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Sally turns to me. “I know it looks intimidating, but it isn’t so bad.”

“Not at all.”

She tilts her head. “Let me show you in.”

We make our way to the front doors. There are no guards. Nobody bowing.

What a relief.

Sally opens one of the doors and gestures for me to go in.

I do, and what I see is everything I hoped for—creepy statues, old portraits on the dark wood walls, and even a song playing on an organ somewhere. I actually smile. This place could actually be fun.

“This way.” Sally leads me down a well-lit hallway which is, unfortunately, far cheerier. Bright statues of mermen and merwomen line the way. Colorful gems and shells decorate the floor—no real worries of anything being destroyed without feet to trample them.

Conversation sounds not far away. I peek in the direction and see people at tables. Books line the walls as far as I can see.

“That’s the main library,” Sally says.

Several students look up. Eyes widen. People whisper and point. More glance my way. Some scowl. Others gather their books and flee.

Nice. Maybe this place actually sucks as much as the rest of Valora. I miss being invisible back home. Nobody paid me any attention. If only I’d known to appreciate such a luxury.

I notice Sally has moved on, and I catch up with her. “I take it everyone knows who I am.”

“You’re the heir to the throne.” We continue down the hallway. Portraits of important-looking people line the walls. Underneath the frames, some have name plaques. Most of the stuffy mermen and merwomen were deans of the academy. Dozens and dozens of them.

“How old is this place?”

Sally pauses. “Several hundred years? Maybe more. I’m not entirely certain. I’m sure someone who goes here would know.”

“Probably.”

She leads me down another hallway. Now I recognize the people in the portraits. Former kings and queens. My ancestors. The last one is of my uncle. I wonder how long it’ll take before my dad insists his picture be added to the lineup.

Sally stops. “This wing is your school.”

I give her a double-take. “Isn’t the whole building my school?”

“The entire structure is your academy. Your school is the group of students in your class.”

“So, they’re all first-years?”

She takes a deep breath. “No. You’re part of the royal class—as is everyone else in your school.”

“Let me get this straight—all students are part of the academy, and within the academy are different schools, depending on the social class.”

Sally nods. “Precisely. And there’s a pecking order in each school. Not everybody in the academy is in the royal class. But you’re all in the upper social classes.”

“What’s the school pecking order based on?”

“Various things. Could be grades or performance, or it could be talents and abilities. You’ll figure it out.”

Things are so much simpler at my high school.

“Let me introduce you to the Dean of Mermaids for your school. She’ll be in charge of everything from where you live to what classes you take. You’ll do well to stay on her good side. She can make your life pleasant or miserable.”

“Awesome. So, what’s my school called?”