It had been a long time since someone had lain in front of him like this. Conner sat next to the bedside of Robyn as she slept, her face looking peaceful since Finley's death. She had taken it quite hard and although Conner certainly hadn't known her for very long, he knew that it was probably the first time she had seen a death first hand, especially like that. Beneath the sheets where she lay in the medical bay, her chest rose and fell gently, both arms laying on her stomach as if she were in an open casket.

Conner simply watched the subtle twitches of her fingers and the small shine on her cleanly rounded nails. His eyes moved up to her slender wrists and up her arm. He noticed a small scar on her elbow, nearly indiscernible to the eye. Very small, very slight, likely a remnant of a childhood injury; perhaps a fall on a bike or a skateboard. Conner's gaze moved up to her shoulder, followed the contour to her slim neck which in itself curved to a small and sharp chin. Conner leaned forward imperceptibly. It had been too long since he had examined like this in such detail. He could feel the stirrings – nothing sexual, Conner had no interest in that side of the human body – but something more primal, like a panther hunting its prey, that initial adrenaline of the hunt.

Her lips were thin and coated with a gentle shade of lipstick – Conner had never noticed that before. He knew that once a week residents could book sessions for haircuts, hair-styling, or other such glamourous things. It disgusted Conner. Just another cover hiding what Hearthome truly was. His eyes moved from her lips to her nose, rounded at the tip. He could see her nostrils flaring ever-so-slightly with each breath out. Robyn's eyes were surprisingly large compared to the rest of her small features, although they were closed in their sleep. Her eyebrows had been stylised as well, Conner realised, subtly, just like the rest of the alterations he saw. Conner had never been a fan of the alteration of the human body but something subtle like this… it seemed to enhance, rather than detract. It was strange then, that with such attention paid to other features that her brown hair was so untidy and tousled, like a child's at play. Its length was such that the tips just brushed her shoulders, strands falling past her neck.

Her slim, tender neck.

Conner's hand moved without him even realising it, his fingers gently pressing against her throat. He closed his eyes and took in a long, low breath. It was like a drunkard in remission wiping the rim of a glass with a finger and tapping their tongue for that longing of breaking the addiction they promised to stop. It would be so easy to squeeze down on her throat to stop her from making any noise. Conner doubted Robyn would struggle. She would probably try to understand what Conner was doing but there was no possible way she could. Robyn claimed to see the good in him, yet Conner knew that good was lost the first time he felt that thrill.

"Mmm…" Conner's hand darted back to his side and he watched Robyn's eyes flutter open, the green darting around for a moment before resting on Conner. "…Conner?"

"Don't worry. You're in the medical bay," Conner said, already missing that stirring in his chest. He buried it deep.

"…Why?" Robyn groggily pulled herself to a seated position against the head of the bed. She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hands. "Was I injured?"

"You were just in shock after what happened with Sullivan."

"…Oh." Robyn flinched. Conner could tell that she was seeing the orderly on his knees, the shard sticking grotesquely out of his neck.

"You must have been exhausted. You've slept for quite a while."

"…And you stayed at my bedside? That's so sweet." Robyn managed a small smile.

"Urgh, nothing sweet about it. Got no one else to talk to, do I?" Conner absently ruffled his hair. "Look, I know you probably want to talk about everything that's going on—"

"No." Robyn smiled again, this time softly. "No. I don't really want to think about those people in masks or Ollie or John or Sullivan or any of it. I just want to wait for Noah. Just… rest and wait. That's what I want to do."

"That's probably sensible. I also think I rushed too much into everything."

"How are you doing though?"

"You're the one on the hospital bed."

"And you were the one lying in the middle of the storm." Robyn glanced to the window where drops slid lazily down the pane. "At least it seems to be letting up, at least slightly. So are you okay?"

"I just want the same as you, a moment of rest."

"You're avoiding the question," Robyn sighed. "Noah never avoids my questions when I ask. Conner, are you okay?"

Again, Conner marvelled at how Robyn spoke to him like an equal. He was used to people treating him different for his past, or his perceived past, or his actions. They saw him as an asshole or a loner. Robyn didn't seem to care about any of that. Conner leaned back in the chair and looked out of the window as well. "No, not really."

