The gannets were strangely absent as the afternoon wore on. It was odd not to hear their raucous cries outside. I’d been longing for quiet since we arrived, but now the sudden silence seemed unnerving. Dad suggested they could probably sense the approaching storm and had gone off to find shelter in the sea caves. Fortunately this meant that the adults agreed it would be all right for us to leave the bothy to use the outhouse, as long as we were quick.

I saw my opportunity but knew I’d still have to wait until everyone else was asleep. Otherwise they’d wonder where I was after a few minutes and come to check. Now that Kate and Charlie were here, there wasn’t quite enough room for everyone to lie down inside our bothy, so it was agreed that Will and Cailean would each squeeze into a different house with the other hunters. I thought about trying to say something to Will before he left, but there were too many people around and I couldn’t work out what I’d say to him anyway. Meet me later? Don’t meet me?

The thought of returning to the lighthouse all alone 283in the middle of the night was utterly horrifying, but I didn’t really want Will to come with me either. Not after that business with the bean nighe. So I said nothing as he left and forced myself to settle into a very boring and subdued evening with my family.

Everyone was uncomfortable and miserable in the stone hut. We couldn’t light a fire or have a hot meal, although Cailean gave us some spare sleeping bags and cold food from their supplies. Time dragged, and I was relieved when Kate finally suggested that we should all lie down and try to get some rest. It sounded very quiet in the rest of the camp, and I guessed the guga hunters had done the same. No talking, no birds, no flies, not even a breath of wind. If it wasn’t for the strange crackling feeling in the air, it wouldn’t have seemed like the start of a fearsome storm at all.

I longed to sneak out as soon as possible, but knew I’d have to time it carefully. If I tried to leave too early and was caught, it could set me back hours. So I lay there in the dark and waited, and waited, and waited. I felt exhausted but didn’t think there was much chance of accidentally falling asleep. I was way too tense for that: afraid of going back to the 284lighthouse, yes, but – even more than that – afraid of what would happen if I couldn’t find Rosie. This was my last chance.