The macho guy ambled over, leering in my direction. ‘So you’re the newbie.’ He stuck out his hand. ‘I’m Mike.’

I put on my prettiest smile. ‘Hi, Mike!’ I trilled. For all his muscles, his handshake was surprisingly weak.

‘I like your dress,’ he told me. ‘You stick with me. I’ll keep you safe.’ He leaned down and lowered his voice. ‘I’m an expert at all this magic stuff. Last year I found a spell to hotwire cars. Now I can travel at full speed without the need for any petrol. I’m saving the planet and my money at the same time.’

Mike was obviously an idiot. ‘Except that’s impossible. You can’t mix magic and technology like that.’

He flexed his muscles and grinned at me like I was stupid. ‘That’s what the Order wants you to think.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘It’s the truth.’

‘She’s an Order witch,’ Harriet interrupted. ‘There’s no point saying anything about magic to her.’

Mike stiffened, while the other contestants stared at me. ‘You? You’re in the Order?’

‘No. But I could be if I wanted.’

‘So could I.’

No, he couldn’t. I didn’t need to present him with the entrance exams to know that any magic he possessed wasn’t worth the Order’s time. Even the lowest and weakest Neophyte would leave this plonker in the dust. ‘Sure,’ I said. ‘Whatever you say.’

Mike glowered at me. ‘I do say.’

I noticed that the others were shuffling away from me, as if I’d taint them by simply standing too close.

A weedy guy in a suit spoke up. ‘Do you remember Faith in series four?’ Various people nodded. ‘Well,’ he said knowledgeably, ‘she was in the Order. She was voted out in the second episode.’

I gritted my teeth. She had tried to enter the Order but failed at the first hurdle. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Bellows smirking and tried to relax. I wasn’t here to win the show, I reminded myself. If I wanted to find out anything useful, I had to be more congenial. It would do the investigation no good if everyone refused to speak to me. My movements were going to be curtailed enough now that I was a contestant and not a runner. I had to show Winter that he needed me; I just wished it didn’t have to be such hard work.

‘The Order didn’t want me,’ I said in a slightly raised voice. ‘They kicked me out. Sure, I’ve got a bit of magic in me but I bet it’s nothing compared to you lot.’ I pasted on a wistful expression. ‘I’m just here as a last-minute replacement to make up the numbers. I know I’ll be voted out quickly. That’s okay.’

An older woman, dressed in a painfully tailored power suit, smiled at me. ‘Don’t say that. If you were in the Order even for a short while you must be able to do some spells. Don’t worry about this lot. We’re all just nervous.’ Mike let out a snort. She ignored him. ‘I’m Lou.’