They say that once you have broken the law once, then doing it a second time is much, much easier, and I can now say the same is true for undertaking crazy schemes involving midnight moped rides and garage break-ins. Now that I know how I’m going to get back there, I’m itching to continue what I have started. Terrified as well, obviously, but super-keen not to lose the momentum and the courage that got me started. Now that Carly’s involved, though, things have just got tricky. Tricky squared, in fact.

Assuming what my dad wrote in his letter is true, then I have the chance of preventing him from dying and everything will be back to how it was. Otherwise, I’ll forever be trapped in this goldfish bowl, with Mum, Burping Steve, and The Stepsister From Hell.

Talking of Carly, she intercepts me as I come back from Grandpa Byron’s after school the next day and starts walking along the road with me, like it’s the most normal thing in the world for her. I know what’s coming.

“Well? How about it?”

“How about what?” I feel I have to say. I do not want her to start taking this for granted, thinking that we are co-conspirators in this ridiculous séance thing, or for her to forget that she has blackmailed me into allowing her to participate in it, even though it’s completely made-up.

“You know,” she says wearily.

“Look, its not the right time.” This time, I have thought about it and am better prepared. “There needs to be a full moon.”

“I see.” She’s buying it. Brilliant.

“But I have to do some … preparation first. Alone.”

She looks at me out the side of her eyes, suspiciously. “Don’t try to shut me out of this, Al, because …”

“I’m not! I just need to do something alone.” I pause for effect, and then say something that I think is very clever. “I really need you for this, Carly. The spell requires, um …”

“What?”

“You are a virgin, aren’t you, Carly?”

“A what?”

“You know, someone who hasn’t …”

“I know what a virgin is, Al. And, as it happens, yes, if it’s any of your business, of course I am. Jesus.” She chews her gum furiously.

“Well, I just had to double-check, you know. A full moon, and the presence of a virgin are two of the things I need.”

She marches along, arms folded in front of her, practically steaming with indignation.

“Anything else?” she says, sniffily.

“Yes, as a matter of fact. Some moonlit earth from the location where the deceased, er … deceased.” Can you tell I’m trying to make it sound sort of magicky? It’s the kind of thing they have in the books that Carly reads. That, and spelling ‘magic’ with a ‘k’.

“So, like, how are you going to do that?”

“I’m going back to Culvercot tonight. By taxi.” Now this is risky, but I figure that I have sucked Carly in far enough that she isn’t going to tell anyone now.

All she says is: “Wow! Frea-key!”