by Wesley King
Jonah stepped backward, and Willona slammed the door shut.
CHAPTER SEVEN
* * *
* * *
Dear Mom and Dad,
Things just keep getting worse. Now it turns out I might not even belong here, which is fine, except we’re already in the middle of space, and I can’t exactly leave. Of course, they also told me this right after I got my new name: Jonah the Now Incredible. I know it’s a bit strange, but I kind of liked it. It sounds impressive.
I’ve never really done much that’s impressive. I mean, I won three science fairs, but you only got to see one, and you kind of missed my demonstration. I know Dad wanted me to play sports like him and Mara. I just wasn’t very good at it.
I wish I knew why everyone doesn’t like me. I mean, I didn’t want to come here. I want to do my math homework and go to school. I know that sounds weird, but I liked doing my math homework. Homework here is all about things that are probably going to eat me in three weeks. It really makes you miss math.
People didn’t like me much on Earth, either. They picked on me at school. . . . I know I told you about it sometimes, but it was pretty much every day. Peter was the worst. He called me Big Ears and pushed me around and told me I didn’t belong at Pinewood. He might have been right. I never told you this, but I didn’t really like Pinewood. It was all rich kids who were kind of stuck up and definitely mean.
Anyway, everyone is shouting again, and I think the monster really might come and eat me this time. I wish I’d had more bonker training. I never even learned how to do that spin. It looked really cool.
If this is my last letter, good-bye.
Sincerely,
Jonah
Jonah put the journal under his blanket and lay there for a while, listening to the shouting voices and running feet. He really wanted to see what was happening, but he also didn’t want to be eaten by the Shrieker, so he just stayed put.
After another twenty minutes or so of shouting, there was a knock at the door. Jonah quickly hurried over and opened it.
“Hey,” Willona said, glancing down the hallway. She looked a bit nervous.
“What’s going on?” he asked quickly.
“The commander is here,” she said. “With Erna the Strong. They’ve collected everyone in front of Lieutenant Gordon’s quarters. For a memorial service.”
Jonah frowned. “The guards have only been gone for an hour.”
“I know, but we like to remember the missing before we make plans,” she said. “It’s the nice thing to do. And we have to make plans. Someone has violated the treaty.”
“We have a treaty?” Jonah asked.
“Not technically,” Willona said.
Jonah stepped into the hallway. “Well, shouldn’t we get to the service—”
Willona stopped him. “A few of the others . . . don’t think you should be there. But I argued and said you should. That everyone from Sector Three should be there. So just don’t pay any attention to them. You’re a Space Raider. You have a uniform and a bonker. What more can you ask?” She smiled. “Let’s go.”
Jonah followed her down Squirrel Street and saw that the entire sector was gathered in the hallway, minus two guards and Martin the Marvelous. Even from there, he could see the commander and Erna the Strong towering over the others. He made a mental note not to break any rules. He really didn’t want to go back to the brig.
When Jonah and Willona reached the edge of the group, the commander’s cold green eyes flicked to Jonah. He half expected her to tell him to leave, but she just turned back to the others.
“We meet here today in honor of Kyla the Courageous and Daniel the Ninja.” She glanced at Lieutenant Gordon. “Is that right?”
He nodded somberly.
“Today these two brave hall guards were taken from Death Alley. They were doing their duty to the ISR, and so we will remember them as heroes. We hope to find them one day with all our lost recruits, but if we don’t, we won’t forget them.”
The commander put her hand on her badge.
“May they raid in peace.”
“May they raid in peace,” the Space Raiders repeated.
Jonah watched as the kids all lowered their hands again and noticed that many of them shot him suspicious and unfriendly glares. One in particular—the tall, wiry boy with short black hair and dark eyes that he’d seen leading a bonker training session—was really staring, his lips curled in a sneer.
Jonah made a mental note to stay away from him.
