Everything goes dark for a moment, and your belly flips like you just peaked on a rollercoaster. Before you fly into freefall, you land in your bedroom, which looks smaller with Rosemont in it. Azrael is nowhere to be seen.

“Thanks for bringing me home,” you say, ignoring the fact that this man shouldn’t know where you live. “You can go now.”

He holds out his hand. “I’ll take the bum-bag.”

Dammit! You were hoping he’d forget. Even though you know it’s nothing but a fake, you still don’t want to part with Pride’s gift.

You unhook it from your waist and dangle it, now visible, between you. “Wait!” You unzip it to pull out the feather. “A gift from Violet, you tell him.”

“I suppose it won’t do any harm to let you keep it,” he says, confiscating the only bum-bag you would voluntarily wear again. “Stay out of trouble.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Because I’m always watching.”

Eww, creepy.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Rosemont pulls a small flask from his inside jacket pocket. “It will help you sleep.”

You unscrew the lid, and an evil stench permeates the air. You screw it back on. “Help me sleep? That stuff’ll kill me.”

“It’s quite harmless despite the odour,” he says. “Magnus made it at the priory. It works, I assure you.”

You eye the flask warily. After your adventure, you could use a long nap.

“I suggest putting a peg on your nose,” says Rosemont. “That should do the trick.”

You don’t remember falling asleep, but there’s a foul taste in your mouth when you wake, like stale mint and diesel. You stretch, remembering your adventure with a smile. Just a dream, you tell yourself. When you glance down, you’re wearing your usual sleepwear, and you let out a long, disappointed sigh. You’ve kind of got used to Kane’s terrible taste in clothing.

You haul yourself out of bed and leave your bedroom in search of snacks.

A white feather floats gently to the rug behind you.

THE END

I hope you enjoyed being the star of the show. For a list of your fellow cast members and where you can find them, click here.