She speeds up as she ducks off the road into Victory Field, any four-leaf clovers hiding in the grass turning to mush under our feet as we head towards a clump of bushes on the other side of the lawn, lining the tall fence between the edge of the barracks and the park. The curls of barbed wire on top are so sharp I can see them even in the moonlight.

‘It’s just through here,’ she whispers over her shoulder as she 31pushes through a gap in the bushes near the edge of the fence. ‘Come on, look lively, will you?’

She twists and turns through the brambles until she suddenly stops dead. It’s so dark I don’t realise till I step on the back of her heel.

‘Hey,’ she stutters as she stumbles, fluffing her hair. ‘Are you…?’

‘Private Adrian Thomas,’ a voice says from somewhere up ahead in the dark. ‘But you young ladies can call me Tommo.’

Young ladies? Rach titters as I peep from behind her at a tall, lanky shadow leaning against the fence.

‘Hey, Tommo,’ she says again, all squeaky, elbowing me as she fumbles for a tab.

‘Hey yourself.’

I freeze as he steps towards us. Cap, uniform, boots, the lot. A real squaddie. Exactly like Jason, except he’s pleased to see us. There’s a click as her lighter flares.

‘And who’s this?’

Rach shoves me forward.

‘Carly,’ I say, squinting at the badge on his shirt, same as Jason’s. He smiles as he looks down on me.

‘Well hello there, Carly. You must be Corporal Gates’ sister…’

‘Yeah, she is,’ Rach answers for me as my jaw drops. ‘He said you’d meet us here…’

‘For sure he did,’ Tommo says, grinning. ‘We’re having a little party tonight. Would you girls like to come? We’ll get you home before dawn, don’t worry.’

‘Jason told you to meet us?’ I sound as foggy as I feel. Why would he do that?

‘That’s right,’ he says, taking another step towards us. ‘He thought you might enjoy yourselves. And we’d love to have you. Come on, it’ll be fun.’

Rach grabs his hand almost as soon as he starts holding it out.

‘He can’t have…’ I mumble as I stare at them, two tall, skinny shadows beaming at each other. ‘I only just saw him and he didn’t 32say anything…’ A light flicks on in one of the windows in the distance.

‘He wants you to come,’ Tommo says, still staring at Rach. ‘We all do. It won’t be a party without a crowd, will it?’

‘We do love a party,’ she says, drawing her tab down to the filter before dropping it into the dirt and reaching for me.