Spearwood Academy Volume One (The Spearwood Academy Book 1)

by A. S. Oren

  We want to impress upon you how important we feel it is for you to allow your daughter to attend our school. As we have told you over the years, we feel she could learn from us, and it would benefit her in all aspects of her life, including Ivy League colleges in her future.

  If you have changed your mind at all about allowing her to attend, please give us a call. We would be more than willing to take your call and answer any concerns you may have.

  Sincerely,

  Mr. Michael Perlow

  Headmaster of Spearwood Academy and

  Mr. Oliver Roseman

  Chairmen of Spearwood Academy’s Board of Governors

  The next paper lists their contact information. I put the letter down and look at Edgar. “Why now? Why tell me today? Why not before you obviously decided to call them!” He flinches at my tone. I don’t usually lose my temper with him.

  “Yau know me, Avalon. I’m not the type to be good at t’is kinda thing. Yau think I would’ve been a bachelor all these years if I were?”

  The sadness in his eyes makes me cool down. I give a sigh. “Tell me honestly. Do you want me to go?”

  He huffs. “Of course I don’t want yau to go! Some school filled with boys and not to mention on the other side of the world.”

  I consider the brochure again. My eyes bug out. The school is somewhere in Tibet? I did not see that coming.

  Ed runs a hand over his wispy white hairs. “But do I think yau should do it?” He gives another sigh and fiddles with his hands. “Yeah, I do. How else are yau going to learn about yaurself?”

  His words hit me like a ton of bricks. He’s right. How else am I going to get the answers to the questions I’ve been asking my entire life? These people know the answers. At least, I hope they do.

  “Yaur goin’, aren’t yau?” he asks. He can see by the expression on my face I’ve made up my mind.

  “I don’t really have much choice, do I? They have the answers to questions I’ve had since I could comprehend my situation. Besides, if I absolutely hate it and don’t learn anything, I’ll just tell them I want to come back home to my Orchard.”

  He gives a sad smile. “I thought yau’d say that.” He stands from the table again.

  “Where are you going?” I stand to follow him. He motions for me to sit.

  He goes upstairs; and a few minutes later, he comes back down carrying something. It looks like a necklace.

  Coming around to my side of the table, he stands behind me. “Lift yaur hair.” I do, and he puts the necklace around my neck. I lift it to get a better look at it, a locket made of glass with three very small, fuchsia, apple blossoms encased in the door.

  I frown at him. He’s never given me something like this; it’s come out of left field.

  “Mi father gave that to mi mother when he bought this orchard. It was a promise to her that the apple trees would always represent their love. Mi mother left it to me; wanted me to give it to a wife so that if we had a daughter, she could give it to her. I never got miself a wife, so I’m givin’ it to mi daughter.” He shrugs as if it’s not a big deal. “I want yau to have a piece of home with yau there.”

  I’ve never heard him call me his daughter before. I touch the locket and swallow hard. Some tears come to my eyes. “Thank you, Ed. You’re the only father I have, so this will always be home to me.”

  Now it’s his turn to swallow hard as he wipes a hand over his face before waving me off. “Don’t go gettin’ all mushy on me.”

  I finger the locket. The glass, cold as ice, fills me with a warmth; how ironic. “I guess I better go pack my things.”

  He clears his throat. “Yeah, yau go do that.”

  I smile at him and take a few more bites of my slice of cake; it now tastes amazing. I hope there will be some for me to take on my journey. I stand from the table and start for the stairs.

  “Take that phone thing with yau. Figure out how it works, so yau can call me.”

  I don’t know if it’ll work for me in Tibet, but I pick it up anyway. I’m sure the school will let me call him from phones there. Edgar doesn’t have caller ID, so I don’t have to worry too much about him knowing I’m not using it.

  I’m half-way up the stairs when I stop and turn around. I go back down to Ed. He picks up our plates. He looks at me with worry in his gray eyes. Throwing my arms around his middle, I give him a tight hug. He returns it before giving me a kiss on the head. “I’ll call you every chance I get when I know you’ll be home,” I say as I pull away. Hot tears fall down my cheeks. I don’t care anymore. I already miss him.

