Raven and the Dancing Tiger Read Free Page B

Petie wanted to get lost there.
    They left the two-lane and drove up a winding hill on a road only wide enough for one-and-a-half cars, then switched to another road made of dirt. Petie had never been on a road made of dirt before. He liked how the car left a huge cloud of dust behind it, as well as how the tires jiggled from all the rocks.
    They kept climbing. Mean pine trees crouched next to the road and hid the sky. It looked dark in these woods, with lots of thorns and bushes to keep people on the road. Finally, they made one last turn and the trees fell away.
    A huge, white stone building thrust out from the sheer cliff wall to the right. To the left, the whole valley opened again, and all Petie could see was sky.
    As soon as the car stopped, Petie undid his seat belt. He knew he wasn't supposed to, but he'd been sitting in the car for hours and hours and hours . Mom opened the door and put a hand in the middle of his chest before he tumbled out on his own.
    "You remember to be polite," Mom warned before she let him out of the car.
    "Yes, ma'am," Petie said.
    Why would she tell him that, and not to be careful?
    The air stopped Petie from running more than a few steps: It had looked sunny and warm outside, but it wasn't at all—it was sunny and cold , the worst kind of weather ever. The great white cliff to the right looked rocky, dusty, and cold, too. Only the open valley seemed welcoming; though the grass was winter brown, the pines were deeply green. And beyond them the land just seemed to go on forever, an ocean of earth.
    Petie wrapped his arms across his chest, giving one big shiver.
    "Come here," Mom said. She held his grey hoodie in her hand.
    " Woop !" Petie cried, racing back to his mom. He snatched the hoodie and dove into it, shivering again as the warm, soft fabric covered his bare arms. His legs weren't cold at least; his jeans kept him warm enough.
    When he poked his head out, he saw Dad standing a few feet away, talking with a tall, gray-haired man.
    "Who's that?" Petie asked, reaching for Mom's hand when they both turned and looked at him with the same sharp gaze.
    "The prefect, I guess," Mom said, giving his hand a slight squeeze. "Let's go say hello."
    Mom wasn't scared, was she? That didn't make sense, though this was Dad's school, and just for him and his relatives, and not for her. She'd gone to a regular school. She'd even told him once that she wished he could go to regular school too, even though he didn't really understand what she meant.
    "Okay," Petie said, but he still dragged his feet a little, staying behind his mom. She let him go slowly. Then he noticed that if he scuffed his shoes, he'd kick up dust on the road. He tried both hard and soft little kicks, fascinated with how the dust rose and fell.
    "Petie," Mom said, a warning in her voice.
    He nodded. He knew what she was saying. Don't get your shoes dirty.
    When Mom stopped, Petie looked up. The prefect had the same dark skin that he and his dad had. His eyes were gray, too, and they were sharper than Mrs. Fredickson's , his old kindergarten teacher who saw everything, even when she wasn't in the room. His nose was big and hard, like it had been carved out of extra-tough rock.
    Dad made the introduction. "Petie, this is Prefect Aaron."
    Petie let go of Mom's hand, wiping the sweat off on his jeans before extending it.
    "Peter," the prefect said, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. "Very nice to meet you."
    The prefect's hand was huge and both of Petie's could have fit inside it. But Petie liked the way the prefect had said his name, using the grown-up form. He liked how deep his voice sounded, and the funny accent as well.
    "Where are you from?" Petie asked.
    "Peter," Mom scolded.
    "From England, originally," the prefect said. "But I came to your country a long time ago to help run this school."
    "School?" Petie asked. He scowled at his dad. This was supposed to be a vacation , not more school.
    "Ravens' Hall," the prefect said,