He was happier up here, near the villa. He didn’t want to go down to the woods any time soon, not if he could avoid it. Not the woods so much as the drop-off the boys had told him about, the scary cliff where there wasn’t even a fence or a handrail to stop you from falling. It sounded really, properly dangerous. His mum had told him he wasn’t allowed to go there without a grown-up, and he’d heard Odette’s dad say it was because the bloody French didn’t give a shit about health and safety. Odette’s dad said a lot of swears. It was a bit scary/funny to be around him because he just swore so much and it would be hilarious, if only he wasn’t so big and shouty all the time. And he smoked cigarettes, which stank. Daniel held his breath when he was near the smoke because he didn’t want to get cancer.

Odette said a lot of bad words, too. She’d called Daniel a bloody bastard yesterday when none of the grown-ups could hear, when he wouldn’t let her play with the beach ball. He wasn’t exactly sure what a bastard meant, what it really meant, but he knew it wasn’t good. It was the sort of word that would get him in trouble with his mum and dad. He tried to avoid getting into trouble if he possibly could.

As he watched, a figure emerged from the woods, walking quickly.

It was his dad. He thought maybe his mum might be there too. He’d seen them go down there together not long ago, holding hands. He liked it when they held hands.

He watched as his dad walked up the hill towards the house, coming towards them. He was striding along, doing the fast walk that he did when he was cross. He didn’t get cross very often, but when he did, he would do what Mum called his angry walking. Daniel had to jog to keep up with him then. And he could be quite scary and loud. He certainly looked angry, deep frown lines across his forehead, his mouth set into a hard, flat line.

He didn’t look behind him.

Daniel looked back to the woods, hoping his mum might be there, following his dad.

But she wasn’t coming.

He wondered where she was.

‘Daniel.’ Jake’s voice.

Daniel’s head snapped round.

‘Eh?’ He sat up in his recliner. ‘What?’

The older boys had given up on the gas heaters and were now scrutinising him.

‘So what’s it like?’ Ethan said with a sly smile.

‘What’s what like?’

‘Being a nerd? Like, at school?’

Daniel shrugged.

‘Dunno, really.’

‘Not having a go at you, just asking.’

‘Sure.’