  “Yau better.” He wipes the tears off my cheek and gives one of them a gentle pat. I’m sure I’ll say goodbye to him at the airport, but this is our way of saying goodbye to each other without someone watching.

  GOODBYES AND HELLOS

  The day has come. Time for Edgar and me to meet at the airport with the people who will take me off to some strange school in Tibet. Does this mean I’ll have to learn Chinese? I know some Korean from my dramas, but just enough to get by in a basic conversation. I hope they teach me about my curse. Last night seemed more painful than usual; I passed out after it was complete.

  Edgar puts two suitcases in the back of his truck as I get into the passenger seat. One suitcase has most of my clothes, and the other has my books, photos, and everything else I could pack into it. It’s bulging at the seams, I swear. Around my neck hangs the apple blossom locket.

  With a slam of the clunky, old truck’s door, Edgar gets in the driver’s seat. He looks at me.

  “Yau sure this is what yau want? Last chance to say no.”

  I nod my head. “Yes, this is what I want. This is what I need, and this is my only chance to get answers.”

  He nods and makes the truck rumble to life. It gives a puff of smoke in protest and starts to head in the direction of town. At some point this afternoon, we’ll make it to Bellingham International Airport.

  As we drive through our little town, I can’t help but feel melancholy. I don’t know the next time I’ll see this place, and even though Edgar will be the only person I’ll miss, I’ll also miss the little market, the library, and the park with the wood swing.

  I never really made friends with the local kids. Edgar tried to enroll me at the local school, but after four years there, the teachers realized they didn’t have the means to keep up with me. Small town schools don’t come with a gifted program. The other kids didn’t like me. I made them feel inferior. Eventually, between the bullying and the school’s inability to keep me interested, Edgar took it upon himself to home school me after he was done working on the Orchard. The Hands really helped him at that point, taking on more of his work.

  I wonder if I’ll make any friends at this elite school. I laugh to myself. A school full of boys . . . yeah, I’m friend material there. After the shiny newness of a girl being in the school wears off, they’ll leave me alone. I’m not exactly a Playboy centerfold.

  “What’s so funny?” Edgar asks.

  I shake my head. “Nothing, Ed. Just thinking about the future.”

  Silence encompasses the rest of the ride to the airport. Neither of us are big talkers. Most of what we needed to say to each other came out on my birthday.

  Before I know it, we’re pulling into the lot at BIA. My heart picks up in my chest. No more waiting. In a little while, I’ll meet the Headmaster and Chairman of Spearwood. They’ll take me off to some resort-like school in Nowhere, Tibet.

  “Breathe, Avvi. Yau’ll do fine.” Ed turns off the engine. I swear the truck gives a sigh of relief. He gets out; I take a second more before following. With a deep breath in and out, I get out and close the door behind me.

  He grabs my bags. I try to take one from him, but he insists on carrying both for me. We enter the airport. “What gate—or is it terminal?—are we supposed to meet them at?” I ask.

  “Mr. Perlow told me to ask one the information desk ladies about a private hanger thing. Didn’t think they allowe
d those here.”

  Both of us make our way up to one of the ticket counters. A blonde woman with a porcelain white smile greets us. “Welcome to Bellingham International Airport. How may I help you wonderful people today?”

  Is she for real? I feel like I’ve just met a Stepford wife.

  Edgar stares at her for second, probably thinking the same thing as me. “Uh, I was told to say I’m lookin’ for Mr. Perlow?”

  Her smile almost fades, but then reappears. “Oh.” She looks back and forth at us and then just at me. She cocks her head to the left while the moronic smile stays in place on her face. She’s definitely a Stepford wife. Where’s the Twilight—not the one with sparkly vampires—music when I need it?

  “Yes, of course.” She pauses for one too many seconds, adding to the weirdness of her attitude. “Please follow me. Mr. Perlow and his associate are waiting for you.”

