We emerged out of the stone tunnel again and Mitch turned back towards the trap thoughtfully. I watched him, impatience almost overwhelming me. I just wanted to know what he was thinking. Adrenaline was coursing through me, making it hard for me to just continue standing there.

“What do you think the trap is?” I asked after a full minute of silence.

“I’m not sure,” he said softly, still looking at it. “I mean, there’s a lot that it could be. We've already had a couple of bombs, it could be another. But then, they seem stupid to have a bomb down here. If it were to go off, it would completely destroy the path to the vault. They wouldn’t risk that, this is the main entrance. But then, what?”

I fought the urge to shudder at the thought of a bomb exploding and leaving us trapped under so much rock. I wasn’t even sure how far down we were but the small cavern we were in made it feel like we were deep underground.

“Could be another spear trap,” Mitch continued. “There are some holes in the walls but I’m not sure if they’re for gas or for the spears to get through. Could always be both.”

I swallowed, remembering the story he’d told me about a spear trap before. He’d said that they had turned to splinters and done a lot of damage. That scared me. Seeing the splinters explode out of the wall would be terrifying, especially if they hit Mitch again like they had last time.

“Would they still be in one piece or would they be broken by now?” I asked, my voice louder than I expected and echoing around the cavern.

Mitch cocked his head slightly.

“I assume they’ll mostly be in one piece. There’s fairly protected down here, there’s not too much moisture in the air and the sun can’t reach them.” He narrowed his eyes before looking at me. “Are you up to date with your tetanus shots?”

I did not see that question coming somehow.

“What?” I asked.

“The spears might be tipped with metal and that might have rusted by now. You should have had a booster around the age of… fourteen. Do you remember having it?” he asked.

I wracked my memory, trying to work it out.

I remembered having a vaccine in school in the last few years but I wasn’t completely sure which one it was. It could have been the tetanus one but I wasn’t certain.

“I don’t know,” I told him.

He nodded, his expression grim.

“Alright, you need to be really careful then. I know rust doesn’t necessarily cause tetanus but it can give you it and when we get out of here, I’ll call Betty as soon as possible to find out what vaccines you’re not up to date on. We’ll need to get them scheduled as soon as possible which is fine. It’s better to be safe than sorry because you never know when you’ll have to rely on them,” he said.

I nodded.

“That makes sense. So… what do we do now?” I asked uncertainly.

“We’ll put masks on, in case it is a nice little gas trap, and I’m going to grab a stone to throw at it to trigger it. I’m going to need you to wait out here, just in case it’s a bad one, but listen carefully and do what I say,” he said, already looking around for a stone. “Ah, there we go.”

He spotted one and walked towards it, nudging it with his foot before picking it up. He dropped it again near me and swung his bag off his shoulder, rooting around until he found the masks. He passed one to me before securing his own around his face.

I watched him unsurely as I lifted mine into place, worry bubbling in my stomach. Part of me wanted to insist that I should be the one to trigger the trap, even though I knew Mitch would never agree to it. I could die in this fantasy and nothing bad to happen but I wasn't sure what would happen if Mitch would die. Would he be able to come back? Or would he just be gone forever?

I couldn't let that happen.

“Alright, wait out here until I tell you it’s safe, alright?” he told me, his voice coming out muffled before he started towards the tunnel again, lugging the rock.

“Wait,” I called, stumbling towards him but I didn’t know what else to say.

I couldn’t see if Mitch was smiling but the skin around his eyes crinkled as he glanced back at me.

“I’ve done this hundreds of times, kid. I’ll be alright,” he promised.

I didn’t have a response. I couldn’t put the sudden fear I felt into words. All I could do was watch as he walked down the tunnel, taking the only light source with him, Darkness started to consume me, making my skin prickle. If the Sterlings came in now, they could sneak in without me knowing and murder me before Mitch even looked back. I suspected they had night vision goggles or something like that.

The thought made a shiver race through me and I edged towards the entrance of the tunnel, watching Mitch anxiously.

My fear that I was about to watch him die overrode my paranoia about standing in the dark, potentially surrounded, but I just couldn’t look away. I needed to see.

He took a tiny step back before tossing the small boulder. I held my breath as I waited for the deafening sound of it landing on the floor but it came quickly, immediately followed by the scraping of metal.

