Spearwood Academy Volume One (The Spearwood Academy Book 1) Read Free Page A

ironic. “I guess I better go pack my things.”
    He clears his throat. “Yeah, yau go do that.”
    I smile at him and take a few more bites of my slice of cake; it now tastes amazing. I hope there will be some for me to take on my journey. I stand from the table and start for the stairs.
    “Take that phone thing with yau. Figure out how it works, so yau can call me.”
    I don’t know if it’ll work for me in Tibet, but I pick it up anyway. I’m sure the school will let me call him from phones there. Edgar doesn’t have caller ID, so I don’t have to worry too much about him knowing I’m not using it.
    I’m half-way up the stairs when I stop and turn around. I go back down to Ed. He picks up our plates. He looks at me with worry in his gray eyes. Throwing my arms around his middle, I give him a tight hug. He returns it before giving me a kiss on the head. “I’ll call you every chance I get when I know you’ll be home,” I say as I pull away. Hot tears fall down my cheeks. I don’t care anymore. I already miss him.
    “Yau better.” He wipes the tears off my cheek and gives one of them a gentle pat. I’m sure I’ll say goodbye to him at the airport, but this is our way of saying goodbye to each other without someone watching.

GOODBYES AND HELLOS

    T he day has come. Time for Edgar and me to meet at the airport with the people who will take me off to some strange school in Tibet. Does this mean I’ll have to learn Chinese? I know some Korean from my dramas, but just enough to get by in a basic conversation. I hope they teach me about my curse. Last night seemed more painful than usual; I passed out after it was complete.
    Edgar puts two suitcases in the back of his truck as I get into the passenger seat. One suitcase has most of my clothes, and the other has my books, photos, and everything else I could pack into it. It’s bulging at the seams, I swear. Around my neck hangs the apple blossom locket.
    With a slam of the clunky, old truck’s door, Edgar gets in the driver’s seat. He looks at me.
    “Yau sure this is what yau want? Last chance to say no .”
    I nod my head. “Yes, this is what I want. This is what I need, and this is my only chance to get answers.”
    He nods and makes the truck rumble to life. It gives a puff of smoke in protest and starts to head in the direction of town. At some point this afternoon, we’ll make it to Bellingham International Airport.
    As we drive through our little town, I can’t help but feel melancholy. I don’t know the next time I’ll see this place, and even though Edgar will be the only person I’ll miss, I’ll also miss the little market, the library, and the park with the wood swing.
    I never really made friends with the local kids. Edgar tried to enroll me at the local school, but after four years there, the teachers realized they didn’t have the means to keep up with me. Small town schools don’t come with a gifted program. The other kids didn’t like me. I made them feel inferior. Eventually, between the bullying and the school’s inability to keep me interested, Edgar took it upon himself to home school me after he was done working on the Orchard. The Hands really helped him at that point, taking on more of his work.
    I wonder if I’ll make any friends at this elite school. I laugh to myself. A school full of boys . . . yeah, I’m friend material there. After the shiny newness of a girl being in the school wears off, they’ll leave me alone. I’m not exactly a Playboy centerfold.
    “What’s so funny?” Edgar asks.
    I shake my head. “Nothing, Ed. Just thinking about the future.”
    Silence encompasses the rest of the ride to the airport. Neither of us are big talkers. Most of what we needed to say to each other came out on my birthday.
    Before I know it, we’re pulling into the lot at BIA. My heart picks up in my chest. No more waiting. In a little while, I’ll meet the Headmaster and Chairman of Spearwood. They’ll take me off to