‘I clearly requested pink, not orange,’ Anastacia mumbled to herself as she laid out the tiered cake tray and teacups, indicating to Ellie and Lottie where to place each item while continuing her rant. ‘Everyone in the whole world knows pink and yellow are the twins’ favourite colours. I mean, what kind of idiot confuses orange with pink?’

‘Ani, they’re going to appreciate it regardless.’ Saskia wrapped a supportive arm round her girlfriend, before laying out the remaining teacups on the round oak table.

‘I just wish … you know …’ Anastacia’s mouth quickly zipped shut when she met Lottie’s gaze.

Lottie did know, they all did, that Haru’s rules meant they had to stay within the school grounds. None of them could so much as offer to attend Alfred’s funeral or ask the twins if they needed help at home, and they couldn’t risk dragging them into this situation with Haru and Leviathan when they were already going through so much.

‘I just want to see them happy again,’ Anastacia continued, winding and unwinding a strand of mahogany hair round her finger.

‘Ani, the most important thing is that everyone’s safe – and, besides, we also made a gift for them,’ Lottie said, grabbing a cloth-covered canvas by the table and holding it up, but her attempt to add a positive spin was only met with blank stares.

‘Yeah, safe,’ Ellie mumbled drily, and there was something sharp in her tone, like she was coughing up needles. ‘Everyone is so safe.’

Lottie chose to ignore the remark. A degree of unpleasantness had continued to linger since their argument the week before, and if Lottie thought about it too much she’d have to think of that postcard from her dad again.

Seeming to know exactly where Lottie’s thoughts were going, Ellie exhaled sharply.

The door squeaked open in a welcome distraction, revealing Jamie and Raphael with a gaudy candyfloss-coloured collection of party hats and decorations, which to anyone else would have seemed wildly inappropriate, considering the circumstances, but made perfect sense for the twins.

‘Percy and Binah are going to be here with the twins in ten minutes,’ Jamie relayed, already setting up a welcome sign.

There was something distinctly odd about watching Jamie, dressed in a black shirt and trousers, with all the gloomy concern of an Edvard Munch painting, meticulously putting up bright decorations covered in glitter. The two things were so at odds that Lottie stared at him until Raphael came over and shoved a party popper in her hand.

‘Set this off when they come in the room.’

‘Five minutes,’ Jamie announced, stepping down to take his place round the table.