And I remember. The green gates, tall like old trees. The boxy classrooms with blue-sweatered children in them. The playground painted with giant pencils. All in the shadow of the bell tower that was the last thing Wesley saw before he –

My phone gasps.

‘You’re back, then?’

I can’t breathe. My silence just hangs there as he lifts an arm to his face, so all I can see for a moment is elbow.

I stuff my thumb into my eye.

‘I screwed this up, didn’t I?

That bloody careers lady

is gonna murder me.’

I manage to let out a croak this time. The idea of Mum murdering anyone is ridiculous.

‘Listen.

Don’t tell her I fucked this up,

will you?’

The new phone she gave me to do this

is way better than my old one.

It actually works, for one.

The F-word does something to jump-start me. ‘There’s no need to swear.’

If Mum heard that, she really might murder him.

He laughs.

‘Sorry – Grandma.’

There are loads of old people around the school today.

To them, it probably looks like

I’m laughing at nothing. The bloke waiting next to me gives me the side-eye.

Some of the children in the window of the classroom closest to us get up all at once and start packing books into folders.

‘How am I speaking to you?’ I say. ‘I don’t usually … streamers can’t usually hear me.’

I eye the bloke back.

‘It’s a phone. Speaking’s what it’s for.

That and games.’

I’ve already downloaded Jonah’s favourite.

Some stupid thing with birds

killing pigs.

What an education I’m providing him with.

No one else ever streamed from their phone, I don’t think. Usually Dad gets deals on special cameras you can strap to your chest, but they’re not really built for conversation. Not like a phone is.

‘Listen –

if I did something to piss you off

before, on the climbing frame, I’m sorry.

The careers lady just gave me a SIM card

and a list of stuff I wasn’t to do.

But she didn’t really say what I should be doing, so.’

‘Oh.’ I can feel my palms getting sweaty. ‘No, it’s nothing you did. That sometimes happens with me. I … disappear.’

A disappearing girl.

Sounds familiar.

I can see the headteacher now

marching like a drill sergeant across the playground.

Her eyes

HUNT

for Mam,

but she won’t find her.

Just me.

‘What’s your deal, then?

Why’d you disappear?’

I swallow and close my eyes and curse under my breath, because I know I have to be careful. If he learns about the Illness, he’ll do his own disappearing act, just like my other friends did. Who wants to be chatting to someone who can’t guarantee that she’ll be able to turn up next time?