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They’ve been masking their
true location. He or she is smarter than I thought.’
    ‘He or she? I thought you were convinced it was a man.’
    ‘It’s very, very painstaking work, this coding. The kind of stuff females are good at, like embroidery or crochet or ironing.’
    ‘You’re winding me up, right?’
    He grins. ‘Me? I wouldn’t dare.’
    ‘But a woman?’ It makes the site feel even more unsettling somehow. Tim was never a ladies’ man, he only ever had eyes for Meggie. And the only other girl I know he hung out
with was Sahara, who thought he was guilty.
    ‘Just a hunch. It’s definitely one person, though. The design, the infrastructure, it’s the work of a single brain. I almost admire it. Apart from the hideous colours and
warped obsession with death, this could be my kinda gal.’
    He’s trying to lighten the mood, but it’s not working.
    ‘Are you saying it’s a dead end, Professor?’
    ‘No. Definitely not. I love a challenge. But I need to run a longer diagnostic. Plus there’s a virus infecting half of south London’s dental practices that I promised I’d
sort out today. I can run you home, on my way out – or to wherever you want to go.’
    He begins to pack a briefcase, coiling cables and putting one laptop into a case lined with foam that’s cut to exactly the right size.
    ‘Um . . . I know I might be pushing my luck, Lewis, but could I ask another favour?’
    ‘You know I’m putty in your hands, Ali.’
    He’s taking the piss, but I blush anyway. ‘I wondered if you’d let me stay here on my own for a bit? It’s so intense at home; Mum’s watching me the whole
time.’ That bit’s true, of course, but it’s not just the peace I want here. It’s the broadband.
    He frowns. ‘I’m not sure . . .’
    ‘I won’t steal the family silver.’ The joke seems to fall flat. I hate lying. ‘Look, Mum’s banned me from the net.’
    ‘Woah.’ Only Lewis would understand how painful that is.
    ‘She thinks I’m obsessed. Which might be true but going cold turkey right now, with everything else going on, it’s too much. I’ll only stay an hour . . . Please ?’
    He looks torn. Then he smiles. ‘I am putty in your hands, Miss Forster. Putty.’ He takes a spare key out of his desk drawer and waves at his chair. ‘Double lock when you leave,
right?’
    ‘Thanks. You’re a mate,’ I say, and sit myself down in front of the three screens. I’ve never logged in away from home before. It might not even work. . . but if it does,
the Beach will lookthe best it’s ever looked.
    So how come I suddenly want Lewis to stay here, with me, instead of leaving me alone while I go online?
    ‘Do you have to go now?’ I ask.
    Lewis pulls out his gloves. ‘Why? Is there anything else you want to tell me, Ali? Anything else you know?’
    Apart from the fact that there’s an entire other universe where dead kids go? And the fact that Lewis has already helped me to set one girl free from the eternal ‘paradise’
of the Beach, even though he doesn’t realise it?
    ‘It’s just . . .’
    I break off. My friendship with Lewis works because we keep away from emotional stuff. If I want to be comforted, I go to the Beach, to be held by Danny or to hear Meggie’s voice.
    But what happens if I do keep going and manage to solve her murder? I’d lose her, and Danny. Will I cope when the real world is the only one I can access?
    ‘Alice. An hour, right? Promise! You’ve got exams coming up, haven’t you?’
    I pull a face. ‘It’s hard to take the exams seriously.’
    Lewis gives me a long look. ‘Will failing your exams bring your sister back?’
    ‘Guess not.’
    He nods. ‘Keep smiling, kiddo. And don’t worry about Burning Truths. I’ll get the weirdo behind it. Apart from anything else, I can’t stand the idea of being defeated by
someone who uses Copperplate Gothic as their font of choice.’

12
    After he’s gone, I hesitate.
    What if I’m wrong? What if my sister