I forced my eyes to open. The invading sunshine forced tears onto my cheeks, but I vowed never again to allow full darkness to wrap me in its embrace.

Then my precious sunlight was blocked and I looked up. The Professor stood over me, hands on hips. Titus crouched at his feet; a tiny warped reflection of the beast in the tomb. I struggled to my feet. No hand was offered in aid.

“What the devil happened? Where are the others?” The Professor clenched his fists with wild impatience but I had to clear my throat before I could speak.

“All gone.” I looked at the sack in my shaking hand then frowned. In the centre of my right palm, where the Sunbird had clutched me, there was a stain, like an ink blot. The hand tingled as if I had been stung.

“Look at me, man. What do you mean, gone?”

“Dead,” I responded in a low voice. “All dead.”

“But you survived? How? Is it still in there?”

Slowly I raised my head. “It?” The Professor had known about the beast.

He responded to the accusation in my eyes with measured deliberation. “I assume some sort of wild animal was living down there.”

“You knew.”

The Professor removed his glasses and his face assumed an expression both cynical and sly. “I assumed one of the overseers would deal with the tomb’s protection. Now you’ll have to do the job. Take my gun and get back down there.”

With a laugh of disbelief, I tucked my hands beneath my arms, as staunch a refusal as I could make. As I pulled back I saw the Professor’s eyes light on the sack. Immediately he pulled the gun from its holster and directed the muzzle at my chest. “With the treasure in that tomb I will be master of the most powerful society in England. Return, or I will shoot.”

That was when I ran for my tent. I don’t know how much time I have before the man forces me back into the dark. I do know my sanity will not bear it. I have condemned my children’s children to lives of servitude to a foreign god, I have sold my own soul. I have seen the Lord of Death and lived.

I would rather die than face him again.

Justin’s voice faded and his palm landed on my forehead. Slowly he stroked my eyes closed. “There’s more, but you need to rest. I’ll watch over you, OK? I’ll keep the Darkness at bay, just for tonight.”

I yawned. “You can’t keep the Darkness at bay.”

“Watch me,” he growled.

And I did. I opened my eyes and watched him guard me until lead filled my lids and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

“Taylor, you’ll be late for the bus.” Dad’s voice drifted up the stairs and I clenched my fists.

“And suddenly you’re the school police,” I muttered, kicking my heels against the bed post.

“What’s the matter?” Justin leaned against the wall by the mirror, apparently his preferred spot. “Don’t want to go to school?”

“Shut up.” I tried to make myself rise, knowing Dad would soon come up to chivvy me along, but my body wouldn’t obey me. I picked at a spot on my bedspread. “If you must know, Hannah isn’t speaking to me.”

“She’ll get over it.”

“What if she doesn’t?”

Justin caught my eye. “Then she doesn’t.” He cleared his throat as if embarrassed. “You’re the strongest person I know, you’ll go on without her.”

I swallowed and returned my stare to the loose thread on my coverlet. “I don’t think I am strong without Hannah. I’m not sure I can face the dogs on my own.”

After a moment a cool hand covered mine and I jumped. Justin had moved to sit beside me on the bed.

“You are and you can.” He spoke without meeting my eye. “You’ve dealt with this,” he fingered the edge of my glove, “on your own for how long now? Three years? You put up with all our crap for longer than that. You just faced an oncoming train. You can do anything.”

I swallowed again. “I just can’t deal with it right now.”

Justin sighed. “Everyone feels that way sometimes; at least you haven’t run away to the Science Museum.”

A snort made me cover my nose and before I could think about it I was asking, “Will you come with me?”

“To school? Are you kidding?”

“Just for today.” I finally met his eyes and knew mine were pleading.

“One of the only good things about being dead is not having to sit through double French.” He pulled his hand away from mine.

“What else are you going to do with your day?”

He hissed through his teeth. “Taylor, I–”

“It’s your fault, the fight I had with Hannah. OK, I guess it’s been coming for a while, but it wouldn’t have been this week.”

“I don’t want to see Tamsin,” he finally blurted.

I stared at him. “Right, I forgot.” It would hurt Justin to see Tamsin all over James; a knife in the heart on top of the fall from the scaffold.

I stood up and forced a smile. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll manage.”

Justin twisted his fingers together awkwardly.

“Seriously, I’ll cope.” I flicked my hair over my shoulders and straightened. “What’s the worst they can do?”

Justin suddenly looked up with a grin. “Taylor, you’ve forgotten something.”

“What?” I frowned.

“You’re in the V Club now, you’re popular.”

The common room was crowded when I arrived and habit made me look for Hannah. I spotted her crown of bright hair over on a table by the window and automatically my feet started in her direction. As if she’d sensed me come in, she stopped her conversation and turned. Her warm eyes met mine and instantly cooled. My feet faltered as she, very deliberately, shoved her bag on the empty seat next to her and turned her back.

The air in the room fled and I stood in between tables, struggling to breathe, hurting and humiliated.

“What’re you doing, Oh?” Harley shoved me in the small of the back and I stumbled. Anger swung me round like a top and my fists clenched at my waist.

He stepped back, hands raised. “Easy ‘eye of the tiger’. I was just coming to get you. You looked lost.”

I felt like an anime version of myself, as if I should have a huge question-mark blinking above my head.

“Come on, we’ve saved you a seat.”

“You’ve what?”

Harley leaned in. “You’re in the club now. You sit with us.”

“You want me to sit with you?” I tested the words out, but they still felt foreign and wrong.

Harley shrugged. “‘Want’ is a strong word, but you’re in V and you rocked the dare last night. I can’t wait to see what you do next.” He grinned. “Anyway, the rule is, V sticks together. You’re with us now.”

Moving like an automaton and half wondering if I was still asleep I followed Harley over to the “popular table”. As I approached I expected the usual raft of insults to fly at me, but nothing happened. Tentatively I put my hand on the back of a chair. Still no one prevented me. Like an addict, unable to stop myself, I glanced over at Hannah. She was watching me with her jaw slack and her hands clutched to her chest.

One of her new friends nudged her and she closed her mouth and looked away.

Fine then. I swung into my new chair and dumped my bag at my feet.

Tamsin sat opposite me filing her nails. James was next to her, lounging cross-armed. His eyes fell on me and didn’t shift, not even when it became uncomfortable. I looked away first, to find Pete looking at Hannah with sadness in his eyes.

“You were right,” I muttered. “She’s had enough of me.”

Pete rubbed his head. “It’s probably for the best. She won’t ask questions now.”

Tamsin glanced up. “What do you care? You’re with us now, sweetie.”

I nodded. But if I was popular, why did I feel like my guts had been scooped out with a spoon?