“I’ll find a way,” said the big sister. “You’ll see.”

“I knew that really,” said the little brother, and smiled.

Of course, the little brother had no idea of how hard it was going to be, or how hard his big sister would have to work, or how much it would cost her. He only knew that they loved each other and she would look after him no matter what. He was just little, and it would be a long long time before he understood.

Chapter Six: 1986

“Let me get those.” Finn pushed Ava out of the way and began lifting boxes out of the cab. His voice was beginning to break and the first faint shadow of hair dusted his upper lip.

“It’s not very big,” Ava warned.

“So? This is the best adventure ever.”

“Don’t say that to anyone important. We’ve got to look like we’re taking it seriously. They think I’m too young to look after you.”

Finn looked disbelieving. “You’re a grown up.”

“They’d have preferred you to stay with Steve and Marie.”

“Can we see inside? Where’s the key?”

“Here.” Ava rummaged, and found a Yale key.

A clutter of dried leaves lay in the hollow where in better times the doormat would have nestled, and a gust of wind blew in a swirl of dust and three more leaves to join them. The stairs were uncarpeted and spattered with paint, and the walls were a dark textured brown.

“The flat’s a bit nicer than the hall,” said Ava. Finn was already running up the stairs, his trainers squeaking against the wood.

“Is it this one here?”

“Next one up.”

“We’re right at the top? Cool.” The second staircase was narrower, the patch of floorboards outside the doorway barely big enough for two. Finn tried the handle.

“It’s locked.” Ava held up a second key. “We need to watch that. It’s not a very good area.”

“It’s a brilliant area.” Finn took the key and scrabbled impatiently with the lock and bounded over the threshold. “Hey, this is ace!”

“I know it’s small.”

The flat’s four rooms, cream-walled and brown-carpeted, were crammed into the eaves. An oddly-shaped living room with a miniature kitchen area. A tiny bathroom with a half-sized yellow bath. Two slivers of bedroom separated by a thin stud-wall. When a double-decker bus lumbered past, the windows rattled.

“We can paint it,” said Ava. “Once we can afford the paint, I mean. There’s not much furniture yet but we can try the second-hand shops… ”

Finn wasn’t listening. In two giant strides he was across the living room and into the bathroom.

“It needs cleaning,” Ava called. “Sorry, I only got the keys this afternoon… ”

“Oh my God, no way!”

“What?”

“Come and look at this!”

“What is it? Is it a spider? If it’s a spider you have to put it out for me. I can do everything else but you’re in charge of spiders.”

“No,” said Finn, from the bathroom. “Come and look at the wallpaper.”