I dropped to the floor instinctively as dust rained from the ceiling again. It felt like the world was shaking but this time, I held my breath. It was stupid, the dust couldn’t get in through my mask but still, I was worried about it.

I blinked, staring ahead and fearful that Mitch was dead.

“Huh,” I heard him say.

“What?” I replied, stumbling into the tunnel towards him.

“It was only spears,” he said with an almost sad sigh. “Is it weird that I’m disappointed? I mean, come on people, do something inventive. Do you know when the last time I saw something new? It was easily three years ago, maybe longer. Such a disappointment.”

I let out a shaky breath of relief.

“Is that how you’re doing your hair?” my mom asked.

I blinked, staring up at her in the reflection of the mirror, almost catching my ear with my straighteners.

I lowered them slowly, forcing myself to smile at her as nausea gripped my stomach.

“Yeah,” I said.

It felt like an obvious answer. I had already straightened most of my hair, I only had a small section left to do.

I wasn’t even sure why I had straightened it, I normally just let it dry naturally or blow-dried it. My hairdryer was out in front of me though so I must've done that as well.

“Oh,” my mum said, sounding clearly disappointed. “It looks better when you curl it. When will you be ready?”

“A couple more minutes.”

She sighed heavily and glanced at her watch.

“Fine. I assume that’s what you’re wearing?”

I looked down at the dress I’d put on without really noticing it. It was a simple black one, surely she couldn’t complain about it too much. It was

I’d been too busy in Crete. I wanted to go back there now, I could feel myself edging closer towards the spears.

“Yes,” I said.

“Well… it looks nice on you.”

My eyes widened and I looked up at her again, not expecting the compliment. “Thank you, you look nice too.”

She did. She was wearing a dress, like she always did around my grandparents. It was a nice floral one, sleeveless and flared. The flowers were bright and summery, it was lovely.

My mom smiled at me, pushing the door open wider so that I could see her full outfit.

“Really pretty,” I added.

She smiled at me, the expression genuine.

“Thank you. I’ll wait for you downstairs, don’t take too long.”

She turned and stalked down the corridor.

I sagged slightly in relief, knowing that I shouldn’t but immediately slipping back into the fantasy.

It was a terrible idea.

I was just about to step forwards, my foot hovering just above the slab, the spears waiting ominously for me to slip. I sucked in a tight breath, stepping backwards to give myself a moment for the dizziness to disappear. I stared at the spears, illuminated by the second torch Mitch had attached to his other shoulder and pointed back towards me, trying to steady myself.

Luckily, Mitch was too distracted by trying to squeeze past two spears that stuck out towards him. I watched as he edged forwards ever so carefully, his bag held in one hand. He just managed to make it through before glancing back at me.

“You alright, kid?” he asked.

I nodded and hurried forwards, the dizziness almost gone.

As terrifying as it was to edge forwards, feeling the slab underneath me bob slightly with each step, it was surprisingly easy. We got into a tense but manageable rhythm with Mitch glancing back over his shoulder every few steps to make sure that I was alright.

Part of me wanted to reassure him that I was fine and that he could just focus on moving forwards and not getting caught on any of the spears but I didn’t want to speak. I was too busy holding my breath. I was worried that if I spoke or took too deep a breath, I would accidentally impale myself.

I took a careful, steady step forwards, my foot gently pressing down on the next slab. I watched out of the corner of my eye as the spears slowly retracted as my weight left the stone behind me.

“Almost there,” Mitch breathed, causing a slight smile to come over my face.

We were so close, so almost out of the danger.

“Grace!” my mom called sharply. “What is taking so long?”

I blinked and scrambled up, making sure my straighteners were switched off before grabbing my phone and rushing out the door.

“Coming!” I shouted, rushing down the corridor before realising that I wasn’t wearing shoes.

I turned and rushed towards my room, selecting a pair of flats before running back towards my mom.

“Sorry,” I called as I reached the bottom of the stairs and slipped my shoes on.

“It’s fine,” she sighed. “Are you ready to go now?”

“Yes!” I said eagerly, knowing that as soon as we got into the car, my mom would start playing music again and I would be able to disappear back to Mitch.

I waited impatiently as my mom stepped into a pair of heels, not quite as tall as the ones she usually wore around my grandparents, before following her out of the house.

