Chapter 4

Finally, the much-awaited day arrived. The instructions that came with her uniform stated that she was to don her uniform and wait at the Town Square for her transport. She put on her uniform absent-mindedly, all the while imagining what her new school would be like.

After that, Amber strode to the Town Square with the air of someone shaking the dust of the town and most of its inhabitants off her feet. “So long now, people,” she thought, “Bet you never thought I would turn out to be better than the whole posh lot of you.” This was true, in a way, as the other children had often bullied and taunted her for her lack of spending money and finery.

The first thing Amber noticed when Amber got her first glimpse of the Town Square was the group of townspeople gathered there. Then, she saw what the townspeople were gaping at. A group of two girls and a boy were standing together, dressed in the same school uniform as her. The boy was wearing a white cowboy hat, blue and white checked shirt, white pants and black calfskin boots.

“Amber Glassfire, is that you?” called out a classmate unbelievingly as she strode up to join them.

“Where are you going, Ms Glassfire, dressed in so much finery?” asked a teacher.

“Can you really afford it, or did you nick it from someone else’s wardrobe?” jeered another schoolmate.

Amber resisted the urge to poke out her tongue at them, instead trying her utmost to cool her rising anger by thinking, “I will not lower myself to their level by acting childishly to get back at them. I am a cut above them and when the transport comes, I will be free of this town and all his inhabitants.”
Amber’s reverie was cut short by a voice saying, “they can be so cruel and thoughtless sometimes, right?”

Before Amber could deign to reply, a horse-drawn carriage bearing the name Lotaholes Academy arrived at the square. With mixed feeling, Amber followed the other three onto the carriage. All they had with them was a small backpack as their luggage had already been sent to the academy a few days earlier. For a few moments they all looked out of the window, watching the scenery stream past at an astonishing speed.

“Hi, I’m Amber Glassfire. The letter said that this was a school that gave free education. What do you think?”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Sapphire Clearwater. My letter sais this was a very expansive Swiss Finishing School for refined and talented young ladies. You see, I’m the heir to the county of Rocky Mountains, and my parents want to groom me into a lady fit to be a Countess,” said a blue eyed, blonde haired, fragile looking girl.

“You think you’ve got it bad? I’m Azure Aquawing. They told me this was an orphanage that offered free education and boarding. You see, my parents didn’t like me,” said the pretty girl with green eyes and auburn hair sitting by the window, sadness colouring her voice.

“The name is Darren Lance. They told me this was a martial arts school. All my relatives are world class fencers and samurais. They think I’m a wimp because I can’t fight well,” the black-haired, black-eyed boy said.

They looked at each other with confusion. “why are the stories all different?” asked Amber. “they cheated us!”

Just at that moment, the carriage door was opened and a voice was heard saying, “we have arrived at Lotaholes Station. Kindly disembark within seven minutes.”

They hurriedly scrambled off the carriage and onto the platform. A whole group of butterflies were currently taking up residence in Amber’s stomach, and many more kept arriving.

On the platform, a heavily scarred and deformed man was waiting, bearing a sign that said: Lotaholes Academy. He only had tufts of hair, six fingers on each hand and one ear. At his feet was a dog with a linage as mixed as a bowl of mixed fruits put in the blender. It was impossible to tell what breed of dog it had been descended from. One thing was clear: this was no pedigree.

They adverted their gaze to avoid looking at him, until he said “My name is Gregor and this ‘ere dog’s name is Mix. Don’t worry about staring, I’m used to it. Used to give my poor old dam the heebie-jeebies, I did. I believe it was the sight of me by her death bed that finally sent her into the arms of Hades.”

It was a very quiet ride to the castle in Gregor’s wagon. They passed by plenty of marshes, rivers and overgrown, untended wasteland. Finally, a castle reared up in the distance. When they reached it, the saw that it had more holes in the walls than a block of cheddar cheese. That alone was enough to let them know that this was indeed their new school. Sapphire let out a high pitched, hysterical giggle as the crossed the drawbridge.

“I’ll be leaving you here, I’m only the caretaker,” said Gregor as they reached the front door. “don’t go missing me now.” The main entrance was adorned with two gruesome looking gargoyles with their mouths wide open and fangs as long as their arms. On the door was a knocker in the shape of a lion’s head, so highly polished until they could have admired their reflections, had they not been so nervous.

The four of them looked at each other, until Darren built up the courage to raise the brass knocker and knock loudly on the wooden door.