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When there is no sign of Jesse Archer by sunrise, Aaron Mayfield shines his torch into Billy Archer’s cell and rattles the keys in the lock. The eldest Archer, who looks like an older version of Jesse and a male version of their missing mother, rises from the bench, yawning widely.

Mayfield swings the door open and waits, watching him in a guarded, measured way. Billy approaches cautiously, rubbing at his bare arms as he keeps his eyes on Mayfield. Mayfield steps back to allow him out, then he lifts his baton and wedges the rounded end under Billy’s chin, forcing his head back. The older Archer remains calm and still, licks his lips once and waits.

Mayfield smiles slowly. ‘I can’t find Jesse,’ he says with his head tilted.

Billy keeps his eyes on Mayfield. ‘Good.’

The policeman’s lip rises in a sneer. ‘I arrested him last night. Caught him in my house and I think he caused the power cut. They’re just fixing it now.’

‘If you arrested him, how can you not know where he is?’

‘The mayor intervened,’ Mayfield tells him, eyebrows raised. ‘Wants to foster him, see, and get him away from bad influences.’ He looks Billy up and down slowly. ‘She decided to uncuff him and he legged it. Now it seems like we have two missing boys.’

‘And at least one is your fault.’

Mayfield lowers the baton but pushes it into his chest. ‘I’ll find him, but if you happen to come across him first, you bring him to me, you hear?’

Billy winks at him. ‘Of course, Sergeant. Whatever you say.’

Mayfield’s smile grows a little wider. ‘She wants to give him a second chance,’ he goes on. ‘Sees something in him, maybe. Not me though. I see the same outcome I’m looking at right now. Criminal scumbag who contributes nothing to this town. But sharp…’ His forehead creases with a thoughtful frown as he presses the baton harder. ‘I’ll give you that, Archer. You and Jesse – like your mum, eh? While Wyatt is a slow and lumbering useless beast just like your father tuned into, isn’t that right?’

‘Whatever you say.’ Billy smiles right back at him.

He waits, their eyes loaded, then finally Mayfield lowers the baton and jerks his head to the corridor behind him. ‘Get out of my sight, Archer.’

Billy exhales, ducks his head and leaves.

2

When Jesse wakes up with a shaft of sunlight warming his face, he opens his eyes then wishes he hadn’t. His head contracts in pain, his scalp tightening as the head wound picks up a steady throb. He wraps the blanket around himself and then realises that someone knows he is here…

There is a pile of items placed on the edge next to the rope ladder. He lifts his aching head, blinking his eyes into focus. A flask, a bottle of water, a box of cheese flavoured crackers, half a packet of chocolate Digestives, a banana and an apple. He’s frozen in fear just staring at them. His first thought is, the hare?

And then, Mayfield?

But just then a head appears behind the food and a concerned bespectacled face is staring back at him. Jesse breathes out slowly. Mr Finnis. His thin black hair is uncombed and sticking up at the back. He hasn’t shaved in a few days and there are dark circles under his eyes.

Paddy’s father comes up a few steps higher on the ladder, then perches on the platform with his legs dangling.

‘I came by earlier,’ he says with a sad smile. ‘It was weird actually. Something woke me in the night and I don’t know what, but I couldn’t go back to sleep. Then around three-ish, I had the urge to check out here, just in case.’ He shakes his head a little. ‘I don’t know. I don’t sleep well since Paddy disappeared. Anyway, imagine my surprise when I found you up here. Dead to the world, you were.’ He looks at Jesse with a wince. ‘And obviously in trouble.’

Jesse pulls his knees up and hugs them to his chest. Every movement is a reminder of the running, falling, stumbling and hurting of the night before. His gashed knee burns and throbs, his head aches horribly and his shoulder feels bruised and sore. Every muscle in his body aches from the endless running. He gives a small nod in response to Mr Finnis’s enquiring gaze.

He nods in understanding. ‘You’ve been hurt. Been in a fight maybe. Your father?’

He shakes his head quickly. ‘No.’

‘Brothers then?’

‘No.’

‘Other kids?’

‘No.’

He sees Mr Finnis frowning at him before he asks, ‘Something you can’t tell me?’

Jesse nods.

