Mine and Susan’s plan to put everything right by returning the Dreaminators has been well and truly smashed to pieces now. The Dreaminators are lying, tangled and messy, in Dad’s car.

I can tell their conversation pretty much from seeing all their reactions. Heads on one side, nodding and concerned. Then Lynn’s hand goes to her mouth in surprise, and Tony shakes his head, sorrowfully. Billy leans in, asking for more details, curious about what might have made Seb sleep so deeply, and shakes his head again. They both turn to look at our house and nod. (Dad has obviously told them I’m in, and they’re saying they’ll keep an eye on me.) Then Lynn puts her hand on Dad’s arm and he nods in response before he gets into his car. They watch him go. Billy exchanges a few more words with Lynn and Tony, then turns and comes into our house, using his own key I think, which is new.

Dad said he’d be gone a couple of hours. That doesn’t give me a lot of time, but I know what I need to do.

I put my head round the living-room door. Billy’s making himself comfortable on the sofa and he has brought his own games console round. He says, ‘I’m really sorry about Seb, Malky. I’m sure, you know … he’ll be okay. Doctors know all about stuff like that.’

He’s being kind, so I just nod. He pats the sofa next to him. ‘Wanna play a game? I’ve got Wolf’s Lair. It was the name of Hitler’s headquarters for the German advance on Russia, and you’ve got to …’

‘Billy?’ I interrupt. ‘I’m very tired. I’m going back to bed.’ I close the door and head upstairs. As I go, he’s putting his headphones on. Even better.

The front door’s no good. Tony and Lynn are not exactly guarding me, but their house faces ours, so there’s a fair chance they’ll see me if I go out, and they’ll be worried, and call Dad. He and Mam have got enough to worry about.

So I go out of the kitchen door at the back and, a minute later, I’m through the yard door, down the alleyway and along the back lane before I can even argue with myself.

‘Call round tomorrow,’ Susan had said. She’ll be expecting me. But it’s not Susan I need to see.

I’m relieved that it’s Mola who opens the door, but there’s no more, ‘Ah, special Dream-boy!’ stuff. All that is replaced by a dark look of distrust. I get it immediately: Susan has told Mola about me, Seb and the Dreaminators, and Mola is not impressed. I’m sort of glad in a way. It saves me having to explain it all.