"Make sure your boots have good treads on them twins," Bubbles advised as she laced up her own hiking boots. "The paths and trails in the valley are quite loose and gritty underfoot."
"We were going to wear soft shoes," Divvy said. "How else to sneak up on the ghost?"
Bubbles Bannatyne looked at the round face and big blue eyes of the girl who spoke so casually of this life and death adventure and nodded, impressed.
"You're right. You're actually right. Let's be stealthy. I reckon it will be Danique under the luminous sheet."
"I reckon she will say boo!" Fizzy suggested happily.
"I think it will be whoooo!" Divvy countered.
"It will be, help save me! when we catch her," Bubbles concluded sternly and the girls laughed, wrapped scarves around their necks and prepared to leave.
"Have you seen Sharshua since she left the meal earlier?" the auburn-haired girl asked Sunshine, who looked all intent in her determination to complete her history task anew on a tablet. The girl just shook her head with a frown and continued typing away furiously.
"I think her intention was to spend some time in the library," the princess said from where she sat composing a letter home to her father. Then she stood and approached the intrepid trio. "Well, I think I shall wish you luck on this adventure." She hugged each girl. "Remember, bring back a fern frond and pebble from the ruin as a sign you were there, lest no apparition makes a ghostly performance this night. Frankly, I hope that will be the case."
"No fear of that. Those Sensation girls have crowed about the matter so much they must have something planned. They know we're going tonight so expect fireworks of some sort. The twins have torches and I have a minicam to catch the little demons at it. Should be a serious laugh and no mistake. You know, Princess Rappy, this little escapade makes me like those girls a little more than before. It makes school so much more interesting than I thought it was going to be. Victorious midnight feast for the survivors!" At this announcement the twins whooped and they departed the room, not through the door but out the balcony way for added stealth.
One of the curious aspects of Miss Plazenby's Seminary was the way the buildings and grounds were arranged. The main structure was shaped like a giant 'H' and one wing of this housed the various dormitories, with the first years sensibly thrust into the uppermost floor out of the way, by a similar principle to the chemistry lab in one of the other wings. It was both for safety and peace of mind.
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A peculiarity of this arrangement was that the complex series of roof slopes and angles were easily accessible to those on the third floor and those who designed the building had anticipated this. Ladders and walkways and platforms were provided for those who wished to stroll high up among the roof ridges and tiles, admiring the view from leaded battlements and towers. Of course, such spaces were not meant to be used at night, but that did not stop the energetic and mischievous souls who occupied those dorms that had balcony access and a ready familiarity with the day time layout of the upper reaches of the building.
Bubbles led the twins across and between stonework with safety railings and formidable drops on one side or the other in a glorious glowing twilight. She knew her companions had no fear of heights for they were Nordeyer girls, used to climbing cliffs and rocky heights in their home Winkel far to the north. They were hardy outdoor girls who thought nothing of clambering over roof tops in semi-darkness.
"I wish I had wings," Fizzy said. "I'd soar right over to that valley from here in a twinkling." She paused to view the landscape on the slopes of Mount Syzywyg spread out below with its coloured lights and patches of darkness.
"If you had wings I'd put you in a cage, feed you birdseed and exhibit you for a fee," Divvy said humorously, tugging on one of her sister's beribboned plaits with affection.
"Shall we give Sharshua a fright, just to get this evening off to a spooky start?" Bubbles suggested, picking up on the mischievous mood of the twins.
"Ooh, how?" they enthused eagerly, crowding round their friend.
"Well, we're above the library now aren't we," and the Frangea girl peered over the edge to where a balcony could be seen she knew adjoined the repository of knowledge. "You've got your torches. We could shine lights and make faces and scratching noises on the windows."
"Sold!"
The metal ladder that led downwards was soon negotiated and all three girls skipped lightly onto the narrow space of the balcony. Bubbles was so glad the others had suggested stealthy footwear as she approached the nearest lighted window and peered in at rows of books, tables and reading lamps. She could see nearly all of the room but there was no one there, not even an upper year girl intent on study.
"The place is empty," Bubbles muttered. "Perhaps she's hiding among the books, moping like she seems to enjoy doing."
"She is very singular," one of the twins said ironically.
Bubbles carefully opened a window and slipped into the alcove like a book thief determined to filch some valuable volume. The whole library was of course electronically available but the desire to flick through pages was irresistible to some, the Octora girl among them. In contrast her father was a highly successful digital archiver, inventing all sorts of miniature gadgets that had made him wealthy enough to afford the astronomical fees and send his only child to the most extremely exclusive school on Winkel World.
"Stay there a moment," she warned the twins, who were making to bustle in like whirlwinds in a place of solitude. "There's a mistress on duty by the door." With that the Frangea girl tiptoed around the shelves and tables and found one solitary pupil, a second year she did not know, fast asleep in a shadowy corner clutching a book and crumpled sheets she had unconsciously turned into a pillow to rest her weary head upon. Of Sharshua Dragonsong there was no sign.