“You wouldn’t think anything like that would happen here,” Crystal said. “You hear about fights outside pubs and the chipper and that, but not people being mugged. It makes you realise that nowhere’s safe, doesn’t it?”

“You should probably take up self-defence,” Valkyrie said, turning the pram round and heading for home.

“Or you could just teach us magic,” Carol suggested.

Valkyrie shook her head. “We’ve been over this…”

“Are you going to teach Alice magic?” Carol asked.

“Uh, no. I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so? So you might?”

“Well, no, I mean, I don’t want to. I want her to be normal.”

“But there’s still the possibility that you might?”

“I… I suppose…”

“Then we think it’s unfair that you won’t teach us.”

Valkyrie sighed. “Yeah, I know, but—”

“Teach us for, like, just a few hours this afternoon. If we can’t do any tricks by the end, then at least we’ll know that we tried.”

“They’re not called tricks, Carol.”

“Illusions, sorry.”

Crystal nudged her sister. “That’s on stage. When Valkyrie does it, it’s called magic. So? Will you teach us? A few hours?”

Ordinarily, Valkyrie would have said no, but she needed something to fill in the time that had suddenly expanded all around her. She sighed again. “Fine. A few hours.”

The twins broke into the biggest smiles she’d ever seen them wear.

“Can Fletcher come?” Carol asked.

“Uh, Fletcher and I broke up.”

“Oh that’s awful. Did he dump you?”

“No, we just broke up.”

“Is he seeing anyone else?”

“I wouldn’t expect so.”

“Can I have his number?”

“I think he wants to be left alone.”

“Why did he dump you?”

“He didn’t—”

“Did he think you were too immature?”

“He never mentioned—”

“How long did it take you to get over it?”

“Um, I’m not sure what…”

“When did it happen?”

“Three hours ago.”

They stared at her.

“You’re so brave,” Carol said.

“Did you cry?” asked Crystal. “If you want to cry in front of us, you can.”

“Thanks,” Valkyrie said, “but I think I’m fine now. I’ll meet you down on the beach in half an hour, OK?”

“Will we need anything?” Carol asked.

“Just your wits.”

They looked confused.

Half an hour later, Alice was back home and Valkyrie was standing with her cousins at the far end of the beach, where the sand gave way to hard pebbles. They were alone here, tucked away in the corner. Carol and Crystal looked at her eagerly.

“Elemental magic is influence over air, fire, water and earth,” Valkyrie said. “The first one we’re going to look at is air, and with this, the main thing to keep in mind is that everything is connected. It all interlocks. There’s a, a kind of fault line between spaces, and once you find the pressure point, you push.”