"That makes two of us then." Robyn let out a small chuckle with no humour to it. She looked down to her hands, turning them over. "I've never seen anything like that before. He seemed so… helpless. He wanted to speak, I could see him wanting to ask for help, but that shard—"

"Don't think about it," Conner said.

"How can I not?" Robyn's eyes were wide. "It was horrible, Conner, horrible! All that blood… I didn't know a human body could do that. The way his eyes just… glazed, the way his mouth hung open."

"Death should feel like that. It should feel disgusting. It should feel horrifying. I'm sorry you saw what you saw, but the way you feel now is normal. Like I said, though, you have to try and steer your thoughts away from it. Think of Noah. You'll see him soon, right?" Conner could feel the hollow words even as he said them. Robyn may have been optimistic but Conner had no faith that they would see Noah again.

"Do you feel like this too?" Robyn asked.

"No," Conner said simply.

"What did you feel?"

Something told Conner that he ought to lie. That he should say he was scared. That he was frightened. This side of Conner spoke deep into his soul yet another voice suggested that maybe it just wasn't worth it anymore to lie, not to Robyn at least. If she was going to like him, she needed to understand him properly. Not the Conner Shepherd that Robyn saw, but the Conner Shepherd that he truly was. He wanted her friendship, he knew that, perhaps even needed it but he did not want it built on false pretences. He couldn't tell her everything, not yet, but answering her questions with the truth was surely a good start.

"I felt…" Conner licked his lips. It was so very hard to put his true feelings into actual words. He could almost feel the impact his next words would have. Either Robyn would hate him or… well, stop thinking about it and say it. "Honestly, Robyn, I thought… What a sloppy job. There was no… beauty to the wound. It was ugly."

The silence pained Conner. Robyn's expression also pained him because he just couldn't tell what she was thinking.

After excruciating seconds that felt like minutes, Robyn opened her mouth.

The door opened into Robyn's room. Penelope strolled in as casual as if she hadn't just walked into a room full of tension and stood at Robyn's bedside. "Good afternoon, Robyn." She glanced at Conner. "Conner. I'm glad you found her."

"Penelope. Hello." Robyn smiled nervously. "I didn't expect to get visitors."

"I just wanted to see if you were okay. I enjoyed our chess game and was hoping to invite you for another. Well, at least that was one of my reasons. I also knew that Conner would be here. He hasn't left the room since you were admitted here."

"Are you looking for me?" Conner asked, narrowing his eyes.

"It's not me who is looking for you," Penelope walked to the side of Robyn's bed where a small pot of plants had been put by a nurse. "There was some kind of big meeting today. A bunch of staff came out of the administrative building. The warden was there as well. I overheard him talking to Banks about looking for John and tell two others to find you."

"Banks?!" Conner stood up, surprised. "She was there!?"

"Yes," Penelope said amicably. "Is that so surprising?"

Conner's mind started swirling despite itself. Banks was free? Well, there was no confirmation that she had been taken like Ollie and John. It was just the way that Sullivan had spoken. It made sense for her to be taken, it made sense for it to be the people related to the list.

Wait… Did it make sense? Ollie and John were taken, yes, but they did not take Robyn, did they? In fact, they threw her to the ground next to Conner. Conner himself was hit by the taser but no attempt was made to take him. And how would they even know who was on the List anyway? Had he got it all wrong? Did they take Ollie and John for individual reasons?

Conner suddenly realised something else. Both John and Ollie's doors were broken meaning that the people in masks had to have broken in. Yet they knew exactly where John and Ollie's rooms were, no other neighbours had been broken in. They were specific targets and targets which the people in masks knew. Why do people wear masks? To hide who they were. Who would need to hide who they were in an isolated place like Hearthome?

Stop it, Conner, stop thinking for a moment. You got more important things to worry about. Conner looked back to Penelope. "You said they are looking for me?"

"Well, I heard they think you might be involved in something with John. I guess someone with your credentials can obviously be suspect for certain things."

