‘You are all lost Little Red Riding Hoods,’ the Wolf Queen said. ‘From now until next March, you will need to search for the key that will unlock the Wishing Room. The person who finds it will have the right to enter and their wish will be granted. In the meantime, every one of you must hunt for it. Do you follow me?’

Kokoro did not know what to say. The others exchanged silent glances.

‘Don’t expect someone else to answer!’ the Wolf Queen squealed suddenly. ‘If you have something to say, then speak up!’

‘I do.’ It was the bold, ponytailed girl who’d first welcomed Kokoro. ‘I’d like a bit more on this,’ the girl said. ‘How can a wish come true? Also, I just don’t get it: why have you even called us here? Where are we? I mean – is this real? And who are you?’

‘Yeeee!’ The Wolf Queen covered her ears at this sudden barrage of questions. Not the wolf ears, but her own, human ears. ‘You people have no imagination. At all. Can’t you simply be satisfied that you’ve been chosen as heroes in a story?’

‘It has nothing to do with being satisfied.’

This not from the ponytailed girl but from one of the boys. Since Kokoro had arrived, a boy had been perched on the left-hand staircase, absorbed in his game console. He had a booming voice, and a defensive look in his eyes behind thick glasses.

‘I also don’t get it,’ he said. ‘Yesterday the mirror in my bedroom suddenly started to shine and now we’ve ended up here. You need to tell us what’s going on.’

‘Ah, a boy has finally found his voice,’ the Wolf Queen cackled. ‘It takes boys longer to open up. So now I’m expecting great things of you.’

The boy frowned and glared at her. The Wolf Queen was unfazed.

‘We make selections periodically,’ she said, trying to sound managerial. She gave a forced cough. ‘You’re not the only ones to have entered the castle. At various times we’ve invited other lost Little Red Riding Hoods. And quite a lot of them in the past have had their wish come true. You should consider yourselves lucky to be selected.’

‘Can I go home?’

A boy at the top of the stairs who’d remained silent until now had stood up. A lean, quiet boy, his pale face and freckled nose reminded Kokoro of Ron in Harry Potter.

‘No, you cannot!’ the Wolf Queen shrieked, and the air was disturbed by another howl. The boy suddenly leaned backwards, as if struck by a blast of air.