“It’s a shame we didn’t get paired.” He leans so close that his lips graze my ear. His breath is hot and tangy with the scent of cumin and cardamom. “I’d really like the opportunity to chat to you alone sometime, Emma.”

“I’m sorry.” I force myself back onto my feet. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

It’s cold on the floor of the pantry. I’ve been sick twice, into an empty margarine tub I found in a pile of plastic in the corner, and the chill from the floorboards soothes my burning cheeks. The sound of footsteps and chatter drift under the door as everyone files out of the meditation room and heads outside.

A noise from the kitchen startles me and I shuffle further into the pantry and squeeze myself between a sack of rice and a sack of flour as the voices – one male, one female – draw closer.

“Are we safe? I don’t want to get into trouble.”

“It’s okay, there’s no one here.”

“I’ll shut the door.”

A door clicks shut then footsteps creak across the wooden floor of the kitchen. They grow louder as they approach the pantry, and I curl up, tucking my head into my knees. It’s a pointless move; the second someone walks in, I’ll be discovered. The door rattles on its hinges, as though someone is pressing themselves up against it, but it doesn’t open and a second later I catch the wet, squelchy sound of two people kissing.

The kissing continues for several minutes then suddenly stops.

“Gabe didn’t bring any food back. Nothing, not even a bag of rice.” I recognise Raj’s voice. “What am I supposed to do with no new provisions? I can’t conjure meals out of thin air, and we’re nearly out of lentils. Even if I ration out what’s left, we’ve only got one week, two tops, until we’re all out.”

A woman makes a sympathetic sound.

“Why Isaac sent Ruth with Gabe, I don’t know,” Raj continues. “Gabe’s been down the mountain with the donkey before, and the Maoists have never had a problem with him. He gives them a share of the supplies on his way back up, and they let him on his way.”

“That’s assuming it was the Maoists.”

“Who else would have attacked them?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not. Ruth was my best friend, Raj. I know we hadn’t got on for a while, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m never going to get to talk to her again. I’ll never be able to say sorry.”