Beth's never kissed a girl before. Her first thought - after surprise, tensing at being grabbed, adrenaline kicking through her spine - is that it doesn't actually feel that different. No stubble, that's the only thing. Softer.

It wakes something in her, lays a spark to the kindling of whatever the hell they've been doing to her here with food and fear, all those warnings about monstrous changes. She takes hold of the girl's hand, fingers closing hard around it. "Wait."