had a visitor here too yesterday…in the morning,” he stammered out.
“Was it me?” she asked.
“Yeah. That’s why I asked you to wear green. To make sure you weren’t just another one of Jane’s toys.”
“Well, I hope you gave your copy of me the boot as fast as I did,” she said.
“Of course I did,” he said, probably a little too quickly. “As soon as I…well, figured out who she was,” he added.
“So it took you a little while?”
He swallowed. “She was…very lifelike.”
“Lifelike?” she repeated.
He looked at the wall, wishing there were a clock there. “We should probably get going, shouldn’t we?”
She nodded. “We are going to continue this discussion at a later date, right?”
“That’s fine,” he said but hoped she would forget.
Back in the main room, it was quiet and empty. Careful to avoid the doors leading to the other bedrooms, they searched the walls for signs of a hidden door, just as they had pretended to do on the surface above.
“I’m not sure why I thought we would be able to find a hidden door in the dark,” AJ said after a half hour searching.
“This place isn’t that big,” he said. “If there’s something here, we should be able to find it.”
She nodded. “Unless it isn’t here, and this is all in our imaginations.”
The room’s main light suddenly flicked on, temporarily blinding them. They both pivoted around to see Jane standing by the switch on the far side of the room. “Turn that off,” AJ hissed, trying to whisper and yell at the same time.
“You can’t find anything in the dark,” Jane replied calmly.
“We don’t want to wake up Ash or my father,” Jake said.
At that moment, another door opened, and Raines stepped out. “Are we having a late-night party? My invitation seems to have been misplaced.”
“Keep it down,” Jake said. “We don’t want—”
“It’s okay,” Jane interrupted. “Ash and your father aren’t sleeping.”
AJ looked at her. “How do you know?”
Jane walked over and opened Ash’s door. “You can go look. They never sleep here.”
“What?” Raines said as he walked over and went inside. When he stepped back out he said, “She’s correct. His bed hasn’t been slept in.”
“So is your father’s,” AJ said from his open door. “Doesn’t look like he’s ever been in here.”
“Come to think of it,” Raines said. “They have both been the last ones up every night we’ve been here. I assumed they were less tired than the rest of us.”
“So where do they go every night?” Jake asked. All eyes turned towards Jane.
“I realize you all think I’m some sort of freak, but I don’t know everything. I just have trouble sleeping at night, so I wander around sometimes.”
“So you never saw where they went?” AJ asked.
She shook her head. “No, I saw them go into the rec room, but I never saw them come out.”
“So you’re saying they’re still in there?” Raines asked. “Running a simulation?”
She walked to the rec-room door and opened it. “No, there’s no one inside, and there’s no program running either. Jake locked it out, remember?”
They all walked over to the door and peeked inside. The small room was empty and featureless as usual, but the door in the back was no longer there. “What’s going on?” Jake asked as he stepped inside. “Where’s the door?”
Just then, Vee and Jessie both emerged from their rooms. “What’s going on?”
“Might as well wake the doctor,” AJ said.
“I’ll take care of it,” Raines said.
“Already up,” Wood said from his door. “I would offer to give you all tranquilizers to help me sleep, but…”
AJ ignored him as she
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