They were being watched.

Stella spoke up. Just two days ago, they had casually drawn back the curtains to peek at the outside world—and happened to see a group of people entering the community, searching for supplies or perhaps for people.

The intruders saw them too.

At first, the group had been polite, speaking softly, trying to coax Stella and the others into opening the door. But the girls were alert and cautious—and besides, they didn't even have the authority to open it. They couldn't ev