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"It's locked," she said I held my hands out and she handed it over Mark chose thatof coffee in each hand

"Ia stea "She doesn't like too much coffee, says it keeps her awake She really likes to sleep"

"Tell me about it She slept the whole way back from Aberdeenshire"

"So can you open the box?" Rebecca asked, pointedly ignoring our teasing

"Sure, but not in a way that would leave it intact afterwards We should take it to a lockso to school," Mark said glumly "Mum made me promise, and I wouldn't put it past her to phone theo too It's Wednesday tomorrow, isn't it? That means I've already missed two days this week More than I'veShanice, Bex?"

"God, no But I', it would be a waste to drop out now"

"You could do soy if you wanted to," Mark suggested vaguely

"True I'll think about that In the o to school with you tomorrow"

I listened to their discussion with half an ear It would always be Rebecca's choice whether or not she went to school, but I remembered the afterhtly uneasy Chances were, though, that she would be safe there with Mark I decided to drop them both off and fetch them in the afternoon

The discussion eventually turned to sleeping arrangee a spare bed yet, but Mark suggested bringing his bed across fro it up in the spare room in the meantime As soon as that had been acco in earnest, so I sent the in ine what it would feel like to lie next to her, because I kneouldn't be sleepingfor areas where Jack ht have set up his base I had a fair idea of the para to take a while, and there was no guarantee that I would find anything It orth a try though, and I had nothing better to do that night

Rebecca

It was even weirder being back at school the next day The last time I had been away and returned, everyone had known that I had been abducted This ti But they probably assu, because the glances directed atwith sympathy, and a kind of , but thatto do with the fact that I'd broken her nose a couple of weeks ago It seeone down and it wasn't really skew or anything So I didn't feel too bad