Me as well what?

“Where have you been?” It’s eleven o’clock and Bella is tiptoeing into my room. I went to bed half an hour ago, but couldn’t sleep knowing Bella was still out.

“Shh,” she says, glancing toward Dad and Julia’s room. She squeezes past me and collapses on my bed. “Isn’t it supposed to be Dad standing with folded arms telling me off for being out late?”

“He went out for a meal with Julia—I told him you were home asleep.”

She laughs. “And he believed you? Did you put a pillow under my quilt to be a fake me as well?”

I perch on the edge of the bed, pushing her feet out of the way. Her shoes are muddy and they’ve left a smear of dirt on my quilt. “Dad’s only got eyes for his new girlfriend at the moment.”

“Which is why I’m able to go out every night.”

“You stink of booze and you’re filthy. Where the bloody hell have you been?”

“Up at the amusement park. I came back through the woods.”

“At this time? God, Bella, that’s so bloody dangerous. They haven’t found whoever killed Nicole. He could be still out there.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I had company.” She’s smiling up at the ceiling, lost in whatever memories she has of her night.

I ate alone as Dad and Julia were out, and spent the rest of my evening doing homework.

“Were you with them?”

“Who? Jack and Sean?”

I’ve barely seen them this week. Julia’s barely seen them. I think that’s why Dad took her out, to cheer her up.

“Were you really up at the amusement park? Or did you go to Dean House?”

There’s a pause and then Bella sits up and looks at me. “Why would I go there? Jack and Sean are here.”

“Greg’s back, though. I saw his car in the village earlier.”

“Do you have some kind of problem with him giving me the camera?”

“Of course not. He can do what he likes.”

“He’s not yours, Tess. Seriously, if you’re going to get your first crush, he would be the wrong choice. Like, really wrong.”

“Will you get your dirty feet off my bed?” I say, shoving her again. “And I haven’t got any stupid crush. I’m nearly sixteen, not twelve.”

“You wouldn’t know it sometimes, baby sis.”

“I don’t care who you were with, or where, but I do care that you’re not doing any of your coursework. How are you going to get into that photography course if you fail all your exams?”

“I don’t want to do photography anymore,” she says. “Not at college level, anyway. I’m thinking of applying for teaching courses.”