Luke Ellis woke from a nap to the supper bell and went to the canteen, confirming that the others had not lied about the amenities: a vintage cigarette machine, coin-operated mini liquor bottles, and a free Coke cooler alongside token snacks. Nicky Wilholm greeted Luke with roughhousing and jokes, lifting his mood, and the group—Kalisha Benson, Iris Stanhope, and George Iles—gathered at their usual table.

Luke observed that soft drinks were free while alcohol, cigarettes, and snacks cost tokens; he noticed the pricey Hi Boy Brownies, which Iris and George confirmed were marijuana edibles, though George said they gave him a rash. The group ordered food, and Luke silently wondered about the odd menu labeling.

The conversation turned to their pasts—regular schools and favorite shows—briefly grounding them in normalcy. Luke saw Iris crying softly; Iris explained she had not had injections that day but had endured an “ass-temp,” the Institute’s practice of taking rectal temperatures. George and Kalisha confirmed the procedure was routine, humiliating, and inexplicably old-fashioned.

As Nicky offered to get coffee, a new girl appeared at the doorway. She wore jeans and a sleeveless top, with short, spiky hair dyed green on one side and bluish-purple on the other. Despite the punk hairstyle, she looked young and lost. She asked where she was and what the place was, and Nicky invited her to join them.

The newcomer, still wary and not hungry, demanded to know how to get out, bluntly asking, “Who do I have to blow to get out of here?” The scene closed with the group meeting her and learning her name: Helen Simms.