Vampirates: Tide of Terror by Justin Somper

Author:Justin Somper
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Action & Adventure - General, Vampires, Action & Adventure, Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Horror, Juvenile Fiction, Family - Siblings, Fantasy & Magic, Fiction, Horror & Ghost Stories, Twins, Children: Grades 4-6, General, Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction, Pirates
ISBN: 9780316014458
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Published: 2007-06-01T07:00:00+00:00

22

KNOTS

Jacoby, Jasmine, and a couple of other students joined them on the terrace for a quick breakfast. It was already a bright, hot day and Grace was thankful she had had the wit to grab her sunglasses as Connor had propelled her at high speed out of her room.

Jacoby chatted away to Grace in a friendly manner and she made all the right noises in return though, of course, her mind was still far from the Academy. It didn’t seem to bother Jacoby in the slightest. He was the most easygoing of companions. Grace toyed with a muffin and a small glass of orange juice as the kids around her made light work of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and fruit.

“We better get a move on,” Jacoby announced, as the school bell began to chime. Grace couldn’t help but think of the Dawning Bell aboard the Vampirate ship — the bell that sent the vampires back inside. The bell that Lorcan had ignored to save her. She felt guilty to be wearing sunglasses, thinking how safe she was, compared to her friend. Her friend, who she had caused such pain.

“Where did you say your first port of call was, Connor?” Jacoby’s bright voice cut across her dark imaginings. It was lonely to feel so bleak in such sunny company.

“Captain Quivers’ Knot class,” Connor answered his friend.

Jacoby laughed. “I see they’re starting you off with the basics. OK, I’ll show you guys down there. Come on, Grace. How is your marlinspike hitch, by the way?”

Grace looked at Jacoby quizzically through her dark shades.

He laughed. “Hmm, I’m not sure you’ve had quite enough coffee for this.”

A few minutes later, Jacoby delivered Grace and Connor along one of the tributaries of the Octopus to a small, bright classroom full of low desks and excited little kids, making the kind of high-pitched noise that little kids make on a sunny morning. Grace realized that she probably ought to take off her glasses indoors. As she did, her eyes were assailed by the bright colors that buzzed from every surface of the room — from the kids’ paintings and collages which lined the walls to the models of sea creatures proudly displayed on shelves. Looking up, she saw that the students had even made their own mobile of swords, to mimic the glass cases in the Rotunda. Each had painted their own imagined sword and written their name proudly beside it. Captain Samara Pescudo of The Meltemi, Grace read with a smile.

At the front of the class, Captain Quivers was handing out small baskets of colored ropes to kids aged, Grace guessed, between six and seven. Beside the teacher, one of the young students carefully presented each of his classmates with something like a thin rolling pin. His fellows rushed back to their desks with a pin and a basket of rope each.

Just then, Captain Quivers looked over and smiled up at them.

“Good morning, Grace and Connor. How are you both this beautiful day?”

“Very good,” said Grace, smiling brightly in spite of herself.

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