She took them, dazed. This morning they had had little hope of getting off the island. Now, they were very nearly on the boat. It was happening too quickly. But, she reminded herself again: this was Rory. The man who had put himself at risk trying to warn her about all of this in the first place.

This was Rory.

But there was also Kyle.

‘It should be Ethan first,’ Thea said, passing the headphones back to Kyle. ‘I’m not hallucinating yet.’

She thought she saw a fleeting look of annoyance cross Kyle’s face.

‘No,’ came Ethan’s voice. ‘If we’re rushed for time, it should be Thea first. I might have damaged mine by trying to get them off.’

‘Quite so.’ Kyle snapped the empty box shut and the noise made Thea jump. ‘So, Thea?’

He was right. It took seconds. He put the headphone disc-removing whatsit on her head, left it for under a minute and, when they slid off, the discs came with them. He showed them to her. She touched the spots where they had been on her temples, not sure what she was expecting to feel. There was just smooth skin.

Ethan jumped down off the counter. Kyle stared at the headphones in his hand, smoothing the metal with one finger and then looked up at Ethan, with an expression Thea couldn’t read. She touched her temples again, marvelling at the soft skin under her fingers.

‘Me next?’ Ethan asked.

Kyle opened out the headphones.

‘It’s been a long couple of days, right, buddy?’ he said to Ethan, in a clear and confident voice. ‘A strain on everyone. Let’s get this sorted.’

Rory glanced at Thea with a frown and fidgeted. ‘Kyle? I—’

‘Not now, Rory.’

Ethan came and sat cross-legged by Kyle, his Action Ken knees clicking again.

‘Okay?’ Kyle adjusted the headband.

‘Okay.’

Thea took Ethan’s hand. ‘Wait!’ She turned to Kyle. ‘You’ve checked it, right? Because he might have damaged the discs when he tried to remove them on his own.’

‘Yeah, Kyle … I think—’ Rory began to shuffle closer to Kyle, reaching out for the headphones.

‘The discs are fine. He’s done more damage to himself, by the looks of it.’

Ethan laughed a little and Thea realized his laugh was lovely and she hadn’t had enough time to hear it.

‘Thea!’ Rory’s eyes widened and he lunged for the headphones, but he was too slow.

Kyle placed them onto Ethan’s head.

Chapter 38

Too late.

Too late Thea reached for the headphones on Ethan’s head, some sixth sense moving her hand.

Too late because Ethan’s smile disappeared and then it all happened so fast she wasn’t able to move quickly enough. The veins in his temple and neck bulged, even his eyes bulged, the capillaries in them bursting as froth started to form on his lips.

Only then did Thea manage to knock the headphones off.