Alice Parker's Metamorphosis (Book 1 of the new adventure series for children) Read Online Free

pack one year. Alice smiled.
    The walk to school began in silence, as she pondered why Thomas had indeed taken the blame for the missing food at home. As a rule, he would grass her up in an instant. She noticed that a blackbird and a robin seemed to be following them as they walked, flitting from tree to hedgerow, chirping happily. Perhaps everyone was simply in good spirits today. ‘Thank you,’ she murmured.
    ‘ For the sweets? No problem. Are you feeling alright today?’ he asked.
    Now this wasn’t just unusual, this was downright strange. Now her brother appeared to care! ‘What?’ she exclaimed with a look of amazement.
    ‘ Well, you’ve not been yourself lately, have you? And anyone can see the bags under your eyes. This sleep thing, don’t worry about it, it will right itself soon enough.’
    Alice was confused but intrigued by his apparent awareness and concern. ‘Have you had it as well?’ she asked.
    ‘ Something very similar when I was your age. You’ll grow out of it.’
    ‘ I feel fine today anyway,’ Alice assured him. ‘And a hot back in this weather is a bonus!’
    ‘ Oh...er...how convenient!’ replied Thomas. They carried on walking, their faces glowing in the wintery air, until they came to Beaumont Avenue. Langley School was a beautiful old building, a former manor house converted into a private school, with two town houses opposite forming the infant school and sixth form centre. Alice had been a pupil there since she was four years old.
    ‘ Have a good day then, Wiglet,’ said Thomas with a grin.
    ‘ Er, thanks, you too,’ muttered Alice and watched him carry on down the road towards the station. How bizarre, she thought, as she stood at the entrance. Not just Thomas’s behaviour, but those two birds had now stopped and were looking down at her from the tree by the school gate. ‘Well, that makes a change, it seems everyone wants my company this morning,’ she concluded before turning to walk up the steps.
    She spoke too soon. As she hurried up the grand staircase to her classroom, she was pushed against the wall as the coven jostled past her, looking down their noses at her as if she had stepped in dog poo and brought it in onto the carpet. The coven comprised Lucinda Rowbottom, Katy Blackwell and Olivia Staines-Downe, and Alice despised all three. They were at the centre of the ‘cool crowd,’ which, needless to say, Alice had never been part of. Lucinda No-Bottom was a tall, thin girl with pale blue eyes and long, brown hair. She would have been quite pretty if it weren’t for those ears which stuck out beneath her hair and reminded Alice of a chimpanzee. She was a horsey type with several ponies of her own. Her father was a formidable, insufferable man, a multi-millionaire making his money from several different businesses. A finger in every pie, as Grandad called it. Brian Rowbottom was feared by some and loathed by many, renowned for stopping at nothing to get what he wanted. Money was at the centre of his world; he wanted to take over everything, it seemed. No wonder Lucinda was so obnoxious. Katy Smackwell had no pony of her own, which was probably why she followed Lucinda everywhere like a bad smell. She was short and blonde, with an equally short modern haircut. It was shaved into a deep V in her neck, which Alice thought made her look evil. Olivia Stains-Brown was, unfortunately, stunning. She was like a catwalk model, with a perfect figure and shoulder-length ebony hair. All the girls envied her, though some took comfort in her one weakness – she was painfully stupid.
    Alice sighed and carried on up to Room 12, the form room of Year 8. Spaced around this elegant landing with its ornate wooden balustrade, were five classrooms and to the right, the headmistress’s office. Unfortunately for Alice’s class, this was next to Room 12. As she neared the door to her form room, she saw Sebastian Seaton standing in his usual place outside the door. He rather fancied