Ash didn't quite know why she was here. She hadn't been able to sleep, so at two in the morning she'd dragged herself here on autopilot. Now she sat, hugging her knees, on one of the benches that lined the walls of the Observatory, leaning against the hard, cool plaster and staring up at the stars. She was still wearing her pyjamas with no sweater or dressing gown, but she wasn't cold.

There were virtually no stars in London, where she lived when she wasn't at school. There were street lamps, electric lights and neon signs, but no stars. Here, in the middle of nowhere, what seemed like the entire galaxy was on display. It was incredible to think that those miniscule dots were giant balls of fire a hundred times bigger than the Earth. The moon was full and shining silver. Ash had been here most of the year for five years now, and she was still amazed by the view from the Observatory.

Her watch beeped and she glanced down at it. Two thirty. She'd been here for half an hour now, stock still, staring upwards with wide, hazel eyes. It was magical in here, timeless. She could be here for weeks and it would seem like minutes. She returned her gaze to the sky.