‘Okay, okay.’ Mr Finnis takes something from his pocket and passes it to Jesse. It’s a packet of painkillers. ‘You look like you need them. You can stay here as long as you like, Jesse. You’re safe here. I won’t say anything to anyone.’

Relief floods him and tears invade his eyes. ‘Thank you.’

Mr Finnis looks at the pile of food with a sigh. ‘I’ll bring some more later. And more blankets. You’re welcome to come inside at any time. You can use Paddy’s room, if you like. I know he won’t mind.’ He meets Jesse’s eye and receives another nod. Mr Finnis pats the wooden floor affectionately. ‘But you’re safe here. I am sure of that.’

He looks up then as a series of lights flash on in the flat and in the shops further on.

‘Oh, look at that. Power’s back on.’ He looks back at Jesse. ‘It’s only been a week, you know, but it feels so much longer.’ He drifts off for a moment, his hand still on the platform, trembling slightly as his eyes glaze over. ‘And I can’t sleep. I find it hard to do anything because every time I do anything, I feel guilty, like I should be looking for him. And I feel like I let him down. And his mother.’ His voice has dropped to a whisper. ‘She asked me to take care of him, she trusted me to.’ He smiles sadly. ‘But he was just in bed, you know? He wasn’t out on a motorbike or in an alley doing drugs. He was just in bed.’ Mr Finnis places his hand in his lap and breathes out. ‘I think there is still hope though, don’t you? I’m going to put new posters up today. See if it might jog people’s memories. I keep circling the town. Round and round I go looking for any sign of him.’

‘There’s still hope,’ Jesse speaks up and when Mr Finnis looks at him he almost wishes he could take it back; there is such grasping, helpless desperation in the poor man’s eyes. Jesse can feel how much he wants it to be true, something concrete to hang onto. Jesse looks down. ‘I just mean, this might sound weird, but I think I can feel him… When I was in trouble last night, Mr Finnis, I felt like…’ He stops, wipes his eyes and shrugs with a self-conscious smile.

‘I do know what you mean,’ Mr Finnis whispers back. ‘Like me feeling the urge to come out here and check?’

‘Yeah, maybe.’

Mr Finnis looks a little happier. He lowers himself carefully over the edge. ‘I won’t tell anyone,’ he says again.

Jesse leans forward. ‘Willow, Jaime and Ralph?’

‘I can tell them?’

‘Yes.’ Jesse nods. ‘You can tell them.’

3

Ralph arrives first, pushing his bike because he has agreed to meet his mother at the new house at twelve now that it has been cleared out for her. She set off already to meet the mayor there at ten. Ralph props his bike against a broken wall and crouches, picking a stem of dark green grass to shred while he waits for the others.

For some reason, he expected Jesse to be here already, maybe smoking one of those funny cigarettes again, or drinking whisky. Ralph smiles a little wistfully at the thought. He feels a little embarrassed of the way he sees Jesse Archer, but he can’t help it. He’s two years older, taller, better looking, smart, brave and as tough as nails. Sure, he used to be a bit of a bully to kids like Ralph but now that Ralph has had a few glimpses of Jesse’s home life, he can understand why.

He crouches in the long grass, staring down the rolling hills at Black Hare Valley. He can see all the little houses and the roads look like black snakes coiled around them. He thinks of hanging out with Paddy a week ago and his chest suddenly feels tight. And then he thinks about what they did. He feels a nervous fizzing excitement in his belly like butterflies, as he recalls his part in it all.

He remembers the thick bark of the bough between his clenched thighs and the heaviness of the chainsaw as he reached for the branch above. He pictures the sudden solid blackness crushing the town and swallows nervously.

The power is back on. His mother said she didn’t know what had caused it and she hadn’t seemed that interested either. She was far too focused on the new house, on new starts and possibilities. Ralph is happy for her; he knows how much it means to her, but he can’t help feeling guarded. The new house does not offer the same safe feeling to him. He supposes how he feels about the mayor’s cottage depends very much on the book and what is in it, and how much Mayor Sumner might know about Sergeant Mayfield and the missing Paddy Finnis.

Ralph breathes out in relief when he spots Jaime and Willow climbing the hill below him. Willow is wearing her long black cloak again, which he thinks makes her look like a superhero and Jaime looks sensible and determined in blue jeans, walking boots and a raincoat. She has her backpack on and Ralph wonders what new information she will be able to add to her notes now.

