The spit ball splats on the underside of the chair, and as I hit the deck behind the coffee table, I can literally hear it sizzling.

‘You OK, Ade?’ I call.

‘Gucci,’ her voice calls back.

‘Sit tight for now, and holler if you need anything,’ I say. I could really use her help right now, but if I talk loud enough for her to hear me, Chets will too. God, I miss texting.

She sighs, but I know she understands. ‘OK. Shout me when you’re ready.’

So I’m crouching behind a coffee table with Karim, Kat and Mak. Trent is just behind us, holding a cushion over his head like an umbrella, 231 and trying to squash in between us so that he has the safest spot. The bonus of being behind the coffee table is that Chets can’t see us, so if we’re careful we can whisper without being heard.

‘Any ideas, Mak?’ I say.

He nods. ‘Under the rug, there’s a hatch to the bunker. If we can get down there, we’ll have everything we need and it’s totally bug proof.’

‘Won’t we be stuck down there, though?’ I say.

He shakes his head. ‘Secret exit.’

‘Perfect.’

‘If it’s bug proof and has everything you need, why would you want to get out?’ Trent says in his ‘whispering’ voice which is more like a bellowing cow. None of us even bother to shush him because there’s honestly no point. I peek around the side of the table to see that Chets hasn’t moved from his prime spot between the door and the entrance to the Tail. He hacks out another spit ball that I only just avoid. It flies past the place where my face was and splatters onto the floor.

‘We’d better move fast,’ I say. ‘I’ll distract Chets while you get the hatch open, Mak. Kat should climb down first cos she’s fastest. Karim, you grab Ade and get yourselves down.’ 232

‘Can’t I distract Chets and you get Ade?’ Karim says, glancing across at the chair. ‘I have an idea.’

‘Chets is dangerous,’ I say, cos I don’t want Karim to risk himself. I feel like I dragged him into this situation and I’d never forgive myself if something happened to him.

‘So is Ade,’ Karim grimaces. ‘Trust me, Lance. I can do this. You help Mak with the hatch.’

One of the most important things I learnt at Crater Lake is that you have to let people make their own choices. Everyone deserves a chance to be brave and to contribute, and if you allow people that chance, they’ll most likely exceed expectations. It’s about respect and trust.

‘Alright,’ I say. ‘But be careful – he’s a sharp shooter with those spit balls.’