  She leads the way with her hands folded in front of her. Edgar and I exchange glances. We walk down several long hallways before we go through a door that leads to a hanger bay. She leads us up to two men lounging in high-backed armchairs, which sit next to a large black jet. At least, I think it’s a jet. I don’t have a lot of references to go off of. If my heart thuds any harder, it’ll come out of my chest.

  “Mr. Perlow, Miss Clementine and her father are here.” She gestures to us with an unwavering smile.

  The man on the left grins and holds out his hand. “Thank you, Jessica. That’ll be all for now.”

  Jessica nods, and right before my eyes, something unbelievable happens. She begins to fold and change shape until she’s no bigger than a library card. It flies into Perlow’s waiting hand and goes straight into the inner pocket of his suit.

  His grin widens. “Nifty trick, huh?” Is he trying to impress me with his fancy toy? My nerves ease when I notice how arrogant these two seem. Disgust rears itself. It takes all my willpower to leave my face expressionless.

  “Sure,” I say. I take a moment to study both of them. They ooze rich: tailored suits, ties, pocket squares, manicured hands, buffed shoes, bare faces. I doubt either has ever seen a day of actual labor in their lives.

  Perlow—dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a strong chin—might be in his thirties, but he could be younger. Roseman could pass for Perlow’s brother: same dark hair, a tad shorter in length, with brown eyes, not blue. Did they step out of Forbes’s ‘Top 100 Sexiest Men’?

  Perlow holds his hand out to Edgar, who shakes it. Perlow grimaces at Edgar’s rough handshake. What’ve I gotten myself into? Roseman follows his example, grimace included.

  My stomach does a tumble—not the good kind—as Perlow looks at me. He takes my right hand in his and bends over to kiss the back of it; again, Roseman follows his example. I have to remind myself not to wipe my hand on the back of my jeans while they’re still watching. They both frown at my nonchalant body language. Did they expect me to swoon over them because I’m some country teen girl? I’m not into older guys like these two. Give me Severus Snape, the hot one in my head, or the Eleventh Doctor; those two older men could make me swoon any day.

  “Pleasure to meet you both,” Perlow says. He snaps his fingers and holds out his hand. Roseman produces papers from his inner suit pocket and hands them over.

  Perlow hands them to Edgar. “I just need you to sign these, Mr. Clementine.”

  “What are they?” Edgar asks. His eyes squint to read the fine print. I wish he would hand them over for me to read, but I know that would just embarrass him.

  Perlow shrugs and waves his hand around. “It’s just your standard consent form to allow Miss Clementine to attend our prestigious school.

  I swear my eyebrows have gone into my hairline. I wish I could take back what I said in the truck. So what if they have the answers I want. If the school is full of boys like these two men, I’d rather suffer not knowing.

  Edgar reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a pen. I put my hand on his arm and stop him from making the papers stiff enough to sign.

  He looks at me. “What?”

  I pull him away from the two men. “I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.”

  He hunches over so he can hear me better. Damn my shortness. “Why?”

  “Look at them. If the school is anything like them, I won’t last a week. They’re so . . . rich.”

  He puts a hand on my shoulder. “Avalon, I know yau’ll be okay. Yaur tougher than anyone I’ve ever known. And I knew men who went to war. If yau absolutely hate it after a month, yau can come back home.”

  I sigh. He’s right. Never judge a book by its cover and all that. I’m jumping the gun. “All right. Shouldn’t I read those to make sure they say what he says they do?”

  Edgar begins to hand over the papers when Perlow comes up behind us. “I don’t mean to rush you two, but we need to get going if we’re going to get back to Tibet before the moon rises there.”

  They know about the moon affecting me? Does that mean it affects the others too? Wait a second . . . the moon will be up either way while we’re in the sky. How will they get around that? Is he lying to Edgar? I reach out to stop him again, but it’s already too late.

  Edgar nods and signs through the papers. A weight crashes in my stomach as I watch him make the last strike over the T. He hands the papers to Perlow and turns to me.

  I don’t even care that people are watching. I hug Edgar. I don’t know when I’ll see him again. He hugs me back, tighter than he ever has, and kisses me on the head. “Yau be safe, okay? And call me when yau can. I’ll miss yau, Avvi. I love yau.”

