I cross my fingers, hoping he’ll get in trouble.

‘Sorry, sir,’ Matty responds, shooting him a winning smile. ‘I was just asking Jonnie a question about the work.’

‘That’s OK,’ Mr Mitchell says, softening like butter. ‘Just make sure you come to me next time.’ He turns away and my jaw drops. I can’t believe he fell for that!

Matty returns to his seat and shows David another one of his victims.

I feel angry, my insides burning, but on the outside all I do is freeze, because I’m a massive coward. So instead, I get revenge the only way I know how. I imagine Matty and Jonnie as wizards in Fairy Hunters, and I’m the most powerful fairy around. I use all my best spells and defeat them both. I start with a stun, followed by fairy-dust blast, and finally transform them both into weasels. By the end of the lesson I’m almost smiling.

But sometimes I wish I could be as brave in the real world as I am in my games.

When I get home from school Dad’s already back from work. I can smell cooking and my nose follows it to the kitchen, like Hansel and Gretel and the breadcrumb trail.

I burst out laughing when I see Dad.

‘Why are you wearing a flowery pink-and-green apron?’ I ask.

Dad turns to me. ‘I don’t want to get any sauce on my shirt,’ he explains. ‘And anyway, what’s wrong with my apron?’

‘Nothing,’ I say with a shrug.

‘By the way,’ Dad says as I take a seat at the kitchen table, ‘what have you done with the cats?’

‘What?’ I imagine for a moment that all the cats in the world have disappeared, and Dad is blaming me for it.

‘Treats . . .’ Dad says, which doesn’t really explain what he means, but I understand.

‘Oh, I . . .’ I don’t really know how to explain this.

Dad stirs the sauce and pasta, and sits down across from me. ‘Is it because of your mum?’

My insides turn to dust. He must know about the dreams.

I don’t want him to for some reason . . . I like that it’s just between Mum and me.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I say confidently. On TV whenever the police questions anyone, they always deny it. So that’s what I plan to do.

‘Did I ever tell you the story behind them?’

I frown. Now I’m confused. ‘About what?’

‘The cats.’ Dad sighs, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.