Firebolt

Chapter 7

I TOOK A DEEP breath, let it out slowly, and opened the classroom door an inch, peering inside. Becky came up behind me and opened the door wide, nudging me softly in the back to go in. I expected the stares, but a boy in the third row had the nerve to snicker audibly. Becky gave him a sharp glare as she dragged me to the last row. We slipped into the only two chairs available and I sunk inside my seat, wishing I could disappear.

The tutor at the front of the room paged through his textbook. His youthful appearance reminded me of Professor Mia and Sir Edward.

Becky leaned in to whisper. "Professor Gregory graduated a couple of years ago from Dragonia. He's one of the smartest humans ever."

"Welcome to Anatomy, Elena," Professor Gregory said. Are you okay? he mouthed, and I nodded carefully, not appreciating the extra attention he directed my way.

"If I ever catch anyone pulling the stunt George did earlier this afternoon, I swear, you'll wish you'd never hatched."

The air was sucked from the room as the class went silent.

Hatched? I frowned at his word choice.

"Open your books to page three hundred and fifteen," he said.

The sound of pages turning carried on for ten seconds as the class did as he asked. A picture of a dragon standing next to a human took up the whole page. For the love of blueberries, the ratio between them was way off and it looked terribly unrealistic.

Run, Forest, Run. I bit the inside of my mouth and stifled a laugh.

"Dragons come in different sizes and colors. They start out as eggs, which can be anywhere between one to four feet in length." Professor Gregory picked up a huge egg with a gritty, rocky surface. The harsh lights of the hall cast an eerie glow creating a funny greenish shine. He handed it to the blonde girl in the front row to pass around when she'd finished with her inspection. I didn't want to be anywhere near that thing.

"Sammy came from an egg?" I asked Becky in a whisper.

"Yup."

"A dragon's wingspan can reach up to 170 feet," Professor Gregory's voice echoed through the lecturing hall. "A dragon's eye has a large iris and a vertical pupil, just like a cat's eye. Can anyone tell me why?"

"I'm sure Riley knows," Becky whispered.

I knew cats because I had fed a lot of strays during our life on the run; it was easier than making friends I would just have to keep leaving. I lifted my hand tentatively. Becky and Professor Gregory looked surprised.

"Elena?"

The entire class turned around and stared at me. You could have heard a pin drop, it was so quiet.

"Well, if it's the same as cat's eyes, then the pupils can open wider to admit more light," I said, not quite sure of my answer.

He smiled. "You're right. Well done." He threw a candy bar in my direction.

"He's lecturing with chocolate bars too," Becky said.

"The white of a human's eye is often a different color than a dragon's. It can be yellow, gold, green, orange, red or even silver. It's protected by a leathery outer eyelid and three smooth inner eyelids. The innermost membrane is crystal clear and protects the eye from damage while the dragon flies." He drew a picture of an eye on the blackboard and pointed to the various parts. "The other two eyelids mainly serve to keep the eye clean. They're not as thick or clear as the innermost membrane. A dragon can use these inner lids to protect its eyes from sudden flashes of bright light."