“You know I thought I wanted to go into security, but that place gave me the creeps,” says Rand.
I look at him. “Really? Why?”
“I don’t know. I guess I imagined they’d have a high-tech place full of vids and computers and spy gear.”
I grin. “They might still. We were only in the front offices. I bet they keep that stuff locked up in the back somewhere. Besides, I think you don’t like it because of Josh and Alex.”
“Could be.” He looks over at me. “I’m going to go shower and study. I’ll meet up with you guys later.”
Rand hurries ahead and takes a lift down.
“Poor Rand. His bubble has been burst.”
“Guess he’ll have to pick another career field,” adds Kai.
We take another lift down and step into a darkened corridor.
I look both ways. No colored strip lights are on and the overhead lighting is dimmed for nighttime. “Guess they don’t want visitors after hours.”
Kai frowns. “What if this was an emergency?”
“Then we could ping them on our tablets.” I pull him back onto the lift. “I think you have some school rules and procedures to catch up on.” I grin and plant a kiss on his forehead.
He pulls me into his arms and gives me a proper kiss. The lift alerts us that we’re back to the residential level. We pull apart, grinning.
“This is so much better than climbing through tunnels to see you once a week.”
“And less dangerous.” He grabs my hand and tugs me out of the lift. “What are the rules about a late-night snack?”
“The main cafeteria is open until eight. We could study for a few hours there, too, if you want.”
“Anything to spend more time with you.”
I laugh and turn us down the corridor.
We continue to the cafeteria. This time I pay attention to what I put on my plate, adding healthy stuff this time. No dessert.
There are several tables full of students. I spot Josh with Katrina on the far side of the room, so I head in the opposite direction.
Kai and I sit down and spread out our trays, tablets, and notebooks. I help him get caught up in his classes. He was almost two weeks behind, but he’d been studying while he was at the hospital. He easily passed all the quizzes he missed.
“We start testing in the simulators on Friday.”
He frowns. “I’ll need to spend extra time the next few days up there, then.” He looks down at his tablet and runs his hand through his hair.
I place a hand on his arm. “I’ll help you, don’t get stressed. Tomorrow we’ll get permission to use the simulators after class to get you familiar with them before our first tests.”
He nods, and we continue to study.
Another message pops up on my tablet, startling me. I read it, and anger boils inside my belly. I twist to look behind me where Josh is laughing and pointing at me. I roll my eyes at him and turn back.
“What was that all about?” asks Kai.
“Nothing. Just Josh trying to pick another fight with me.” I erase the suggestive message and continue with reading all the messages from my professors that piled up.
I glance up a few minutes later to find Kai staring at me. “What?”
“I don’t like that after all you’ve gone through, the one place you thought was safe is full of guys like him.” He nods toward Josh.
“His real problem is with Rand. As long as we don’t say anything to Rand, this won’t go any further.”
Kai knits his eyebrows together.
“You can’t say anything about this, all right?”
“As long as you promise not to hide anything from me.”
I smile. “Deal.” Then I lean over, and Kai meets me halfway for a kiss.
We wait until Josh leaves before we pack up and grab protein bars for breakfast the next day. As we head back to our dorms, Rand is waiting for us in the common area, his expression grim.
“I take it you saw Josh just now,” I tease.
“He’s not letting the whole thing go. I even tried being nice.”
“I’m sure you did.” I narrow my eyes at him.
“I did.” He crosses his arms.
Kai and I plop down in a couch opposite Rand. I nod to the dorm entrances. “Is he in your same dorm?”
Rand sighs. “Yes. Just two doors down from me.”
“Well you’ll need to just be extra careful not to have run-ins with him.”
“Easy for you to say,” Rand growls under his breath.
I lean back into the couch. “We’ve studied all the great space leaders over the last century, right?”
Rand nods.
I glance at Kai. “Well, what would those great people do if they had someone who was bent on taking their leadership position?”
“A page from Mr. Joe’s teachings?” Kai teases.
“Mrs. Conpaz,” I wink at him.
Rand leans forward. “Admiral Tarq is my favorite. He surrounded himself with people who had immense influence. The leader below him was gunning for his position but couldn’t take it because he didn’t have any support.”
“That’s right. And we have each other. No matter which one of us is leader here.” I wink at him.
He grunts at me in return.
“And other leaders that succeeded to their positions?”
Kai answers this time. “They earned their leadership titles by outsmarting their competition. One commander I read about saved his whole space station by tracking down a saboteur. When the Space Command confronted the current commander in power at the time, he tried to lie and take credit for the effort. When the truth came out, the Command promoted the officer to command the station, and sent the lying commander out into the Fringe on a long-range mission.”
I grin. I love space law. “See, you both are totally ready for our space history class.” I stand up. “And for finding a better way to deal with Josh and his lackeys.”
“We’ll see,” Rand says doubtfully. He gets up and heads toward his dorm.
“At least promise you won’t get into any more fights.”
He turns back toward me. “I’ll try.” His tired expression doesn’t give me much confidence in his statement.
