‘Mr Foster, is it?’ asked Liam.

He smiled. ‘Foster… Mr Foster, I’m not fussed.’

‘Mr Foster, where are we?’

Maddy nodded. ‘I should be dead. There’s no way youcould’ve got me off that plane. No way.’

Foster turned to her. ‘Time travel, remember?’

She narrowed her eyes. ‘But that’s impossible.’

‘No, it’s not — ’ he shook his head — ‘unfortunately.’

‘What’s time travel?’ asked Liam.

Maddy cocked her head at him. ‘You’re kidding me, right?’

‘Go easy on the lad,’ said Foster. ‘He’s from 1912. They didn’thave much in the way of sci-fi shows and comics back then.’

She turned back to Liam, looking more closely at his clothes: not a waiter, but aship’s steward. She spotted White Star Lines stitched on abreast pocket.

‘1912? You’re serious?’

‘Very,’ added Foster. ‘Liam here was aboard the Titanic.’

Her mouth flopped open.

‘What?’ Liam looked confused. ‘Why’re you staring at me likethat?’ he asked her.

‘Because, Liam,’ said Foster, ‘you’re from Ireland a hundred yearsago.’ The old man laughed. ‘And she’s from New York, the year2010.’

Liam’s dark eyebrows lifted in unison.

‘And Saleena Vikram, up there on the top bunk, she’s from Mumbai, India, theyear… 2026.’ Foster offered a grin that made his old face crinkle like greaseproofpaper. ‘And as for me, well — ’ he smiled — ‘let’s say Icome from Never-neverland.’

Maddy leaned forward. ‘Oh my God, come on, when? The twenty-second century? Furtheron?’

His smile told her nothing.

‘Do they have spaceships in your time? Has mankind colonized the solar system? Has warpdrive been invented yet — ?’

He held a hand up to shush her. ‘Another time, perhaps. Right now there are moreimportant things to attend to.’

Before either of them could reply, they heard a stirring from the bunk bedabove them.