“I don’t know,” Tom admitted, thinking that honesty was the best course of action right now.

“We need to find cover for the night,” Jamie’s shaky voice suggested.

“I know we walked a lot but it’s like the middle of the afternoon for us,” John replied coldly, as if he thought that the boy was being lazy.

Jamie blushed hard but Claire backed him up  “It doesn’t matter what time it is for us. He has a point. Just because we’re not tired doesn’t mean that we are going to have more daylight or that any nocturnal animal will stay away.”

Nocturnal animals. If they weren’t home anymore, what sort of animals would they encounter? Should they be afraid?

The ruins suggested Europe. The wildlife in Europe isn’t that bad, right?

Tom was just desperate to cling to any little bit of hope he could find right now. And the Scottish countryside, however improbable that they would suddenly be transported there, would be a manageable development. Although… what about the trees? He would need to ask Edwin if there are trees like that in Scotland.

His train of thought got derailed when Lizzy’s high-pitched voice exclaimed: “Shelter? Like… sleeping rough? I don’t do that.”

That really annoyed Tom. Really? That’s what she was focused on then? Her personnal comfort? “Sorry, princess,” he snapped at her. “We would love to offer you a five-star hotel but this is all we got and your current attitude is not helping. But you know what? Feel free to stay up and discover the neighborhood.”

Her cheeks blushed but Tom thought it was anger more than shame. She didn’t like being called out like that. To be perfectly honest, he absolutely didn’t care about hurting her feelings. There were so many more useful, or even just less annoying, people he could have been stuck in this mess with.

“We might find some beds inside,” Maya suggested.

She wasn’t wrong but the building looked like it had no roof, and whatever was left in there was probably rotten and risked collapsing on them. It was probably worth having a look, though.

So they tried. But although everything was falling apart, the door was still surprisingly sturdy and did not bulge. The windows were too high to just jump in.

“I can climb that,” Claire assured, pointing at a broken window by what might have been a stable.

Before anyone could tell her that it sounded like a terrible idea, she was climbing the uneven wall and within thirty seconds, she was sitting on the window sill. Tom’s heart was beating slightly faster, full of some kind of hope that, despite their confusing and terrifying situation, they had found some kind of home for the night.

“Yeah, er… I think we’re better off outside,” she commented, Tom having to let go of yet another hope today. “The roof is completely gone, some of the floors too, there are puddles everywhere, the door is blocked because part of the staircase collapsed behind it, and there is a tree growing in the chimney. I mean… it actually looks quite cool, but not as a potential place to sleep.”

In all honesty, Tom was starting to feel tired. Not necessarily sleepy, just… nothing as falling into place, he had no idea what was happening, and he knew he was on the verge of losing it. If he let his emotions submerge him right now, he wasn’t even sure if he would descend into terror, despair, or madness.

The only thing that was helping right now were the people around him. Apart from Edwin, they were either strangers or people he didn’t really get on with, sure, but at that moment, they were people going through the exact same nightmare as him. It didn’t matter that none of them had a clue what they were doing, they were not alone, and Tom knew that it made a huge difference for them all. That was why Maya’s tears had been the only ones so far, why they kept walking in the woods even when their legs started to hurt, why Edwin could talk to someone about the trees rather than completely panic about it, and why now, as they were once more confronted to the fact that they were running out of options, all remained calm.

Claire climbed down the window and they started being a bit more proactive. None of them said anything but the darker it was getting, the more anxious they were of finding cover, or at the very least a plan.

It was unlikely that what remained of the castle would collapse that night specifically but they still decided not to sleep too close to the main building.

On the opposite side of the courtyard was a little covered area whose use Tom wasn’t even trying to guess but which looked like it was still sturdy enough and would protect them if it started to rain. An alcove that didn’t particularly look like a chimney still seemed to have been used, once upon a time, to hold fires, and Claire decided to go get some wood to start a fire, which would keep them warm, lit, and safe. Tom wasn’t sure that “safe” would be an accurate term if everything caught fire, but he didn’t see the point of bringing more negativity into the situation and he, too, would feel better if they had something to keep the cold and darkness away.

As for the perimeter wall… sure there was this huge gap in it but it still made them – or at least Tom – feel like it offered some protection from the forest.

They tried their best to arrange a place where they could sleep, making mattresses of sorts with moss and ivy (or whatever that was) and putting their hoodies and cardigans over it. The weather was fresh but the fire would keep them warm, surely.

Maya was the only one with a backpack and that would make a fine pillow. Sure, it was far from ideal but it would work for one night. Maybe two. After that… after that what?

Tom thought that his life really didn’t prepare him for this. His life is going to school, meeting with his friends, getting home, watching a movie with his father while chatting, going to bed, pressing repeat and including some mild variations here and there, letting the adults keep him safe, warm, and sheltered. But what when adults weren’t there to do that?

Tom didn’t know what to do and it scared him to know that no one with him knew any better.

Claire and Jamie came back with some dry wood and put some in the hearth. She then tried to start a fire and, although Tom could tell that she knew what she was doing… nothing was happening. He appreciated that it would take time – that at least he knew, it was also a little nervewracking to watch.

Whatever she was doing didn’t look particularly successful, or at least it was taking a long time. Tom knew, however, that he would not be able to produce any better results. That’s why he completely understood when, after John’s sixth passive-aggressive comment about how great it would be to have a fire before nightfall, she snapped: “Do you want to do it?”

“I would, actually.”

She stepped away, with a firm smirk on her face, knowing that he wouldn’t do any better. Her smile faded away when he smirked back and took a lighter out of his pocket.

That probably made John the biggest jerk on the planet, but at least they had a fire now.

“Alright,” Tom cheered in an attempt to be the cheerful one, he knew how to do that. “A place to sleep, a fire… what else could we ask for?”

Lizzy completely rained on his parade when she replied with a cutting voice: “Dinner?”