The hut had a metal door. Woody knocked three times but didn’t wait for an answer before entering. Max followed. The inside was spartan. There were three beds along each wall. At the end were two doors: one with a toilet sign, one with a shower sign. Each bed had a locker on one side, and three bare bulbs hung from the ceiling. There was a gentle drumming of sleet on the corrugated iron roof.

Five other boys were in the hut. Each of them was sitting on the edge of their bed, plainly exhausted. Four still wore their muddy camouflage gear. One, a black boy with short dreadlocks, had removed his top. He was muscular. His arms were covered in tattoos. He was chewing gum and, like the other four, stared silently at Max as Woody led him in. There wasn’t much friendliness in his stare.

‘OK, lads,’ Woody announced brightly, ‘we’ve got a new boy. This is Max. Make him feel at home, won’t you? Max, why don’t you bunk down here next to Lukas?’ He indicated the bed next to the black boy. Lukas made no attempt to greet him. He just stared as Max dumped his soggy rucksack on the bed.

‘You’ll find clean clothes in the locker,’ Woody told him. ‘Make yourself at home. Dinner in the house in fifteen minutes.’

Woody turned and left the hut.

Max looked around. On the bed next to Lukas was a tall thin boy with floppy blond hair. On the beds along the opposite wall were two thickset boys with brown hair who looked almost as if they could be twins. Next to them was a very slight young man with short black hair, brown eyes and slightly dark skin. He didn’t quite look Middle Eastern, but he didn’t look British either. He looked a lot less physically strong than the others and his camouflage gear seemed too big for him. There was something about his face, though, that made Max look twice. Although he was young, his eyes seemed older than his years. Max had the impression that he had seen many things, not all of them good.

They were all still staring at him. Max raised an awkward hand. ‘Hi,’ he said. When nobody replied he added: ‘Er, good to meet you.’

‘Just stay out of my space,’ Lukas said. Max noticed that he had an American accent. Lukas didn’t wait for an answer. He lay back on his bed and closed his eyes.

‘Right,’ Max breathed. ‘Thanks for the welcome.’ He looked round at the others. The blond boy and the two thickset boys were going about their business. One of them walked to the shower. The others started removing their camouflage jackets. Only the smaller guy was still staring at Max. More than anyone else, he seemed out of place here.