‘I woke up,’ said Monkey-Boy and now Ella could hear that his voice was all wheezy and bubbly as well, like he needed to clear his throat. All full of phlegm.

‘And then what?’

‘I needed a wee. I was desperate. I didn’t want to make any noise. Maeve and Robbie had told us to keep quiet, and stay hidden.’

‘You needed a wee?’

‘Yes, I was bursting. It was horrible. I didn’t want to wet the bed because you and Maeve were sleeping in it. I was embarrassed.’

Ella wished yesterday had never happened. She wished she’d never left London and all her other friends. Maeve had promised her, though. She’d been so sure. That she’d take them to a better place, in the countryside, with fresh air and fresh food and no grown-ups. A new life. They’d only got as far as a hotel on an island in the river. Monkey Island. That had felt right, a place for the boy who loved to climb, for the Monkey-Boy.

They found a room and settled down for the night. Just the four of them. Her and Monkey-Boy and Maeve and Robbie. Robbie who couldn’t even walk properly because of his wounded leg. What chance did they have? Stupid. Stupid. You needed an army.

Ella fought to stop herself from crying.

‘I thought I was going to explode,’ Monkey-Boy went on. ‘Lying there in the bed for hour after hour. I couldn’t sleep. In the end I got up and tried to find the door for the bathroom. It’s what you call an ensuite. It means that …’

‘I know what “ensuite” means,’ Ella snapped. ‘It means you have a loo and bathroom right next to your bedroom. I’m not dumb.’

‘Sure. OK. Sorry. I thought I had the right door. Maybe I did and they were hiding in the bathroom, or maybe I opened the door to the corridor by accident and they were waiting out there.’

‘Who?’

‘The grown-ups. They were waiting. Quiet in the dark. They came in quickly. I don’t know how many. Quickly and quietly. I couldn’t make a sound, or shout for help. They were well clever; one of them smothered my face in his stomach. It really stank. I thought I’d be sick. I did wee myself then. And he dragged me away. Up the corridor. He did things to me. He hurt me. He bit me. And two more grown-ups came out with Maeve. She was already dead. I couldn’t watch what they did to her. I went all unconscious. I don’t know how long for, but he did worse things to me when I was asleep.