“Now,” the commander said, “You all have questions. So do I. We don’t know if this was Captain White Shark and his crew or the Shrieker. Until we know, we can’t do anything rash. If we step over the wrong boundary, we’ll have two enemies to fight.”
One young girl put up her hand, and the commander nodded at her.
“Kyla the Courageous was my friend,” the girl said. “We have to do something.”
There was a murmur of approval in the crowd. Erna the Strong watched them closely.
“I agree,” the commander said. “But we must act wisely. I will send out two adventurers to try to gather information. Alex the Adventurer and the second most important adventurer will go.”
Everyone looked at Alex, who smiled proudly.
“One will try to find out more about the Shrieker, and the other, Captain White Shark. When they have their information, we can make a decision.”
“What about Samantha the Bravest and Most Daring Adventurer?” one boy asked, before quickly putting up his hand, looking terrified that he’d broken a rule.
Erna the Strong looked at the commander, but she shook her head.
“I know these are difficult times,” the commander said, looking over the crowd. “I can forgive a mistake. But in times like these, the rules are more important than ever. We have to stay calm.” She turned to the boy. “Samantha is on another mission right now. She is currently traveling to the List to learn more about our newest recruit.”
The entire gathering of Space Raiders looked at Jonah, who smiled uncomfortably. Willona took a quick step away from him.
“How convenient,” the mean-looking boy with black hair muttered.
A few more comments filtered through the group.
“Enough,” the commander said. “Jonah is a Space Raider until proven otherwise. Just on limited brig duty and with no right to any answers about anything.”
Jonah could tell by the looks on everyone’s faces that nobody considered him a Space Raider. Maybe Jemma, Alex, and Willona, though Willona had already taken another step away from him. Jonah wanted to tell them that he didn’t care if he was a Space Raider and that he just wanted to go home, but one threatening glance from Erna the Strong convinced him otherwise. He remembered those iron-strong hands.
So Jonah just looked down at the floor and pretended he didn’t feel them staring.
“Our adventurers will set out in an hour,” the commander said, “once they’ve had a chance to prepare and say their good-byes.” She paused. “Just in case.”
Alex wasn’t looking as proud anymore.
“When they return, we’ll meet again. And until then, make sure you check on the guards every hour. We don’t want to lose anyone else.”
With that, the commander nodded at Erna the Strong, and the two girls headed back down Squirrel Street toward Sector Two. Everyone watched them go, their footsteps echoing down the silent corridor.
Finally, Lieutenant Gordon turned to the group. “You heard the commander. Back to your stations.”
Reluctantly, the assembled Space Raider started breaking off. As they did, many gave parting glares to Jonah. Some even whispered a few last comments, including, “You’re no Space Raider,” “Spy,” and probably the worst, since it was exactly what Jonah wanted to do, “Go home.”
But even if that’s what he wanted, it still hurt. It hurt when Alex left without looking at him. It hurt when the girl with dimples looked at him like he was the Shrieker. And
it hurt when Willona waited until everyone had left before she came over.
She gave him a reassuring pat on the arm. “Things will get better,” she said, though she kept her voice down. “When Samantha finds out you’re on the List, they’ll all say sorry. Well, not the commander. Or Erna the Strong. Or Lieutenant Gordon. But the regular kids. Even Ben the Brilliant.” She grimaced. “I hate calling him that.”
“Is that the boy with the black hair?” Jonah asked.
“Yep. He’s not very nice. I’m not even sure if he’s that smart, now that I think about it.” Willona shrugged. “Rules are rules. He’s probably not sure I’m that awesome, even though it should be pretty obvious. Are you hungry?”
Jonah frowned. “I thought I had to go back to training?”
“Well, Alex is going to be busy preparing,” Willona said. “He needs to study his maps. Might as well take a break. I’d train you, but I’m not a very good fighter. That’s why I’m the official greeter, I guess. Come on. Let’s get you a food bar.”
