I consider my attendance here a favor to Nick, who has gone out of his way to help me acclimate to this place and who has been nothing but kind to me, a man who by all rights likely appears to actually be losing his mind. I am here under duress, but even I have enough manners to keep my mouth shut and my misgivings mostly to myself.

I take a cup of coffee and sit down. I don't drink from the cup, just feel its warmth between my hands. It's another way to feel alive, to remind myself that this is real. Everything else is surreal, down to the fact that the only clothes I've been able to procure are a pair of pajamas. While a step up from the clothing I arrived in, they're covered in illustrations of monkeys eating bananas. Not exactly my preferred style.

I don't intend to speak; I don't trust my own words, first off, and I'd much rather observe everyone else's contributions. Everyone here seems so friendly, though, so it's only a matter of time until someone tries to engage me in conversation.