Elspeth laced her fingers behind her back as she walked, casting a glance toward Savtaj. "I scare very easily," she admitted, the memory of nearly having a heart attack in the corn maze earlier that night still fresh in her mind. But, he would be there, and he had saved her from those girls, how could she say no to joining him? "I’ll make an exception for you though," she added with a playful smile, "but if anything jumps out at me and I scream…" She wagged a teasing finger at him, "you’re not allowed to laugh."

Her smile lingered as her eyes shifted ahead, catching sight of the haunted house looming in the distance. It almost sent a shiver down her spine but there were more pressing questions to ask. She hesitated for a moment before inquiring, "So... how’ve you been? How’s Quidditch going?" There was genuine curiosity in her voice, though she was mostly fishing to see if Ethan or Kai had been giving him trouble during matches, or just in general.

Albus’ words weren’t doing much to settle Elspeth’s nerves. “I’m trying to stay calm,” she squeaked, her voice betraying her panic. His raised arm, creating a barrier between her and the snake, helped only a little as she kept backing away, her eyes growing wide when he started speaking to the creature. The sight of the snake swaying in response made her breath catch, terror etched across her face.

That terror turned into a full-blown scream when someone darted out in front of her, startling her so badly she nearly jumped out of her skin. It took a moment for her to realize it was Gawain, but even his familiar voice didn’t stop her heart from racing. Past the two boys, she watched in horror as the snake continued to slither through the air—until, in an abrupt and almost funny twist, it flopped over on its side.

Her head whipped around, eyes wide as saucers, and she stared at Albus in disbelief. “Oh, Merlin—you’ve killed it! Albus, you killed it!” She hopped anxiously from foot to foot, her hands fluttering uselessly. “What are we going to do? I—I don’t know how to do CPR on a snake!”

Elsie bounced from foot to foot in the circle of gossiping girls, nodding along absently, her mind far from the conversation they were having. It wasn't her usual crowd, but she hated to turn down an invitation, though she was regretting it now. Their chatter felt tedious—empty noise that trapped her in place. She was itching to leave, to get back to something, anything, more interesting than this.

Salvation came in the form of Sav’s familiar voice. Elspeth’s heart lifted as he casually took her hand, offering the perfect excuse. “We have to talk about our, uh… project for Astronomy,” she said hastily to the girls, already letting him lead her away. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder and added, “I’ll catch up with you guys later!”

Once they were out of earshot, she let out a relieved sigh and grinned up at him. “Thank Merlin you came along,” she confessed with a playful laugh. “I was looking for an escape route, and here you are. You’re my hero tonight.” The tension melted from her shoulders, and she squeezed his hand gratefully, before releasing it.

Elspeth was startled when someone collided with her from behind. Her breath caught in her throat, and before she could even steady herself, Albus was already spinning her around in the opposite direction. “Wait, what—?” she started, but her voice faltered as soon as she heard the unmistakable sound of hissing.

Her eyes snapped downwards, and there it was, just as Albus claimed—a snake, slithering far too close for comfort. "Oh my Merlin," she gasped, her voice climbing into a high-pitched shriek. "There’s a snake!"

Elspeth wasn’t normally scared of snakes, but in that moment, panic gripped her. Her mind was racing with worst-case scenarios. “Albus,” she whimpered, eyes wide with fear, “it’s going to bite us!” Her voice turned frantic, almost pleading, as she frantically scanned the room for an escape route, her heart pounding in her chest.

In the chaos, a voice reached her ears. Her head whipped around, relief flickering across her face at the sound of Cade’s voice. “I can hear you!” she called out, her voice urgent. “Follow my voice! Quickly…” Elspeth paused, then tacked on a breathless, “Please!”

Elspeth still wasn’t sure why she had agreed to go to the corn maze in the first place. They were a nightmare. She could never make sense of the twists and turns, always ending up in some dead end, hopelessly lost. Yet, here she was, wandering through towering corn stalks, dressed in a makeshift cat "costume" of hastily drawn eyeliner whiskers and a pair of black ears perched on her head. Fully aware that she was weeks early for Halloween, but she liked to get into the spirit of it. 

The further she walked, the more the familiar unease set in. Every path looked the same no matter which way she turned, and her footsteps slowed as the realization dawned on her—her worst fear had come true. She was completely and utterly lost.

"Hello?" she called out, her voice edging with nervous laughter. "I can’t find the way out. Help!" She paused, listening, but the maze answered with only the rustling of corn. “I’m not ready to die in a corn maze!” she added, a touch of playfulness in her voice, trying to keep the situation light, even though anxiety gnawed at the edges of her thoughts..

Alias: Abbie
Character(s): Elspeth Prince --
Involvement: Elsie would be best suited to helping track down the Occamy, especially if younger students had a hand in its escape. She'd feel a deep sense of responsibility to step in and she likes to volunteer her time to any cause anyway.

Zuri’s father would push her to aid the poachers, urging her to secure rare ingredients for him. She won't be thrilled with the idea but she'll do it.