“I got it wrong then,” Lotte said, still sheepish. Satisfied with her flashlight’s working properly, she moved to head up the stairs again. It was starting to set into a pattern, climbing, looking, and beginning again. She kept looking to him, rather than where she was going simply to have something to keep an eye on and keep track of.
“You should be careful if you do stay awake, though,” she advised. “There really are dangerous people out there. Do you know anyone in the building well enough that you can stay with them?” It was her plan and a good one, in her opinion. Not only to keep herself safe but James and Meg too. “And with a safe fable, obviously.” She looked to him, guessing roughly that with a castle he had to be a fairytale. There were at least people who were princes – so maybe he was another one? He definitely was being nice enough to be one.
There was a grateful smile, though she was silent for a few minutes afterwards. The knowledge that he didn’t mind her talking seemed to cause the opposite effect and she felt uneasy. It didn’t help when the light in her flashlight went out, leaving her with his light. She stopped in her climbing, biting her lip as she shook the flashlight. The batteries clanked inside but otherwise there was nothing.