lost.’
‘If you ask me,’ Pepper says, ‘having met him, I’d say there’s no knowing what Samuel might do.’
‘Indeed.’ Mr Lomax smiles, but there’s real concern in his eyes. Despite its designer logo, his jacket has a hole at one elbow. Considering he owns the entire island, he surely
could afford a new one. Or maybe he just doesn’t care about how he looks, like Janet. I’m itching to ask him if he remembers meeting Gavin and Irina, but there’s no way in front
of all these people.
‘Do you think we need to search Easter Rock?’ Miss Bunnock interjects, her eyes wide.
‘Goodness.’ Mr Lomax looks startled. ‘I don’t think . . . no . . . yes, we should check. I’ll take care of it. Why don’t you see if he’s in the grounds
to the back of the house?’ He turns to the rest of us. ‘Until later, everyone, please don’t leave the building. Mrs Moncrieff is currently searching the upper floors again so I
suggest you wait in the library.’
‘Would you like us to help look for Samuel?’ Kit asks earnestly.
Pepper rolls her eyes. ‘Ooh, Boy Scout alert,’ she whispers.
‘No, er, thank you.’ Mr Lomax shakes his head distractedly and hurries to the door, Miss Bunnock right behind him.
‘What a fuss,’ Josh drawls. ‘Samuel’s probably just gone outside for a cig.’
‘I don’t think that’s very likely.’ Anna sounds scandalised.
‘No.’ I suppress a smile at the idea of Samuel smoking, as we troop into the library. ‘Anyway, they took the fuel out of his lighter.’
‘Good point,’ Josh acknowledges.
‘Plus, we were told not to go outside,’ Kit says. ‘So it would mean breaking the rules.’
‘Jeez.’ Pepper makes a face. ‘Lighten up, will you?’
‘Yeah, man, just cos you always obey the rules.’ Josh winks at me, then flings himself down on one of the sofas.
I blush. Kit scowls. ‘I just meant Samuel didn’t seem likely to go against what he was told to do.’ He turns away and paces up and down by the bookshelves. His walk is
powerful, yet graceful, ridiculously mesmerizing. I can’t take my eyes off him.
‘What I don’t get is
why
they didn’t want us to help,’ Anna says with a sigh.
Pepper sits down beside Josh and sprawls across the end of the sofa, her arms flung theatrically over the cushions. ‘I’ve got no idea either. This place is weird.’
‘They just don’t want us outside and unsupervised on our first night,’ Kit says, still pacing up and down.
I screw up my courage, ready to sidle over and maybe try talking to him again, but before I can move Anna drifts over to the bookshelves.
‘Hey, Kit,’ she says. ‘Do you think we should get back to the clearing up?’
Kit nods. Without looking round, the two of them leave the room.
Great
.
I sit down opposite Josh and Pepper, feeling disgruntled.
An hour passes and the light outside starts to fade. We attempt to explore the ground floor, but only the kitchen and a large, empty, wood-floored room with a pile of blue mats in the corner are
unlocked. The rest of the floor is hidden behind a thick wooden door. Josh goes to get his guitar, but it’s been taken up to his room and the doors to the bedrooms are firmly fastened. He
tries most of the other doors on the way back down and reports that they’re all locked too.
‘If I had my tools with me, I could open them,’ he says, ‘but they’re in the bedroom.’
‘What tools?’ I ask.
‘Couple of long pins, nothing fancy. They fit down the hem of my rucksack or the side of my boots. Anyway, I’m not leaving the room without them again.’
‘It’s like an effing prison,’ Pepper mutters.
Josh raises his eyebrows. His dark eyes twinkle as he glances from me to Pepper. ‘Fancy a prison break?’
Pepper sits up. ‘Totally.’
‘You mean go outside?’ I ask. My heart thuds.
‘Yeah, we might even track down Samuel.’ Pepper sniffs. She and Josh are already at the door.
