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steady. My heart was still racing. I tried to switch my panicking brain off . . . to let go. But it was impossible.
    A sob rose up inside me.
    Now I felt like a failure too.
    I gulped back the tears. There was no point feeling sorry for myself. I had to find some way out of here. I cast around the cupboard, feeling the contents carefully. All I’d seen in the
split second when the door had opened was the ladder and the mop and bucket. But maybe there were other items too. Maybe even something I could use to break the door’s lock. I felt along the
floor behind me. It was made of stone, like the passageway outside, and cold to the touch.
    And then,without warning, Ed’s voice appeared in my head.
    Ketty, are you all right?
    A huge smile broke out on my face. In my terrible state of panic, I’d forgotten that Ed had recently developed the ability to communicate remotely with the rest of us with the Medusa gene.
Suddenly I knew I wasn’t alone. They were all behind me. And Ed . . . my dearest friend, who is like a brother to me, was right here, right now.
    Knowing Ed could read all those thoughts, I quickly formed something more coherent and less gushing to ‘speak’ directly to him.
    I can’t tell you how good it is to hear you , I thought-spoke. Did Nico and Cal find you?
    Yes, they got away from the man with the knife. I’m with Nico now. We’re coming to get you. I’m—
    I’m not in the room any more , I thought-spoke quickly. They locked me in a cupboard next door. I’m still in the basement, though. It’s pitch black.
    Oh, Ketty. The sympathy in Ed’s voice brought more tears bubbling into my eyes.
    Please stay in my head , I thought-spoke, wiping my eyes.
    I’m not going anywhere.
    The strength in Ed’s voice – and the concern – made me feel calmer. Ed had always had that effect on me. Solid and dependable, he was, truly, my best friend. We’d dated
briefly, before Nico and I got together. And I sometimes wondered if Ed still liked me. But he never said anything about that directly.
    I blushed, realising Ed would have been able to see those thoughts of mine, running along the surface of my mind. He always says that mind-reading is like swimming in the sea. You can stay on
the surface or you can dive to the depths. Unless he’s looking for something specific, Ed thinks it’s unethical to go diving. But I wasn’t even trying to hide the thoughts
I’d just had.
    Don’t worry about it . Ed’s voice in my head sounded emotional. I’ll just stay here in the background to let you know what’s going on.
    Where are you now?
    Just a few streets away. Hang on, we’ll be there soon.
    Reassured, I resumed my search for something to help me break down the door or – if the two men who’d captured me came back – something I could use to defend myself. I made
sure I thought clearly about what I was doing, so Ed would be able to see it on the surface of my thoughts.
    Good idea , he thought-spoke.
    I moved my hand slowly across the cold, dusty floor. I came to a small metal box. Feeling gingerly inside, I touched curved metal. Something small. I picked it up. It was a spanner. I
couldn’t see it properly, of course, but the shape was unmistakable. My trembling fingers felt beside it and found a screwdriver with a slim wooden handle and a long metal shaft. The metal
felt rough. Rusty. It didn’t matter. The slim shaft gave me an idea. I picked up the screwdriver and felt for the door. I found the handle and the lock and shoved the screwdriver inside. With
a clang, the key inside the lock fell to the floor outside. Heart racing, I crouched down. There was a tiny gap under the door. I squeezed my fingertips underneath, all my focus on reaching the
key.
    Flashing lights. A sweet scent in my nostrils. Unbidden, I was falling into a vision.
    The pain in my leg is worse. It sears right through me. My arms are flailing. I can’t breathe. Beside myself. A blinding light explodes in my head. It shoots