"My friend at home had a natural version, but I was always so put off by his cult that I deliberately tried to never learn about any of it," he says, kicking himself, because if he'd only paid attention to Amy and to Simon more than he had, he might not be in this situation. "You're very nice," he says. "Especially if you've had contact with people like me before. I know this isn't easy. I'm sort of used to seeing the fear and hate in people's eyes. Even when they're being nice."

"I appreciate it, I really do," Kieren insists.