‘How could he have? He must have been just a boy then—or a teenager at most. And anyway, I just told you they wouldn’t have taken him in if it had been anything like that. Look, forget it, will you? Just stay away from him as much as you can.’

‘You don’t need to tell me twice. He scares me.’

‘He scares everybody.’

‘C’mon!’ Theo yelled. ‘Everyone’s gone!’

Albert looked at June curiously. ‘But if even your people are scared of him, why do they keep him around?’

‘Because they’re too scared to tell him to leave.’

And she turned and walked towards the others.

They emerged into yet another tunnel, although the terrain here was vastly different from what they had been traversing thus far. The earth under their feet was smooth, almost paved, as was the wall on their left—the only wall, as a matter of fact. The one on the left had tapered down till it resembled nothing more than a huge, upturned lip. Against it they walked in groups of two, with Marcus at the head. Albert found himself walking next to June again and, though they walked in silence, he caught her glancing at him every so often.

‘Well, this isn’t so tough, is it?’ he said, smiling at her. ‘Maybe Mr Sunshine there was having a bit of fun, after all.’

‘That’d be a first,’ she said. Then she hesitated. ‘Look, perhaps I shouldn’t have been so quick to warn you against Marcus. To be fair, he’s had his own share of troubles. I believe he had a rough childhood, although I don’t really know anything about it, and even within the camp he’s had difficulties—people treating him badly—although no one ever says anything to him directly.’

‘What do you mean, treating him badly?’

‘You know, the things people do. Treating him like an outcast, whispering behind his back, that sort of thing. And there was his trouble with the Council, too.’

‘What sort of trouble?’

‘Just trouble. Do we really have to get into it?’

‘You started it.’

‘Look, I don’t really know all the details, but there was some sort of incident involving Marcus right after we got there. It wasn’t anything major, I’m sure, because even Ollie didn’t know much about it, but at the time the Council wanted to exile Marcus. Only Robert, Theo’s grandfather, he wouldn’t hear of it. He convinced the Council to let Marcus stay. And he stayed, ever since, although he keeps to himself as much as he can. And nobody really goes up to him.’

Albert looked at her. ‘Well, that’s a surprise.’

‘Look, I don’t want to prejudice you against him. He might be odd—’

‘Odd? Odd isn’t the word I’d use.’