Season enters the room and she and Millennia discuss what happened. Their words are echoing so loud I can almost see them bouncing off the walls. Suddenly my mouth goes dry, my body starts to convulse. I’m going to vomit. As I retch, Season puts a bowl in front of me and I realise there aren’t any sweets in it. She guessed I was going to be sick and brought an empty bowl with her. I hope she has some of her sweets to make me better afterwards.

When I’ve finished, Season helps me to wipe myself clean and gives me a glass of water. She nods at Millennia, who’s standing by the door.

‘I hope you recover sufficiently, Elle. I must attend to the centre.’

Millennia hesitates for a second until I look up at her, then leaves the room. I’m glad she’s gone and she must be glad too. I bet she’s fed up with people being sick all over the place. Season offers me a sweet from her pocket. It tastes of juicy oranges and I feel better immediately. I still don’t want to stand up because I’m scared I’ll be sick if I move. Here, cross-legged on the floor, I don’t feel nauseous at all but I still don’t feel able to speak again. MC2 raises his thumb to Season. But Season’s face has gone white. She doesn’t look like Season at all.

‘Elle. When you went missing. We were worried you’d—’

‘Done an interdecade,’ MC2 finishes her sentence. ‘You’re prime, Elle. Mind over matter, you could’ve. Glad you didn’t. Season, rest up. It’s sorted. Elle needs space.’

They thought I might have leapt to another decade by mistake. Then I’d be much harder to find and they’d have another missing Leap! Season’s slowly starting to look like herself. She rises slowly to go. Before she does, she gives MC2 a handful of sweets. I’m pleased there’s only one person here now. Three was too many. I was scared I was going to die and they were standing round my bed like in the olden days. He sits cross-legged on the floor like me.

‘Elle, I know stuff’s happening.’ I open my eyes in surprise and he shrugs his shoulders. ‘OK. Greenwich told me you got a Predictive. Knew you was Special. Like Kwesi. Me and him go back decades. We used ta hang all over the timeline but brother went missing, went silent on me. Something’s up and I can’t work out why. Noon missing since last night.’

I open my mouth but nothing comes out. He knows about the Predictive and Kwesi AND Noon? Did I say something in my sleep?