Blinking her eyes lazily, Effy kept an eye on the smaller island in the distance, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin. For now, the bobbing of the boat in the water was nothing but comforting, and she wished for nothing more than to find time later to lay on the surface, turned onto her back, the scent of salt heavy in the air and a steady gust passing over her face. As long as she kept her eyes forward, she thought, they'd get there. They'd be free, for however long they needed to be.

Some people lamented being unable to leave the island, but to Effy, the problem was never the place so much as the lack of people. If Panda could make it... Katie, Emily, Naomi, J.J., everyone in the gang. It would be perfect. A world all their own.

(But even if they never arrived, Effy knew that leaving still wasn't without consequence. Kate didn't live in Bristol.)

"Makes it the perfect place to tell ghost stories," she concluded with a smug smile. "As long as we don't piss off the ghosts."