They started down Squirrel Street. Willona was really marching now, swinging her arms and raising her knees with exaggerated precision. Jonah supposed she was trying to set a calming example for the others. He just walked along behind her.
“Why did you mention Ben the Brilliant?” Jonah asked. “You said even him. How come?”
Willona glanced back. “Because he wants to exile you.”
“What?” Jonah said.
Willona stopped. “Yeah. He was asking people to vote.” She waved a hand in dismissal. “Don’t worry. If you’re on the List, they can’t exile you.”
“And if I’m not?” Jonah asked.
She forced a smile and kept marching. “Then they voted to exile you. Twenty-eight to three.”
• • •
Jonah accepted a food bar from the official food sorter, a very serious-looking girl named Lyana the Forgotten. Jonah had wanted to ask her why she’d chosen that as a name, but she was clearly one of the twenty-eight kids who had voted to exile him. She’d looked very sour when Willona asked for the food bar, and only when Willona had stood there with her hands on her hips and reminded Lyana of the commander’s words had she finally fetched him one.
“You don’t get another one until tomorrow,” Lyana said coolly.
She had long black hair that was braided down her back and interwoven with a few blue ribbons. Her eyes were big and brown, but they looked very sad or very angry. Jonah would have felt bad for her if she didn’t keep looking like she wanted to hit him over the head with a box.
“What about dinner?” Willona asked.
“He missed lunch. So this counts as dinner. He can come get breakfast in the morning. If Samantha doesn’t come back by then.” She glanced at Jonah. “After that we don’t need to worry about it.”
“I like your ribbons,” Jonah said.
It was a bit of a long shot, but his mother had once told him that if someone didn’t like you, you should say something nice about them. He thought back to that day.
“Jonah?” his mother had said, sitting down on the bed beside him.
She was always dressed very nicely. She worked in an office, and so every day she wore crisp gray suits with shiny black shoes, and her hair was neatly combed. Everyone always said Jonah looked like her. On that day she’d come home from work to find him lying facedown in bed, his cheeks and pillow stained with tears that had long since dried. Jonah came home four hours before his parents, so he always had time to cry alone.
She’d rubbed his back, her rings catching on his shirt. “What happened?”
Jonah spoke into his pillow. “They called me names. After school. Peter especially. The one I told you about.” His voice cracked a little. “I shouldn’t cry.”
That’s what his father always told him.
“It’s okay to cry,” his mother said comfortingly. “But not in front of the person who hurts you. What did he say?”
“I don’t know,” Jonah murmured. “He said my haircut was dumb. And that I had big ears. And that I looked like a girl. He was pretty busy. Lots to say, I guess.”
His mother patted his back. “Here’s what you do. Tomorrow he’ll call you more names, right?”
“That seems to be the pattern,” Jonah agreed.
“So this time you’ll say, Very creative, Peter. I especially like the part about my dumb haircut. Can I use that one?”
Jonah glanced at her. “I’m not sure you’re getting the problem.”
She smiled. “I am. When someone doesn’t like you, say something nice about them. It makes them angry, because it makes you better.”
Jonah thought about that. “It’s worth a try, I guess.”
The next day he had told Peter that he liked his shoes, and Peter punched him in the stomach. As Jonah lay there, he decided that he was done taking advice from his mother. But the day after that, Peter didn’t say anything. Maybe it wasn’t as fun anymore. Maybe the principal had threatened to expel him. It was a private school, and they didn’t like it when you punched other students.
But it had worked. And so Jonah decided to try it again.
To be fair, Lyana the Forgotten didn’t punch him in the stomach. She just stared at him for a moment and then looked at Willona, who shrugged.
“Where did we find this kid?” Lyana said.
“I assume you don’t actually want an answer,” Willona replied, “because that’s classified and I’d have to report you. You’re probably just surprised because that was a little weird. I’ll pretend you didn’t ask.” She paused. “We’ll probably get going now.”
“Good idea,” Lyana said.
