The pull of her, like there’d been with Nicks. But she seemed real enough. She gave a swift, breathless lowdown on the narrative of the Christmas musical, singing part of a song before rattling into something about snowflakes and geometry. She seemed to know how the world worked, unlike Nicks, who’d been elusive, old-fashioned.

‘When’s your birthday?’ she was saying now.

‘February.’

‘Mine’s in sixteen days. On New Year’s Eve. So I’m turning nine on the biggest day of the world, ever. Well, since ten – no, nine ninety-nine, but I bet they didn’t have parties then. I’m getting a pink mermaid cake. Do you think mermaids like cake?’

‘They love it.’

‘No, they don’t. That was a trick question. You can’t eat cake under the sea, it would go too soggy. How do mermaids make babies?’

‘Are you telling me a joke?’

‘No. I’m asking.’

Definitely not going there. ‘Beats me.’

She screwed up her nose. ‘Because, you know, they’re all fishy on their bottom half. How do fish make babies?’

Not going there, either. ‘Better go and find out.’

She gave a little hum and started wandering back towards the car park.

Matty walked just behind her. ‘So who are these bullies, then?’

Sheanna stopped and looked at her nails, a pretence at an adult action. ‘Just these two girls.’

‘What girls?’

‘In my class.’

‘OK. What are they doing? Are they hurting you?’

She shook her head. ‘Yesterday they rolled my sleeve up and said they were going to cut away the dark bits with craft scissors, and if that didn’t work, with a big knife. The other week they coloured a bit of me in with board pen.’

Matty looked outwards. ‘Who’s your teacher?’

‘Miss Leonard.’ Not Brigid, then. That made sense. Sheanna was too young to be in her class.

‘Have you told her about it?’

‘No.’

‘You told your parents?’

‘No. They’re busy.’ Her voice had shrunk, lacked shine.

‘OK. Do you want someone to do something about it?’

Sheanna slid over a look. Nodded.

***

Cormac did his running circuit from the house again, coming back panting into the living room, where Matty had music on. It was colder than last time and his cheeks and knees looked slapped.

‘Is she not back?’ he said.

Wouldn’t he have known that? ‘Got Christmas stuff. Concert or something.’

He nodded. Tapped his fingers on his thighs. ‘D’you want a cup of tea?’

Hard to say no. ‘OK.’ Matty could see him wander down the corridor after putting the kettle on, taking the briefest look into the single room. Yes, I am fucking sleeping with her, Matty felt like saying. No, I don’t really want to be.