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Chapters (61)
  1. COVER
  2. About the Author
  3. Books by Emily Barr
  4. DEDICATION
  5. Prologue
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. Epilogue
  58. Acknowledgements
  59. Read on for an extract from …
  60. 12 December
  61. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

‘Yes! Thank you! Leo Chatterjee. I live in Par and I worked in conservation up at Lanhydrock. I always took the train here and walked up – it’s about half an hour and beautiful. I never bother to go to work any more, since I figured this out. I just wait around the station or walk in the woods. I call in sick first thing. But when I used to live the day normally I’d come here on the train and go to work, and then I’d be heading back to catch the train home, and then, no matter what I’ve been doing, at five forty it all stops. And I wake up again back in my bed at home. Get her to look me up and come back and tell me! Promise?’

I find I like him more. We have to take our allies where we find them.

Leo’s eyes are wild. I wonder what happened to him. It seems unlikely to me that someone pushed him under a train. It would be hard to do that at a station, where the trains move really slowly. A level crossing would be better. A bridge.

I shake myself. That’s not a good way to think.

We mess around in the forest for a bit. I find myself building a fort out of branches, and then sitting inside it. Leo’s nervous energy is infectious. By the time I catch the train back to Exeter I’m feeling quite different. I kind of like him. I like what he does.

‘I’ll come back soon,’ I tell him.

‘Please do.’ For a moment he looks desperate, and I see that everything else he does is to hold that at bay. ‘Please. Don’t give me hope and then never come back. Please don’t. Get her to look me up. If she’s real. Leo Chatterjee. Double “e” on the end.’

Penguin walking logo

33

We found two seats facing forward as Izzy got travel-sick otherwise, and settled in. I’d brought a sensible packed lunch at Sasha’s insistence, even though she thought we were just going to Exeter for the day. Izzy, on the other hand, had a tote bag filled with crisps, sweets and cans of drink. She got it all out on the flip-down table in front of her, even though it was nine in the morning, opened a Twix and handed me one finger.

‘Go on then,’ I said through a mouthful of chocolate. ‘Tell.’

I was relieved to see that it was going to be something good. She was glowing. She turned towards me, bit off some biscuit from the bottom of the Twix and grinned. She was wearing a pink cardigan over a white T-shirt. She looked adorable.

‘I met someone,’ she said.

‘Seriously? Who?’