"Why are you telling me?" Conner asked. He glanced to Robyn who seemed to be growing frightened again.

"Because Robyn seemed quite fond of you and I think the orderlies sometimes go too far in the wrong direction. They didn't exactly sound happy when talking about what you may or may not have done." Penelope shrugged. "I just felt like I should mention it." She walked away from the bedside towards the doorway before turning her head to look at Robyn, for a moment her hair swishing past her neck, revealing the bare skin. "I'm glad you are well Robyn. I'll be in the Rec-Zone if you'd like to play another game of chess." Penelope turned again and left the room.

"I'm glad Penelope is so nice. Although she wrecked me at chess. But Conner… what do you think they are looking at you for? Do they know John was taken?" Robyn blanched. "Do they think you did it?"

Conner himself couldn't hear what Robyn was saying. He still had Penelope's nape in his mind's eye, the hair swishing past the skin. And those three red marks on her skin – almost like the end of a plug that had been used as a makeshift weapon.

Something else occurred to Conner, something which hit him particularly hard as his mind spun and spun. They had known where John and Ollie both were. Who had surprised Conner with detailed knowledge of the dorm layout? Who had come to his door without ever even speaking to him before? Who had been dumped on the floor next to him and not taken? Who carried an apparently broken camcorder around everywhere she went? Was it really broken or out of battery? Why, when no one else had visited Robyn, had Penelope come? To invite her to play chess again? What did that mean?

Conner looked at Robyn. Robyn looked back and hesitantly frowned. "That's a slightly worrying expression on your face."

He looked away and back to the window. Stop it. Stop jumping to conclusions without evidence. Why are you even thinking about it like a case? Why do you care?

Because I care about Robyn. The answer was surprisingly firm in Conner's mind. He did care about Robyn. She was like a little sister who talked far too much but had a heart of gold. She was an optimist and saw the best in everyone. Could she be working with those two people in masks? She first came with Noah, does that mean Noah is working with them as well?

Stop it! Conner had to repeat the phrase in his head, practically shouting at his own whirring mind to slow down. Evidence. It is all about the evidence. The only evidence he had was the plug ends with blood on it in John's room, the locks that were broken, Ollie who was taken, and those marks on Penelope's neck. These were the facts that Conner knew for certain. Was John taken? Probably. But probably wasn't a fact.

You want to solve it. Conner agreed with this part of his mind. He did want to solve it. Whatever it was. How can you solve the unknown? You start simple. You look around properly. You treat it step-by-step. Start with going after Penelope right now while you have the chance and avoid the orderlies.

"I got to go," Conner said, finally refocusing back on Robyn. "I feel like a fuckin' mouse in a cage. Something bigger is going on around Hearthome and I appear to be the scapegoat chosen."

"Go? You can't go." Robyn pulled herself from her sheets and sat on the edge of the bed. "Conner…"

Conner smiled a genuine smile. "It'll be ok, Robyn. Noah will be here soon." With that, Conner fled the room quickly, focusing on just the one thought in his head. Find Penelope.

He found her quicker than he had expected, in the hallway outside the medical room. She was standing in front of two orderlies and pointing right in his direction. The two orderlies turned and Conner froze. He had intended to leave before he had been spotted. Not good. Conner looked at Penelope, surprised. Why had she warned him they were coming and then told them where he was? As he looked at her face, Penelope winked.

A hot surging knife of anger flooded Conner. He was being used. Played like a puppet by this bitch Penelope. Of course he was being made the scapegoat. The Ripper, Conner Shepherd. The murderer, Conner Shepherd. The child-killer, Conner Shepherd. All true facts of his life, but facts he was promised wouldn't follow him into Hearthome. They had lied to him. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised, it was what they did. You cannot trust anyone, Conner, not even Robyn. Not without hard facts. The one thing he could be certain of now was that Penelope was involved and had been present when John was abducted.

As Conner started to run down the opposite hallway, his mind filtered everything as if it were in slow-motion. He saw the two orderlies shouting after him, their words deaf on his ears. Hearthome was hostile territory now. He had to run… but where? If you cannot trust anyone in Hearthome, then where in Hearthome was safe?