I crossed the drive quickly, fighting the urge to bounce on the balls of my feet as I waited for her to join me. I knew that it wasn’t fair for me to be so impatient, she was struggling on the gravel, but I still felt it. I pulled the door open as soon as she unlocked the car and dove inside, clipping my seatbelt into place and waiting for her to do the same.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” she demanded.

“I’m just really hungry,” I lied as innocently as I could.

She examined me closely for a moment before looking away.

“Are you sure that’s it? You’re not planning to meet anyone in town, are you?” she asked sharply.

“No, I don’t know anyone here. I’m just really excited for pizza.”

That part was true, I was excited to eat it. The pizzas at Tony’s were so so good.

“Mmm,” was all my mom said.

I knew that she didn’t quite believe me and still suspected that I planned to meet a boy in town but I truly had no clue how she thought I would do that. I really didn’t know anyone in the village. Whenever we were there, I was with her or at the house the whole time. There was no chance for me to meet anyone else.

She still expected me to though. Any time we went out or sometimes when I went for a run or a jog, she’d ask me if I was meeting anyone. Sometimes I was pretty sure she even followed me.

Of course, she always said she was just getting some fresh air or going out for a cigarette but I didn’t believe her. It seemed like too much of a coincidence that she just wanted to get some fresh air at the same time that I was outside or that she just happened to be in the same part of the grounds as me.

She slammed the door shut and inserted the key into the ignition as I fought the urge to flit immediately back to Spinalonga. I could feel it. We were so close to the end of the spears and I couldn’t wait to squeeze through the last of them and see what awaited us next.

Would it be another bomb?

The car jolted back underneath me but I was half in the other world. I could feel the seat beneath me and the air con blasting me in the face but I could also feel the creak of the slab under my feet and the way it bounced with each step I took.

Mitch had already reached the other side and he stood in front of me, smiling supportively. One of his hands was outstretched, ready to help me if I stumbled or slipped.

“Can you get out and do the gate?” my mum asked. “You know the code, don't you?”

“Yeah, I'm pretty sure I do,” I replied, try not to sound too dejected about being ripped from my fantasy again.

“Great.”

I climbed out of the car, barely waiting for it to stop, and rushed towards the gate. I had to push the overgrown ivy out of the way to be able to access the keypad but I managed to get the code right on my first try.

I tried not to walk too quickly back to the car but my mom sent me a suspicious look as I strapped myself in again which made me think I failed. It didn’t really matter though because we turned onto the road and her music became deafening again.

A smile came over my face as I returned to Mitch.

And there was a spear right in front of my face. I fought not to lose my balance as I stared right at the rusted point, just inches from me. If I were to sway or fall forwards, I had no doubt that it would imbed itself in my eyeball. That would kill me.

I forced out a tight breath through pursed lips, trying to keep my composure and not stumble. White lights burst hazily in front of my vision and I longed to reach out and grab the shaft of the nearest spear to steady myself but I resisted. Knowing how old the spears were helped minimise the temptation though. It would probably snap and then I'd impale myself on the spear that hovered just centimetres from my spine.

“Just a little further,” Mitch urged.

I was so close, just a little further and I’d be out of the danger.

I edged my foot forwards, bumping into the next slab and looked down at it. So close, I just needed to squeeze past one more spear which was pointed directly at my tummy.

I held my breath, sucking in my stomach and leaning as far away as I could whilst also trying to avoid the spear that threatened to slice the back of my leg.

Finally, I was free! I staggered forwards, my hand clutching Mitch’s for balance. Now that I was out of danger, my knees felt weak. I had to turn around to look at the spears again, trying to remind myself that I’d actually just done that, that they had been real.

Well. Not real. They were just a fantasy. But they were as real as anything else in the fantasy.

“Good job, kid! How are you feeling? Do you need to take a quick break?” Mitch asked, grinning at me.

I let go of Mitch and shook my hands a few times, trying to shake away some of the nerves. Adrenaline warred with excitement in me almost overpoweringly. It was distracting. It made me want to rush forwards, to throw myself at the next trap or bomb. But at the same time, I was scared. It was terrifying but that added to the excitement.

I smiled back at Mitch toothily.