Kai grabs me up in a hug. “Sleep well. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I grin as I watch him let himself into the far door. At least Kai isn’t in the same one as Josh. A pang of guilt pricks me for that thought as I let myself into the girl’s dorm.
I shower and get ready for bed quickly. Before I go to sleep, I read over the anonymous message again. I wonder if this is even true. I send a quick message to the general on Gowen Base to see if he knows. He was the one who coordinated moving Mom’s body from the hospital to the gravesite.
In the morning I check my message and find a response from the general. He confirms it’s true that Mom’s body was moved to Grissom, but he has no idea who paid for it, only that the orders came from high up and with all the legal clearances necessary.
Very strange. I’m not sure if I feel grateful or angry.
In a daze I get dressed and sit down at the small desk to read this morning’s messages from my professors while I eat my protein bar. When a ping comes across my tablet from Kai, I shove the rest of the bar in my mouth and grab my backpack.
Kai and Rand are waiting on the far side of the common area. The room is full of students socializing before class. The three of us head down the corridor without running into Josh.
When we get away from the crowd and can hear each other again I show them the message from the general.
“How do you feel about that?” Kai slips his hand into mine as we walk.
“I honestly don’t know how to feel. I know it’s an honor to be buried at Grissom, but I think I’m a bit creeped out that someone I don’t know who dug up my mom from her grave.” I blink quickly to keep tears from falling.
Kai squeezes my hand. “Does Cam know?”
“No, I ha
ven’t talked to him yet. I want to get my tablet looked at before I call him. If someone is hacking into my school tablet, I’d hate for them to track Cam down.”
“I didn’t even think of that,” says Rand as we turn down the corridor to the lifts.
I glance at him. He has dark circles under his eyes, and his expression is grim this morning. “Didn’t sleep well?”
He looks away.
I let go of Kai’s hand and turn. I put my arms out to stop Rand from running into me. “What’s going on with you?”
He wipes one hand down his tired face. “Josh and his friends kept pinging my tablet all night long. They must’ve set up an auto send program. I couldn’t turn my tablet off for fear of not getting up in time. So, I had to deal with the annoying sounds all night long.”
“That sounds awful. And very childish.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “You think?”
I turn back around so we can get into one of the lifts.
“We need to brainstorm how to stop him,” says Kai. He leans against the lift wall. “Fairly, of course.” He glances at me, giving me a smile.
“The problem with that is that if we somehow take Josh out of the running for leadership, he’s got others willing to take up the fight for him.”
“Then we take them all out,” says Rand as he slouches against the wall.
“No. We aren’t like them. We won’t lower ourselves to their level. We just need to concentrate on exceeding in our studies and projects. I hear the next class leader is highly dependent on the quarterly project.”
The door opens to the lift and we step out at the very lowest level. I look around. “Our Botany class should be that direction.” I point down the corridor where a green strip light starts.
“You haven’t had this class the whole two weeks you’ve been here?” asks Kai.
“No, we had a lot of time getting familiar with the sims.”
“Why do we need Botany and Zoology and all those Earth subjects anyway,” grumbles Rand.
“You really are in a mood.” I slap his shoulder. “When I go back up to security you should go with me to find out if they can block pings during the night. These tablets are supposed to do that.”
“I tried all the settings. Nothing worked.”
“That’s why we’ll get security to look at it. They’re in charge of the tech for the school.”
Rand’s response is a small nod. He starts walking down the corridor.
Kai gives me a glance before grabbing my hand and following Rand. “Is he in all of our classes too?”
“Yes.”
“Well this will be a ball of joy.” Kai grins at me, making me laugh.
We enter the classroom and sit behind Rand. He’s staring at his tablet with both hands holding up his head.
I turn in my seat to whisper to Kai. “It was pretty awful what they did. They’re trying, and succeeding, to make him so tired he can’t concentrate.”
Kai doesn’t get a chance to answer before the lights dim twice. Our professor walks to the front of the room and starts the holo vid. Everyone scrambles to their seats as the lights flash green and he starts his lecture.
I open my tablet and follow along. This Earth biology class so far is very familiar. Not only did Mom teach me space stuff, but since she was also the head biologist on her space station, I grew up learning about plants and organisms as well. I always thought it was normal to love both nature and space tech until I started at the Border School. There my classmates struggled with anything to do with plants, trees, or animal studies. For a while it made me feel odd and abnormal until my knowledge of plants, both edible and dangerous, helped save our camp from starvation and sickness that first year.
Now I’m comfortable studying all subjects.
I glance behind me and note that Josh and Alex are studying their tablets. Josh’s jet-black eyebrows are drawn together, and he’s got his eyes narrowed at the screen in front of him. I glance up at the 3D projection our professor has up front and frown. It’s the same image that should be on all our tablets, and it’s a simple diagram of how photosynthesis works.
