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I’ve noticed that some of our most neglected and vulnerable kids are the ones who end up being drawn to the place. Most of them come back after a few weeks. But a couple of the kids, I’ve never seen again.’
    â€˜They might just be getting on with their lives,’ Boges suggested.
    Rebecca didn’t look convinced. ‘Could be. I’ve just got a bad feeling about that place.’
    Later, as we walked back to Winter’s house, it felt like Rebecca’s bad feelings were contagious. Shadow Island had changed from being a tropical paradise into something potentially much more sinister. Even the name now sounded menacing. And what was the key for?
    â€˜What did you make of what Rebecca said?’ Winter asked me.
    â€˜Not sure yet,’ I said. ‘I was thinking about Brittany Philips and her nightmares.’
    â€˜I don’t like the idea that some kids seem to be missing,’ said Winter. ‘Shouldn’t the police be doing something?’
    â€˜What can they do?’ asked Boges. ‘At that age, kids can leave home and go where they like. They might just have gone off and not told anyone.’
    That was true, I knew. And surely, if there’d been any real problems, the authorities would have been asked to investigate Shadow Island by now. Rumours are just that—a game of whispers. Lots of kids ‘disappear’ for a while. I know I did for a whole year. Although, I mused, I wouldn’t wish that kind of life on anyone.
    Winter interrupted my thoughts saying, ‘You know Cal, until I met you, Boges and Ryan, and then Harriet, I might have been one of those vulnerable kids. I might have been the sort who went to Shadow Island and then just—just …’
    â€˜â€¦ disappeared?’ I laughed. ‘No way. I can’t imagine that! But I think we need to talk to Brittany Philips,’ I said.
    â€˜We’ve gotta find her first, Cal,’ Winter reminded me.

DAY 8
83 days to go …
SI-6 Headquarters,
Clayton Morris Industrial Estate
10:02 am
    â€˜OK,’ said BB, standing in front of us and pointing to the screen on the wall. Axel, Paddy, D’Merrick and I sat around a long table, ready for my briefing. I had been eager to learn more in the last few days, but SI-6 seemed to be running to their own schedule. Perhaps this was the downside of an ‘off the books’ operation.
    â€˜This is Shadow Island,’ BB announced, ‘as per the Paradise People’s website. It’s quite small—about six kilometres long and a couple of kilometres wide. Like most of these islands, it has steep volcanic cliffs and dangerous ocean breaks on the windward side, with a more sheltered bay on the leeward eastern side.’
    BB pointed to the screen and continued, ‘There’ve been small rumbles from a volcanothere, but very little recent activity, apart from the occasional tremor. The terrain is rugged and mountainous in the middle, with one heavily forested large peak that’s usually covered in cloud. This area,’ BB pointed to the screen, ‘was used for a while as a penal colony in the 19th-century. Parts of an old stone prison and the prison governor’s residence are still there, but they’re all derelict now. The island was also used by the military during the Pacific War.’
    BB turned back from the screen to face us. ‘Jeffrey Thoroughgood has been running the place as a youth camp for a number of years now. As you can see, it’s a pretty, tropical island—but like all paradises, it has its serpents too. There are potential dangers on Shadow Island, like the Gympie Gympie trees which grow in the rainforest areas which cover much of the island. It’s a harmless-looking tree with heart-shaped leaves, but if you brush up against it you’ll be in pain for months. There’s also a nasty climbing palm called a ‘Wait-a-While’, which has hundreds of little hooks