Flamerider

Chapter 1:

Hauntings

~an excerpt

“You hammering something over there?”

Gator looked up from his study sheet, which, for once, he’d remembered to bring with him, and caught Kael’s steely stare from across the dim study hall. He understood Kael’s hint and stopped tapping his heel on the stone floor. “Did we have to study just the warfare-type stuff? Or all of it?” Gator asked.

“All of it,” answered Kael from behind his lengthening blond curtain of hair. “Why? Did you not?”

“Um, not exactly,” Gator admitted, glancing down at his half-finished study guide. “I paid attention during the lessons, so I should be fine,” he said, trying to convince himself.

“That’s kind of risky, isn’t it?” Kael asked, raising his eyebrows. “Not studying isn’t exactly the best idea in our situation.” His glasses glinted yellow in the light of the nearby table sconce.

This coming from the guy who’s never studied in his life. Gator chuckled to himself. “No, I get what you’re saying. I just have enough confidence in my memory to not be super concerned about it.” Nonetheless, he continued flipping through his history book. He didn’t care to waste good study time.

The pattering rain outside and scratching of pencils on paper were the only noises for a while. Kael got up once or twice to grab a volume from the bookcase behind him, his pale blue-and-violet wings twitching.

“What are you looking for?” called Gator. The only response he got was a shrug. He watched Kael climb up the ladder to reach the top shelves and pull out a book. Gator only looked away when he accidentally rubbed a pimple on the side of his face. “Zouch! Well, whatever you’re trying to find, you might want to find it quick,” he began, glancing at the massive wood clock covering half the side wall. “We only have ten minutes left.”

“Hmm,” muttered Kael. A minute later, he wondered, “Do you think we’ll ever actually get to become citizens? I mean, it’ll be really obvious that we don’t belong, having wings and all,” he added, climbing back down the ladder. Gator opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by a clamor in the corridor. There was a whoosh as a rain-spattered Tracer opened the door to the study hall. His wrinkled clothes and untied shoelaces gave the impression that he’d merely rolled out of bed and stepped into the waiting airship. The enormous yawn that followed as he stumbled to a nearby table only affirmed the notion.

“Good day,” greeted Gator, shivering off the chilly blast from the hallway lobby. “Are you ready to crush this test?” he joked.

Tracer rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “What test?” he mumbled, shading his eyes from the table sconce glowing beside him.

“Uh, the mega-huge history test that we’ve spent the past month studying for?” snapped Kael from across the room, his hair swaying as he shook his head. “My gosh, dude, do you ever mark your calendar?”