A year and a half ago, during one of his worse meltdowns, Ewan had found a way to escape Oakenfold. It had been a ridiculous strategy: in his unthinking rage he had run outside, lumbered up to the gate and just pressed the buzzer – an idea which the rational Ewan would never have considered. The receptionist assumed it was a class heading out for a PE lesson, and had buzzed him out without checking the CCTV screen.

It had taken the rest of the day for anyone to find him. Maybe they had assumed he had run into Harpenden to take a bus somewhere, but Ewan hadn’t been stupid enough to surround himself with the general public. All he needed to do – all he had the mental strength to do – was find a hiding spot on a nearby hill that overlooked the school, and stay there until transport home arrived at the end of the day. It had seemed like a good idea at the time.

Once he had calmed down and realised how much trouble he had got himself into, he had spent the afternoon searching for the perfect vantage point: one where he could watch the panicked staff running in and out of the gates, the entertained students looking on from the windows, the police cars coming and going, and his mother’s arrival when the school finally called and admitted they’d lost her son.

It had taken long enough, but that day’s troubles were finally worth it. Ewan and his team knew exactly where to hide outside Grant’s AME test centre.

He hadn’t liked the prospect of walking the whole way around Harpenden rather than through it, as it added miles to his team’s journey. But it wasn’t like they were short on time. They had about ten minutes’ walking left to do, and several hours of waiting would follow.

Ewan turned around to look at his friends, expecting them to be weary and exhausted. It was nearly midnight, after all. Instead, he found them just as determined as they had been at Spitfire’s Rise, but without the additional layer of worry that McCormick had given them. Out of sight really was out of mind.

Raj and Kate were at the back of the group, whispering to each other. Ewan decided to keep away from them when he noticed their hands were joined. Mark was towards the front, overtaking Ewan whenever he got the chance. Whether he was hurrying the group or trying some kind of power play, Ewan neither knew nor cared.