"Who you're with in a place can make loads of difference," Ellie agrees. She could think of a billion examples, her current living situation looming large among them. "I'm glad you've got someone who understands. I could imagine anyone less happy about it would make things a nightmare pretty fast. ... What other instruments d'you play?"

The warm water was silently dissolving any of her sore muscles from walking around the ice maze in the cold all day, and she found herself relaxing bit by bit. Even briefly thinking about her living situation with all the boys in her family hadn't made her tense up - which was a good sign.