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Levo.’
    I twist my Levo; I can’t even tell it is there.
    ‘Now, off you go. Have your lunch. We’ll talk again when you are ready.’ He touches my face. ‘I’m just so happy you’re with us,’ he says. His hand, warm on my cheek, sparks electricity through my body.
    He unlocks the door. ‘Go,’ he says. And I walk as if in a daze into the hall. After a few steps, I look back; he smiles, then shuts the door. Gone.
    The further I am from Nico, the more the warmth and joy seep away, leaving cold and loneliness.
    More bits and fragments are coming back. That training in my dream? It was real . Training with Nico: with Free UK. Hiding in the woods with others like me. Learning to fight. Weapons. Whatever we could do to strike at Lorders, we learned. For freedom! And every one of the girls was in love with Nico; all the boys wanted to be him.
    All it took was minutes alone with him today for me to feel the same as I did back then. Seeing myself through Nico’s eyes made me sure who I am: it made me become the Rain that he knew. Part of me wants Nico to take over; to tell me what to think, what to do. So I don’t have to try to work anything out for myself.
    The further away I get from him, the more it terrifies me.

CHAPTER SIX
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    ‘Kyla? You have a visitor,’ Mum calls up the stairs.
    A visitor? I walk down, and there is Cam: a sheepish look on his face, and a plate clutched in his hands. His sandy hair is almost neat, he wears a collared shirt, and there is a distinct air of aftershave about the place.
    ‘Hi,’ he says.
    ‘Ah, hi.’
    ‘I just wanted to apologise,’ he says, and holds out the plate. Chocolate cake? And I’m thinking don’t say anything at him, really hard, but it doesn’t work. ‘That detention you got was totally my fault.’
    ‘Detention?’ Mum says.
    I give Cam a glare.
    ‘Oh, sorry! You didn’t want her to know, did you.’
    Thanks for spelling out the obvious. I sigh.
    ‘Kyla?’ Mum says.
    ‘Yes, I got a lunchtime detention today, and yes, it was Cam’s fault. Happy?’
    Mum laughs. ‘I can see you will have no secrets with Cam about the neighbourhood.’
    ‘I’m really sorry,’ he says again, looking even more miserable.
    ‘It’s fine. Really. Thanks for the cake,’ I say, and take the plate, hoping he’ll do the same with the hint, and leave.
    ‘Come in,’ Mum says. ‘I think we need some tea with that.’
    No such luck.
    The word ‘cake’ tempts Amy away from the TV to join us. Luscious-looking dark chocolate cake, with butter icing.
    ‘This is really good,’ I say, starting to thaw once I begin to tackle a piece. And it is: gooey with delicious bitter dark chocolate and just enough sweet to balance. ‘Did you make it?’
    ‘Believe me, if I made it, you wouldn’t want to eat it. My uncle did.’
    ‘Why have you come to stay with them? Will you be here for long?’ Amy asks.
    ‘Amy!’ Mum says.
    Cam laughs. Dimples appear when he smiles – one in each cheek. ‘It’s fine. I’m not sure how long, my mum is off on a research platform in the North Sea. Depends how long it takes them to discover something important, I guess.’
    ‘What about your dad?’ Amy asks.
    ‘He split last year,’ Cam says, with no elaboration, and a look on his face that suggests Amy has ventured into no-go territory. Mum quickly changes the subject, asking after his aunt and uncle.
    Eventually they leave the kitchen when Cam asks me what we’ve done so far in biology. Like I’ve been paying attention. But I go get my notes.
    ‘I’m sorry. I won’t be much help.’ I give him my notebook and Cam flicks through, but soon realises much of what is in it is nonsense. ‘I have trouble concentrating in that class,’ I admit.
    ‘You were away with the fairies this morning,’ he says. ‘I just passed you a note to tear your eyes away from the Teacher God Who Walks Amongst Us.’
    ‘That’s ridiculous,’ I say, nervous how much he noticed, how much anyone