He smelled the pastries she had been making all morning. Sometimes she bought them from the bakery in Xylotymbou, but he preferred her home-made ones. She’d made boureki, and his stomach rumbled. He looked out of his bedroom window and gazed at the ocean. It was deep azure, and he could see boats and bathers enjoying the June sunshine. Below the window a car pulled up and stay parked for a few minutes. It had a British plate. Two white men sat in the front; they seemed to be having a heated conversation. One of them looked directly at Alex’s window, and he darted behind the shutter, banging his head. It stung and he rubbed it. His room was dark, and outside the sun glared, so they probably hadn’t seen him. He thought about his mother and ran downstairs to the kitchen. The back door was wide open. He slammed it shut and locked it, grabbing his mother’s arm.

‘Alex!’

‘Shh!’

She continued to complain, but he forced her into the living room and sat her on the sofa, shushing her once more. He went to the downstairs shutters, which his mother kept closed at this time of the year to keep the house cool, and peered through them. The car was still there and the two men were pointing at the house. Then suddenly there was a squeal of tyres and they pulled away. Alex’s head screamed with fear. He explained to his mother that she had no choice but to come with him. She became upset. He apologised but was just as firm, but she refused to leave.

He swore loudly in English so she couldn’t understand, then reverted to his native tongue to try again. He told her they were in danger. He told her that some men knew he was here and wanted to kill him. That did the trick. She said she needed to pack and he gave her five minutes. If the pair in the car had been checking the location, it probably meant they’d come back at night.

Since he’d been on the island, Alex hadn’t shaved, and now he grabbed a baseball cap, plopping it onto his head, as well as taking sunglasses, and a bandana for round his neck. His mother fussed around and she could hear her on the phone. He groaned inwardly and wished he’d never come here in the first place. He turned off all the electrical sockets, except the fridge, and checked that the windows were secure. He’d leave the back door unlocked so that when they came back they would cause no damage. It would be clear that no one was home.