I look over to see his expression dark, his gaze remaining straight ahead.
“Really? Who’d you hear that from?”
When he doesn’t answer, Kai speaks up. “Katrina?”
The muscles in Rand’s jaw grind.
Kai winces. “Sorry.”
My heart sinks as I watch the hurt expression on my friend’s face. Rand and Katrina seemed so happy together as we left for our summer cruises. They were looking forward to being on the same mission. And Katrina was good for him. She was one of the few people that could get him out of the dark moods he often fell into.
I look straight ahead again, wondering what, if anything, I can do for Rand.
Up ahead, climbing out of the decompression room with her weighted pack, is Katrina. My heart leaps into my chest as I glance sideways at Rand.
His expression darkens further and his forward pace falters.
6
Gab Talk
Up ahead, Katrina’s smile fades. She hesitates as she gets herself settled on the track. Then, almost in slow motion she turns away from us and starts running.
Rand grunts and slows down, crossing behind Kai and me as we pass the compression room. Kai and I slow as Rand mashes the door button to let himself out of the track.
Kai touches my elbow and I look over at him. “I think he needs some time to process whatever happened between them.” Kai’s brown eyes are full of sorrow for our friends.
We start running again. “There was a time when you wouldn’t have cared about Rand’s feelings,” I tease.
“He’s not the easiest person to be friends with.”
“True. But he didn’t care much for you in the beginning either.”
“I think I grew on him.” Kai laughs and puts on more speed.
I easily match his new pace.
We catch up to Katrina. She gives us a small smile. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean for him to leave.”
“Don’t apologize. Seems you guys went through a rough patch this summer.”
“I thought I could handle his moods, but it was like Josh all over again.”
“He had anger issues on your mission? I thought you guys had a pretty relaxed trip out to the fringe.”
“It was mostly his jealousy that got in between us. If any of the other guys on the ship showed me the slightest kindness he would flip out.”
“I’m sorry, Katrina.”
“Me too. But it’s better this way, because that mission showed me that I don’t want to join a long-term spaceship anyway. And I think Rand does. I’m looking at one of the recyclers that Alex was on.”
“I’d like to hear more about that project, too. Since it was designed around our class project.”
The lights flash red once. Up ahead are Alex, Sean, and Philip, along with several other new students. They’re walking now, but almost to the exit hatch.
We greet them and take turns going through the decompression room. Once we’re all outside, I find Sean and ask him how he liked the track.
“Just great. If you like wheezing and painful muscles.” He grins as he slumps against the wall.
I laugh. “It’ll take some getting used to. Looked like you had the motions down though.”
“Yeah. All those years of dance actually helped in keeping my balance.” He pulls his pack up higher on his shoulders.
“Dance? I didn’t think they taught that anymore. All the art and movement classes were widely replaced with space prep classes and physical education.”
“They don’t. My mom paid for private lessons. She used to be a drama teacher and ballet dancer. She made my sister and I take lessons for years.”
“Ready?” Kai comes over to stand next to me.
“Yes. Let’s get this sweat off before the commander’s announcement.” I smile up at him.
Sean pushes off the wall and we head to the lifts. Katrina and Alex are in the front, their heads together. Philip trails them, joining in the conversation. Rand is nowhere to be seen.
When we get to the dorms we separate and head to our rooms. I shower quickly and get changed. With my hair still wet I grab my tablet and hurry down the short corridor. I run into several other girls talking with Katrina and we let them know we’re all going to watch the commander’s speech on the large wall screen out in the common room. By the time I get out there the room is packed.
Kai sits in one of chairs off to the side and scoots over to make room for me.
The lights flash twice, and the room goes silent. The vid screen lights up and the blank wall is replaced with the tired-looking face of the commander.
“Welcome to Earthlight Space Academy. I am Commander Svell. By now you’ve realized this year will be a little different from previous years at the academy. Due to the political climate we felt the need to educate all seventeen and eighteen-year-old students at the space academies, regardless of their test scores. Not only are we the only facilities that have the incredible faculty to teach you everything there is to know about living in space, the academies are the safest places for you right now.”
Murmurs course throughout the room.
“There is no immediate danger to you at the moment, so please just trust that we’re monitoring the situation and will let you know if things change.”
I snort.
My face burns as others look at me, and I shrink into Kai.
As if having the ability to see me, the commander continues. “Your class leader, Anja Toland will be the liaison between the students and myself. I won’t be as easily accessible as I have been in the past. For that I’m sorry, but there’s just too much for me to do right now.”
I glance around the room and see some of the new students staring at me as the commander places my picture up on the screen. I frown. He didn’t mention a leader for the Year Ones. Last year Rand was our class leader, and I never knew who the one was for the Year Twos because we had no contact with them. This year is different in many ways.
“I appreciate how you’ve all made friends and are already helping one another out. As you’ve noticed by now, the dorms have been altered to add an extra bunk and storage space in each room. This is because we expect another group of students to join us in the next few weeks. Which brings us to our last item tonight. Outside vid and internet access.”