They meet him with tight hugs and gasps of relief and Ralph is momentarily shocked into a flustered silence. He wasn’t expecting hugs but he supposes they have been through something quite life-changing together. For a moment they are linked in a circle, arms and shoulders touching, grinning, and it feels good.

Then Jaime scans the area, wiping her hair from her face. ‘Where’s Jesse?’

Ralph shrugs. ‘Not here yet.’

They swap an uneasy look. ‘Do we do this without him or what?’ asks Willow.

Ralph squirms, restlessly. ‘I’ve just got to see the pictures though! I’ve just got to!’

‘Okay,’ nods Willow, looking around one last time before motioning for them all to sit.

She sits between them and they face the town in a line. It’s a clear sunny day but the air is cold and thin. Ralph tugs his denim jacket tighter around himself and wishes that he had worn jeans and not shorts.

Willow seems both sad and nervous as she takes out the photos she took last night.

‘Was it definitely the same book?’ asks Jaime.

Willow nods at her. ‘I’d say so. Everything about it was the same. The only trouble is, none of it makes any sense. Look.’ She holds out the photos and the other two crane their necks over them as she slowly flicks through.

Ralph can see a lot of drawings and designs and patterns, none of which mean anything to him and there are words too, but he can’t make anything out.

Jaime is peering closer. ‘Could that be Latin?’

‘I think so,’ says Willow. ‘But how can we check? We can’t exactly ask anyone, can we?’

Jaime sits back, chewing her lip and frowning. ‘We’ll have to try the library and the school one too, see if we can find something to translate it.’

The others nod and Ralph wracks his brain to try and think of anyone he knows who might have a knowledge of Latin.

Jaime looks at them, still with that intense frown on her face. He’s come to recognise it as he feels hopeful whenever he sees it.

‘We’ll try,’ she says with certainty, ‘but we’ll need to write out little bits onto other paper, Willow, in case we lose the photos or they get damaged.’

‘I’ve started already.’ She digs into her pocket and pulls out a small notebook. ‘Here. That’s what I’ve copied so far.’

‘Brilliant!’ Jaime takes it, smiling. ‘And what we also need to figure out is how the hell that book got there.’ She eyes them both seriously. ‘Because whoever put it there must know something too.’

‘Maybe they wanted Paddy to find it?’ wonders Ralph. ‘But who?’

Jaime and Willow lock eyes. ‘Iris Cotton,’ they sat at the same time, then nod.

‘Why?’ asks Ralph. ‘Because Mayfield wanted Jesse to spy on her? And where the hell is he anyway?’

Willow gazes away in concern. ‘I don’t know…’

‘Iris Cotton is a recluse of sorts,’ says Jaime. ‘And yes, Mayfield also had a camera planted there just like he did at the bookshop, so that connects her to Paddy in one way. What do we do? Try and talk to her?’

No one answers. But Willow looks nervous. She suddenly grips Ralph’s arm and Jaime’s knee.

‘What?’ gasps Ralph. ‘What is it?’

‘I’m worried about Jesse.’

‘Why? He’s okay, isn’t he?’

‘I don’t know, I mean, yes, he should be, but I don’t know! I don’t know for sure. I gave him the book and he told me to run. Mayfield was in the station with his brother, so he was close.’

Now Ralph gets it. And he suddenly wonders why the hell they are all still sat there like idiots. He jumps up first.

‘You didn’t actually see him get out? You didn’t wait?’

Willow jumps up too. ‘He told me to go! He made me!’

‘Come on,’ Jaime is on her feet, shoving Willow’s notebook into her bag. ‘We better go and check on him.’

‘Shit…’ Willow moans.

‘Come on!’ yells Ralph, snatching up his bike. He feels impatient suddenly, breathless and frustrated. He can’t help thinking, why the hell didn’t Willow wait for Jesse?

4

Together, the three of them run back to town. It’s much faster than going up, but it’s dangerous too. The hills are steep in places and remnants of the ruins like to surprise with chalky white chunks poking up from the earth to trip you.

