Back at Spitfire’s Rise, his friends had spent months joking about the possibility of him and Gracie getting together. The joke had been made so many times that he had wondered whether it was a joke at all. Unfortunately for the crowd, Jack wasn’t attracted to Gracie. He was just the only person her age who made time for her: the one who never called her Lazy Gracie, or underestimated her because of her habit of blending in with the crowd.

Then again, that probably mattered to her.

The hug continued, as if she was after something that Jack could not give – and did not even know how to give. Not only did he have zero experience in the field of romance, but he had no motivation either. Jack Hopper felt no attraction to girls. He felt no attraction to boys either. He didn’t feel it for anything.

There was probably a word for it somewhere, but he had been too afraid to check. Life as a teenage boy without physical attraction was difficult – especially in a world where he was expected to go after the ladies, as if it were his civic duty as a male. His lack of sexuality had been one of the many factors that had led to him heading to his room with a bottle of pills on two different nights. Just one more thorn in his side, alongside his dead mother and years of relentless bullying…

Gracie squeezed, and Jack squeezed back. It seemed polite. But inside he was struggling with the morals of the situation: was it OK to let Gracie think there was a chance at all? Would it be better to tell her the truth? Which option would hurt her less in the long run? He may not have felt any attraction to Gracie, but he cared about her. And he didn’t want her to get hurt by something beyond her control.

A third option appeared in his mind, and he used it without thinking.

‘Are you hungry?’ he asked.

‘Hmm?’ came a voice from the face buried in his combat uniform.

‘It’s getting dark soon. I can get some food for us, if you don’t mind guarding for me.’

Gracie nodded, and Jack escaped the hug. He took his first steps towards the staircase, but felt the need to do something nice before he left.

‘If it makes it easier, you can borrow my rifle while you’re up here. Two automatic weapons are better than one.’

‘What about you?’

‘I’ve got a loaded handgun,’ he said, surrendering his assault rifle. ‘I’m fine. See you in a bit.’

Going by Gracie’s reaction, he had not done badly. He doubled-checked his pocket for the handgun before creeping downstairs, and his thoughts drifted to a frightening question: how long could they afford to stay in Lemsford before heading home without Ewan?

There was a thump somewhere on the ground floor.