There were a lot of things that Sparkle could reply to that with that he was, mercifully, deciding to keep to himself. Just this once. Instead, he gave a little snicker to demonstrate that he was perfectly mature for a twelve-year-old, managing to more or less keep up with Atton on the climb up those stairs.

It was like being back on the island, only the stairs were all in one go!

"That would be too much like cheating anyway," he decided. "I'm still pretending to be an actor, after all."