"Hey," Laura said tentatively, coming into her room. Shelby was sitting on her bed, already in her pyjamas, staring into space.

"No." Clearly Shelby'd guessed where the conversation was heading.

"Okay, okay." Laura sighed and got into bed. "If you really don't want to talk..."

"I don't." Shelby lay down and pulled her covers over. "I really don't."

"Fine." Laura rolled over and counted down the seconds until Shelby started to talk.

"I just...don't like being exposed like that. It's unfair. They've taken everything else away from us, they might as well let me have some privacy. What difference does it even make? It won't exactly make me a better student, or less likely to escape."

"You're right. It's not fair. I want out as much as you do, believe me."

Shelby stared at the ceiling with her eyebrows knit together. "Why are you here?"

Laura hesitated.

"I didn't exactly get to choose, remember."

"Hmmph. Fine. There was this girl at school, I reckoned she was gossiping about me behind my back, so I listened in on some of her phone calls."

"That's it." There was heavy sarcasm in Shelby's voice.

"Give me a second! I didn't have the equipment to do it, so I hacked an air force base. And you know the rest."

"Hang on," Shelby said, finally turning over to face Laura. "What did an air force base have that the nearest hardward store didn't? Sure, it makes for a better story, but I'm more a believer in convenience than style usually."

"Well, you've definitely never eavesdropped on a phone call...or been in a hardware store," Laura said with a small grin.

"Not the first one. I've been in a hardware store, but I forget, our stores are much better than yours, clearly."

"You Americans, God. If we stay here long enough, maybe I'll teach you how to intercept a phone call. Then maybe you'll realize that the sophisticated equipment needed for such a task can simply not be found in a hardware store."

"Yeah, intercepting a phone call, a real useful skill in a giant volcano with no reception and no phones."

"Fair enough. But listen, you obviously want to leave."

"It showed?" Shelby said sarcastically.

"Funnily enough, yes. You've met Wing and Otto, right?"

"Tall one and the short one? I think so. What about them?" Shelby asked.

"They want to get away too, and so do I. We're trying to come up with a plan, but Otto reckons we need you on our team. What do you say?"

"Sorry. Work better alone. I'm a Wraith, you'll weigh me down."

"You can't hack," Laura pointed out. "Otto and I can."

"Then it's lucky that my plans don't involve hacking," Shelby retorted. "Just sneak around until you find a way out, since there obviously is one, nobody will catch me because there'll only be one of me."

"It's not always as easy as that."

"Listen - it's Laura, right? I've broken in and out of enough high-security places uncaught to be able to tell you that it's always as easy as that."

"This isn't a jewelry store, Shelby!" Laura snapped, feeling frustrated. "It's a prison, and if you want to get out we all need to work together."

"Ugh. What do you even need me for?"

"Isn't it obvious? Since you're quite clearly some ninja-wraith, you steal the equipment we need."

"What equipment?"

"Otto's looking into it."

Shelby sighed. "Right then. Tomorrow I'll talk to Otto about this plan of his. If I reckon you stand a chance, I'll tag along. Deal?"

"Deal. Goodnight."