Jaime runs as fast as she can which is far slower than the other two. Willow is out in front, tearing down the hill, veering left towards the woods where Ralph caused the power cut. Ralph is just behind her, bumping along on his bike. Jaime feels her knees jarring with every pounding step and fears the momentum of the incline will send her head over heels at any second. She imagines the absurdity of her rolling down the hill and landing in an ungainly heap at the bottom. Then she tortures herself further by picturing Jesse stood over her and she blushes violently.

She pushes the embarrassing image away and does her best to keep up. They run through the small dense words and tear out onto Taylor Drive. Jaime has to slow down – she can barely breathe and she plods heroically after Ralph and Willow who are moving with dignified purpose towards Jesse’s block of flats.

It’s Jaime who notices the other figure first – tall, slim, in a ripped shirt and scruffy jeans, walking fast in the same direction. Jesse’s brother, she remembers, the one Mayfield arrested last night. She waves at Willow and Ralph to get their attention, then slows to let Billy catch them up.

He doesn’t pay much attention at first – she supposes they’ve never been introduced. He probably has no clue what the four of them have been up to since Paddy went missing, but regardless, she smiles nervously and waves at him.

Billy frowns back, then, noticing Ralph and Willow, he seems to connect the dots in his head.

‘Hey,’ he says roughly. ‘You lot seen Jesse?’

‘No, we were supposed to meet him but he didn’t show up,’ Jaime replies and the four of them fall into step together and continue towards the flats.

‘Do you know where he is?’ Willow asks Billy.

He shakes his head and shoves open the bottom door. ‘Nope, but I’m hoping he’s in here.’

They follow Billy up the steps and towards the flat at the end of one corridor. It’s narrow, dark and covered in graffiti. Billy unlocks the door and strides in, yelling, ‘Jesse? Jess!’

There is no reply. Jaime, Ralph and Willow hover in the small hallway, unsure what to do, while Billy checks each room. The other brother, Wyatt, is evidently asleep in their room as they all hear a yelp and a groan, followed by Billy demanding, ‘Jesse here? You seen him?’ Then yelling impatiently, ‘Wyatt!’

‘No,’ the other boy replies groggily. ‘He’s not here. Haven’t seen him.’

Billy comes back, hands in hair. He stalks over to the sofa, a nasty yellow thing covered in stains. From the hall, Jaime can’t see the figure Billy is shaking but she assumes from the smell and the farts that it is not Jesse.

‘Dad! Dad, you seen Jesse? Has Jesse been home?’

When there is no intelligible reply, Billy gives up and walks away in disgust. He stands in front of them and Jaime feels herself blushing again. He really is handsome, she thinks helplessly, an older, rougher version of Jesse.

‘Okay, you guys better talk. I need to find Jesse. Now.’

‘Us too,’ croaks Willow nervously. ‘He didn’t show up as planned at the ruins.’

Billy eyes them sternly. ‘You guys messed with Mayfield, didn’t you?’ When none of them answer, he steps closer, his head low, his dark angry eyes burning into theirs. ‘I’m not kidding around here. I know you’ve done something. Jesse asked me to pull that stunt in the pub last night. Now, you better tell me what the hell that was about! The power cut! Was that it? What the fuck did you kids do?’

‘It’s complicated…’ Jaime offers, grimacing.

Ralph nods. ‘It’s to do with Paddy.’

Billy straightens up. ‘Yeah?’ They all nod. He narrows his eyes. ‘Listen, I’ve just spent the night in a cell and when Mayfield let me out he said he was looking for Jesse. He said he arrested him last night but the mayor uncuffed him and he got away…’ He eyes them again, watching as their faces pale and their eyes widen. He scratches at his chin. ‘Mayfield wants him bad, you understand? And you swear you guys don’t know where he is?’

They shake their heads. ‘But we’ll find him!’ insists Willow.

‘We’ll warn him!’ adds Jaime.

Billy stares at them all a moment longer. Jaime can tell he wants to ask more but suddenly there is a violent retching sound from behind and a heavy thud as the figure rolls from the sofa. Billy rolls his eyes in despair.

‘Fucks sake! Go then,’ he snaps at them. ‘Find him and keep him safe. Whatever you do, don’t let that psycho catch up with him!’

‘We won’t!’ they cry in unison, before turning and scurrying back out of the flat.