“Good!” I replied, my voice coming out louder and more excited than I’d expected. “Let’s keep going!”

“Are you sure?” he said, his eyes scanning my face.

“Yeah!”

He chuckled slightly as he continued down the tunnel towards the opening.

“Ah, I remember the feeling well. The thrill that comes with the first successful mission,” he sighed wistfully. “That never really goes away, you know? Like, every time you disarm a bomb or manoeuvre through a trap without injury, you still get that rush. I mean, sometimes it comes later but it’s always there. It’s one of the things that keeps me coming back. After doing a job like this for so long, how could I go back to regular life?”

I smiled but it died on my lips.

Maybe he had a point. Even after doing something like this in a fantasy, how could I just go back to normal? I’d had a glimpse, a taste, of something so different, so exciting and fun. Could I really go back to my house and school and do my GCSEs and continue like normal? Like nothing had happened?

Or would I just spend the rest of my life in a constant state of wonder? After all, I knew what I could be doing now. I knew that this job was an option for some people but it felt like there was no way I could chase it in reality. I couldn’t exactly tell the careers advisor, who we were forced to speak to each year and who repeatedly tried to tell me that I should look into becoming a doctor or accountant despite having no interest in either area, that I wanted to become a treasure hunter.

I mean, was it even a legal job? I had to assume not. We were breaking and entering surely. Plus, in Edinburgh, that had been a crime too. We’d desecrated a listed building, stolen stuff from it.

It was all illegal.

But then, if this job did exist in real life, the Sterlings could too. They probably wouldn’t be called that but they had to be called something. They were probably private security or something like that for some rich person who had a penchant for artefacts. How would I find them and if I did, would I even want to join them? It would give me a chance to find treasure and experience this excitement, sure, but it also would be too… wrong.

No, I wasn’t sure I could do that. I’d have to just settle for living half in my daydreams for the rest of my life. Maybe I could do that. I could spend half my time in reality, go to university and all that, half my time in my fantasy with Mitch, uncovering countless missing artefacts and treasures.

“Oh wow,” I heard Mitch breathe.

I rushed forwards, exiting the tunnel and emerging into a much bigger chamber. My eyes widen as I looked around, trying to take it all in.

The space was huge, the ceiling somehow higher than before and the far wall, on the other side of the gorge was painted beautifully. I glanced at Mitch, making sure it was safe, before stepping forwards to stare at the mural that someone had created.

It must have been depicting what life was like on the island but it had been untouched for years. The colours were somehow still vibrant in the torch light. Vivid images of people talking, cookingND eating together. The streets of Spinalonga, not crumbling or strangely preserved. It looked… alive. The people were happy, they seemed accepted.

It was a community. A bright, thriving community.

I knew that it was probably an idealistic view of the island but it filled me with such joy. I wanted to believe that the image before me was what it was like. That people there were happy and taken care of.

“Careful, kid,” Mitch muttered, touching my arm gently to stop me from going too close to the deep gorge that split the cavern in half.

I stepped back immediately, glancing nervously at it.

“Now, what?” I said, finally looking around the rest of the chamber that we were in.

The chasm in between the two sides was wide, too wide to be able to jump over, but there were the remains of a bridge attached to the narrowest part.

I watched as Mitch walked towards it, nudging the rotted remains of the wood on our side with his toe. Part of it crumbled under his touch, sending planks crashing down the ravine.

It scared me how long it took for them to hit the ground with a hollow, echoing thunk.

“I thought that might happen,” Mitch said softly. “For once, I hate that I was right.”

My eyes followed the gorge to the wall on the left side. Even there, it didn’t get any thinner. Something about that made me think that it wasn’t natural. That the people who had lived on the island before us had created it. I wasn’t even sure how they could have done that.

“Are you any good at rock climbing?” Mitch asked. “I feel like I’ve asked you that before.”

“Um…” I quickly searched my memories, finding a hazy one from a childhood party but I wasn’t quite sure if it was real. “I’m not sure. I’ve not really done it too much.”

In real life, I had but the memory of gouging my arm on the rock down near the beach made my blood run cold. I could still remember staring blankly at it as blood began to ooze out of the split skin and panic gripped my heart.

I was almost relieved when I heard my mom’s frustrated sigh.

“Why does this always happen?”