but there was something outside the barn and she felt tense and afraid. She hadn’t thought to grab a weapon, a spade or something, and regretted that now. The sound came again and she was glad she had climbed up to the top of the straw bales.
She was afraid of rats mostly, in her mind she could see them swarming in the darkness below.
There was a snort then the unmistakable sound of an animal urinating. The pig had found her again.
‘Eew, Pig!’ she exclaimed. ‘Couldn’t you do that outside?’
The pig responded with another snort and walked to the bottom of the straw bales and plonked itself down.
‘Glad you made it,’ she said. Weirdly she felt a whole lot safer now the pig was with her. It was irrational, but strangely comforting.
She was about to settle down again when she heard another sound. What now? She tensed. Didn’t anyone get any sleep in the countryside? She saw another figure standing in the barn entrance.
‘Eew,’ a voice rasped. ‘What’s that smell?’
‘Ri! Ri! Is that you?’
‘Genie? I don’t believe it. Genie?’
‘Don’t move,’ Genie warned him. ‘There’s a pig in here and he’s huge. Don’t scare him.’
‘A pig?’
‘Keep to your left and there’s a short ladder at the end of the hay bales.’
Rian followed her instructions as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He could definitely smell wet pig, even if he couldn’t see it. ‘Hell, I can’t believe you’re in here.
I can’t believe you’re alive, Genie.’
‘Pig saved my life, I think.’ Genie moved to the end of the hay bales to greet him.
His head appeared and suddenly Genie was on him, arms around him hugging him. ‘You’re freezing, Ri. Freezing.’
‘You’re so warm. God, I’m just . . .’ He was stunned they had both ended up in the same place. Fate or magic.
Clearly they were meant to be. ‘I just followed this old track and . . .’
‘Hush, come here . . .’
He climbed up beside her and they fell back together on to the hay, holding each other tight. Rian was still wet but Genie planned to hug him dry. ‘Pull the straw over you and stay close. I’m never letting go of you again.’
He kissed her and she kissed him back, still stunned he had come back into her life. Below them the pig snorted, and they laughed.
‘There’s a pig in here,’ Rian stated. ‘There really is a pig in here.’
The rain began again and the thunder rolled overhead once more, closer than before, but both of them knew that they were safe and dry in here and snuggled up close under the straw, hands and arms and legs entwined.
Nothing was going to pry them apart. Moments later, exhausted, but utterly happy, they were both asleep.
8
Finding Denis
The building was bright. Glass walls and huge banks of computer servers, thousands of them, throwing off a massive amount of heat. This was a secret place, she knew that. The building literally hummed with all the power it consumed. She had no idea how she’d got here, but she knew she was trespassing. She was stood barefoot in a corridor unable to decide which way to go. Someone was coming and they meant her harm, but there was nowhere to hide. She saw movement, half turned and saw it again. Untamed ginger hair bobbing on the periphery of her vision.
‘Genie?’ a voice said, urgent, scared. ‘You shouldn’t be in here. Go, before they get you.’
She turned and there he was. Denis Malone, the boy who’d disappeared two years before. He looked just the same, which was impossible. She remembered him now, messing about in class and making stupid jokes. He was almost naked save for some scraggy underwear and green socks. There was a livid scar on his left shoulder that
looked a lot like the cross burned on to her own arm.
‘Denis. I can’t believe it’s you. You haven’t changed—’
‘Go, Genie. They’ll come for you and you’ll never leave.
No one who enters here ever leaves.’
‘Where are we? How did I get here?’
‘You don’t want
She was afraid of rats mostly, in her mind she could see them swarming in the darkness below.
There was a snort then the unmistakable sound of an animal urinating. The pig had found her again.
‘Eew, Pig!’ she exclaimed. ‘Couldn’t you do that outside?’
The pig responded with another snort and walked to the bottom of the straw bales and plonked itself down.
‘Glad you made it,’ she said. Weirdly she felt a whole lot safer now the pig was with her. It was irrational, but strangely comforting.
She was about to settle down again when she heard another sound. What now? She tensed. Didn’t anyone get any sleep in the countryside? She saw another figure standing in the barn entrance.
‘Eew,’ a voice rasped. ‘What’s that smell?’
‘Ri! Ri! Is that you?’
‘Genie? I don’t believe it. Genie?’
‘Don’t move,’ Genie warned him. ‘There’s a pig in here and he’s huge. Don’t scare him.’
‘A pig?’
‘Keep to your left and there’s a short ladder at the end of the hay bales.’
Rian followed her instructions as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He could definitely smell wet pig, even if he couldn’t see it. ‘Hell, I can’t believe you’re in here.
I can’t believe you’re alive, Genie.’
‘Pig saved my life, I think.’ Genie moved to the end of the hay bales to greet him.
His head appeared and suddenly Genie was on him, arms around him hugging him. ‘You’re freezing, Ri. Freezing.’
‘You’re so warm. God, I’m just . . .’ He was stunned they had both ended up in the same place. Fate or magic.
Clearly they were meant to be. ‘I just followed this old track and . . .’
‘Hush, come here . . .’
He climbed up beside her and they fell back together on to the hay, holding each other tight. Rian was still wet but Genie planned to hug him dry. ‘Pull the straw over you and stay close. I’m never letting go of you again.’
He kissed her and she kissed him back, still stunned he had come back into her life. Below them the pig snorted, and they laughed.
‘There’s a pig in here,’ Rian stated. ‘There really is a pig in here.’
The rain began again and the thunder rolled overhead once more, closer than before, but both of them knew that they were safe and dry in here and snuggled up close under the straw, hands and arms and legs entwined.
Nothing was going to pry them apart. Moments later, exhausted, but utterly happy, they were both asleep.
8
Finding Denis
The building was bright. Glass walls and huge banks of computer servers, thousands of them, throwing off a massive amount of heat. This was a secret place, she knew that. The building literally hummed with all the power it consumed. She had no idea how she’d got here, but she knew she was trespassing. She was stood barefoot in a corridor unable to decide which way to go. Someone was coming and they meant her harm, but there was nowhere to hide. She saw movement, half turned and saw it again. Untamed ginger hair bobbing on the periphery of her vision.
‘Genie?’ a voice said, urgent, scared. ‘You shouldn’t be in here. Go, before they get you.’
She turned and there he was. Denis Malone, the boy who’d disappeared two years before. He looked just the same, which was impossible. She remembered him now, messing about in class and making stupid jokes. He was almost naked save for some scraggy underwear and green socks. There was a livid scar on his left shoulder that
looked a lot like the cross burned on to her own arm.
‘Denis. I can’t believe it’s you. You haven’t changed—’
‘Go, Genie. They’ll come for you and you’ll never leave.
No one who enters here ever leaves.’
‘Where are we? How did I get here?’
‘You don’t want
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