' I said giggling through my tears.'So you are living all alone in your house. How do you manage?''I'm OK. The main problem is that I get pretty lonel... sometimes.''I bet you do. I need people around me to make me happy.''Promise you won't tell anyone.''OK. I promise.'We talked some more and we exchanged mobile numbers. It was about anhour later, whilst we were deep in conversation that we both jumped atthe sound of a voice.'Hi girls.''Oh hello Mummy, this is Katie, she goes to my school.''Well,. Well, that plan will work for you, Rayner, but Axel, my idea is for you to go to the fighting ring and spar with other worshipers.”“By spar, you mean challenge them to a fight.”“I do. Eventually you will catch the attention of hangers-on to the church-sanctioned worshipers. Then those people will gossip about you. Then they will invite you to hang around with them. This will be your path to the inner circle of this camp.”“These hangers-on you two are talking about. Are you talking about those. "My name is Vanessa Kilby. My family used to livehere. I just wanted to have a look at the old place. And then yourlovely daughter invited me in. She really needs to be more careful notto invite strangers in. I mean, I appreciate the invitation, but, wellthere are a lot of ..."I stopped myself because I realized that I was talking. I avoidtalking. And who the hell was "Vanessa"? I had no such cover. And hisblue eyes were focused on me. And there was a warm smile on his face.And I. The car's wheels crunched the pebbles when it drove down the driveway, but the motor hardly made a sound. Juliana looked out of the tinted window, seeing the villa's entrance fall away. Had it really only been days since she stood there, ringing that doorbell? The setting sun streaked the sky with copper and orange. She sighed; her throat choked on the overwhelming sense of luxury.The place the driver took her was close to the lake. It looked like a big Victorian house. A valet hurried to.