A sound by the door startles me. Mateo tells me not to worry since it's our food. I watch in awe as a tray appears through the slot, just like he told me. What I didn't expect was an actual person on the other side pushing it through like that, and then all the contents spilling out onto the floor.

Out of pure instinct, I get up and run toward the door. "Help!" I yell, banging on the door and hoping they can hear me. "Please, let me out! I'll do anything!"

"Stop, Lili. It's no use," I hear Mateo say behind me.

Ignoring him, I lean down toward the slot, hoping I'll be able to get a look at whoever the person is on the other side. But just like last time, there is nothing but darkness and cold air. "Wait! Please, come back. I'll give you whatever you want!"

"Don't say that. You don't know who you're dealing with," Mateo says with a gruff voice.

I turn around to look at him. He's sitting down on the bed, watching me impatiently. "And you do? How can you be so calm and sit there without doing anything? The least we can do is try to negotiate our release."

Mateo lets out a dry laugh. "Yeah, good luck with that. They never answer. The only thing you'll get is punished for acting out." He stands up, slowly walking in my direction. He crouches down on the floor next to me, placing what appears to be takeout containers back on the food tray. "Are you hungry?" he asks, as if we'd just been making small talk.

Part of me wants to lash out at him for being so complacent. But the other part knows there's a reason for it and that scares me. The thought of being punished for my behavior has me backing down. I shiver with one last look out the door slot, deciding to let it go for now. Whoever was there is long gone and I need to be careful. Besides, I'm starving. I hate to admit it, but I feel weak. "Yes," I reply. My voice comes out smaller than I intended.

He nods, giving me a look of sympathy. He takes the tray with him to the far wall and motions for me to join him. "I usually eat over here to not get food on the bed."

I stand up and go sit down next to him. I suppose eating on the floor is the better option in this case, given there is nowhere else to eat. I don't want to get the bed full of crumbs or the sheets dirty either. It's the only sanctuary in the room.

"Welcome to the fine dining area," he says, making a show out of it with his hands. I would find it funny if I weren't so hungry.

He opens one of the containers. It looks like Chinese food. "So I normally ration it. I'll eat half now and the other half later. It fights off the hunger that way. We just have to remember to place the tray back before going to sleep. Otherwise it'll be a day of no food."

"Okay," I say, listening carefully to his instructions.

He hands me one of the containers and a plastic fork. "Eat a fourth of this one and then we can switch. Also, try to eat slowly. The worst thing you can do is wolf it down. Take your time."

I nod, digging into what I confirm is beef and broccoli. Mateo's container looks like chicken lo mein. "Is it always Chinese food?" I ask.

"Yes. It's always the same few dishes. Hopefully they'll give us more variety now with two containers instead of one."

I perk up at a sudden thought. "Are we in Chinatown then? In New York?"

"Well, we could be in Chinatown or anywhere near a Chinese restaurant, really. It doesn't exactly narrow it down," Mateo says.

"Right," I say, feeling dumb.

"So you're from New York?" he asks.

"Yeah. I grew up in Long Island. I go to college in the city. You?"

"Queens. So hopefully we're still in the same area," he says. "Where were you last? I mean, before here."

I put my food down to answer. "A nightclub in the Meatpacking District. That's the last I remember, anyway. Having a drink at the bar."

"Were you there with friends? Anyone who could've seen you?" he asks.

I gulp at my own stupidity. "No, I went alone. My friends were on spring break. I normally wouldn't have done that, but one of my promoter friends kept texting me to go out and I was feeling lonely. My boyfriend had just ..." I stop myself before I mention that he broke up with me. He doesn't need to know that. "We had gotten into a fight," I lie.

Mateo doesn't respond, slowly picking at his food. I do the same.

"You do know promoters aren't your friends, right?" he finally says. "They get paid for people like you to show up at clubs."

I scoff. "People like me?"

"Young, pretty girls," he says.

My face gets hot. Not because of the supposed compliment, but because he thinks I'm stupid. "It wasn't like that. He goes to the same college as me. We have lunch together all the time."

"Are you sure about that?" Mateo asks. "Is he in any of your classes?"

Geez. Why does he sound like a cop right now? I know he's older than me, but he doesn't seem that much older.

But the fact is, Julien is not in any of my classes. I met him at a café on Bleecker Street. Come to think about it, I've never seen him on campus.

