Chapter Ten

I watch, half in horror and half in shock, as Reeve jumps about on top of a bin. It’s not dark—in fact, it’s the busiest part of the day. Anyone could hear him and run out to tell us off and shoo us away.

Taking an uneasy step back, I look up and down the alleyway we find ourselves in. It’s cobbled and mossy, with high brick walls hiding us from the surrounding houses. Every gate, many with rotten wood and jagged holes, has a bin beside it. Some have several, but we’re only concerned with the tall black ones which keep valuable rubbish from us.

We’re meant to be looking for the rest of my tribe. To be honest, after Baxter’s antics on the day when we left Joseph’s house, I wouldn’t be surprised to find him terrorising more bins. Just like Reeve is now. But my stomach began growling before we’d been searching for an hour.