“Really, Maggie, we don’t have time for this kind of nonsense at the moment.” Dad rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. “We have to… I mean, Jed’s off to…”

He trailed off.

“Dad’s right.” Mum touched a hand to his arm, then scooped a potato out of my saucepan and popped it into her mouth. “Jed’s off to camp on Saturday, and there’s his party to sort out for Friday. There’s a lot of work to be done over the next few days.”

“But you don’t understand,” I said. “I went back there, just me. And there was a wanderer. And she was wearing Trig’s jumper.” I held it up. “Is it even safe for him to wear it now?”

Jed smirked. “So, hold on,” he said. “You’re saying that there was a wanderer inside the town boundary and she was wearing Trig’s jumper?”

“Yes! That’s exactly what I’m saying. The mayor told us there were wanderers nearby, didn’t she? Just this morning.”

Dad laughed. “Nearby maybe, Magsie, but not inside the boundary. Wanderers might be dirty but they’re not stupid. Now, give Trig back his jumper, then get on and mash those potatoes. We don’t have time for all your imaginings this week.”

Mum picked another piece of potato out of the pan.

No one believes a middler.

Not even their own mum and dad.

It was all right for Jed, wasn’t it? Everything was great if you were an eldest.

Everyone listens to you.

You get to wear brand-new shoes and Grandad Cruise’s old wristwatch and you sit around while everyone else does chores all day. Then you turn fourteen and you go to camp to lead a glorious life of fighting in the Quiet War.

Being special.

Being brave.

Being a hero.

While the rest of us are stuck in Fennis Wick forever, digging up potatoes and lugging barrels of water and doing never-ending piles of laundry.

I chucked Trig his jumper and picked up the pan of potatoes.

I pushed in the masher and pulled it back out again. Shlup.

Shlup.

Shlup.

Shlup.

Evidence. That’s what I needed. Evidence that the wanderer girl was there. Then they’d have to believe me. Or better still, what if I actually caught her? If I caught her and brought her to Mayor Anderson, I’d be a hero too. Just like the eldests.

Shlup.

Shlup.

Shlup.

“Everyone finished eating?” said Dad.

I looked up. Everyone had finished except me. There wasn’t any space in my head to be thinking about eating.

Was it dark suddenly?

Maybe I was just imagining it.

Dad started to gather up the dishes.

A snap of lightning flashed outside the window, whipped light across the table.

The storm. Elsie said there was one coming.

“Was that lightning?” Trig jumped up.