5

Outside the flats, Willow opens her mouth to breathe again and bumps straight into someone’s hard chest. She hears two stifled yelps behind her and knows it must be Mayfield. In dread, she lifts her eyes, her gaze going up and up as if the man goes on forever. He does seem impossibly tall and broad and horribly real on such a dazzling sun-soaked day. He has reared up like an ugly building, she thinks, like a statue, immovable, made of stone.

He is in uniform, one hand resting on the top of his baton. He is wearing sunglasses and lifts his other hand, pushing them up on the top of thick white hair. His blue eyes are sharp and cold. He does not look happy.

‘Well now,’ he says, his voice a sudden boom, a clap of thunder in the still air. They all flinch. ‘Fancy meeting you here.’ His gaze travels slowly over each of them. They are silent, waiting. ‘I’m looking for Jesse Archer. He absconded from custody last night. Have you seen him?’

They shake their heads quickly. His eyes narrow. He licks his lips slowly. ‘You better not be lying to me.’

Willow shakes her head a second time, firmer. She takes a breath. ‘We’re not. We’re looking for him too.’

‘Well then,’ he smiles, leaning closer. ‘If you find him, you know what to do, don’t you?’

Willow swallows and nods.

He straightens up. ‘He’s in serious trouble. Don’t let him make it even worse.’ He pauses to stare at each of them in turn, before walking around them and towards the flats.

Willow reaches for Jaime’s shoulder, breathing hard. ‘Oh my fucking God…’

Jaime slips an arm around her waist. ‘Come on. We’ve got to go.’

They don’t say another word. Ralph gets on his bike and the two girls hurry along beside him.

6

Jesse wakes with a start, a violent twitch jerking his body awake, the remnants of a dark breathless chase still snaring his breath in his throat. He coughs to clear it, then inhales deeply as he sits and rests against the sturdy treehouse walls. He closes his eyes, breathing fast, sending oxygen through his body to calm it down. He has no idea what time it is. The sun is high in the sky, dappled light dazzling his eyes as he opens them to look up. He feels safe, despite the dream, cocooned.

Jesse stares around at his safe haven. He wonders why Mayfield has not come for him yet. He hopes Billy is okay, and the others. And suddenly, his head is full of questions he desperately wants the answers to. What was in the book? Have they met up yet? Have they figured anything out? Are they any closer to finding Paddy?

‘Paddy…’ he whispers to himself, to the treehouse. He can feel him here; it’s impossible not to. Paddy’s place, his hideout, his den. Jesse sees signs of him everywhere. The binoculars, the telescope, the bird spotting books, the books about stars and planets, the posters, the blankets, the sweet wrappers and the smell.

He smiles gently. The first time he climbed up here he felt something new. He felt welcomed and wanted and safe. He didn’t have to fight or steal, or lie or cheat. He didn’t have to act tough or try to impress anyone. He didn’t have to be an Archer, destined to fail, disappoint and intimidate. He could just be. Paddy let him, he remembers now, Paddy was the only one who just let him be.

Didn’t ask anything of him. Didn’t judge or expect. After everything, Paddy just let him be. And there had been this comforting, soothing silence between them. The silence of being, Jesse wonders now, of just existing.

It helps him now: the wooden planks nailed securely under him; the mismatched slats surrounding him which have been sawed and hammered lovingly into place. Jesse smiles as he imagines Paddy and Mr Finnis on their knees, nails in place, putting it together.

His smile fades. He fears for Paddy and for Mr Finnis. His stomach lurches hard and fast so he clutches at is uselessly as the frantic memories come hurtling back. The never-ending dark, the freezing mist with a mind of its own beating him back, containing him, confusing his sense of direction.

‘They don’t want me to leave…’ he says softly, to himself, to the treehouse, to Paddy.

A solemn sadness cloaks him, pulling his shoulders down. He curls protectively over his knees.

The voice… Who was it? At the time he hadn’t been sure; it just felt like a disembodied voice but now he wonders if it had sounded a bit like the mayor… That crisp, sharp, authoritative tone… the slight hint of amusement.

Jesse shudders and drags the blankets up to his chin. He doesn’t dare think of what would have happened if he had allowed them to get him into her car… But he also wonders, would it have led him to Paddy? Maybe he should have been braver. He gulps, grits his teeth. But he’d been so overtaken by fear. Mayfield – that roar. The footsteps in the wood, the breathing. Now he knows he didn’t imagine it before. Mayfield is not a man.

