Read Online Spearwood Academy Volume Five by A.S. Oren - Free Book Online

one.” She turns to me. “It’s your turn to go first, Emma.”
    I climb down the small ladder at the end of my bed. I love it when mother gets my ready to sleep. Boggs already bathed Aria and me, so all that’s left to do is our hair. Mother could use magic to rid our hair of tangles, but she never does.
    I follow her into her chambers, picking up the hem of my night gown so it doesn’t get dirty. The big doors to her room close behind us. She lifts me up and places me in her golden vanity chair. I feel like a true princess in it, especially with the glass table and gold-rimmed mirror in front of me.
    I run my little fingers over the floral perfume one of the fairies made for her. She picks up a silver brush, like the ones the mermaids use, and brushes my hair. I tilt my head back. I love it when she brushes my hair. It always puts me to sleep.
    When she’s done, she carries me to bed and tucks me in. “I love you, Emma,” she says, kissing my forehead. I’m too tired to respond, so I drift off.
    ~*~*~*~
    My own loud snoring wakes me up. Elle laughs. “I can’t believe you can fall asleep during all of my tugging and pulling.”
    “It feels good,” I tell her. “Not to mention, it takes like an hour for you to comb through my hair. What else am I supposed to do?”
    “Keep me company,” she says. “Do you know how hard it is to brush through five feet of hair with a tiny comb and not break the dang thing?”
    “Thank you, Elle.”
    She sighs. “You’re welcome. Now, do you want a bun, a French braid, or two braids?”
    “Whatever’s quickest. I want to get a spot on the couch before the high schoolers get out.”
    “Let me guess: another couch date with Zack?”
    Heat rises to my cheeks. “I wanted to go outside and pick up where we left off the other day, but my hair was beyond frizzy, and it was time for a thorough wash.”
    “Hopefully, I’ll braid it tight enough this time that you won’t have to take it down for like a month. I love you, but the combing and braiding does a wonder on my wrists.”
    I fall back asleep as she braids it.
    ~*~*~*~
    Prajapati grabs my hand and takes me to the top of the hill behind the castle. “I want to go climb the mountains,” he says. The tall peeks shield us from what’s behind them. From the stories mother’s told, there are cannons and a secret passageway to the land of fairies, though she calls it something I can’t pronounce.
    “Maybe we could have a picnic,” I suggest. He smiles, lowering himself to the ground. I follow suit and cross my leg. A moat surrounds us below. Inside, creatures dwell: selkies and others. I haven’t learned all of their names yet.
    To our left, cliffs meet the ocean side. Father takes me there sometimes. He shifts into a Dragon and carries me over the side. I spread my arms out and pretend to fly. No matter how much I try, I never can. Prajapati can’t either, but he has been able to shift his hands. Someday, he’ll shift completely. I hope I’ll be able to.
    I love the rush of being in the air. I love going so fast I can’t see. “Time to roll, Prajapati.”
    He nods. We spread out and hold our arms at our sides. “Ready. Set. Go!” he says.
    I force my body over the steep hill. Air circles around my ears, and my vision blurbs to lines of blue, green, white, and yellow as I roll down the hill. I go airborne over a small dip in the hill and land with a roll. I wonder if I’m winning.
    My roll slows a few feet from the castle wall. I move my palms out to stop myself. The world spins as I push myself up and into a standing position.
    My skin itches all over from contact with the grass. I yell, “Last one to the fountain is a smelly draugr!” I run at top speed. Prajapati whips by so fast I’m almost knocked off balance. Where did he go? “Prajapati! Prajapati!” He disappeared. I keep running toward the fountain. I open the garden gate and walk through the maze.
    It used to be easy to get lost in here, but a