Stormbreaker
Chapter One
Funeral Voices
When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it's never good news. Alex
Rider was woken by the first chime. His eyes flickered open, but for a moment he
stayed completely still in his bed, lying on his back with his head resting on
the pillow. He heard a bedroom door open and a creak of wood as somebody went
downstairs. The bell rang a second time, and he looked at the alarm clock
glowing beside him. There was a rattle as someone slid the security chain off
the front door.
He rolled out of bed and walked over to the open window, his bare feet pressing
down the carpet pile. The moonlight spilled onto his chest and shoulders. Alex
was fourteen, already well built, with the body of an athlete. His hair, cut
short apart from two thick strands hanging over his forehead, was fair. His eyes
were brown and serious. For a moment he stood silently, half hidden in the
shadow, looking out. There was a police car parked outside. From his
second-floor window Alex could see the black ID number on the roof and the caps
of the two men who were standing in front of the door. The po ... read full excerpt from Stormbreaker ebook
