It was ten in the morning. The most senior kids from the Holloway crew had been brought to somewhere called the Green Drawing Room and were standing around on the plush carpet, waiting. It was a ridiculously ornate room with patterned green wallpaper and a huge crystal chandelier dangling from the middle of the over-decorated ceiling. Apparently the palace kids were organizing some kind of ceremony for them. But it was taking forever.

The newcomers had spent the night in their sleeping bags on cots in the ballroom, which had been made up as a huge dormitory. Most had slept well. Feeling secure and safe for the first time in a long while. They’d woken feeling excited, and eager to explore more of their new home.

Freak had announced that he was organizing a soccer match. He’d found a silver cup in a trophy cabinet and had renamed it the “Arran Memorial Cup.” Now most of the kids were outside playing, but not this six. From Waitrose there were Maxie, Ollie, and Achilleus. From Morrisons, Blue, Whitney, and Lewis. They were alone except for two of the uniformed boys, who were standing guard on either side of the door through to the next room.

Blue was itchy about the whole thing. Convinced that David was trying to keep him down. He’d been wanting to talk to Jester about it since dinner last night, but hadn’t seen anything of him. Now the six of them had been left standing around like fools for the better part of an hour. There had been rain in the night, but the day was fine and bright, and the thought of just sitting out in the sun unwinding was very enticing.

The Holloway kids were bored and restless and didn’t like being made to feel second best, but Ollie was urging them to be cautious, and tried to calm them down, even though he knew all too well that David wasn’t telling them the whole truth. Ollie wanted David to play all his cards before he played any of his own. He’d long ago learned that it was best to work behind the scenes. A quiet word here, a suggestion there, was always better than blundering in with all guns blazing. He recognized Jester as someone very similar to himself. Which was probably why he’d never trusted him.

“If nothing happens in the next five minutes, I’m outta here,” said Blue. “They’re pulling our chains.”

“Yeah,” drawled Lewis. “We don’t want them to think we’ll do whatever they say. We don’t want to look like wusses.”

“All the same,” said Ollie, “don’t you want to see what this is all about?”

“I’ll tell you what it’s all about,” said Blue. “Respect.”

“Blue’s right,” said Maxie. “I’ve had enough of this. Let’s go.”