Mr Marshall’s hand tightens around the handle of his mug. Connor touches his throat – he can almost feel the man’s hands there. He wouldn’t blame him. Still Mr Marshall doesn’t talk. He is waiting, waiting for Connor to get to the point. And at last he does.

It was the final evening of the residential. Next to Connor, Hailey’s thigh pressed against his under the table. She speared one of his chips with his fork and he rolled his eyes although he wasn’t annoyed.

‘Stop ordering salad and nicking my chips.’

‘The only thing I want to steal is your heart.’ Hailey fluttered her lashes.

‘Gross. Get a room.’ Tyler mimed sticking his fingers down his throat.

‘Speaking of rooms…’ Connor glanced around the room, placing the teachers. ‘We wouldn’t mind the dorm to ourselves for a bit tonight.’ Now they’d all completed their dares, Connor wanted the final night to be just him and Hailey.

‘How long did you want the room for? Five minutes okay? Or didn’t you want to do it twice?’ Tyler gave a cartoon waggle of his eyebrows.

Connor placed his hand on Hailey’s knee and gave it a squeeze that said ‘sorry my mate is a dick’ and in return she placed her hand over his and pressed a ‘that’s why he’s no hope of ever getting laid’ into his fingers.

‘Anyway, it’s our last night,’ Tyler said. ‘Hailey’s turn.’

‘Hailey’s turn for… no! Not after last night. We could both have drowned. Don’t be a prick, Tyler.’

‘I’m not! She’s an honorary member of our little gang—’

‘We’re not a gang. You make us sound about six. Or the Mafia. She—’

‘Can you stop talking about me as though I’m not here. I’ll do your stupid dare and then you let us have the room. Deal?’

‘Deal.’ Tyler shook her hand.

Already Connor felt uneasy, a sense of foreboding looming.

The inky sky was popping with stars, the moon casting enough light to see the entrance of the cave gaping its carnivorous jaws wide. Connor stared into the blackness.

‘So, how do you fancy being underground without a light?’ Tyler asked.

‘No fucking way.’ Connor yanked Hailey’s hand.

‘You haven’t even heard the rest yet!’ Tyler said.

‘She’s not doing it.’

‘Enough with the “she”.’ Hailey pulled away from Connor. ‘I can make up my own mind.’

‘I don’t like this either,’ Ryan said. ‘There’s one hundred and twenty metres of tunnel down there. Doing something for the buzz is one thing but this is reckless, Tyler.’

‘It isn’t. I don’t expect Hailey to wander through the caves alone.’ He turned to Hailey. ‘Your challenge, my lady, if you choose to accept it, is for us to lower you down on a rope, without a head torch. After fifteen minutes we bring you back up.’