He knew about my curse and more than that, he was helping to keep the ghosts away. With Justin I felt safe and perhaps understood for the first time since my mum had died. With deepening depression I found myself wishing that there was a way that he could remain by my side, but when I found his killer he'd move on and leave me alone once more.

I thought of my mum’s promise to me with a snigger. Was this the “love” that I was supposedly guaranteed? An unrequited crush on a dead teenager.

Hysterical laughter bubbled in my chest. At least if I was going to die tonight, I'd have had this feeling. Tainted with darkness as it was, it was better than the nothing that had filled me until now.

I swallowed it back. “I'd better find Dad and say goodbye.”

Justin's fingers edged across the table until they touched my wrist. “Hey.” He smiled gently as I looked up. “We're going to be alright.”

We met the others at the bus stop so we could go together to the site of Justin's death. Before we left I had pulled the glove over my hand with shaking fingers. I'd never seen a Mark so black and I was pretty certain the Darkness was coming for me, maybe even tonight. If I could just stay ahead of it for a few more hours I’d know who Justin’s killer was and could pass the Mark on.

I wasn’t even entertaining the thought that my plan wouldn’t work.

I glanced along the back seat of the bus and my eyes skidded past Tamsin, Harley, Pete, and James: the group that had escorted Justin. One of them had to know what really happened that night.

Justin was sitting on an empty seat in front. He glanced back every so often, with an expression that said he was checking on me. And each time he turned his head I sensed the effort it took him not to look at Tamsin and James.

Biting my lip I looked out the window. Another ten minutes and we’d be getting off the bus. Apparently our stop was only a short walk from the building site. I fidgeted in my seat. I wasn’t comfortable putting my toes on the bus floor. The shadows beneath the seat were definitely darker than they should be and they sucked at my heels when I put them down.

We stood outside the chippy on the high street. It was that odd witching hour in the suburbs of London between the shops closing down for the day and the bars opening up for the evening. A few doors remained open, a vendor selling sari silk, a Costcutter, a newsagent. These hopeful businesses spilled electric light and noise onto the pavement, but the street was fairly quiet and most shops were dead.

A man walked towards us with two huge dogs on leads. All three of them wore studded collars and I couldn’t take my eyes off the hounds. They weren’t friendly. As they drew level with us one of them sniffed towards the chip shop while the other drooled and looked at me with eyes so black they reminded me of the void imprinted on my hand. Inadvertently I took a step backwards and the dog growled.

Its owner glared at me as if I’d deliberately antagonised his animals and a flash of anger warmed me. Where did he get off?

I was sick of feeling hunted and being scared. I was going to climb that scaffolding and then the idiots with me would have to tell me what really happened to Justin. Then I could get rid of the Mark and… and Justin would be gone.

I was trying to keep my glances at Justin to a minimum. He stood next to Pete and watched me with wary brown eyes, so different from those of my one-time friend. Justin was the only one of us wearing a uniform, the others had insisted on hoodies and jeans for this trip, and he looked a little lost. His skin was still pale, his face pinched and nervous. Of course, when he was last here, he’d died. I should be checking on him, not the other way around. I gave him an encouraging smile.

“What’re you gurning at?” Tamsin peered around James, seeing nothing but the Costcutter on the other side of the road.

I spread my gloved hand. “Nothing. Just thinking about stuff.”

“Freak.”

We stood a hundred metres down from the building site and I wondered if they’d stopped here last time too. Pete’s hands were wrapped around the portion of chips he’d just bought. Grease and vinegar dripped from the paper onto the gum-stained pavement. Tamsin curled her lip and my own stomach rolled at the smell.

James nodded at the security insignia that hung on the link fence that surrounded the building site. “We need another diversion. You ready?”

Pete nodded and tilted his head. “I’ll need Tamsin this time.”

Arm-in-arm the couple walked down the street towards the building site. Suddenly the girl pulled away. “You can’t talk to me like that!”

“I was only kidding.” The boy thought he could talk his way out of whatever he’d said.

“What about the other day? What about the party? I’ve had enough.”

“Where did that come from?” It was the boy’s turn to pull back.

“You’re a total waster. It’s over.”

“What?” He was shouting now. “You can’t just dump me!”

“Get over yourself, I just did. Anyway, why would you care, you want someone with some ‘junk in their trunk’, right?”

“I was joking!” The girl was stalking away now, leaving the boy outside the building site. His eyes glittered above his dark jumper as he thumped the chain link fence. “Dammit.”

“Hey.” The guard’s voice reached us. “What’re you doing?”

“Didn’t you see? She just dumped me.” The boy rubbed his bald head. “I can’t believe it.” He looked at his right hand as if he’d forgotten he was clutching a bag of chips. “I don’t feel like these any more. You want them?”

The guard glanced left and right, then shrugged. “Go on then.”

The boy leaned on the fence. “Did you see her? She was fit. Out of my league really…”

“Come on.” James pulled on my sleeve. “We’ve got a minute or two. Let’s get round the back.”

Tamsin rejoined us and fluffed up her hair. “Did you see Pete try and make me eat those greasy carbs?”

“It worked.” James put his arm around her shoulder and led us down a side road to the rear of the site. “Pull up your hoods, girls. There’s CCTV everywhere.” Harley was already donning his and now James too covered his hair and pulled the cowl low over his eyes. Instantly he seemed even more menacing.

I shivered and tweaked my own hood over my eyes, narrowing the world to a tunnel.

The fence was at least six foot, but there was no barbed wire or anything. I was about to set my hands and feet on it when Harley grabbed my shoulder. I turned, mouth opening, and saw a couple hurrying past us with their heads down.

“Boo,” he shouted and they crossed quickly to the other side of the road.

Tamsin smacked him as he snickered. “Way to call attention to us.”

Harley just grinned and James gestured towards the fence.

Justin gave my fingers a quick squeeze, then phased through the chain link right beneath the “No Access” sign. I shivered as I watched him go. It was so easy to forget what he was.

Suddenly he reappeared. “Start climbing here, there’s some stuff piled up on the other side. You can jump down.”

I nodded and moved to the spot he indicated. Then I took one last look around. It was almost dark and the streetlights cast orange circles onto the grey pavement.

We were overlooked only by the rears of buildings. Bulging rubbish bags sat outside one scratched door; probably the back of a bar. A rustling sound made me jump and my eyes jerked back to the bins. A sudden glittering made me inhale as a fox raised its muzzle from the rubbish. It regarded us coldly then gave a short yip and disappeared down the street, slipping from light pool to light pool, then melting into an abandoned lot.

I licked dry lips and turned back to the fence.