Chapter 1

Mom climbed first, stiff from the cramped ride. I followed, my legs trembling as they straightened. The garage was dim and shut tight, the air cooler than inside the car.

“Quietly now.” Claire closed the boot, then the three of us crossed to the door into the house.

Our footsteps echoed in the wide hallway. A light burned somewhere deeper in the house, but we kept to the shadows. My shoes felt too loud against the floorboards.

A man stood waiting. Claire’s husband. Tall

He looked us over, his face unreadable. Not hostile, but not warm either. “So this is them,” he said quietly.

Claire gave a small nod.

He turned his eyes on me, then Mom. “You’ll be safe here,” he said, and I believed the words even if I didn’t believe he wanted to say them.

“Thank you,” Mom whispered.

He gave a brief nod, then stepped aside. It was clear: this was Claire’s choice, not his.

Claire touched his arm once, then led us upstairs. We followed in silence. At the end of the corridor stood a heavy wardrobe pressed against the wall. Claire stopped in front of it.

“This is where you’ll be,” she said, voice low.

Claire opened the door to coats swaying on their hangers. She pushed them aside and stepped through.

“Come,” she said.

Mom went first, ducking into the space behind. I followed, brushing against the fabric, the smell of old wool catching in my nose. Where the back panel should have been, there was only a gap, and beyond it a room.

It wasn’t large and must have been used for storage before. Two mattresses were laid on the floor side by side. A small table stood in the corner with a lamp on it, its cord trailing to an outlet. A bucket with a lid sat near the door. Two chairs and a small table completed the setup.