here isn’t as much blood as you’d think.

That’s the good news. The bad news is I don’t think there’s as much blood as Yuka would probably like.

I’ve done it again. Again.

There’s smashed glass and dolls everywhere and, in my lunge for freedom, my dress caught on the metal side of the box and ripped all the way down the skirt. My wig has fallen off, my lipstick is smeared, my beaded necklace has snapped and I’ve got a metre-long scratch across my arm and tiny bits of glass lodged in my hands. Shion and Naho quickly pick me off the floor, brush me down and stick a plaster over the worst of it, but there’s still enough damage to ensure I’m never allowed to get in any glass boxes again.

Not that I’d want to. Like Snow White, I think I’ve probably had enough of them for a while.

As soon as it’s been ascertained that I’m not mortally wounded or going to sue anyone, Yuka’s expression shifts from concern to fury. She thinks I’m making up excuses again.

In fact, nobody believes me. Once I’m out of the ruined dress, I clamber around on the floor trying to find evidence, but there’s nothing there. I point out that cockroaches can move up to 80 cms per second and fly, but it’s useless. Unless I can explain how an enormous insect could get into a sealed glass box I’m either:

a) The owner of an exceedingly overactive imagination.

b) Plain old-fashioned bonkers.

Or – worse:

c) Compulsively lying.

Again.

“Atarashi moderu ni kaeruzo!” Haru shouts. “Harriet ga nayamino tane dattandayo.”

I’ve studied enough Japanese since Monday to know that moderu means model, atarashi means new and kaeru means roughly: change right now. I’m very glad my translation skills end there.

“Well,” Bunty says when the team starts packing up again. “It’s certainly never boring with you around, is it, darling?”

I look to the corner of the room, where Yuka is speaking on her phone. I don’t think she’s ordering a takeaway pizza.

A few minutes later, mine starts ringing. It’s Wilbur. Without a second of hesitation, I swallow hard and cancel the call.

Looks like it’s game over.