Forget Me Never

the air for some seconds, hopeless, empty, summing up the situation we found ourselves in.
    ‘So nothing. We’re well and truly stuffed.’
    The only thing in our favour – ironically – was that we didn’t have much evidence against them beyond Dani’s iPhone backup. That might make them decide to let us go. If they were going to kill us, surely they would have by now?
    ‘Soph?’ Reece asked. I realized I must have been silent a while. I shifted into a more comfortable position, drawing my knees up to my chest, already feeling the chill. For a moment I considered asking Reece if I could huddle up to him – and maybe not just for the heat – but instead I heard myself say, ‘I was just weighing up what they’re likely to do.’
    He let out a hollow laugh. ‘Obvious, isn’t it? Look at what they tried to do to Aiden and Cherie. They’ve got the formula. Now they’re disposing of the evidence.’
    After about half an hour we heard the click of the bolts on the door being pushed back, followed by the key turning. Kyle appeared with a couple of musty-smelling blankets and a big bottle of water. He tossed them on to the floor.
    ‘Either of you need to take a bathroom trip?’
    Both of us nodded. Kyle took me out first.
    ‘Who owns this place?’ I asked as I climbed a narrow staircase. Kyle had positioned himself behind me so I couldn’t do a runner.
    Kyle made a non-committal noise. ‘That’s the bathroom straight ahead. Don’t try anything clever.’
    I glanced around the landing before going inside. It looked like there were only two other rooms, so the place couldn’t be very big. The bathroom was fairly clean, considering how dusty the rest of the house was. The window was tiny, but it was big enough to show that we were in the middle of nowhere. There was a road in the distance, probably further away than it looked. There were certainly no houses I could see and no sounds of life.
    Kyle rapped on the door. Quickly I opened the bathroom cupboard, but there was just a toothbrush and a packet of aspirin – nothing that could be of any use.
    As Kyle took me back downstairs, I said, ‘Our parents will notice we’re gone soon. They’ll call the police.’
    Kyle said nothing, and I found myself back in the pantry as he took Reece upstairs. I shivered and settled down, pulling one of the blankets over me and trying to ignore the smell.

REECE
    At about six o’clock I found a can opener and opened a tin of peach slices. I offered them to Sophie.
    She shook her head. ‘Do you ever think of anything other than your stomach?’
    ‘I’ve not eaten since six this morning, and I can’t see how starving myself is in any way productive.’ I fished out a slice from the syrup and slid it into my mouth. It tasted of nothing and I swallowed quickly.
    Although my earlier panic had dulled, I was still very, very afraid. I’d desperately tried to come up with escape ideas, but none of them seemed like they’d work. I thought about Neve and Mum. Neve would be at the kitchen table right now with her crayons. Mum would be preparing dinner, grumbling about me not letting her know if I was joining them. It was likely that she’d tried to ring my phone, but my not picking up wouldn’t cause much alarm. She’d assume I was playing cricket. My teammates would call when I didn’t turn up for the minibus, but again, that would be my mobile number, not home – and as we always took a reserve player, they probably wouldn’t be too bothered.
    Christ, if I didn’t get out of this, what would that mean for Mum? She’d already lost Dad. I didn’t want to imagine what losing me might do to her. And would Neve even remember me as she got older? The thought that I might be forgotten was really terrifying. I felt horribly guilty. I’d chosen Sophie over my family. Now I was facing the consequences.
    ‘Sorry I got you into this.’
    I glanced sideways. Sophie was slumped beside me, bundled in blankets up to her chin. I waved my hand in front of her.
    ‘OK?’
    ‘No. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be here. Your mum was right when she said I was bad for you.’
    I shrugged. I didn’t have it in me to be angry with her any more.
    ‘Why did you come to Heathrow?’ Sophie asked. She had a cobweb in her hair. I reached across to brush it off. ‘You didn’t have to.’
    ‘Because I wanted to prevent the sale of a dangerous formula, perhaps?’ That was only half the truth. I came because despite what I’ve