“ ‘Truly, “a rose by any other name…”,’ the lady waved her hand. She did not seem to notice Will’s open-mouthed stare. ‘But do you know where the proper name - Centaurea Cyanus - comes from?’
   ‘No, Ma’am.’
   ‘It has Greek origin. The genus name “Centaurea” comes from Centaur – a half man, half horse creature. According to a legend, Chiron, a wise centaur, was once wounded in a battle with an arrow spiked with the toxic blood of hydra. He healed himself by applying the wild cornflower to the wound.’
   The lady was speaking quickly. Will concentrated hard but the ache in his hand seemed to blank out every other one of her words. He hid his hands behind his back.
   ‘- and the flower name comes from another legend about flower goddess Flora. She had a favourite pageboy called Kyanus. It means “blue” in Greek according to the colour of the clothes he wore. When he died, she turned his body into a beautiful blue flower. From henceforth that flower was called Kyanus, or Cyanus in Latin. And there you have it - Centaurea Cyanus.’
   With the sun behind her, the lady’s face was a dark outline, but something about her stance reminded Will of the enduring expression that his Latin teacher had when he listened, with the head slightly tilted, to readings from a prepared passage. Will could not think of an appropriate response and waited politely.”

St George’s School is like any other boys’ school – peaceful and orderly to an outsider, but for its residents it is steeped in secret conflicts and injustices where only the strongest rule. These laws of the jungle do not sit well with Will, but what can he do? He is only one person. A bunch of blue flowers starts off a chain of mysterious events that may hold the answer.