They’ve been driving for four hours and in that time Lumin has managed to get every detail of Amber’s childhood out of her, like she’s using those details to put the pieces of her own childhood puzzle together. Amber has enjoyed it, telling her how it had been to be brought up by her mum and aunt. Her summer holidays had been spent in the gift shop helping them out. At first, she loved it. It made her feel important, serving customers and picking shells out from the shore in front to decorate the place. When it was quiet, she’d eat ice creams, watch the world go by, run to the shore and make sand castles. Summer was a never-ending holiday for her, especially as it meant a respite from school, where she’d get teased. And the Christmas holidays were so magical as she was bundled up in blankets and thick gloves and took in all the festive activities on the beach. She loved being with her aunt too; she brought out the best in her mum and they’d often all be in fits of laughter. No different from now, really.

But as she grew into a teenager, she’d dread working in the shop, especially if the people she hated from school would pop in to laugh at her. She remembered a particularly tense encounter with one of the more spiteful girls, who’d pointed at some winter mittens and said in a faux-innocent voice: ‘I really think you need to ask Santa for a pair of those to cover your claws, Amber,’ as her friends giggled behind her.

Her aunt had overheard and pulled Amber aside. ‘Take this,’ she’d said, handing Amber a fiver. ‘Go to the charity shops in town, find a chair for me and bring it back. We need a new item in store.’