Becky leaned in to whisper. “Professor Gregory graduated a couple of years ago from Dragonia. He's one of the smartest humans ever.”
“Welcome to Anatomy, Elena,” Professor Gregory said. You okay he mouthed, and I nodded carefully, not appreciating the extra attention he directed my way.
“If I ever catch anyone pulling the stunt George did earlier this afternoon, I swear, you'll wish you'd never hatched.”
The air was sucked from the room as the class went silent.
Hatched? I frowned at his word choice.
“Open your books to page three fifteen,” he said.
The sound of pages turning carried on for ten seconds. A picture of a dragon standing next to a human took up the whole page. For the love of blueberries, the ratio between them was way off and it looked terribly unrealistic.
Run, Forest, Run. I bit the inside of my mouth and stifled a laugh.
“Dragons come in different sizes and colors. They start out as eggs, which can be anywhere between one to four feet in length.” Professor Gregory picked up a huge egg with a gritty, rocky surface. The harsh lights of the hall cast an eerie glow creating a funny greenish shine. He handedit to the blonde girl in the front row to pass around when she'd finished with her inspection. I didn’t want to be anywhere near that thing.
“Sammy came from an egg?” I asked Becky in a whisper.
“Yup.”
“A dragon's wingspan can reach up to 170 feet.”Professor Gregory’s voice echoed through the lecturing hall. “A dragon's eye has a large iris and a vertical pupil, just like a cat's eye. Can anyone tell me why?”
“I'm sure Riley knows,” Becky whispered.
I knew cats because I had fed a lot of strays during our life on the run; it was easier than making friends I would just have to keep leaving. I lifted my hand tentatively. Becky and Professor Gregory looked surprised.
“Elena?”
The entire class turned around and stared at me. You could have heard a pin drop, it was so quiet.
“Well, if it's the same as cat's eyes, then the pupils can open wider to admit more light,” I said, not quite sure of my answer.
He smiled. “You're right. Well done.” He threw a candy bar in my direction.
“He's lecturing with chocolate bars too,” Becky said.
“The white of a human’s eye is often a different color than a dragon's. It can be yellow, gold, green, orange, red or even silver. It's protected by a leathery outer eyelid and three smooth inner eyelids. The innermost membrane is crystal clear and protects the eye from damage while the dragon flies.” He drew a picture of an eye on the blackboard and pointed to the various parts. “The other two eyelids mainly serve to keep the eye clean. They're not as thick or clear as the innermost membrane. A dragon can use these inner lids to protect its eyes from sudden flashes of bright light.”
The chalk made a screeching noise on the black board, and everybody cringed.
Professor Gregory chucked the chalk into the trashcan and grabbed another one. “Sorry,” he said, and pulled a face.
The class laughed.
We covered dragon eyes over the next hour. I had never enjoyed a class this much before. Whenever I gave Becky the huh-look her whispered answer got me back on track again.
The bell rang and everyone jumped out of their chairs. Becky grabbed my books and put them in her backpack. “The first thing we're going to get you tomorrow is a backpack.” She threw the strap over her shoulder.
“Sorry, do you want me to carry that?” I asked, seeing her struggle slightly under the weight.
She waved me off. “I don't want you to pull another muscle.”
Everything in my body still ached. I complained as I looked at the steps that led to the dorms.
She laughed and started to push me. If I thought Becky didn’t notice my soreness I’m sure she did by the time we got to our room.
As we entered, we found Sammy lying on her bed. She had a sour pout on her face and didn't look very happy.
I fell on top of mine,while Becky headed for the bathroom. I wasn’t very good at starting conversations, other than bickering with Dad. He must have missed Paegeia so much. I lay on my bed, staring at the patterns on the ceiling until Sammy broke the silence.
“Elena, I'm so sorry about what George did,” Sammy apologized, getting up from her bed, and coming over to mine. She looked at me and sighed. I could see the guilt weighing heavily on her shoulders.
I nodded my head the way Constance used to with Master Longwei.
She sat softly on top of my bed.
“Hey, don't blame yourself, Sammy,” I said, letting her off the hook.
She shook her head, looking at the pillow clutched tightly in her arms. “He gives us dragons a crappy name. Not all of us are like him, honest.”
“I know and I'm fine. I have to admit, I came close to a heart attack, but Becky made me feel better.”
“Do you understand now why we call my brother a jerk?”
“Wait, your brother asked him to do that?” I remembered someone had whistled before the dragon ran away.
“I heard Toby, a boy in my class, giving Blake the credit. He's so mean and I'm terrified of what's going to happen if nobody claims him.” Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Hey, I only learned about all this Dragon stuff today but I know you need to have faith. Everything will work out the way it's supposed to happen.”I wasn’t sure what to say so I gave her Dad's advice; I only wish it had worked out better for him.
The corner of her mouth curved slightly, and then she grabbed me around my neck, pulling me to her chest. When she released me her dimples showed. “We can be BFF. But Becky comes with the package, no exceptions.”
“I like Becky, and thank you for trying to tell me everything in an hour. The two of you have a mean crash course.”
She giggled. “We just wanted to get you up-to-date with everything in Paegeia. Tomorrow, I'm sure you'll learn more. The city of Elm is full of stories,” she said cryptically.
Becky came out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed next to us. “Are you ready? Sammy and I want to show you a special spot.”
I was tentative to leave my room again, but my curiosity won out. They took me back to the steps, which took us a decade to descend because of my stiff knees.
A dozen students carrying suitcases chatted loudly with each other in the lobby.
“Spoiled brats,” Sammy said. “I don't think they've ever spent a weekend in Dragonia.”
“They're going home?”
“Only for the weekend.”
Becky struggled with the wooden door again. “A little help, please.”
“Hold on, drama queen, before you end up losing an arm,” Sammy said, and pulled the door open without effort.
She's strong, must be a dragon thing. My conscience shrugged internally, as if the dragon facts didn't bother us anymore.
We slipped through the opening and entered the school grounds.
Sammy went back to being playful and bumped Becky softly. I'm glad she didn't feel bad anymore. I loved how fast she got over things.
We ran into Blake next to the stairs. He was making out with Tabitha, and they made no effort to hide what they had been doing.
Sammy turned into a ferocious beast when she saw them, stalked up to her brother, and pushed him away, interrupting their make-out session. “You're such an asshole, Blake.”
He just laughed, which made my legs wobble.
Why does he have to be so damn gorgeous? I pulled on the collar of my T-shirt in a rhythmic beat, hoping the pathetic excuse for a breeze would make the hot flashes Blake brought on, disappear.
“Dad is going to hear about this,” she said threateningly.