Mount Asteria

Chapter Twenty

"What's Knightsbridge?" Alexandra asked, hurrying to keep up with Ebony as she raced down the stairs. Around them, girls were appearing from every corner of the building. The first years were giggling, the third years trying, and failing, to keep their composure, and the sixth years looked like they were preparing themselves, fixing their hair and straightening their blouses.

Ebony remained stony faced as she said, "Knightsbridge College is a school."

Alexandra frowned. "Okay. But what are they doing here?"

"Mount Asteria and Knightsbridge often join together for various occasions; musicals, sports events, training, et cetera."

"So why are they here this time?"

Ebony shrugged. "We're about to find out."

They had arrived at the top of the staircase to the foyer. Most of the first and second years were hanging over the balcony over-looking the entrance hall. The two girls went to join them. Alexandra could see the headgirl, Laura, and Ms de Lacy waiting by the open doors, through which people could be seen approaching. A first year hanging over the balcony whispered something to her friend who giggled.

An elderly man entered the building first and was greeted by the principal. Behind him, the Knightsbridge students came in.

Alexandra's mouth dropped open. Ebony had neglected to mention one small detail.

Knightsbridge College was a boys' school.

***

Laura shook hands politely with the principal ofKnightsbridge, Mr Lansdowne. She then glanced up to the variousbalconies where girls were observing the scene, looking as casual asthey could. She concealed a smile and braced herself as she saw oneof Knightsbridge boys approach her. She knew them well by now, though as head girl she had new duties in welcoming them to the school.

"Congratulations on becoming Head Girl, MissHunt," he said in a very English accent, shaking her hand.

"Thank you, Mr Brown," she said,smirking, "and congratulations on becoming Head Boy."

He smiled. "The place is looking very well."

"Oh, yes. We have an excellent maintenanceteam. Some of your past pupils, I believe."

"Ah, yes. Well, only the best for the best."Brown spread his hands.

Laure put a hand on her chest. "You flatterus, Mr Brown."

"Naturally..." he trailedoff, winked at her and made to return to the crowd of boys gatheredin the centre of the hall.

"Oh, Daniel!" Laura called after him. Helooked back, an eyebrow cocked. "Welcome back to Mount Asteria."

***

Bláithín and Hestia had not been far behind Ebony and Alexandra and soon joined them in their observations of the events taking place in the entrance hall.

"Oooh! I wonder why they've come this time?" Hestia said, standing on her toes and peering over the banister.

Ebony scowled. "I wonder why they have to come at all?"

Alexandra hit her playfully on the shoulder. "Come on, Ebony! This is going to be fun!" She frowned then, looking at Bláithín. "It will be fun, right?"

Bláithín smiled. "Last time I met the Knightsbridge was in third year. We had to do a hundred kilometre cycle through the Dublin mountains. It might have been better if I hadn't been so focused on beating them all - and if I hadn't had such terrible helmet hair afterwards!"

"Oh." Alexandra bit her lip, her excitement now replaced with a feeling of dread.

"Ebony," a distinctly masculine voice said from behind them.

The four girls looked around, as did everyone else lined along what had become a viewing gallery. Three Knightsbridge boys were standing mere metres from them. The first and second years all seemed to gasp at once.

Alexandra, ignoring the younger girls' girlishness, scrutinised the boys closely, trying to use what she called her new 'spy skills' (but what Ebony always corrected her as being observation skills, complete with a roll of her eyes). They wore grey trousers, white shirts, navy blazers and navy ties with the school crest emblazoned on them. The uniform was so similar to that of Mount Asteria, Alexandra wondered if they had been designed to match.

The boy in the middle of the three, a nerdy - but pleasant -looking one (in Alexandra's eyes) who had spoken, was smirking with an incredibly infuriating look on his face. She could practically feel Ebony's irritation radiating from where she stood, mere centimetres away.

"You're not supposed to be up here, Max," Ebony warned.

"Says who?" Max said, shrugging. He had dark hair, left to grow a little longer than was fashionable for his age, and icy blue eyes.

"Said your dear principal only two minutes ago. I do have fully-functioning ears, you know."

"Eavesdropping, were you?"

"Yes," she said bluntly.

Max tutted, shaking his head. "Really? Haven't you been taking etiquette and elocution since, like, first year?"

"That's right."

"Well, it hasn't really worked, has it?"

"I also do observation and enquiries. The two tend to contradict each other at times."

Max smiled. "Still the same, Ebbie?"

Alexandra glanced at Bláithín and Hestia, communicating the same question to each of them: How do they know each other?

Bláithín only rolled her eyes and Hestia shrugged with a smile.

"So..." The boy to the right of Max, who appeared to embody the cliché of tall, dark and handsome, spoke for the first time. "I'm Damien, by the way."

"Are you, now?" Bláth said, her voice dripping in sarcasm. Alexandra was surprised; Bláth sounded almost as annoyed by the boys' presence as Ebony.

Damien laughed, a very attractive sound, as Alexandra did not fail to note. "Bláth is so funny, you know," he said, directing his comment at Alexandra. "What I meant, of course, was to introduce myself to you." He looked at Bláth with a how stupid can you be? expression.

"Right..." Alexandra pronounced the word slowly, trying to figure out whether the situation was becoming very weird, or if it was a typical boy/girl – that is, Knightsbridge boy/Mount Asteria girl - encounter.

"Oh, look - there's the Head Boy!" One of the first years said in a carrying whisper the level above them. Everyone immediately looked down into the foyer, the three other boys forgotten, following her pointed finger. They saw him; blond, tall, fairly muscular ...and - despite having just seen Max, Damien and their third friend, all of whom had unfairly good-looks - undoubtedly very, very, handsome. Another very would not have been misleading there.

"Who's that?" Alexandra said softly.

Hestia, next to her, smiled. "That's my brother."