"Hey," Gabriel said, kneeling to where I had distanced myself from the door. "Let's not jump to conclusions. If someone had seen the note, they'd have opened the door."

I shook my head, my mouth still opened in disbelief. "It's just—the chances are so slim."

"I know," he said. He was using his phone flashlight to try and see through the crack beneath the door. "But we have to use rational logic here."

Rational logic.

"I have a terrible feeling," I whispered. "I made sure I left an inch on this side of the door—it must've been taken."

"Nobody would take it and ignore it," he said. I could see his eyes fixed on me in the dim light. "If someone took it, help is on the way."

I nodded slowly. I wanted to believe him. It was so tempting to believe him.

"I'm sure someone will come soon."

He held out a hand, and I hesitated before taking it. It was firm around mine as he helped hoist me to my feet.

"Sorry," I muttered, aware it was annoying to put up with my paranoia. Annie had done it countless times, laid with me in my dorm room as my mind spiraled through overthought scenarios.

Gabriel dismissed my apology, crossing his arms over his chest. I caught a glimpse of his face, his features tense. I realized he was probably worried too, but his words were designed for comfort, not honesty. It made me feel stupid. It wasn't a time for sensitivity, we should be being realistic.

"I'm going to sit up in here," he said. "I'll be on look out. You can sleep."

I nodded, my heart still beating fast. I thought about going back into the bedroom, trying to fall asleep again beside Cadence...

"Can I join you?" I asked. I knew I wouldn't be able to fall asleep. And Gabriel was a stranger. I didn't trust him enough to be reassured.

He looked hesitant, and I wondered if he was thinking the same thing. "Can't stop you."

The clock on the wall showed it was close to two in the morning. Empty cups dotted the surfaces from the others. It looked like the alcohol supply was almost emptied. I hoped that'd mean we'd be more solution-driven when the others finally woke.

I checked my phone again, switching it on and off and trying to find the connection again. It was like it wasn't even searching for a signal, immediately displaying no service. I'd never seen it behave like that before, even when I was somewhere completely remote with my family.

"Weird, huh?" Gabriel spoke from across the living room. I adjusted my position on the recliner.

"Weird," I agreed.

"Definitely giving this place one star," he joked.

The corners of my lips lifted a little, but I couldn't quite laugh. I appreciated his attempt at joking, though.

"Elijah and James were adamant we shouldn't come to this town," he continued. I noticed a dimple crease as he smiled to himself. "They wanted somewhere with parties, but I convinced them on somewhere with surfing."

"We wanted somewhere quiet too," I mused. "This semester has been intense for all of us."

He looked curious. "What's your major?"

"Math," I replied. "I like statistics."

He seemed amused by this. I wondered if it was the whole Asian math stereotype, or maybe he didn't expect anyone to willingly choose a math major. I narrowed my eyes. "What's yours?"

"Also math, actually," he answered, taking me by surprise. "But I'm terrible at stats. More an optimization algorithm kinda guy."

"I respect that," I said, giving him an approving smile. Then I realized I was smiling, and for a minute I'd forgotten the door on the other side of the room was locked.

"Look, we've got nothing to worry about," he said. "Two mathematicians locked in a room, doesn't that sound like just another exam paper?"

"What's the probability that a note blew away from beneath the door if the conditional probability divided by the variance is zero-point-five squared?" I humored.

"What's the optimal surface area required if they were to construct a five-hundred-pound pulley system to escape?"

I chuckled, wrapping my arms around my knees.

He still didn't seem phased. "Aren't you worried?"

"Of course I am." His eyes drifted from me and out of the darkened window. "Do you have any siblings?"

His question jolted me, and for a moment my heart burned in the most torturous way. "No."

"Well, I have two younger brothers," he went on. "Six-year age gap. I learned pretty quickly to keep calm if I wanted them calm."

I was quiet, and he must have taken my silence for offense.

"Not that you're a child. I just mean I react to situations confidently—I consider panic as the worst contribution to a problem."

Spoken like such a problem solver, I thought. Maybe I could understand his motives, and that was sort of calming.

"I think I'm the opposite."

I didn't exactly want to start peeling apart all of the reasons I was scared, the causes behind the terrible gut feelings that sometimes paralyzed me, or my humming-bird heartbeat that seemed in constant disarray. Even though I did want to offer some kind of explanation, that was a deep-dive into territory I didn't exactly want to explore with a stranger.

"I mean, we all handle situations differently," he went on when I didn't continue. "It's part of being human, and it's what makes us effective, in our core. We diversify out weakness."

"You're the sort of person that has an explanation to everything, aren't you?" I asked.

