“Oh that.” Shelley recalled the conversation, but hadn’t thought much of it.

Rick reached into his draw and pulled out a notepad. “The girl’s mother has agreed to talk to us. She thinks it’s for a heart-warming piece for the supplement, but we really want to know what went down at the ozzy. That’s our story.” He scribbled on the pad and slid it across the desk. “Here’s the address, the mother can see you Thursday at three. Hang on.” Rick motioned to Shelley to hand the pad back. He wrote another name on it. “And see if you can talk to this nurse beforehand, she was on shift the night in question.”

Shelley folded the paper. “Will the girl be home?”

“Can’t say love. She’s only just come out of her coma.”

7

Tomas knew it would almost certainly be a waste of time, but he had to try. If, by the remotest chance, Sky actually existed, he had to find her. And the best place to look, would be the internet. But where? The forums Tomas belonged to, seemed to be exclusively for young, male geeks. He sat, spinning on his chair, waiting for his ancient computer to load. He listened to what sounded like tiny machine guns exchanging fire, as two armies battled for supremacy of his hard drive.

Finally, it came to life, and after a few minutes searching, he found a network that looked promising. All the time, a voice in his head told him she didn’t exist. But the dream had seemed so real, and if so, she was in trouble. And besides, what else would he do with his time, apart from playing characters in games that weren’t real either. He signed up for a free account.

A photo. He needed a photo for his profile picture, but which one? It had been a while since anyone had pointed a camera in his direction. He jumped up, waking Fudge out of his slumber. Tomas searched frantically for the camera, he knew to be somewhere in his bedroom, and finally found it under his bed. He turned it on and checked the battery indicator. Hopefully, there would be enough for a few shots. Tomas held up the camera at an angle he thought would be the most flattering, and paused. What would be best? Should he smile, or look thoughtful? He decided on the smile, and pressed the button. The flash going off so close to his face, blinded him and it took a few seconds, before he could see the image on the screen. It looked terrible - out of focus, too bright, and he could just make out the faintest of features, although his acne showed up well.