A few children remained asleep. Despite the slowly increasing intensity of the chatter around them, some lay motionless on their respective mattresses. Dark shapes, some curled in a fetal position, others sprawled, legs and arms akimbo, across their make-shift beds. Perhaps they were not still asleep, Tracy thought. Perhaps they were awake but didn’t want to be awake. Perhaps by keeping their eyes tightly close and laying still and silent, the true predicament they faced would simply disappear and their tiny, developing minds would not have to grapple with the awful reality of their situation.
Occasionally, one, or two of the children would get up from their mattress and shuffle into the room next door. Predominately, they went in pairs. One would wait just outside the door while his, or