I turn back to my tablet and find the same lesson as the professor has up front. I shrug and click on the various parts of the diagram, the computer testing my knowledge and vocabulary. A large one hundred percent flashes on my screen, and I grin to myself. I click next and continue on to the next lesson.
It’s not until the lights flash red to indicate the end of class that I look up. I find our professor is staring at me. My heart skips a beat, and I look around. Everyone else is getting their stuff ready and leaving the classroom.
I glance down at my tablet, my pulse racing.
I completed the whole quarter’s exams.
When I lift my gaze, the professor is walking toward me.
“Is it normal for the professors to come up here?” Kai asks in a quiet voice.
“No,” I whisper back.
“What did you do?”
I cut him a look just as the professor passes Rand.
6
Security Concern
Rand twists in his chair to look back at me.
“Miss Toland. Let me see your tablet, please.” Our professor’s dark eyes cut into me as I numbly hand it over.
He studies it, flipping through pages and settings. Frowning he hands it back.
“How were you able to do that?”
I narrow my eyes. “Do you think I cheated?”
“You did just complete the whole quarter’s worth of biology exams in two hours.” His eyebrows raise.
Beside me, Kai shifts in his seat.
“I-I didn’t cheat, sir,” I stutter.
He glances at Kai then back at me. “Then how did you know all the material? I know the Border Schools don’t have a wide variety of Earth science classes. They prefer to have their students only study space-related materials.” His tone sounds a tad on the bitter side.
“My mom was a biologist on a space station, sir. I learned from her.”
His frown deepens as he studies me.
I squirm under his scrutiny. “Sir? Her name was Pat Toland, you can check on the space net.”
His eyes unfocus for a second, and I realize he’s wearing holo lenses. He nods and looks back down at me. “How would you like to work in the greenhouse during class time then? Since you seem to already have an excellent grasp of this topic.”
“Greenhouse, sir?” My voice comes out a bit squeaky, and I quickly clear my throat.
He lets out a laugh. Not a long one, but enough to relax his face and shoulders. “Yes. A greenhouse.” He takes my tablet and runs his fingers over it. “Now you have the security codes to get up there from the lifts. You’ll need to take your tablet with you.”
“Thank you, sir. I’m looking forward to it.” A shiver runs up my spine and I hug the tablet to my chest.
“Report there tomorrow for first period instead of here.” He takes a few steps down toward the podium. He glances between Rand and Kai. “I’ll see you two in class tomorrow morning.”
Rand, Kai, and I hurry out and rush down to our next class. The next few hours are busy with space law and quantum science classes. It’s not until we’re excused for a late lunch that Kai, Rand, and I get a chance to talk. The three of us walk in a tight huddle down the crowded corridor. With so many people talking at once I’m not too worried about privacy. No one’s paying attention to us.
“So, what was that all about this morning?” asks Kai as he wraps an arm around my waist.
I look between him and Rand. They’re both staring at me like I’ve grown a second head. “Mom was the head biologist on a space station before she had me. I’m sure I’ve told you both that. It’s no big deal. On top of space tech, she taught Cam and me about plants and Earth stuff.”
“No big deal?” Rand exclaims loudly. He looks around then leans in toward me without breaking stride. “I swear I heard the professor say you completed all of the quarter’
s exams this morning.”
I shrug. “I was in the zone. Haven’t you ever been so absorbed in something that you just keep going without realizing it?”
Rand gives me a lopsided grin. “Yes, like running laps or target practice. I can get pretty lost in those activities. But a whole quarter’s worth of biology exams? You would’ve had to just taken them continuously.”
I frown. “I did. Each one seemed to be pretty easy, so I kept going to the next one without reading the chapters.”
Rand turns toward the cafeteria. We stop in our tracks as we find the whole corridor congested with other students waiting in line. The three of us look at one another.
“Come back later?” I suggest.
“I have some protein bars back at my room. I really could use a nap before it’s time to go to the simulators,” says Rand.
“All right, we’ll meet you up there.” I turn to Kai. “Want to get some extra practice in before class? We could run down here later and grab some food.”
“Sounds good.” We make our way against the flow of bodies until we’re back in the main corridor again. Rand heads toward the dorms while Kai and I head for the lifts.
Once inside the lift I take a deep breath and lean against the wall. “Even down in the camp where several hundred thousand people lived, I never felt so crowded.”
“There were an unusual number of students going to lunch today. More so than yesterday. Is there a reason why?”
I frown and pull out my tablet. “Maybe I’d better check my messages.”
There’s an unread message waiting for me when I log in. “There’s some kind of assembly this afternoon. That’s why everyone is scrambling to eat.” The lift opens to the simulator level and we step into the huge room.
“Does that mean the simulator classes are canceled?” asks Kai.
I reread the message. “Yes. But there will be makeup sessions this weekend.” I grin.
“Why are you smiling?” Kai asks as we walk toward the first machine. “You’ve probably already got these sims memorized.”
I shake my head. “That’s not why I’m grinning. I’m happy because you’ll be here this weekend.”
Earthlight Space Academy Boxset Page 23
