‘Look at us all,’ Rosie gestured to the other clients coming out of the hall. ‘So, you have now officially joined The Desperados, the worst-dressed bunch of people ever – with added head jewellery!’ She tapped at her disc. Around hers she’d drawn a heart. ‘I would ask you what you’re doing later, y’know, small talk – but we all know that this afternoon will be another round of torture in the gym and more prodding by the lab nerds.’

‘Did someone say lab nerd?’ Rory appeared so suddenly at Rosie’s side she jumped and lost another pencil from her hair. ‘I do like to appear when summoned.’

Thea laughed and stopped Rosie’s pencil from rolling away with her foot. ‘Rosie, this is Rory. He works here.’

‘And obviously by lab nerd, I meant highly intelligent and well-respected member of staff, yeah?’ She regrouped, grabbed the pencil and twirled it as if it was a mini baton.

‘Ah, I’m okay with nerd, don’t worry.’ He surreptitiously slid a chocolate bar out of the inside pocket of his white coat and passed it to Thea, looking around to see who was watching in an exaggerated way, whilst she slid it up her sleeve. ‘See ya later. Got to practise my prodding.’

Rosie snorted.

‘No! Wait!’ Rory backed away. ‘That came out wrong. Let’s all just believe I said something witty and cool, yeah?’ And he walked off.

Rosie raised her eyebrows meaningfully at Thea. ‘Well, I see you’ve already been busy making a friend.’

‘Do you want some of the chocolate or not?’

Rosie began to sing quietly, ‘Thea and Rory sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N—’

But she never got to G because Thea flicked the pencil out of her fingers and they both headed towards the doorway, laughing.

Perhaps this would work, Thea thought, as she walked through the double doors, arm safely linked in Rosie’s, Rory’s chocolate bar nestled against her wrist. Perhaps, despite the fever-sheen walls and cult clothes, the glimpse of white in the monastery window and the cold metal at her temples … perhaps this was exactly what she needed.

Chapter 12

A week later and, for Thea, the world around her, which had been grey and flat like a broken pop-up book, suddenly sprang open.

There was no doubt about it: she was getting more sleep.

Not much. She fell asleep at around 7 a.m., but now she was waking later, nearer 10 a.m. The usual one hour of sleep had blossomed into nearly three. Those hours were a cool aloe vera gel smoothed onto her brain and eyes.

Odd hours though. She couldn’t get away from that. It was as if her body was fighting sleep the whole night and then, like a stubborn toddler, gave in just as the day started for everyone else. If this was her normal sleep pattern then she would be seriously out of step with … well, the world.