When they left the cafeteria, Willona turned to him. “You like her ribbons?”
“I thought it was a nice thing to say,” Jonah mumbled.
“You are an Incredible Space Raider, Jonah,” she said. “You don’t have time for ribbons. And what’s wrong with my hair?”
Jonah frowned. “Nothing. It’s nice.”
“Thank you,” Willona said. “But it’s too late. Now, we better go say good-bye to Alex. He’s going to have to go deep into the Wild Zones. . . .” She stopped. “Uh-oh.”
Jonah turned around and saw Erna the Strong walking toward them. Terrified Space Raiders pressed against the walls in front of her, trying to get out of her way.
“I’m in trouble,” Jonah whispered.
Erna the Strong stopped in front of him. “Jonah the Now Incredible, you are summoned to Sector One. The commander would like a word.”
“Do I have a choice?” Jonah asked.
“No,” Erna said.
Jonah watched as more and more Space Raiders stepped into the hallway, closely watching the encounter. Ben the Brilliant was wearing a very evil-looking smirk. He spotted Jemma, and she just gave him a sad smile.
Jonah resigned himself to his fate. “Lead on,” Jonah said.
“Actually, I walk behind you,” Erna the Strong replied. “Regulations.”
“Makes sense,” Jonah said.
He started walking down Squirrel Street, Erna the Strong close behind him. Willona obviously couldn’t resist. “Wait! Was he on the List?”
Erna the Strong hesitated. She probably wasn’t supposed to say anything, but she could see that every single person in the sector was eagerly listening for the answer. Even Lieutenant Gordon had stepped out of his room. Erna the Strong couldn’t resist.
“We don’t know,” she said. “Because the List was gone.”
Everyone looked at Jonah, their eyes wide.
“Is that a bad thing?” he whispered to Willona.
She nodded. Erna the Strong turned back to him.
“I like your hair,” Jonah murmured.
Erna raised one of those fierce, bushy red eyebrows, dug her incredibly strong fingers into his shoulders, and started pushing him down the hallway. He caught one last glimpse of Willona the Awesome, sadly waving good-bye.
CHAPTER EIGHT
* * *
HOW DID YOU DO IT?” Lieutenant Potts asked, leaning forward dramatically.
He was a round-faced boy with bright pink cheeks, deep-set blue eyes, and a nose that looked a bit like a pig’s snout. He was also one of the few Space Raiders on the ship who wasn’t wiry and slender; on the contrary, he had a bit of belly that hung out below the table. But despite his jolly appearance, he wasn’t overly friendly. Actually, he was a bit of a bully. He was also the leader of Sector Two.
“Well?” he repeated.
Jonah looked around the room, confused. The commander was watching intently.
“How did I do what?” Jonah asked.
Lieutenant Potts sat back, shaking his head in exasperation. Samantha the Bravest and Most Daring Adventurer folded her arms, staring at him suspiciously.
“How did you steal the List?” she said. “How did you know where it was?”
She looked a lot like Alex, now that Jonah took a better look at her. She had the same wispy blond hair that fell well past her shoulders, and equally big, round ears. He thought maybe she’d take pity on him, since he knew Alex, but apparently not.
Jonah wasn’t exactly sure what to say. He was being accused of stealing something he’d never seen on a ship he’d been on for a day from a bunch of people who terrified him. Erna the Strong was waiting by the door, ready to take him back to the brig.
“I didn’t steal anything,” Jonah said. “I’ve only left Squirrel Street once so far. And then Alex and I ran into a screaming monster, so I wasn’t in a rush to leave again.”
The commander tapped a finger on the table. She seemed to like doing that.
“Is it possible he could have found the List without knowing where it was?”
Samantha seemed to think about that. “I guess. I found it by accident.” She paused. “But it would have taken him a while.”
“Is there any chance he could have slipped away for that long?” the commander asked Lieutenant Gordon, who had hurried along behind Jonah and joined the meeting.