Ama, Eve and I are sitting in the chalet. GMT’s nowhere to be seen. They’ve spent all morning talking about Kwesi. When I opened the door, they were sitting cross-legged on the rug, giggling. I felt sad. Maybe Ama was best friends with Eve now. But Ama grabbed my hand immediately and almost dragged me into the room. I didn’t complain. This must be her way of saying she likes me.

‘We’ve cracked the code,’ she says.

‘What code?’ I perch on the edge of my bed. ‘SOS L?’

‘No. SOS L’s history.’ She rolls her eyes anticlockwise. ‘LEAP 2100. Where Kwesi said he was going.’

‘It’s not a leap year!’

‘Exactly. But it’s important. Eve says Kwesi mentioned it to them too. Said there was something odd, he was leaping to 2100. He MUST be there!’

‘We think darling sis is there too.’ Eve rearranges her legs on the rug. I notice she’s wearing purple and green leggings with matching trainers. Ama’s.

‘Elle, if you were leaping to 2100,’ says Ama, ‘what date would you leap to?’

‘The Olympic Games. I don’t know the date, they haven’t announced it yet!’

Mexico City was the 12th of October because of the climate. I don’t say this because Ama’s giving me the bull’s-eye.

‘THINK, Elle,’ she says. ‘Not Olympics. General. What date would Leaplings leap to?’

‘They wouldn’t leap.’

‘What d’you think, Eve?’

‘Haven’t the foggiest. Not sure I have the skills. When I leapt here, I almost ended up in 2050.’

Ama shakes her head like a dog shaking off water after a swim, stands up and starts doing pacing.

‘Don’t they teach you Leaplings anything? How I understand it, you can leap to any date but it’s easier to leap on a leap day. Or the equivalent. The 28th of February or the 1st of March.’

‘Leap 2100 doesn’t exist,’ I say. ‘So why do you think they’re there?’

‘For the rendezvous, of course. Or it’s a commune.’ She sounds like GMT. I wonder where GMT is. She won’t be at lunch eating dead animals in bread.

‘Are we going to leap there?’ I say.

‘I can’t,’ says Ama. ‘But you or Eve can.’

I look at Eve and she looks back at me without blinking. 2100 is an anti-leap year so it’ll be extra hard to do the trip alone. It could be dangerous. The furthest I’ve leapt solo is two hours ahead. Neither of us volunteers.

‘Shall we talk phones?’ says Eve.

‘Why? To change the subject?’ says Ama. ‘You Leaplings do my head in. What’s the point in having The Gift if you don’t use it?’ She sucks her teeth and walks out of the room, slamming the door for the second time today. I feel sad Ama’s so angry.