Lumen by Joseph Eastwood Read Free Book Online

Reuben explained, his eyes sunk into his face as he scanned the crowd of worried faces. “Manuals are in your rooms.” He smiled and turned to his right. “This room is the assembly room, where you’ll be every Monday morning for the weekly briefing.”
    “He’s a jerk,” the boy who’d been sat opposite Daniel in the carriage whispered to him.
    There was a moment of a silence while Reuben glanced at the boy who’d insulted him, but only Daniel had seemed to notice.
    “And the room to your left,” Reuben said, heading to the open door at the opposite side of the grand foyer. “This is the dining hall, here you’ll have three meals per day, ready for you at set times. That too will be in your manuals,” he said, “now, if you’d like to leave you luggage. We shall go upstairs to see where classes will be taken.”
    They all dropped of their suitcases, and followed Reuben up the staircase. As they climbed the black-silvery stone staircase, their shoes clacked and the slightest whisper echoed louder. On the second floor there were five closed doors, each a dark mahogany with a brass handle and a silver plaque at the top with a name etched into each.  
    Reuben went through the names of each teacher and what they did, but Daniel couldn’t focus. He remembered a few of the classes; life energy where he’d learn the basics, and offensive and defensive energy, he only remembered that because he was thinking that he’d need to prove himself there.
    Before they left the second floor to the ground floor, a boy spoke up. At first he’d held his hand high, and then he fought his way to the front of the crowd. It was the boy who sat across from Daniel on the way to the school.
    “Third floor?” he asked.
    Reuben grinned; the lines in his face had depth; they carved a sinister shade. “Well, it’s not a good thing if you’re sent to the third floor, because that is  my  floor, with  my  chambers and  my  office. I suggest you think wisely before acting out in class towards a member of staff or  student .” The boy gulped and rolled down his sleeves. “Now, if you’d go downstairs, you’ll find your room passes.”
    They all rushed away and Daniel followed, his head cocking sharply to get every angle of the building. Reuben grabbed a hold of Daniel’s shoulder before he took a step.
    “Come. I need to speak with you,” Reuben said, starting for the stairs of the third floor.
    Daniel hurried after him, trying to keep up with Reuben’s strides and whacks at the steps with his staff. He kept quiet, even though his heart was now lodged in his throat and aching at his forming Adam’s apple.
    Reuben stood in front of a door; it was a large black wooden door with his name scrawled in brass letters. “Don’t worry.” He grinned as Daniel forced himself to smile. Reuben pushed the door open to his office.
    An icy draft came rolling out of the dark room.  Daniel turned to look at Reuben whose hands were mid-motion, flicking at his wrists. Several snapping sounds collected from all over the room. Thick pieces of rope tied the drapes back and light flooded it, revealing a large dark pine desk with a black leather chair and two leather settees in front of the desk. The walls were white-washed and the floor was black stone, Daniel could feel how cool it was on his feet from beneath his worn down shoes.
    “It’s a nice office, when I’m being nice,” Reuben said grinning. He had a waddle as though he was trying not to put pressure on his other leg.
    “You can take a seat if you like,” Reuben said swivelling his chair and falling back into it, oohing and aahing.
    Daniel shook his head. “I’m okay.”
    Reuben raised an eyebrow and then shrugged. “I have some things for you, because you’re less fortune in the finance are, and with all those  competitive  kids downstairs.”
    Daniel grinned as if ‘competitive’ was emphasised to mean arrogant. “Well, they’ll mature into power