Bernie spent a good deal of the day lying on the bed in his mum’s room, trying to get some sleep. But the jumbled thoughts running through his mind wouldn’t let him rest. Dinosaurs and cryptids and mushroom tortoises occupied his brain. And he worried about the consequences of him coming to Monster Island. He’d made life difficult for a number of people. Mr Meier was angry. Ivy was being sent away from the island. And was his mum’s new job at risk?

He’d discovered that his backpack had been brought to his mum’s room along with her luggage. He rummaged through it. From beneath the spare T-shirt and change of underwear, he fished out his phone. He checked it, but Ivy had been right – there was no signal. Plus, the battery was running low and he hadn’t packed his charger. He switched it off and put it away.

He pulled out his spare T-shirt. It was another science one. He had grabbed it at random when packing, but it turned out to be rather appropriate, as it was covered in drawings of tiny fossilised dinosaur bones. He smiled. He considered changing into it right then and there, but decided the shirt he was wearing would last until tomorrow.

Eventually, he started pacing. It was a boring room. Same white walls as everywhere else in the research centre.

Finally, his mum showed up and the two of them went to the cafeteria for a late lunch.

‘Sorry it took me so long to come and get you,’ she said, as they sat down with a plate of lasagne each. ‘The briefing took longer than I expected and then Doctor Tanaka wanted to talk about the chupacabra. And then, oh my goodness, he showed me some of the other animals and well, I lost track of time. I won’t be able to stay long, I’m sorry. A quick bite to eat and then I’m off on a tour. I’m afraid I can’t take you with me. Mr Meier is adamant that you stay put. And tomorrow I’ll be going out on an expedition to capture a giant albino toad.’

She was talking excitedly, her hands barely able to keep still. Bernie smiled. It was good to see his mother this happy and enthused about her work. But then her expression sobered.

‘Look,’ she said. ‘I appreciate that you were worried about me, but –’

‘I’m sorry,’ Bernie blurted out. ‘I’m really sorry. I know I’ve caused a lot of trouble and made people mad and . . . well, stuffed things up.’

Her expressed softened. ‘It’s okay, kiddo. I know your heart was in the right place.’ She bit at her bottom lip. ‘I’ve made arrangements with Aunt Millie.’

‘Oh.’ Bernie had forgotten about her again. She was probably furious with him.

‘No mean feat, given Mr Meier’s secrecy obsession.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘You’ll be home with her tomorrow night.’

‘Tomorrow?’

‘Yes. The Mist Finder will take you and Ivy to the mainland.’ He noticed her shake her head ever so slightly, her lips tight. Concealed frustration, thought Bernie. ‘Apparently, Mr Meier prefers all trips to be conducted under the cover of darkness. He’s obsessed with secrecy.’ She took a long slow breath. ‘You’ve got to promise me that you won’t say anything about this island to anyone. Not even Aunt Millie. As far as she’s concerned, I’m on a palaeontology dig. That’s it. There will be a car at the dock to bring you home. So, don’t even say anything about being on a ship. Okay?’

Bernie nodded slowly and stabbed half-heartedly at his food.

‘Meier’s a strange man,’ continued Doctor Bailey. ‘But at least he’s trying to do something worthwhile with this research centre. He seems dedicated to scientific discovery. And I can sort of see why he wants to keep things secret. I mean, can you imagine this place being overrun with tourists?’

‘I guess not,’ agreed Bernie.

‘Hey.’

They looked up as Ivy plonked herself down opposite them, a glass of water in one hand, a muesli bar in the other.

‘I’m not actually hungry,’ said Bernie’s mum, ‘and I should get back to work. Can I trust you to go straight to the room when you’ve finished eating?’

‘Yeah. I promise.’

‘There should be a fold-out bed in there by now.’ She got to her feet and ruffled his hair. ‘See you later, kiddo.’

‘We’re leaving tomorrow night,’ Bernie said, after his mum had left. He was surprised at how upset this made him. He didn’t want to go. He had seen so much amazing stuff since coming to the island and he desperately wanted to see more.

‘Yeah, I know,’ responded Ivy.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Yeah, I know that too,’ said Ivy again. ‘Dad’s been looking for an excuse to get rid of me. He never really wanted me here in the first place. He seems to think I’m a disruptive influence.’ She paused for a moment, then gave him a sly look. ‘But I’m not about to let him win.’

‘Huh?’

‘I’ve got until tomorrow night to prove to him that I’m worth keeping around.’ She waggled her muesli bar at him. ‘To prove to him that we’re both worth keeping around.’

‘What?’ Bernie’s voice squeaked as a little spark of hope ignited in his chest. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Lie low for the rest of today,’ she said, getting to her feet. ‘I’ll come get you tomorrow morning, Bee-Bee.’

Bernie watched her leave, his heart pounding.