He hears a sound. Freezes.

The conservatory door has creaked open.

Jesse waits. A mop of soft black hair appears at the top of the rope. Mr Finnis. He smiles in relief and plants a pile of clean clothes on the floor.

‘You’re a lot taller,’ he says. ‘But they’ll do for now.’ Then he pulls up a carrier bag and plonks it next to the clothes. ‘Early lunch. Thought you could do with getting some strength back.’ Mr Finnis is smiling at him. His glasses have dipped down onto his nose. ‘It’s okay. You are safe here.’

Jesse smiles back. He believes him. ‘Thank you.’

‘No problem. And also,’ he grins and glances down. ‘You’ve got some visitors.’

Mr Finnis winks at him then climbs back down. Jesse waits, frowning, then gasps when Willow scrambles up the rope in less than a second, crosses the floor and envelopes him in a hug. Ralph and Jaime follow, cocooning him in warm arms, clasped hands, smiling faces. Jesse is still unable to process how to respond to the embrace. He can’t remember the last time he was hugged by anyone.

He feels their hearts, their breaths, their pulse. And he allows himself to relax into them. It’s Willow who pulls back first, smoothing her loose black hair behind her elfin ears. She looks sorry, hands resting on her skinny knees.

‘What happened, Jesse?’

Jaime and Ralph sit back. Jesse instantly misses the contact that had him frozen in shock. He wraps his arms around himself instead, reluctant to speak of the horrors of the night.

He shivers, then can’t stop. The blankets are not enough. He can still feel that murky, knowing mist circling his legs, holding him still.

‘Are you all right?’ whispers Jaime.

He nods at her. ‘Is Billy?’

‘Yes,’ they all say at the same time.

‘We just saw him,’ Willow clarifies. ‘He’s home. He wants you to hide from Mayfield.’ Willow’s voice drops lower. ‘He told us to keep you safe.’

Ralph nods solemnly. ‘And it worked, Jesse, the plan worked. We’ve got photos and there’s a strange language but we’re going to translate it all. So, you did it, Jesse.’

He nods in reply, a small smile fading in and out.

‘But what happened?’ Willow asks again. ‘Did they catch you? Mayfield said you escaped custody.’

Jesse stares at his knees, his heart racing. ‘Mayfield caught me. He knocked me out and when I woke up I was cuffed and Mr Hewlett was there. He was nice, he… he mopped up my head and he seemed annoyed at Mayfield. Then he called the mayor over and she was going to take me to hers.’

‘What?’ gasps Jaime, leaning closer.

He nods again. ‘They want me in their care, they said. A second chance, they kept going on about. But I got away, outside, I got away and I ran.’ He pauses, chewing at the inside of his mouth.

Jaime shifts even closer, slipping her arm gently around his shoulders. ‘Oh Jesse…’

Jesse swallows. ‘I ran and ran. But everywhere I ran I couldn’t get through. There was this thick mist and it tricked me and I ended up at the river and then on the other side. I just kept running. I even tried the Holloway, but it wouldn’t let me out, and I think, I think they were there…’

Ralph frowns, his face pale. ‘Who was there?’

‘Mayfield and… I don’t know, maybe the mayor too. Chasing me, and laughing at me and calling my name over and over. And I couldn’t see anything until…’ He stops again, suddenly strengthened by the image of the hare in his mind. He shuffles closes, his head up. ‘Then I saw a black shape moving in the mist. It was the only thing I could really see, so I started following it and it led me right here. Right across town, I mean, at one point I was up at the ruins, then in the Holloway, but it led me here. Right here.’

Jaime sits back, staring at Ralph and Willow, blinking in confusion. ‘Oh my God…’

Jesse licks his lips. ‘I swear… I know this sounds crazy, but I felt, I swear, I felt like it was Paddy. But it was a black hare. Once I was here I could see it, and it was a goddamn black hare…’

‘But…’ Jaime rubs at her face, frowning. ‘But how can…?’

‘It’s all connected,’ Willow interjects breathlessly. ‘Think about it! Mayfield spying on people. Someone planting the book in Paddy’s shop, like they wanted him to find it! And that book being so important he keeps it secret, then it vanishes the same time he does, but turns up in Mayfield’s house! And they’re all involved. The committee. All of them!’

