The summit was over. He should have been back by now, but Rachel shook her head. 'A lot of roads are closed; he's having trouble getting back from London. He should be here tonight.'

Advanced Night School students were in and out of meetings all day, so Allie never had a chance to talk with Sylvain. Instead she spent most of the day with Rachel and Jo, reading and napping.

By nine that night she was wide awake. All the conflicting emotions of the last twenty-four hours had left her charged with pent-up adrenaline. So as she pulled on her patrolling gear, she was actually looking forward to the work ahead. All the Night School students who hadn't yet left for Christmas were splitting up into shifts. She and Zoe had the first one.

It was even colder out than last night, so they'd been issued snow boots which laced up nearly to their knees, as well as thicker leggings, a bulky jacket and thermal gloves.

Zoe, who already had her gear on, including a black ski mask, was air punching in the corner.

'I'm like an Eskimo Ninja,' she announced.

'That's exactly what you're like.' Allie stood up. 'Blimey, I'm so bundled up I can hardly move. I'm not a Ninja. I'm a Marshmallow Man.'

'Yeah, you have to move a bit to kind of loosen the layers.' Zoe tried to kick high and couldn't raise her leg. 'This isn't going to be easy. I hope nobody breaks in tonight. We'd have to just run at them and try to knock them down with our layers.'

'In this weather,' Allie said as they walked out into the corridor, 'nobody's even going to be able to get anywhere near here, much less break in.'

When they reached the top of the stairs, Sylvain was waiting by the door. He affected nonchalance but Allie knew he was waiting for her. As their eyes met, she melted inside.

'I'll catch you up, Zoe,' she said, her gaze locked on Sylvain's.

Still struggling with her thick layers, Zoe didn't notice anything. 'Cool.' She dashed outside trying to kick things.

Amusement flickered in Sylvain's eyes as he studied Allie's clothes. 'Well, at least I know you won't freeze to death.'

'Don't joke. You'll have to wear this stuff later.' Allie smiled. 'Basically, as long as no actual physical movement is required, we're great.'

He pulled her to him until their foreheads touched. His breath was warm on her face. He smelled of coffee and sandalwood.

'You're going to be careful, yes?' he whispered.

She quivered at his touch. 'Very.'

This is wrong, Allie told herself. I shouldn't want this.

Standing on her toes, she kissed him quickly and passionately. When she pulled away his eyes had darkened and he breathed heavily.

'See you in three hours,' she said.

'Look at it.' Zoe was trudging through snow that nearly reached her knees. 'It's beautiful.'

Snow blanketed every branch of every tree, carpeting the ground, softening every corner. The clouds had cleared away and the moon was out, turning the white world blue.

Allie's breath blew out in tiny clouds as her boots crunched with each step. With so many layers, and in such deep snow, walking was hard work. She was already sweating, and her ski mask hung from her fingers. It made her face itch whenever she put it on.

Zoe still wore hers, but rolled up on her head, like a cat burglar.

'It's weird how quiet it is,' Allie said.

'No birds,' Zoe observed. 'No foxes. But maybe we just can't hear them; snow absorbs sound.'

It was nearly eleven. They'd already made the rounds once, and had begun their second sweep, down along the fence line, following their own prints from earlier. Zoe was in the lead. She'd adapted to her layers at last and was moving with something like her usual grace and speed.

'Almost done,' she was saying. 'I think when we go back in I'm going to have a hot chocolate.'

Allie wasn't really paying attention. She was thinking about Sylvain. His shift didn't start until three. With the school mostly empty, surely they could find some time alone somewhere before he had to go. The thought of kissing him again made her heart race.

But all she said was 'Hot chocolate would be good.'

'Something's wrong.'

Zoe's words seemed so out of context that for a second Allie thought she was still talking about chocolate. Then she saw where the younger girl was pointing.

Ahead of them the school's drive crossed their path before going through the big iron gate. But something about it didn't look right. Puzzled, Allie squinted at the road, trying to figure out what it was.

'Something's missing,' she said. 'What is it?'

'The gate.' Zoe's eyes were wide with fear. 'Someone's opened the gate.'

THIRTY-ONE.

'How can the gate be open?' Allie stared at the open drive as if looking at it would close it again. 'I don't understand.'

They were crouched down in the trees, whispering. They'd both pulled on their ski masks.

'It's not supposed to be open,' Zoe said. 'It's a mistake.'

'Could it be Raj?' Allie asked. 'Maybe he came back and left it open.'

Even through her ski mask she could see the scepticism in Zoe's eyes. 'Raj, Allie? Really?'

'No,' Allie said. 'You're right. He'd build a new gate with his bare hands before he'd leave this one open.' She took a calming breath. 'OK, we're trained for this, Zoe. We check this out together. You loop around that way.' She pointed towards the school building. 'Cross the drive further down. Then you search that side of the driveway and I'll search this side. If you find anything, yell. If I don't yell back, go and get help.'

Zoe shot off through the powdery snow and, worry making her heart hurt, Allie watched her until she disappeared in the shadows.

She looked so tiny.

Then she began moving from tree to tree, searching for signs of trouble. As she walked, she thought about the night she went to meet Christopher. The way Gabe had jumped on her from out of nowhere.

She'd never heard a thing.

Her heart beat a staccato rhythm as she moved through the woods as quietly as possible, knowing she was making a perfect trail to follow with every step. But she saw no footprints ahead of her the snow was smooth.

