His dad had told him that he could easily do what he did, but Callum wanted to travel. He didn’t have the heart to tell his dad that being a ranger for English Heritage and rescuing the odd sheep wasn’t enough. He didn’t want to let his parents down, and he respected what his dad did, but he wanted more. They left the Lake District rarely, and this year, again, his parents had explained that they couldn’t afford to go on a proper holiday; it hurt keenly. He was ashamed. His friends went to Greece and Croatia on all-inclusive getaways. Several of them flaunted their tanned skin on the first day of term, attracting the girls. His pale white skin was a source of embarrassment. Then he remembered the girl’s skin: it was like porcelain and he wanted to touch it. Some of the girls in his year were tanned and it didn’t compare.

As soon as he had his A-Levels, he’d have to break it to his parents that he was off: out of Cumbria, wherever the road took him; he was gone. The bus stopped behind traffic and he gazed out of the window at the great peak of Blencathra. He’d seen it a thousand times before. This morning, though, he couldn’t help searching the countryside for the girl. She could be anywhere. She could be dead from exposure. If she left the hospital because she wanted to, then she could also be at home, cosy and warm and safe. He hoped she was.

His mind turned to another girl. He’d seen her at the climbing wall. It was brief, but enough to grab his attention. She didn’t look like any of the other girls that he was friendly with at school: they were like a tribe; all wearing the same kit, all sporting the same look, all talking in the same urban accent learned from YouTube. She was different, and she stood out. She hadn’t learned her style from Instagram.

He’d stared at her and been reluctant to climb in front of her, then he’d realised that she was a beginner too. As his session ended, he’d decided there and then that he wanted to join the club. His mother was thrilled: another hobby! How active her children were! Whatever.

He hadn’t had the courage to ask her name or where she went to school, but he definitely saw her looking at him. There was a taster session on tonight for beginners, after school, and he’d overheard her signing up for it too.

Chapter 14

Sometimes, children grow up seemingly unaffected by the events around them. It’s rare, of course: children are barometers of their environments. However, at times, occasionally, when no one expects it, the child learns a parallel way of life, alongside the standard one that everyone sees.

Or so the girl had read in a book somewhere.