Before Kate knew it, it was Sunday night and she found herself back inside the boarding house, checking her students in.

She arrived home to find Tilly leaning against the kitchen counter, the ancient telephone cord wrapped around her finger as she spoke to Declan. As Kate moved around Tilly to boil the kettle, his muffled voice on the other end of the line was like a pin to their bubble. Suddenly, with startling certainty, she realised that she would do anything to ensure she had a place in Tilly’s world until it was time to move on.

But that time was still some time away.

So when Tilly pressed her hand to the receiver, and with hope in her eyes invited Kate to dinner with them on Tuesday night, she no longer had the good sense to say no.

Attempting to find her balance as she climbed up to stand on her swivelling, creaking office chair, Kate pulled at the cover of the air conditioner. Of all afternoons, when she had a parent-teacher interview in fifteen minutes, the system had to conk out. What a week, she thought. And it’s only Monday…

She pulled roughly at the vent. Come on, come on. Why aren’t you working, you son of a… Suddenly a cloud of dust wheezed powerfully from the vent, spraying the collar of her stark white shirt grey before the system shut itself off again with a dying groan. Spluttering, she swatted the dirt from her chin, her neck.

Plan B was suddenly looking good.

She charged two flights up to the common room and pushed open the double bay windows behind the lounge, sighing deeply as the cooling afternoon breeze swept in. She’d have to take the meeting up there. There was no way she could invite Mia’s parents into her sauna of an office.

She looked down at her shirt. Ah, hell. She ventured out into the corridor and glanced at the grandfather clock. If she was quick, she had time to make it to the cottage and back again before the island shuttle pulled up with Mia’s parents—

A flash of white at the end of the hall caught Kate’s eye. Her gaze snapped to the end of the south wing. She paused… Had she imagined that? Were her eyes tricking her? Please God, do not let it be another rat infestation—

Her eyes widened as a tiny white rabbit scurried from the end room, nails raking across the floorboards as its fur brushed against the base of the trophy cabinet, against the skirting board. “You have got to be fucking kidding me…” Kate inhaled sharply as the rabbit disappeared into the room opposite.

Just as Kate began her march to the end room, Brianna Lasko stepped out of the room, and at the sight of her music teacher, stiffened. “Oh, shit…”

Kate’s jaw set hard. “Why is there a rabbit in the boarding house?”

Eyes growing wide in fear, her Year Eight student turned quickly, her dark hair flying about her shoulders as she quickly headed in the other direction.