What am I doing out here? she thought fearfully. This is crazy. We're just kids.

When she'd made it to the drive without finding anything, she peered through the open gate, out into the darkness beyond the school grounds.

There was nobody there.

She was just about to walk to Zoe's side of the drive when something caught her eye. There was something in the road, beyond the fence line.

Squinting, she tried to make it out, but it was just a little too far away.

Above her, a heavy clump of snow fell from a branch dusting her with a shower of silvery powder. She was brushing it off her shoulders when the moon moved out from behind a cloud. In the pale light it cast, she stared again at the thing in the road but she couldn't tell what it was. It was pink. And looked kind of like a doll ...

Everything went still.

She opened her mouth to call for Zoe but her throat was suddenly so dry words wouldn't come out.

And then she was running. She ran through the gate and down the road, and, as she ran, she found her voice and she screamed for Zoe. But it was like her nightmare like trying to run through treacle. Her feet wouldn't move like they should. Her ribcage tightened around her lungs and she fought for air.

Jo lay crumpled in the road, her legs twisted under her unnaturally. Her cornflower blue eyes stared up at the dark sky and she was horribly pale.

'Jo?' Allie ripped off a glove with her teeth and pressed her shaking fingers to Jo's neck, whispering a prayer. But her hands were numb and she couldn't feel anything. All she could feel was cold. Jo felt cold.

'Allie, what is it?' Zoe stood just outside the gate, looking out at her. Allie could hear the dread in her voice.

'It's Jo,' Allie shouted. 'Don't come here. Run back to the school as fast as you can. Tell them he's here. Nathaniel's here. Bring help, Zoe.'

'Is she alive?' Zoe asked.

Fear and anger can hurt like burning, and when Allie replied her words roared out of her throat. 'Just run, Zoe!'

She said it with such force, Zoe was moving before the last syllable had fallen from the air she was too far away to hear how the last word turned into a sob.

'Jo, can you hear me?' Kneeling beside her Allie tried to find a wound or cut. At first she could see nothing, but then the moon came out from behind a cloud and she saw the dark stain spreading on the white snow.

'Oh God.'

The sight numbed Allie's brain for a moment she couldn't even remember how to breathe as she fought back the grief and terror that threatened to overwhelm her.

'Jo, I don't know what to do!' Her voice sounded foreign to her small and childlike. Her hot tears were cold by the time they reached her cheeks and for a second she closed her eyes, willing herself to get it together enough to think. She needed to stop the bleeding.

'Allie ...'

Jo's whisper came with obvious effort, and Allie's eyes flew open.

'Oh my God. Jo! What happened? What did they do to you?'

'Allie,' Jo whispered again, her voice so raspy and weak Allie had to lean close to her to hear. 'It's Gabe.' She licked her lips slowly. 'He tricked ... me.'

Her voice was so weak and she was so pale.

'Look.' Panic making it hard to breathe, Allie fought to keep calm. Jo needed her to keep it together. 'You're going to be OK. They're bringing help. You just hang on, Jo.'

And that's when everything went dark.

Allie's feet left the ground. She couldn't move her arms or legs. She could see nothing. She was being ... carried.

Screaming inside whatever covered her face, she struggled with all her strength, kicking out wildly with her heavy snow boots. At one point she made contact and heard the satisfying sound of air being forced out of someone's lungs. Whoever was carrying her lost their grip and her feet touched the ground. Planting her heels in the snow, she nearly pulled free. Then somebody punched her and she fell. Her ribs burned with pain and for a little while she couldn't move.

She was picked up again, and held more tightly now, and with an arm against her throat, choking her.

'Keep fighting and you die, too.' Gabe's voice, so horribly familiar.

She heard a metallic sound and felt herself being shoved into a car. Her shoulder hit the door hard, and she banged her head against something.

'Be careful with her,' a different voice warned. 'He said not to hurt her. You heard him.'

'She's fine,' Gabe snapped as he climbed in after her. 'Drive.'

Allie fought to keep from shaking as the car began to move. It started slowly but soon picked up speed and before long they were speeding down a road Allie couldn't see. But she could feel how icy it was underneath their tyres. The car fishtailed dangerously.

'Watch it!' Gabe shouted, close to her ear and she jumped.

After that the driver slowed a little.

I have to get free. What if Zoe isn't back in time? I've got to help Jo.

'You don't have to do this, you know,' she said reasonably, trying to keep her teeth from chattering.

Gabe laughed unpleasantly.

'You could just let me go. I mean, what does Nathaniel want with me anyway?'

'Shut up,' he snarled, shoving her with such violence her head bounced off the door frame. Her ears rang.

But the movement allowed her to work her hands free from behind her body without being noticed.

For a long while the road seemed unreasonably straight. Allie held her breath, poised. She could hear Gabe breathing next to her. It made her skin crawl.

She didn't know how far they'd gone when the car took a sharp bend just a little too fast; even without sight she could sense the driver fighting for control on the ice. At that moment, she sprang, reaching blindly for where she knew the driver would be. She felt warm hair and hard skull under her fingers.

Then, as she had been taught, she jammed her fingernails into his eyes.

The car swerved sickeningly. Somebody screamed.

Cursing, Gabe grabbed her arms with unbelievable strength, but her grip was solid he just drove her nails further into the driver's face. As the car spun out of control, Gabe let go of her and leapt over the seat. She could feel him grabbing for the steering wheel but he never had a chance. They hit something with an awful crunching sound and then the world turned upside down.