“But-but I can’t find Andrew.” Leanne shook her head. Her hair was sticking to her wet cheeks. Mucus ran from her nose. She wanted to wipe it away, but she didn’t want to take her hands out of Grace’s. “He went to hide, but after the game ended, I didn’t see him for the rest of the day, and now, today, he wasn’t at breakfast, either. What if he’s still lost? What if he’s stuck somewhere and can’t get out?”

“Well now, that’s something I’ll take care of.” Her voice was comforting, full of quiet certainty. “He won’t have just disappeared. I’ll find him. Here.”

Grace slipped something small and gem-green out of her pocket. Cellophane crinkled as she placed the sweet in Leanne’s hand.

“A little treat.” Grace’s thumb brushed over Leanne’s cheek, wiping away the moisture. “Don’t tell Patience I gave it to you, though, all right? It will be our secret.”

“Promise.”

“Good girl. Now, go and wash your face. Your class will be starting soon. I want you to be very brave and try not to worry. I’ll take care of it all.”

As Leanne climbed the stairs towards the bathroom, she glanced back at Grace. The woman stared into the distance. Strands of delicate golden hair caught the light, making her seem to almost glow. Her words had been comforting. But now that she thought Leanne was no longer watching, she had let her smile fall. A worried crease ran between her eyes.

Leanne stopped, her hand resting on the wall at the top of the stairs. She’d forgotten all about that day. She frowned, staring into the dusty gloom ahead, trying to recall the aftermath, whether Andrew had been found. Leanne could picture his face, pinched and gap-toothed, but she didn’t remember seeing him again after that game of hide-and-seek.

Cold prickles ran across her back. She lifted the torch and used it to disperse some of the darkness. The hall went on seemingly forever, doors recessed into each side. She recognised them. The classrooms.

After breakfast, they’d always gone to study. The children were divided by age, eight or ten to a room, and Grace went between them, passing out old, tattered books and instructing them on which passages to read.

Leanne and Henry were twins and allowed to sit next to each other. They would pull their seats close, sharing a book. Leanne turned the pages since Henry was the faster reader.

They were left alone for long stretches of a time in those classrooms. They always worked dutifully and silently. Not because they wanted to, but because the doors were left open, and Patience walked the hallway.