I sit up straight. Last item? I have so many questions going through my head I have an urge to raise my hand although I know he can’t see me.
“We’re transitioning over to the space net for all academies. In order to do so we’re adding more satellites up in space and hardware inside the academies. The current lockdown of your access should end in a few weeks once we’ve completed the upgrade project.” He pauses and looks off to the side for a moment. Then he turns back to the camera. “Everyone needs to pay close attention to the schedules on your tablets as things might change from day to day. Hope you all have a great evening.”
The commander cuts the connection, and we’re left staring at one another.
I frown deeply as I feel as if I didn’t learn anything new. Kai and I stand up, but everyone else remains where they are. They’re all looking over at me.
I swallow as I look around the room and try to make eye contact with as many people as I can. “I’m not quite sure he answered all our questions. Does anyone have any for me?”
Hands shoot up all around the room. My mouth drops open. I hold up both hands. “Wow. All right.” I turn to Philip. “How many students are in the academy right now?”
He takes his tablet out and, in a few seconds, looks back up. “Between the two classes there are nine hundred and forty-seven.”
My knees feel weak. “And he says there will be more coming. How many does the academy usually have?”
“Four hundred,” he answers without looking at the tablet.
Everyone starts talking at once. When I can’t get their attention, Rand whistles loudly. They all stop, eyes wide.
He grins.
“Thank
you. Now, those numbers are unbelievable. There’s obviously a lot the commander and our professors aren’t telling us. And it won’t do the rest of the class any good if I answer your questions here and then the others are left out. How about everyone message me with any questions or concerns you might have. Then when I reply, I’ll reply to all students. We can do that, right Philip?” I turn to him.
He nods. “Yes, I’ll set it up on your tablet. I’ll have to take a few of the security features off in order for that many messages to go out all at once.”
I hand him my tablet, and he gets to work.
I grin. “For tonight, let’s spread the word that when we talk to our families, we need to ask questions carefully. I think most of them have been warned not to tell us too much about what’s going on out there. But if each of us can get at least one new piece of information, we can all share it. Right now, our first priority is the safety of our families.”
Soft pings sound from all around the room telling us our internet time has begun. Everyone gets up and scatters. Kai grabs my hand, and we head down the corridor. We find one of the study cubbies and sit down next to each other.
Kai puts the tablet on the table between us and dials his parents. The timer in the upper right-hand corner starts a countdown from thirty minutes.
I frown. “There’s got to be more to limiting our time talking to our families than just internet maintenance, right?”
Kai shrugs.
Cam’s face pops up on the screen and I can’t help but smile.
“Hey guys!” His energy seems to radiate out of the vid.
“Hi, Cam. How are you doing?”
“Good. Just finished dinner.”
That boy lives to eat. I chuckle. “What have you been doing lately?”
“Most days I get to go with Dad to work and do my school there. He set up a station for me in his office.” Cam’s face beams as only an eleven-year-old can.
Dad? Kai and I exchange glances.
“Is he there with you?” asks Kai.
The picture zooms out a bit to show Mr. Chao sitting next to Cam. Although he’s smiling, he looks tired.
“Hi, Father.”
“Glad you two are safe,” says Mr. Chao in greeting.
Kai nods, his expression turning serious. “Did you hear about our landing?”
“Yes.”
Cam looks between Mr. Chao and Kai. “What landing? What happened?”
“I’ll message you later and tell you all about it, Cam. We only have,” I pause to look at the timer, “twenty-four more minutes to talk. And we have some urgent questions.”
Mr. Chao’s shoulders tense. “And you know I might not be able to answer all of your questions.”
I glance at Kai.
His jaw clenches but he doesn’t look away from his father. “I understand. We’ve found out that a lot has happened down here while we were away. I believe it’s illogical for the academy to keep us uninformed.”
My eyebrows raise. He’s always been formal with his father, but I’d think with limited communication time he’d drop the formalities.
“We don’t always have to agree with the methods our leaders take to keep us safe.”
Kai relaxes his jaw. “How is your project going?”
My stomach churns. We’re supposed to be getting answers, not inquiring about mundane duties. What is Kai up to?
“Right on schedule. Needs a few more trials still.”
Cam’s jaw drops. “But I thought it was ready.”
Mr. Chao turns to look at Cam. “Do you remember our household protocol D?”
Cam looks up to the ceiling, his photographic mind probably pulling up whatever data will answer Mr. Chao’s question. He looks back down, his eyes wide. “Yes,” he whispers.
Apparently, that satisfies Mr. Chao and he turns back to us. Our clock now says twenty minutes left.
Kai leans forward. “How many trials?”
“I think four should do it.”
“And you’ll let us know the results right away?” Kai asks.
This has got to be some sort of family code. I gape at the two of them.
Mr. Chao nods and excuses himself. A confused-looking Cam scoots forward until his whole face is in the vid. His mouth is turned down and there’s a bit of a line forming between his eyebrows.
