The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin (Books of Unexpected Enlightenment Book 1) Read Free Page B

garden. She could also hear the creek that ran through the woods beyond. On the closer side of the lily pond, in the distance, stood fountains, statues, and a tall, domed memorial. In the distance, beyond the pond, she could make out a double row of trees leading to the docks.
    Near the reflecting lake, an astonishingly handsome boy with golden curls was chasing a long red and gold ribbon that whipped through the air. He charged forward, laughing loudly as he went. The other girls flying with Rachel stared at him, mesmerized.
    No. He was not chasing a ribbon. He was chasing a dragon.
    “Sigfried Smith!” shouted the three girls in unison. Rachel feared they were going to swoon and fall from their brooms. She glanced at the boy with interest and saw they were correct. It was Sigfried the Dragonslayer, the most famous boy in the World of the Wise.
    The girls began all babbling at once.
    “They say he’s an orphan. And raised in the mundane world, too!”
    “In a truly Dickensian orphanage, in the worst part of London.”
    “And he’s rich as Croesus!”
    “Do you think he really killed a dragon in the London sewers?”
    “A giant one. All scales and fire!”
    “I saw a picture in Mirror of the Wise .”
    “Where else would an orphan boy get a fortune?”
    In unison, they all crooned, “And he’s got a pet dragon!”
    Rachel turned away with a pang of regret. The boy looked so charming and energetic, but there was no point in joining the gaggle. With so many pretty girls to choose from, a boy like that—handsome, famous, and rich—would never pick for a friend someone undersized and awkward with people—like Rachel.
    Instead, she zoomed forward and looked more closely at the dragon, as it zig-zagged along the edge of the reflecting lake. Its long serpentine body, which sometimes seemed to be ten feet long and sometimes twenty, was covered with soft golden fur with ruby scales on the underside. Its frippery—immensely long whiskers, tail puff, and the mane that ran down the length of its body—were flame red. Short horns curled above its wolf-like head. It was a lung, a river spirit from the Far East. Only, according to the News Glass, no one had ever seen one like Sigfried’s.
    It was so beautiful. She wished she could reach out and pet it.
    The dragon turned and looked at her with its large jade eyes. Their gazes met. He looked so intelligent, so mentally active, Rachel could not help smiling.
    “Flying brooms! Wicked cool!” Sigfried exclaimed behind her. He had an English accent, too, though it was working class. Still, the familiarity of it made her feel more at home. Turning, Rachel saw him peering closely at Belladonna’s red bristleless.
    “Where do you attach the bombs, then?” Sigfried peered at the device. “These things look like they don’t even have missile bays! How do you expect to blow up a lecture hall during a dull class without missiles?”
    Rachel burst out laughing. Behind her the three blondes giggled, but they seemed uncertain, as if they were unsure of what to make of him.
    “What a cute accent!” exclaimed Charybdis, batting her blond eyelashes at him.
    Watching the girls gush over the famous boy amused Rachel. She did not like them, but she had to admit they made a pretty picture, all giggling and blushing in their smart black and white uniforms. She bet the boy liked it.
    Boys were like that.
    Rachel herself was not much interested in boys, except for her enduring crush from afar on John Darling, the son of world famous James Darling, Agent. With a start, she realized that John, who was one of the school’s stars at Track and Broom, must be somewhere on campus. The thought made her slightly breathless.
    “How fast can it go?” Sigfried ignored the girls, his entire attention on their brooms. He leaned over them, poking at the levers and the fans. “If I fly fast enough, can I ram through a wall? Can it shoot out an oil slick and make people skid in mid-air? Do people