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of a mouthful than Puppetmaster.
    I grit my teeth – he’s mocking me. Where have you been? Brainwashing people?
    Not quite. There were things that kept me occupied, but I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again. You seem well, Princess. I’m glad.
    I wish I could say the same. When do we meet? That is why you’re making contact, right?
    Of course. Tomorrow afternoon. Block 8. I’ll give you directions.
    I clench my jaw. Rather short notice. I have to work tomorrow.
    You’re a smart girl. Find a way around that.
    Hey, I’m trying to make an honest living – something you wouldn’t understand.
    He’s not insulted, but I sense that he’s growing impatient. Tomorrow. Don’t be late.
    I feel him withdraw from my head. I wince; it doesn’t hurt, but it’s like having someone prod my brain. I shake my head, trying to regain my equilibrium. I can’t help thinking of the concern I saw when I slipped past my grandfather’s barrier. Could he be right? Has the Puppetmaster affected me in some way? I push the disturbing thought away and get back to work.
    On my way home I stop at Lebz’s house to tell her the news.
    “Tomorrow!” she gasps, leaping off her bed to grab my arm. Her nails bite into my wrist. “But that’s so soon! Tell him it’s a bad time.”
    “You know the terms of the agreement. He picks the time and place.”
    She swallows. “Well, now you definitely have to email Rakwena. We don’t know what will happen at the meeting, but we know the plan involves both of you. He needs to be prepared.”
    This time there’s nothing I can say in protest. I nod.
    “Promise me you’ll come back.”
    “Of course. He’s not going to throw me in a dungeon.”
    “That’s not what I mean. Promise me
you
will come back. Not someone else in your skin.”
    We both know that’s a promise I can’t make. The Puppetmaster can’t use his gifts to trick me, but he won’t need to. He could conduct his attack out in the open and I wouldn’t be able to stop him. But Lebz is looking at me with fear in her eyes, and I know what she needs to hear. I make the promise. Let’s hope I’ll have the strength to keep it.

Chapter Two
    From: [email protected]
    To: [email protected]
    I know I’m not supposed to initiate contact, but I have so much to tell you. The world fell apart after you left and it’s not quite back together.
    You were right about Ntatemogolo – he was different when he came back from that trip. I searched his house and found a magic box. Inside were a lot of odds and ends – jewellery, a vial, my missing anklet, a copy of his watch, and a tooth that turned out to be mine from childhood. Creepy, right? I assumed the objects belonged to the Puppetmaster and Ntatemogolo found them, but something wasn’t adding up. I put the anklet on right away and haven’t taken it off since.
    Anyway, turns out “Ntatemogolo” was really the Puppetmaster. That’s why he behaved so strangely. That’s why he made you overdose on your anti-drifter serum. He gave me a ring that made my thoughts foggy, so it took me a while to catch on. My real grandfather got held up chasing a lead.
    By the time I learned the truth the Puppetmaster was long gone. Then Dad and I came home from a wedding to find two Ntatemogolos in the living room. I didn’t know which was which, and I was terrified the Puppetmaster would kill my grandfather, so I made a deal with him. Don’t freak out. I can just see you burning furniture and crackling like an electrical storm. It’s not like he asked for my soul. Just three meetings.
    Once I agreed to his terms the Puppetmaster disappeared. Dad, aka Mr Sceptical Scientist, was a mess. We had to sedate him before Ntatemogolo finally told me where he’d been. He found – drum roll, please – a first-generation drifter! That’s a whole different story, though – I’ll tell you more when I know more.
    He also told me he didn’t create the serum. He found it in South America and thought