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Izzy nodded. ‘To the moon and back.’

Sarah kissed her head. ‘Yes, and don’t ever forget that.’

They heard Mia beeping her horn outside. Sarah walked Izzy to the door. Mia jumped out of the car and came towards them. ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’ she asked her sister.

‘Yes,’ Sarah said, in as strong a voice as she could muster. ‘Thanks for bringing Izzy. Go on, I don’t want to make you late.’ She tried to hustle them into the car, so she could go and lie down.

‘Call me if you need anything.’ Mia turned to get back into her car.

‘I will. Thanks, you’re a life-saver.’

Mia smiled at her. ‘That’s what sisters are for.’

Sarah forced herself to stand at the door and wave them off.

‘Oh, no!’ Izzy shouted. ‘I forgot my maths workbook. I left it in my bedroom. Miss Dixon is going to be cross with me.’

Mia cursed silently. If she turned back now, she’d be a few minutes late for school. She hated being late – it looked really bad, especially for the deputy head. Still, Izzy was upset and she didn’t want her to worry.

‘OK, pet. We’ll whizz back and get it.’

‘Thank you so much, Mia.’

‘Great! Now I’m not going to be able to finish my homework before school,’ Riley huffed.

‘You should have finished it last night,’ Mia reminded her.

‘I was working on my art project until eleven and I left my history book in school. Give me a break.’

‘I do nothing but give you breaks,’ Mia muttered.

‘Yeah, right. It’s like living in prison.’

‘Well, next time you decide to lie, get drunk and end up in hospital, think again.’

‘Are you ever going to stop going on about that?’

‘We can forget my maths book. I don’t want Riley to get in trouble,’ Izzy said.

‘It’s fine, don’t sweat it,’ Riley said. ‘My life’s a pile of shit anyway.’

Mia clenched her jaw. ‘Watch your language,’ she hissed.

‘It’s OK,’ Izzy piped up. ‘Daddy says that word too.’

Mia hurtled into the driveway. ‘You stay there,’ she said to Izzy. ‘It’ll be quicker if I just grab it.’

She rang the doorbell. Nothing. Mia rang again. Come on, Sarah, hurry up, she thought, glancing at her watch anxiously.

No sound of footsteps. Mia peered in through the bubble glass on the side of the door. She could see something. She cupped her hands and peered through. It was Sarah. She seemed to be on the floor. Was she cleaning it? Mia knocked loudly.

She squinted through the glass again. Dread gripped her. Something was wrong. Sarah wasn’t moving. Mia’s heart began to pound. She banged on the glass and shouted through the letterbox. Her sister didn’t move.

Damn! She’d have to break the glass. Mia shrugged off her blazer, wrapped it around her hand and punched the glass. It didn’t shatter.

She ran back to the car, her fist throbbing.

‘Is Mummy not answering?’ Izzy asked. ‘Maybe she went to bed. She said she had a bad headache.’