Becoming a Dragon by Andy Holland Read Free Book Online Page A

thinking about that boy at my party, the strange one. He'll be in my class, won't he?"
    "Yes, I suppose he will, or your father wouldn't have invited him. I wouldn't worry about it, dear; there will be plenty of other students in the class. Look, here we are, this is the school."
    They had reached King Cornelius School, a castle-like building with high imposing walls, and even higher towers on each corner. They stopped outside the school and Crystal gazed up at the tower over the entrance.
    "How many students are there here?" she asked in amazement.
    "Well, dear, you can do the maths just as well as me; there are five classes per year, and only two years, so there must be about two-hundred-and-fifty students."
    "But it's huge! Why is it so large for just a few hundred students? Were there more when you were here?"
    "No, dear; it was the same. Some of it isn't used, and the teachers all live in there. Some students board as well. At least they used to." Most, like Crystal, did not. Their parents considered such accommodation to be beneath their highborn children and had rented the grandest and most expensive places they could find. "There are also the school guards; they live here all year around, and there are quite a few — maybe thirty or forty. You won't see them most of the time, other than those at the school entrance, but they'll be watching from the towers."
    "Why are they so many guards?" Crystal asked. "I thought Furnace was very safe. Should we have brought Edward with us?"
    "Of course it is safe, dear, especially inside the inner city wall. But all of the richest and most powerful people in the Kingdom send their children here. They expect to have a high standard of security. Especially those from the North and the East. They are so paranoid about Blue Dragon attacks that they worry they could happen here as well."
    "Could they happen here?" Crystal asked.
    "No, of course not," her mother replied with a laugh. "We're far too far from the border. But they still insist on having lots of guards here anyway. Partly for show I expect, to let everyone know how many guards they can afford. Of course, many will bring their own guards to accompany their children to school…"
    "But that's only thirty or forty more people. That still doesn't explain it," Crystal objected.
    "Doesn't explain what?" It was Jenna, who had sauntered over to stand next to Crystal. Jenna had clearly gone to a lot of effort with her appearance, and was dressed very elegantly. Crystal felt a little underdressed.
    "Hi, Jenna, how are you?" Crystal's mother asked warmly.
    "Very well, Auntie, thank you for asking. What's up, Crystal?"
    "I can't understand why they need such a big building for a school with so few students," Crystal replied.
    "Oh, whatever; shouldn't we be going in?" Jenna never bothered hiding when she wasn't interested in what Crystal was saying.
    "Jenna! Don't you think it's strange?"
    "Yes, very strange. In that building are all the eligible highborn young men in the Kingdom, which I know includes at least one real prince, and you're gawping at the brickwork."
    "Jenna! We're here to finish our education, not just to meet future husbands!"
    Jenna shook her head in mock despair and took Crystal's arm and led her towards the entrance.
    "Don't worry, Auntie; I'll explain it to her."
    "Bye, girls. Enjoy your first day," Crystal's mother called, frowning a little at Jenna.
    "Don't worry, Auntie. I mean to," Jenna replied with a mischievous grin. Crystal waved goodbye to her mother before Jenna dragged her into the entrance hall. The hall was covered with dark wood panels, and was a little unwelcoming. Jenna seemed completely oblivious to it.
    "Look, Crystal, there is only one reason we come here instead of staying in our dreary little regional schools, and that's so we can meet our future husbands. Both of our mothers met their husbands here, and it's the reason they were sent here. This is true for the vast majority of the royal family