She had to find out.

Carly glanced out of the window and then across to the door. No one was watching except the graffiti clown with his wide staring eyes, but still she felt uneasy.

Her hands shook as she tore off the tape. She quickly shuffled backwards, half expecting a swarm of rats to rush towards her or a plague of insects, but there was nothing. Carly inched forwards again, taking care to avoid kneeling on the shards of glass.

‘Oh.’ Out of all the things she had been expecting, it wasn’t… this.

‘What’s in there, Carly? Can we see?’ asked Marie.

‘In a sec.’ Carly rummaged through the contents, her hope sinking as she interpreted what they meant. The box had been left here for the girls, Carly had no doubt.

What was in store for them she still didn’t know but she did know that they wouldn’t be going home yet.

There were multiple bags of Spicy Tomato Snaps, the green dragon grinning his toothy grin from the front of the packet. Carly normally loved them but she shoved them out of the way, disinterested. Underneath them lay a couple of bags of blackcurrant liquorice sweets and several cans of cherry Coke. There was also a pink blanket, soft and fleecy, still with its tags, and somehow Carly knew that Doc had put that in there, and oddly a small teddy bear, his arms outstretched, red knitted jumper riding over his rounded belly. This kindness seemed at odds with the way they’d been so brutally snatched from their lives that Carly began to cry.

What did they want with them? It was all too much.

The tapping of the tree outside grew louder. The room grew smaller. Carly cried harder, fighting for breath as the ceiling pressed down.

She crouched low. She couldn’t breathe.

‘Don’t cry, Carly.’ Her sisters rushed to her side and each draped a thin arm around her neck, pressing their warm bodies against hers, and this made Carly’s tears flow faster.

‘The bear doesn’t want you to be sad.’ Leah reached for the teddy from the box and waved him in front of Carly’s face.

‘It will be okay.’ Marie stroked her hair. ‘I promise. We’ll be home soon and then we’ll go on holiday.’

‘Where to?’ Leah asked.

‘Disneyland probably,’ Marie said.

Carly knew it was wishful thinking. They were supposed to go to Florida last year but it had been cancelled because Dad was too busy with work and, although he promised they’d go away at half-term instead, they didn’t end up going anywhere.

‘See. Don’t cry, Carly. We’ll be on a plane on the way to meet Mickey Mouse soon,’ said Leah even though she was terrified of flying. This small act of bravery led Carly’s lungs to loosen. Oxygen began to flow around her body. The burn in her chest started to subside. She couldn’t give up. She wouldn’t give up. But while she waited for an idea to hit – the perfect plan to get them home – she could distract her sisters. Distract herself.