‘Look, she’s one of those Rosewood students.’ The tallest one pointed at her, nose twitching like he’d caught a scent. ‘You must have a big brain, huh? Why don’t you let us pick at it over dinner?’

The question took a moment to register with Lottie. His tone was eloquent but not quite friendly, his smiling expression charming but not quite kind.

Now the second stepped forward, shorter and wearing an oversized coat in a decidedly peacocky way. ‘How old are you?’ he asked, nudging his friend in the ribs, and they all laughed again at whatever joke they were sharing.

Lottie knew what she should do. And she knew exactly what Ellie would do if she were there. She’d grab the tallest man by the scruff of his collar and tell him where to shove his dinner. But Lottie wasn’t Ellie, and she didn’t have her or Jamie to help her, so instead she backed away.

‘Please, I just want to go home, I –’

‘We’ll walk you home.’ The man in the middle grabbed her arm, pulling her up, his hands clammy, the feeling like slime on her bare skin.

On instinct she jerked out of his grip, trying to think of all the escape techniques Jamie had taught her, only she could think of nothing. Without him or Ellie to back her up, there was nothing. She couldn’t face the world without them.

‘Whoa, no need to cry,’ the tall one weighed in, his voice mocking like a jackdaw. ‘We’re just trying to be friendly.’

‘Did your boyfriend break up with you?’ the middle one asked. Hoots of laughter ensued, the sound grating.

Lottie couldn’t move. There was nothing kind, brave or unstoppable about her. She was just a little girl, who didn’t know who she was or what she was doing any more.

‘Come on – give us a smile,’ the shorter man said, pulling up the sides of his mouth like a clown. ‘What problems could a nice young lady like you have?’

Everything faded out of focus except him. He inched closer, his maniacal grin growing wider. She was sure she was about to collapse.

Suddenly the man’s smile shattered and his eyes grew wide as he was pulled backwards and flipped, spinning into the air and down hard on to his front where he lay gasping. A tall girl with a mane of golden hair and athletic build pulled his arm behind his back, every tug making the man squeak.

‘How’s this for “nice young lady”, you creep?’ Saskia growled at her captive, yanking on his arm again until he let out a pathetic yelp. ‘Come on – give us a smile. What are you crying about?’

Then another small figure came up beside Lottie – curly hair softly brushing her shoulder. Binah looked up at her, glasses magnifying her eyes that were warm brown and as comforting and reassuring as melted chocolate.