Chapter 3

Preparations were being made as Amber was leaving for Lotaholes Castle the following day. Her mother was in quite a state. Towels, books, pens and clothes were sent flying everywhere. No doubt, every mother wants the best for her child.

Now, Amber had received a parcel on her doorstep a few days ago. She had rushed to pick it up, to find that it simply said:
Amber Glassfire----Lotaholes Academy

Amber had it torn apart before you could say “Diddledoo”. Inside lay a light blue and white checked blouse, a white skirt and a pair of shiny white leather shoes. It will be a great school, thought Amber, even the uniform is prettier than most schools I’ve attended. It will be great, except for the fact that there will be a lot of holes in there, which will totally explain the namesake of her new school. (Well, not exactly a new, new school, more like a new, old school. Ancient, in fact.)

While packing her bag in her bedroom, Amber felt a strange, unexplainable urge to wear her locket. She retrieved her locket from the little oak treasure chest under her bed and hung it around her neck. Instantly, a warm, comforting feeling overcame her. She felt something magical about this delicate, gold-wrought locket that carried the gem of her namesake. “Oh well, I could use some luck at Lotaholes Academy”, Amber decided. “It will be nice to make some new friends, maybe we will even have adventures together. Who knows?”

Chapter 2 - An unexpected christmas present

The sound of Christmas bells could be heard jingling everywhere. A bleary eyed Amber stumbled down the stairs on Christmas morning, humming something that sounded distinctly like this:

Joy to the world,
the school is gone.
Lala-lala-lala
Jingle bell,
school is gone,
bombing it away...

At the sound of her voice, a few glasses shattered into fragments, a shadow of what they once were. She reached into her bulging sock, expecting at least a few christmas parcels, instead-all that was in her stocking was a thick envelope. She sat down on a chair and opened the letter.

Dear Miss Glassfire,
You are invited to join us here at Lotaholes Castle to complete your education. It would be a complete new experience for you as it is nothing like any other school you have ever attended. Here at Lotaholes Castle, we favour a more challenging course of education. Anyway, details later. Please reply this letter and drop it back into the stocking. We will give you your uniform F.O.C.
Yours sincerely,
Batty Redeye-Assistant principle

Amber was overjoyed. Needless to say, she had accepted the offer. Anything had got to be better than the Brutus Finishing School for the Mentally Impaired and Spiritually Challenged her mother was preparing to send her to. Amber hurried off to tell her mother the good news. She did not bother that the letter was written in a type of ink that looked suspiciously like blood type B negative, and it was written on a smelly yellow parchment. Now this was the type of Christmas present she truly deserved.