We’re yelling into each other’s faces and neither of us is backing down. I can see the need to hit me climb into his eyes. I stay high on my anger and thrust my chin up.

‘Gorn then. Do it. It’ll be the last thing you ever do.’

‘Gonna run to ya mob?’

‘I won’t ave ta.’ I drop my voice and lean in. ‘Somethin been creepin round your place, Troy?’

His face loses all colour and he stops dead. I’m not even thinking, just hitting the sore points he’d shown me the other night.

‘Somethin’s been creepin round our place. Like it’s lookin for somethin?’

He takes a step back and I follow. I want to chuck the plate I hold at his head, and I would’ve if it wasn’t one of Nan’s.

‘Whaddya do?’ I demand. ‘Whaddya drag my sister into?’

‘It wasn’t supposed to be anything. It’s not supposed to be real.’

‘But it is and ya got my sister mixed up in it. How could ya do that?’

He flinches like I’ve hit him and I see a sheen in his eyes that shocks me.

‘It was a accident.’ His eyes focus on mine and I see the deepest terror coiling inside him. ‘Mum said if it was out of the house it’d be better. I didn’t mean for them to go after her. I thought if I gave it to Laney they’d leave me alone long enough to go back to Potters’ and figure out what ta do. I just wanted em to leave me alone.’

My anger flies away like burnt paper and I see Troy for the first time. Not as Edna’s boy or Laney’s man or even one of his mob, but a scared boy. I recognise that fear, I’d felt it. He’d given her something, and it clicked with the dream last night.

‘The present you gave to er? What was it? Where’d she put it?’

Looking like I’d pulled a weapon, he sprints back around to the driver’s seat and I see my last rational chance of finding Laney run with him.

‘Where is my sister?’ I scream as he takes off at high speed. He leaves me crying on the side of the road. Begging.

I hold the fear and pain back, swallow it down like Pop had done.

Rational be damned. I’ll try anything to find Laney now. Troy might be useless but he’d confirmed giving Laney something. Mad May said I had to search the house and I am starting to think I need to be looking for a necklace of some kind. I don’t want to think about what I’ll do if I find it.

I get home and found a note on the table waiting for me.

DO NOT LEAVE THIS HOUSE STACEY THOMSON!