I sigh. “I miss you, little bro.”
“Me too.” His expression softens. “We adopted a cat this week.” His face disappears and we hear a tiny squawk. Cam comes back into the picture holding a black and white fuzzy kitten. He grins. “Isn’t she awesome?”
Kai grins back. “We always had cats back in China. I was so sad when we had to re-home them before moving. I’m so glad they let you have one.”
Cam cuddles the tiny cat to his neck. “I’ve never had a pet before. She even sleeps with me.”
“Does she have a name?” asks Kai.
“Not yet. I’m still thinking.” Cam grins.
“I’m happy for you, Cam. Is she an outdoor kitten?” My heart skips a beat as I study his face. Cam has never been able to lie to me. Not successfully, anyway.
He shakes his head. “No, we have to keep her inside, otherwise she’d get sick.” His eyes go wide.
I chuckle. “It’s all right.” I look at the timer again. Eight minutes. “But maybe we could play a round of gab talk.” I grin as I watch a smile creep across his face.
“Remember the rules. Only short answers.”
He nods.
“Do you wear protection to leave the house?”
Cam’s face pales, and he glances around the room.
“It’s just a game, remember?”
When we first got to the migrant camps, Mom started this game with me so we could talk about serious subjects without frightening Cam. When he got older, I taught him so we could do the same without our tightly packed neighbors knowing our business.
He swallows. “Yes.”
“Good. Now your turn.”
He leans forward. “Do you go for your daily run still?”
Smart. “No.”
He sits back, a look of relief on his face. Kai looks sideways at me, an amused expression on his face.
“Have you had one of Angel’s burritos lately?” I ask.
“No.” He frowns and then scoots forward again. “Have you talked with our uncle?”
I bite my lip. Uncle? I study Cam’s face. He’s a smart kid, and he knows we have no relatives left. Except our father. A chill runs up my spine.
“No, our uncle moved again last week.” I pause for a beat then ask, “You?”
He shakes his head and strokes the kitten, who has fallen asleep on his shoulder.
Three minutes.
“We don’t have much time left. I realize you can’t reach me right now other than these set times, but you know you can ping the general if you need anything, right?”
He nods.
“I love you. You stay safe.”
“Love you guys, too.”
I watch a tear roll down his cheek as we’re disconnected. My chest tightens, and I turn and lean into Kai. He wraps his arms tightly around me as I cry silently into his shoulder.
7
First Earthquake
The next morning, I check my tablet after getting dressed. My schedule has changed again, and I let out a long sigh.
Rand and Kai are waiting for me when I get out to the common area. They’re deep in conversation, so I just sit quietly next to Kai.
“He wouldn’t answer any of my questions,” says Rand as he runs his hand roughly through his hair.
“Seems that Anja was right. They were all told to not say anything.” Kai looks over at me.
“Who’d you talk to last night?” I ask. Rand doesn’t have family left.
“The general. I thought he’d say something at least. After all we’ve gone through together.”
I give Rand a small smile. “If anyone were keeping secrets, though, it would be the general.”
He leans forward in his chair. “True. But I did see something behind him. I’m not sure if he left it there on purpose or not.” Rand gets out his tablet and turns it toward Kai and me.
He shows us a map of our continent, with large splotches all over it.
“What are we looking at?” I ask.
“I’m not sure what the marked areas mean, but it can’t be good. Look.” He zooms in along the Dragon Wall. Up north where the lakes usually are, there’s just one big, red splotch.
“We need to figure out what that means.” I point to the area that used to be our home. It’s clear of red. “And if the camp will be spared from whatever that is.” A knot forms in the pit of my stomach as I look down at the place that was full of both joy and tragedy for Cam and me.
The lights flash red once and we stand.
More students join as we hurry toward the cafeteria. The lines are long this morning, so by the time we get to the food we only have time to grab protein bars and head back out.
“If they were going to pack so many students together, couldn’t they have built more cafeterias?” Rand asks as he glowers at the students passing us.
“It’s not their fault.” I smack him hard on the arm.
He just looks at me and takes a bite of a breakfast bar.
At the lifts I stop Kai. “I have to check in at the greenhouse this morning. They changed my schedule.”
Kai frowns and pulls out his tablet. “I’m going to have to face advanced bio without you again?” He scrunches up his face.
“I think you’ll survive.” I laugh.
His expression fades to a frown. “We forgot to go to the space dock this morning.”
“Crap. Can we go at lunchtime?” I look over at his tablet as he pulls up the dock’s schedule.
“Yes. Meet me there right as first lunch begins. We’ll have about an hour before they start their own diagnostics.”
“I’ll message Philip to join us.” I turn and find a lift going up and step in.
Kai waves as the doors close.
Once on the top floor I get turned around trying to find the near-hidden entrance to the greenhouse. I’m used to getting here from the other building.
Earthlight Space Academy Boxset Page 44