Nicola still didn’t know if they should help her overthrow Enrico or not. It seemed like stirring up trouble, as her mum would say. Joy had said that Topaz didn’t believe in violence and was hoping for a ‘peaceful revolution’. ‘Oh,’ Sean had said, clearly disappointed. ‘Are you sure about that? Because from what I’ve heard, peaceful revolutions don’t really work.’

Nicola sat up and punched hard at her pillows to make them more comfortable. She couldn’t stop thinking and worrying about Katie. What sort of bed was she sleeping in? Was she also lying awake, worrying? GO TO SLEEP! Nicola closed her eyes tight, but now there was a strange noise disturbing her. It sounded like the flapping of a bird’s wing.

What was that?

Nicola sat up in bed. There it was again – a sort of soft thwack, thwack sound. It was coming from outside.

She threw back the covers and hurried over to the window. She pressed her nose against the glass. It had stopped snowing and the moonlight made everything bright and clear against the gleaming snow. There was a man standing knee-deep in snow and tapping a giant feather against Nicola’s window. Although he was bundled up in warm clothes, Nicola recognised him immediately. It was Silent Fred. When he saw her, he put his finger to his lips.

As quietly as she could, Nicola lifted the window. Silent Fred beamed and held up one finger, as if to say, ‘Just a minute.’ Then he took a piece of paper from his pocket and folded it into a paper plane. He stood back and took aim. His paper plane glided straight through Nicola’s window. She picked it up and waved it at Silent Fred to show she had it safely. He gave her a cheerful thumbs-up and trudged off through the snow.

A cold blast of air made her shiver. She pulled down the window and got back into bed. Switching on her bedside lamp, she carefully unfolded the paper plane to reveal a message written in red ink. Nicola knew the handwriting well; it was Katie’s.

Dear Nicola,

PLEASE DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME. I AM FINE! I am in a room they call the ‘hostage room’ somewhere right at the bottom of Enrico’s house. It’s not as bad as it sounds. They have made it very comfortable for me – I guess because I am a HAIRITY. (It’s all so silly and I hate that ‘hairity’ word – it makes me think of something my cat would cough up.)

I can imagine that Sean wants to plan a big rescue mission but there is NO POINT. I am being guarded by more Security Thugs than I can count.

Silent Fred brings me my food so I am hoping he will get this note to you.