“Maybe something slowed him down,” suggested Eileen.
“Aye, like getting caught,” said Benjamin.
“We don’t know that,” Thomas snapped back, worry making the words harsher than he intended them. “We’ll wait here until the third bell.”
“And what if some junior sneaks in for a midnight snack?”
“Then we hide.” Thomas felt his nerves riding higher again, and forced himself to calm down. “In fact, we should go outside so we don’t have to worry about it.”
“What about the Master of Keys?” Eileen asked.
“He carries a lantern,” said Thomas. “We’ll see him a mile off.”
“Unlike me,” Henry said from behind them.
The entire group spun in place, gasping.
“Why do you do that?” hissed Benjamin.
“It’s fun.”
“Well, stop it.”
Thomas interrupted before Henry could reply. “Did you get the keys?”
“Ye