"I mean, I try to," he said with a chuckle.

I sort of liked that.

I pried my eyelids open for hours.

Gabriel picked up a book from the small shelf and began flicking through its pages; it looked like a thick and yellowing novel that'd been left here by past visitors. I flicked through the camera roll on my phone. I'd saved photos I'd taken and edited from each trip, ranging from beautiful landscapes and flower petals to pictures of my friends.

I scanned each image, Cadence laughing candidly in front of a carnival stand, Lucas and Annie embracing beneath an archway at college. I was lucky to meet them, the first day of freshman year. We all lived in the same dorm building, making friends by coincidence. No, not coincidence. Probability.

To my dismay, my swiping transformed to drifting and my thoughts became jumbled into tangles, toying in murky shadows and leaving me in gentle snores. I woke curled in the armchair, my cheek resting on my arm and the sun creeping through the windows.

"Gabriel?" I whispered. He was silhouetted against the sunrise, and when he heard me his head straightened from where he'd been leaning over his book.

"Most people call me Gabe," he murmured, turning the page. He was at least half way through now.

"I didn't mean to..." My brows furrowed. How could I have slept? I struggled to sleep on a regular night, let alone in front of a stranger.

"Nothing has happened," he said, sighing and letting the book fall to the cushion beside him. "Not a creak in the whole building."

I let my breathing quieten and listened myself. The only noise was the distant sound of sea gulls.

Leaving him to his spot on the couch, I tiptoed down the hall, peeking into the second room. Annie and Lucas were intertwined in one another, and Cadence was still snoring on the other bed. I felt relief, even though it wasn't like they could have just disappeared.

I returned to the living room, figuring my discovery wasn't worth an explanation as I flopped back onto the recliner, my body exhausted. Readjusting my position, I placed my head into the crook of my elbow and fell back asleep.

I awoke a second time to the sound of voices. For a moment, I felt like I was back home, my roommates chatting in the kitchen before class. But then I realized how uncomfortable I was, and the realization of where I was hit me like a truck.

"She's awake," Lucas said. His voice was a statement, followed by no comment.

I wiped my eyes, letting them adjust groggily to the room.

Annie and Lucas were in the kitchen, a fry pan sizzling on the stove. How had I slept through the noise? How had Gabe—

His spot on the sofa was empty, the book left facing down on the floor beside it.

"He's sleeping," Annie said, seemingly reading my mind. "We reassured him we'd keep a look out."

In disbelief that I'd somehow slept through an entire exchange, I stood to my feet, taking a stock take of the place around me. Door still shut. Note still missing. Phone signal still dead.

Through Cadence's huge sunglasses I could almost sense her eyes on me. She was sprawled out on a chair, the sun hitting her bikini-clad chest and the insides of her arms angled upwards. She'd always loved to tan, where I hid from the sun, my skin burning a lot easier than her Arizona complexion.

"You look like shit."

I gave her a sarcastic smile. "Thanks, Cadence."

We sat on the balcony, me beneath the shade and her with her feet propped on the bannister. I was fiddling with my camera, swapping in different lenses and testing the focus.

"Here you go, ladies." Elijah had stepped out from inside, a hot cup of coffee in each of his hands. Cadence and the others had arisen just after eleven. The morning had felt so long, my time spent fidgeting in the corner, the stress making my breakfast curdle in my stomach.

But, one of the few rules I strictly abided by in life was that I'd always be grateful for coffee.

"Thanks," I said quietly as I placed the mug on my armrest.

"James thinks he can climb up there." Elijah nodded to the roof above us.

"Bullshit," Cadence said, draping a hand daintily over her eyes.

"If he does, will you give him a kiss?" Elijah snickered.

Cadence scoffed. "A kiss is not something that can just be won."

"Sure it can!" That was Annie's voice from inside.

"No, it must be earned," Cadence declared elegantly.

"James!" Elijah called, his voice so loud I flinched.

"He's in the bathroom," Gabriel retorted. He'd been sitting in the seat closest to the front door, sifting through a pile of paper that had been stashed beneath the coffee table. Tourist guides. Maps.

"No, he's not," Lucas' voice called back from down the hall. "He's not with you guys?"

I frowned, standing up to walk inside. Gabriel and Annie were both on their feet, and I felt Elijah follow me in.

Immediately, we were scanning each room. The bathroom. The bedrooms. The kitchen.

"Did you find him?" Cadence sing-songed from the balcony.

None of us answered her. My gaze fixed to our blocked exit.

"I don't understand..." Annie muttered, moving to Lucas' side.

Elijah and Gabriel had returned down the hall to do another search, calling his name.

If none of us could get in or out... then where was he?