‘Involved in what though?’ asks Ralph, miserably. ‘In taking kids?’

‘Something like that,’ Jesse tells him with certainty. ‘Paddy is gone because of them. They’re not human, guys. Mayfield roared when he caught me. He roared like an animal! Like nothing human, I swear to you!’ He looks between them, desperate for them to believe.

‘We just have to translate the book,’ Jaime says with a heavy sigh. She slaps her hands onto her knees and looks around at them. ‘That’s what we have to do next. It’s got to be the answer.’

‘But what about Jesse?’ asks Ralph. ‘They’re looking for him.’

Willow shakes her head, her expression troubled. ‘I think Mr Finnis was right. He is safe here. The hare… it led him here. Maybe it was Paddy, somehow, shit, I don’t know how! But Jesse is safe here, I’m sure of it. I can feel it. I don’t know why but I can.’

Jesse meets her eye and nods firmly. ‘Me too.’

‘We’ll keep quiet,’ says Ralph. ‘Keep you a secret here.’

‘Thanks,’ says Jesse. ‘Now, you need a plan for that book.’

7

‘I can’t believe it’s been a whole week.’ Willow sits on the edge of the platform, her legs dangling into the garden below. Like Jesse, she feels both sadness and relief in the treehouse. She feels protected; though she has no idea why, but she also feels achingly sad. ‘Just like this, we were all here together, do you realise that?’

‘It felt good,’ Ralph says without hesitation. ‘It felt right even though I didn’t really know any of you. Does that sound weird?’

Willow and Jesse shake their heads. ‘I felt the same,’ agrees Jaime. ‘And I still do – like we were meant to find each other or something. Like we’ve all just slotted together.’

‘It’s all so weird,’ Ralph goes on. ‘And somehow it feels longer, like we’ve known each other forever!’ He meets their eyes with a shy smile. ‘Anyone else?’

Willow glances at Jesse and sees a hesitant smile in his eyes as he gives a slight nod of his head. He’s so guarded, she thinks, even now, so unsure. Jaime is beaming though.

‘Oh, definitely,’ she agrees. ‘Even though we really don’t know each other at all.’

Willow swivels to face them, pulling her legs up and crossing them. ‘Let’s get to know each other then,’ she says, her eyes on Jesse. ‘Ask me anything. Then we’ll take turns.’

Jesse frowns, his forehead furrowed under his dark hair. Then he grips one wrist with his other hand and leans over his knees. ‘How did you and Paddy first meet? How did you become friends? Do you remember it?’

‘First day of school,’ she replies instantly. ‘Though according to our mother’s we did play a few times before that, at nursery and at the park. But I don’t remember that. I remember the first day of school clearly.’

Jesse gives another quick, unsure smile. ‘Cool.’

‘He sat next to me,’ Willow continues with a whimsical smile. She tucks her hair behind her ears and wraps her thin arms around her chest. ‘And he was so smart he could already read and write. I spilt milk on the table at break, and he passed me this folded up handkerchief to mop it up with, then he let me drink his milk.’ She laughs softly, her eyes down. ‘That’s Paddy for you. Always prepared.’

‘Sounds like he was a friendly guy even then,’ grins Ralph.

‘What are your worst and best childhood memories?’ Jaime jumps in then.

Willow blinks, holds a finger to her lips, thinking. ‘Um… okay. Best, got to be my eighth birthday when my parents finally gave up embarrassing me with whole-class parties, and agreed to let just me and Paddy have a birthday picnic by the river. Then he had a sleepover at ours – first time we’d been allowed that too – and we stayed up all night, stargazing.’ She smiles, then sighs. ‘Worst? Oh well, it’s got to be when I pissed myself in PE because the teacher was in a foul mood and refused to let me go to the toilet. Her fault, not mine!’ She giggles as the others stare. ‘I was nine! But I remember it like yesterday. I was mortified and got teased about it for years after. Ugh.’ Willow gives herself a shake then looks at Ralph. ‘Your turn, Ralph. First time you met Paddy, then best and worst childhood memories.’