  I force back the will to cry. I’m fifteen, not five. I’m not going to cry in front of these men. I pull away from him. “Yeah, you too, Ed. I love you too.”

  “Okay! Well, it was great to meet you, Mr. Clementine.” Perlow shakes Edgar’s hand again.

  “Yeah. Take care of Avalon for me.”

  Perlow pulls the Jessica thing out of his pocket, and it unfolds into her again. Her creepy smile remains in place. “Jessica. Take her bags into the jet.”

  I pick up both suitcases from near Edgar’s feet. “I can do it. I have two strong arms.”

  “Oh, all right then.” He holds out his hand again, and Jessica goes flying and transforming into it. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing that. We walk toward the jet.

  I glance back at Edgar. “Bye.” He waves at me, and I go up the steps into the massive black jet. There’s no turning back now.

  ALMOST THERE

  This can’t be a jet. A crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling for crying out loud. Really? That was needed when they had the thing built? Cream leather seats, big enough to fit a small family comfortably, sit scattered along the massive floor. The cockpit is nowhere in sight. Four long beds, made of the same cream leather, line the two walls. I put my suitcases down next to me as I take a seat in one of the leather armchairs. They sit across from me.

  “So, Miss Clementine, are you excited to be attending our school?” Roseman asks. It’s the most I’ve heard him say since we’ve met.

  “I’m more interested in hearing about why I am the way I am.”

  They glance at each other. “Whatever do you mean? You’re fine,” Roseman says with exaggerated shock. He would lose in a game of poker with me.

  “Yes, perfectly normal. People change into dragons at night all the time.”

  “More people than you think, Miss Clementine,” Perlow says.

  I sit back in the unbelievably comfortable chair and fold my arms. “Really? Then answer me this, why does your school not have more girls?”

  Perlow looks down at his lap and pretends to pick lint from his clothes. “Females having the abilities you do are . . .” I swear he’s pausing for dramatic effect. “ . . . ”rare in our culture.”

  So I’m a freak amongst freaks then? I don’t say that aloud. “Why is that?” I ask.

  Again, another glance and neither one makes eye contact with me. “Females aren’t normally
born in our family lines.”

  They’re lying, but I don’t let on that I can see it. I’ll get all the answers eventually.

  I decide to change the subject. It’s obvious they’re no’t going to spill the beans anytime soon. “So tell me. How are we going to get to Tibet before night comes? I know jets move fast, but no jet moves that fast. Not to mention the time difference, eventually night will have to happen at some point while we’re in the sky.”

  Perlow gives a smug smile. “Ah, but Miss Clementine, this is no normal jet. Not even your Government has this technology yet. They can have it when we find something better. This machine can cross time. When we enter Tibet, it will be breakfast time, and you’ll have the entire day to learn your new school and perhaps even some of the students. There will be no night for us to come in contact with.”

  I can’t tell if he’s being serious or not. I’m supposed to believe these people have a machine that’s straight out of a science fiction novel?

  A rumble vibrates floor, and I look up at them. The jet comes to life. “Well, as much as we enjoy conversing, Miss Clementine, it’s time for us to go to sleep. Being awake during warp travel can be very taxing. We learned that the hard way.” He snaps his fingers. This time, Roseman produces a small canister from his suit. Roseman reminds me of a dog, barking on command.

  Perlow takes it and sits forward. “Goodnight, Miss Clementine.” Before I have the chance to say anything or cover my face, he sprays a mist at me. I sink lower into my seat. The overwhelming need to sleep over takes me, and my world goes black.

  ~*~*~*~*~*~

  It takes forever to crack my eyes open. I’ve been moved to one of the long sofa beds. I rub my eyes. Perlow and his lap dog, Roseman, have disappeared. The low rumble continues beneath my feet.

  Across from me stands a window. Orange sky peeks through dark clouds. Getting up, I cross over to the window and stare out of it. My breath hitches. A golden sunrise warms up a land of yellow fields. If I squint, I can almost make out the black dots of cattle. We’re flying toward a massive mountain; ascending into clouds fat with snow.