‘Ladies.’ Rory sat down next to them.

He rustled the bag invitingly.

‘What is it today?’ Rosie sat up and made a swipe for it.

She was too slow and Rory hid it behind his back.

‘Today, my fellow connoisseurs’ – there was more rustling as he fumbled with the bag behind him – ‘we have a veritable feast, a delight … a delectation … of cocoa and milky goodness!’

With a flourish he produced a bunch of chocolate bars and laid them reverently on the grass, fanning them out like cards.

Rosie pounced on one and tore the wrapper off immediately.

‘God, I love you, Rory Thirwood,’ she said, her mouth full of chocolate bar. ‘Seriously, I will have your babies. My stash ran out a week ago. Bloody inhuman, not letting us have chocolate.’

‘I aim to please,’ he said modestly, unpacking a sandwich and an apple for himself. ‘But I’m not in the mood for procreation right now, thanks all the same.’

Thea rolled her eyes and chose a chocolate bar.

‘So, I hear you’ve been making a name for yourself.’ Rory turned to Thea.

‘It’s just shoes! God! What is the big deal? Why do we have to wear these stupid slippers all the time anyway?’

‘I think in therapy you might want to consider “talking through” your problem with moccasins.’ Rory ducked as Thea threw his apple at him. ‘And your anger issues.’

Thea leant back on her elbows and stretched her legs out in front of her, wiggling her feet. She’d been awake for most of the previous night, the dark hours a staircase and her mind a small ball gathering speed down its stairs. Usually the stairs were unending, but again last night, the ball had finally come to rest. She had slept longer.

‘Bring on Phase Two,’ Rosie said, never one to let a silence linger. ‘I am done with my night terrors. I woke up so sweaty last night, I had to have a shower at one in the morning.’

‘What was the nightmare?’ Thea asked.

‘Rats. They were gnawing my toes off.’ She licked the wrapper clean and then flopped back onto the grass. ‘It’s going to work, right? The tech?’

Rory rubbed his apple on his trousers. He was wearing baggy cords and a T-shirt over a long-sleeved top. This time the T-shirt had a print of zombie mermaids eating sailors.

‘Well, there’s a lot of tech. And a lot of clever people doing a lot with that tech, so yeah, hopefully, it’ll work.’