"He isn't," I say quietly.

I expect Mateo to give me a lecture, but he doesn't. "Do you want to switch now?" he asks.

I hand him my container and he hands me his. "So you're saying I ended up here because of a promoter?" I say, unable to hide the sarcasm laced in my voice.

"I'm saying you shouldn't trust those guys so easily," he replies. "But it could've been a whole combination of things. The fact that you were alone. The fact that you're an easy target. Or just being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It doesn't matter anyway. You'll drive yourself crazy thinking about it."

I frown, not wanting to hear the truth in his words. "So how did you end up here?"

"It's not important," he quickly says.

"I just told you what happened to me," I say, dropping my fork. "You can't do the same?"

He clears his throat. "It doesn't matter how we got here. What matters is that we get out."

"Yeah, but—"

"Look, I'm not trying to be difficult," he interrupts. "I appreciate you telling me how you got here. I thought we could figure out a few things by it. But I'm not ready to share what happened to me. Maybe one day. Just not right now."

I can't help but feel duped. I went ahead and shared what happened to me without question and he's not willing to do the same. He's obviously keeping things from me. It makes me believe I still can't trust him and that I need to be careful with everything I say.

"I think I'm finished," I say, no longer having an appetite. "You can have more of mine, if you want."

Mateo shakes his head. "No, that's okay. We'll save it for later." He puts the lids back on our leftovers and sets the containers back on the tray. He then looks in my direction, concern etched in his features. "Did you want to take a shower? The water runs out pretty quickly, but it's lukewarm at least. You can go first, if you want."

I'm sure I look like hell, with smudged makeup and messed up hair. But as much as I'd love to shower, I don't feel comfortable being exposed like that with him in the same room. There's only a small section of tiles that separate the shower from the room. "You can go ahead," I respond.

"Okay. They left a set of clothes for you in the bathroom, by the way. So you can change or whatever, if you want," he says.

I wait until the shower runs to make my way to the bathroom. I shut the door behind me, wishing it had a lock. After using the toilet, I wash my hands and face with the single bar of soap on the sink. It's only then that I notice there isn't a mirror. God only knows what I look like.

I quickly change into the clothes they've left for me, which consists of underwear, sweatpants, and a T-shirt. At least I'll be comfortable. They also left a small toiletry bag with a few essentials like a plastic comb and a toothbrush set, so I'm able to fix my hair and brush my teeth.

I hear the water shut off from the shower and decide to stay in the bathroom a while longer. The space is so small it feels claustrophobic, but I could use some extra minutes to myself.

When I get out, Mateo has already changed and is sitting against the wall next to the door. I sit on the bed, wondering what time it is. I feel tired, wanting nothing more than to sleep.

Neither of us says anything for the longest time. I lean my head against the wall, wondering if I should just succumb to it. The only thing that is stopping me is that I don't want to put myself in a vulnerable position.

I think about everything Mateo has told me today, and I wonder if it's all been lies. As much as I want to trust him, to believe that we're in this together, I can't. I need to put myself first.

"Lili."

A hand on my shoulder startles me, and I'm surprised to see Mateo next to me. I must have dozed off.

"Lie down. That doesn't look comfortable at all," he says.

"No, I'm fine," I respond automatically.

He sighs. "It's okay if you want to go to bed. Don't worry. I can sleep on the floor."

I'm about to argue, but he pulls me from my position against the wall. My head falls against the pillow and I close my eyes, not able to fight it any longer.

"Night, Lili," he says.

I want to tell him that he doesn't have to sleep on the floor, but the words never come. I turn to face the wall, curling my legs into my chest. 

An image of my parents fills my mind, wishing me goodnight as they tucked me in bed when I was younger. I wonder what they're doing and if they know I'm missing. I wonder how they would take it. I wonder if Jackson knows too, as mad as I am at him. Would he even care?

I just hope they're all okay and not in some kind of danger because of me. I would never forgive myself if something happened to them, all because I went out to a stupid club and put myself in this situation. This is all my fault.

My eyes fill with tears. They drop silently onto the pillow until I fall asleep.

Author's Note: Poor Lili! Seems like her situation is now starting to dawn on her. We also found out a bit more about her and the events that led her here.

Mateo—not so much about him. He's a big mystery and kind of all over the place. Should Lili trust him or is she right to be cautious?