Ralph glances at the ceiling, thinking. ‘Okay, well I remember Paddy at the park one day, the one near the caravan site. He was reading a book on a bench. I don’t know how old we were. I think I was six or seven. Anyway I was playing ball with some other kids and the ball hit his book right out of his hands. I ran over but he wasn’t cross. He just gave the ball back and said hi.’

‘He’s never been one for sports,’ says Willow, eyebrows raised. ‘Always has his head in a book.’ She looks up then, wide-eyed as she realises what she has said.

Ralph glances away and shrugs. ‘Best childhood memory. Probably getting a new bike when I was ten. I had beat up second hand ones before that but I’d been asking for a new one for years. That was cool. Worst?’ He rests his chin in his hand, biting at his lip while he searches for one. ‘I mean, it would be my dad dying but I was too little to remember it so I guess just the first time I remember my mum really crying at his grave, and missing him.’ He shrugs again, brushing it off. ‘Jaime?’

Jaime smooths back her hair and smiles a little shyly. ‘Well, I only met Paddy the once which seems so weird now because… well, everything. And my worst childhood memory was not being invited to my so-called best-friend’s twelfth birthday party because I apparently wasn’t cool enough for her anymore.’ She winces over a forced smile. ‘Yeah, I don’t miss my old home much. And the best? Finding out my mum was pregnant. I can’t wait to be a big sister!’

They all grin at her and Willow agrees that it is strange; Jaime is a stranger yet they seem to feel and operate like a tight-knit group. It’s unsettling as much as it is reassuring.

‘Your turn, Jesse,’ she says, looking at him. ‘Same questions.’

Jesse narrows his eyes as if mulling it over then replies, ‘First memory I have of Paddy is that fucking stupid science club presentation he did in Year 5. They made us all watch it and I don’t even remember what it was about but I was bored shitless.’ He chuckles softly and glances at Willow who reassures him with a smile. ‘Best childhood memory? Shit, I dunno, best I can come up with is just dumb shit like riding dirt bikes on the hills with my brothers or getting totally wasted on red wine one Christmas. I dunno.’ He waves a hand, dismissing them both. ‘Worst? Coming home to find that letter from my mum saying she’d had to go.’

Willow stares at him, something stirring in her memories. ‘She left a note? What did it say, Jesse?’

‘Hold on,’ says Jaime. ‘I didn’t know this. Your mum left town? When was this?’

‘When I was ten,’ Jesse grunts, rubbing at his chin with one hand.

‘Do you still see her?’

‘No,’ he laughs bitterly. ‘Never seen her since.’

‘Well, hang on, doesn’t that mean she’s missing too? Like Paddy?’ Jaime swallows and blushes and stares at them each in turn, anxious that she has missed something.

‘I dunno,’ Jesse mutters and Willow can sense him pulling away again, shutting down.

She reaches out suddenly, finds her hand on his arm. ‘Jesse, do you remember what the note said?’

‘No. Just something about the town being bad for her.’

Willow nods and pulls back her hand. She almost squeezes it, wants to rub it even, but all she could feel in return was tension. He’s stiff, his face like thunder. ‘I’m sorry,’ she says and he shrugs.

Jaime squirms, her expression pained. ‘I’m sorry guys, I don’t want to say the wrong thing or anything, but don’t you think this should be added to the investigation?’ When no one answers her, she looks at Jesse. ‘Jesse, do you mind?’

He shakes his hair from his eyes but does not meet her gaze. ‘Do what you like.’

They all look on as Jaime tugs a notebook from her bag. ‘I’m sorry,’ she says again, looking at them each in turn. ‘But it might be important, don’t you think? There might be more to it, I mean. That’s something I’ve been thinking about, you see, whether Paddy is the first person ever to go missing like this.’

To this, Jesse nods firmly and he finally meets her eyes. To Willow, he looks both angry and scared and his jaw shudders slightly when he opens his mouth to speak.

‘Me too,’ he says to Jaime. ‘Because I nearly went missing too last night.’

---

Thanks for reading!

Please feel free to leave a comment letting me know what you thought of this latest chapter.

NOTE: Please remember this is NOT the finished version of Black Hare Valley Book 1. This book has not been to my editor yet or even my beta readers. There will be typos, grammatical mistakes, and sentences that need rewriting.

COMING NEXT THURSDAY: Chapter Seventeen: “Wanted”