My stomach contracts. It’s true
‘If you ask me,’ Pepper says, ‘having met him, I’d say there’s no knowing what Samuel might do.’
‘Indeed.’ Mr Lomax smiles, but there’s real concern in his eyes. Despite its designer logo, his jacket has a hole at one elbow. Considering he owns the entire island, he surely
could afford a new one. Or maybe he just doesn’t care about how he looks, like Janet. I’m itching to ask him if he remembers meeting Gavin and Irina, but there’s no way in front
of all these people.
‘Do you think we need to search Easter Rock?’ Miss Bunnock interjects, her eyes wide.
‘Goodness.’ Mr Lomax looks startled. ‘I don’t think . . . no . . . yes, we should check. I’ll take care of it. Why don’t you see if he’s in the grounds
to the back of the house?’ He turns to the rest of us. ‘Until later, everyone, please don’t leave the building. Mrs Moncrieff is currently searching the upper floors again so I
suggest you wait in the library.’
‘Would you like us to help look for Samuel?’ Kit asks earnestly.
Pepper rolls her eyes. ‘Ooh, Boy Scout alert,’ she whispers.
‘No, er, thank you.’ Mr Lomax shakes his head distractedly and hurries to the door, Miss Bunnock right behind him.
‘What a fuss,’ Josh drawls. ‘Samuel’s probably just gone outside for a cig.’
‘I don’t think that’s very likely.’ Anna sounds scandalised.
‘No.’ I suppress a smile at the idea of Samuel smoking, as we troop into the library. ‘Anyway, they took the fuel out of his lighter.’
‘Good point,’ Josh acknowledges.
‘Plus, we were told not to go outside,’ Kit says. ‘So it would mean breaking the rules.’
‘Jeez.’ Pepper makes a face. ‘Lighten up, will you?’
‘Yeah, man, just cos you always obey the rules.’ Josh winks at me, then flings himself down on one of the sofas.
I blush. Kit scowls. ‘I just meant Samuel didn’t seem likely to go against what he was told to do.’ He turns away and paces up and down by the bookshelves. His walk is
powerful, yet graceful, ridiculously mesmerizing. I can’t take my eyes off him.
‘What I don’t get is
why
they didn’t want us to help,’ Anna says with a sigh.
Pepper sits down beside Josh and sprawls across the end of the sofa, her arms flung theatrically over the cushions. ‘I’ve got no idea either. This place is weird.’
‘They just don’t want us outside and unsupervised on our first night,’ Kit says, still pacing up and down.
I screw up my courage, ready to sidle over and maybe try talking to him again, but before I can move Anna drifts over to the bookshelves.
‘Hey, Kit,’ she says. ‘Do you think we should get back to the clearing up?’
Kit nods. Without looking round, the two of them leave the room.
Great
.
I sit down opposite Josh and Pepper, feeling disgruntled.
An hour passes and the light outside starts to fade. We attempt to explore the ground floor, but only the kitchen and a large, empty, wood-floored room with a pile of blue mats in the corner are
unlocked. The rest of the floor is hidden behind a thick wooden door. Josh goes to get his guitar, but it’s been taken up to his room and the doors to the bedrooms are firmly fastened. He
tries most of the other doors on the way back down and reports that they’re all locked too.
‘If I had my tools with me, I could open them,’ he says, ‘but they’re in the bedroom.’
‘What tools?’ I ask.
‘Couple of long pins, nothing fancy. They fit down the hem of my rucksack or the side of my boots. Anyway, I’m not leaving the room without them again.’
‘It’s like an effing prison,’ Pepper mutters.
Josh raises his eyebrows. His dark eyes twinkle as he glances from me to Pepper. ‘Fancy a prison break?’
Pepper sits up. ‘Totally.’
‘You mean go outside?’ I ask. My heart thuds.
‘Yeah, we might even track down Samuel.’ Pepper sniffs. She and Josh are already at the door.
My stomach contracts. It’s true
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