Another Tuesday dinner, her first in three weeks. This one wasn’t so bad. Just her and Avril, alone for the first time in over a year, and her brother had obviously had a word with their mum. There wasn’t much conversation, but there was no confrontation, just a nice companionable silence. It was neither Sammi’s nor Avril’s way to pick at a scab unnecessarily. They watched telly for much longer than they normally would, and Sammi did the washing-up, and they did not mention their fight. In the bathroom, just before she got her coat, Sammi paused for a little ritual she’d always liked since leaving home – sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of Avril’s fastidiously arranged bathroom cabinet, its rows of plastic-wrapped guest soaps shaped like roses, its clean stores of toothpaste, moisturizers and sanitary towels. Avril liked to plan ahead, never ran out of anything. Then Sammi looked again at the sanitary towels and realized she hadn’t had a period for about three months.

She didn’t really notice herself getting back to the squat, she’d been so preoccupied. As soon as she’d allowed herself to think of the possibility, she knew it to be true. Yes, her body seemed to be saying. That’s right. Caught on at last, have you?

She wondered what Mark would say, whether there was any point in telling him without a test to back herself up. She needed to share the weight of it, that was for sure. But the squat seemed empty when she got there – no lights on, no sign of Xanthe and Dido in the sleeping space. She braved it to take herself up to the roof, found Gaz sitting there by himself in a cloud of smoke, red-eyed.

‘You all right? This place is like a ghost town tonight.’

‘Aight, Sammi. They’ve all gone down to the Maccy D’s site, ain’t they. Giancarlo and Mark’s idea. They’re breaking in – Giancarlo getting all excited about destruction of something or other. I just told them I ain’t up for it, and him and Mark got right up in my face, pair of fucks.’

‘Bloody hell. Why they always pull this shit on a Tuesday? It’s like they deliberately don’t want me involved or something.’

‘Dunno. Take it up with your boy. They’ve been planning this one for a while far as I know.’

‘And where’s Xanthe and the kid? They’ve not taken Dido down there?’