The little wolf girl came bounding towards her, wearing as before a mask and a smart dress. She stood with her legs hip-width apart in front of Kokoro, her expression unreadable.

‘You ran away yesterday but now you’re back, eh?’

‘Well, the thing is …’

With the others there – a mix of boys and girls – she felt less intimidated. She noticed how one of the boys, head bent, was holding what looked like a game console. Beside him stood a girl with glasses, and a plump-looking boy. Another boy leaning against the wall under the clock seemed at first glance quite good-looking. Even in his sweats, he looked a bit like a celebrity.

As Kokoro inspected them, she began to feel as if she’d seen something she shouldn’t have, and dropped her eyes quickly.

‘Hello,’ a voice said, and she looked up. A tall girl with a ponytail was smiling at her. ‘We’ve also just arrived. We heard you ran off yesterday, so this child told us to wait here for you, so you wouldn’t run away again.’

‘This child?’

‘Call me the Wolf Queen,’ announced the child stiffly.

‘OK, OK,’ the girl said. ‘The Wolf Queen told us to wait for you. She said there would be seven of us.’

‘You’re the only one who ran off,’ the little girl – the Wolf Queen – said. ‘I thought it would be too chaotic if you all arrived at the same time, so I got you in one by one.’

‘But … what is this place?’

The girl gave a haughty little laugh.

‘Well, I was trying to explain things to you when you ran off like a dumb fool.’

‘We’re in the same boat as you,’ the ponytailed girl said. Kokoro had thought they were about the same age, but this girl sounded older. Calmer and more grown-up.

‘She told us we’re all in a castle that can grant us a wish.’

This from someone else, a sharp, high-pitched voice. A sort of actorly voiceover tone that Kokoro might normally have found off-putting.

Kokoro turned to see the girl in glasses, sitting on the bottom step of one of the staircases. Her hair was in a bowl cut, and she wore a beige parka and jeans.

‘Correct!’ the Wolf Queen trilled loudly.

Kokoro thought she could hear a distant howl ringing in her ears. It made her freeze.

Eyes widening in alarm, they stared at the Wolf Queen.

Unconcerned, she carried on. ‘Deep inside this castle is a room none of you is permitted to enter. It is a Wishing Room. Only one person will eventually have access. Only one of you will have your wish come true. One Little Red Riding Hood.’

‘Little Red Riding Hood?’