The Serpents of Arakesh Read Online Free PDF

that made me sit up like an ant had bitten me on the bum.
    â€˜What on earth … A letter for Adam Equinox !’
    â€˜Really, Matron? Now who’d be writing to him, I wonder?’
    Cookie’s cool. She’s pretty much on my side, but she needs her job, so she doesn’t often show it. At least when She — as she calls Matron — is anywhere near. It was Cookie who kept the newspaper cutting for me when I was just a baby, and it’s Cookie who sometimes slips me crackers and apples when Matron’s not around.
    Matron sounded grim. ‘We’ll soon find out.’
    There was a short silence. I imagined Matron slicing open the envelope of my letter with her little brass letter-opener. There was absolutely no doubt at all in my mind who the letter must be from, and what it was about. It was from Quentin Quested — it must be!
    I felt a wild surge of excitement. Could I possibly have been chosen? Why else would he write to me? I willed Matron to read the letter out loud, so I could hear what it said.
    â€˜Well.’
    â€˜What does it say, Matron? Who’s writing to our Adam, then?’
    Matron’s voice was as sharp as a knife. ‘Seems the sly little so-and-so has entered a competition — and not only that, he’s been picked as one of the finalists. It says he’s to go up north for the final selection process.’
    â€˜Well, isn’t that nice! Lovely for the wee boy to have a bit of a change, I’d say,’ said Cook comfortably.
    â€˜You don’t for a moment think I’m about to let him go, do you? Where do you imagine that boy would have got hold of an entry form for a competition like this? I’ll tell you where: he stole it. And I’m not prepared to reward that kind of behaviour. There is no question of Adam going anywhere, except into my office to be disciplined for this.’
    My head swam. I felt dizzy, and as if I was about to besick. Chosen as a finalist — and not allowed to go!
    â€˜On the other hand …’
    I listened, desperately hoping Matron was about to change her mind. It had never happened before, but as Cook always says, there’s a first time for everything.
    â€˜It does seem a shame to give this chance up altogether. After all, there’s a computer to be had, if we play our cards right. I wonder … perhaps it might be more appropriate to let Geoffrey go. He’d certainly have a better chance of getting through any selection process than Adam.’
    â€˜But Matron …’
    â€˜But Matron nothing,’ she snapped. ‘Don’t you have work to do in the kitchen, Cook? And it’s high time I called the children in for homework. Yes,’ — and I’ve never hated Matron as much as I did at that moment — ‘I think this opportunity will do very nicely for Geoffrey.’

    I don’t know how long I crouched under the window, as if I’d been turned to stone. It can’t have been long, though — dazed and numb as I was, I knew that if Matron had gone to bring the children in, it would only be minutes before I’d be missed. The last thing I needed was for anyone to come looking for me.
    Gradually the numbness was replaced by a weird feeling of disbelief. This was my one chance, the special, magical thing I’d been praying for, and Matron was going to give it to Geoffrey.
    Suddenly, like someone flicking on a switch, an idea formed in my head — a plan so perfect and complete I blinked. I backtracked and played it through my mind again. Would it work?
    One thing was for sure: I had nothing to lose.
    I turned round to face the wall and slowly raised my head up through the leafy ceiling to the level of the windowsill. I peeped through the open window and into the room. It was empty, and the door was closed. On the round wooden table in the centre of the room were two cups and saucers, beside a pile of letters.
    In a second I’d