Saw Julie in school today - without her minder. Grabbed her quick and got loads of strange looks and jeers from my mates as I dragged her to the huts at the back of the Sports Hall. I inored them. "You have to tell me what the matter is," I demanded.

"Only if you let go of me," she growled back, wriggling out of the grip I had on her arms.
"Sorry," I said and let go. I really didn't mean to hurt her, but this is cracking me up, man.
She checked over both shoulders to make sure no one was watching and then sat down on the floor.

"We're not... not..."
"Normal?" I supplied. At which point she thumped me. She can't half pack a punch I can tell you, for someone who's only tiny.
"We're not from round here. We're travellers. Looking for something."
"I guessed that from all the holes."
"Yeah, well, a long time ago something was put in the earth round here and it's my Dad's job, sort of, to find it."
"What is it?"
"I can't say."
I stared at her.
"Honestly, if I say I'll be in big trouble and I'm already in loads of that, I can't afford to upset Dad anymore or he'll pack me off to ... well, to where we came from, and I don't want to go back." She shuddered and stared down at the ground.
"So what's all the crying been about then, cos if they're treating you bad then they'll have me to answer to." I don't know why I said that, cos it's not as if I can do much, and I sort of felt a bit of a dick the minute the words were out of my mouth, but she smiled as if she appriciated it so I guess it wasn't all bad.
"Thanks," she said. "We've got a visitor staying at the moment."
I held my breath.
"He's not... not..."
"Normal," I offered again.
And she smiled and nodded. "He says things sometimes and they're not nice things, but we just have to put up with it. He wants the thing that's been buried and if we don't find it soon, then ... Well I'm really scared about what he'll do - to us."

Then my mobile went off. You guessed it - my Mum. She really does have some sort of psychic ability to pick the worst ever moment to interrupt. So Julie decided that would be a good time to bolt. Now I'm sitting at home wondering if I should go round or just wait till I see her again out somewhere - like that's going to happen. What is it they're looking for? And what will they're visitor do if they don't find it?