Part 5 (2/2)

*Because your head was so far stuffed up youra”'

*I found cookies!' shouts someone with a m.u.f.fled voice, halfway inside a cupboard.

Lida forgets her quarrel. *Chuck them over.'

*I'll have a couple,' says Ang.

The person in the cupboard bangs her head and slowly unfolds to stand taller than anyone else in the room.

*Hi,' says Zoya. *What sort of cookies are they? I'm Zoya Mentira. This is Pip.'

*My name's not Pip, it'sa”'

*Help yourself, Zoya.' The packet of cookies comes flying our way. *I'm Petra. I got here first, so that makes me an expert on where everything is and how to work the kettle. Want a brew?'

A chorus of voices calls out for drinks.

Zoya messages me is petra a boy or a girl?

don't know a” girl? does it matter? I like her hair, short and spiky it'd suit you, instead of those old-fas.h.i.+oned plaits you won't ever cut I look around the crew-room and realise I'm the only person with really long hair. I guess I don't look like I fit in. If I ever do trim my hair, I find myself gathering all the clippings up carefully so none of them are left lying around. Mama says my hair's a disgrace but she's given up trying to get scissors to it.

*After the journey we've had, I'll drink anything hot,' Zoya tells Petra. *Is there anything else to eat? I'm starving!'

*I'll see what we can rustle up,' says Petra.

Before I can draw back, Mossie links her arm through mine and points around the room. I flinch, thinking Please, please don't let her touch my skin. She doesn't. She introduces a ton of older kids I can hardly remember then ends with a couple who look different from the others. Sadder.

*Those two over there are brother and sister, called Henke and Rill, from Hardhills.'

Henke is humming a popular balika song, and his fingers faintly move, as if plucking imaginary balika strings. Rill is obviously lost in connection.

Mossie lowers her voice to a whisper. *You heard what happened to Hardhills when the Crux bombed it? Both their parents were killed a” bodies never found. Henke and Rill are lucky to be alive.'

Ang barges in. *I've been to Hardhills loads of times before the war. It was a bit of a dead-end town.'

*What about the guy doing pull-ups?' Zoya is mesmerised by a lad with a chest-hugging tunic who's got his fingers cramped on a door frame at the far end of the room, heaving himself up to a sweaty count a” forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, forty-four . . .

He drops down, wipes his hands on his trousers and grins at her. *I'm Yeldon.'

Zoya pulls a face. *You obviously live in a gym.'

*That's not strictly true,' says a girl with a thin face, who is lining up mugs by the kettle so their handles all point the same way. *h.e.l.lo, Zoya. h.e.l.lo, Pip a” is that your real name? I'm Dee. Mossie forgot to mention me. For your information, Zoya, people don't actually live in gyms. They just exercise there a lot.'

*That's me, kid,' brags Yeldon. *See these?' He pulls his tunic neck open to show a sculptured shoulder. *I've got triple-heads on my deltoids.'

Zoya winces but has a good look anyway. *Sounds painful.'

*It's a muscle thing,' Mossie explains. *Yeldon here is a perfect specimen. Of what, I don't like to speculate.'

*If I ever worked out I'd be pretty fit,' says Ang.

Yeldon is asking, *Is there a mirror round here, do you think?' when suddenly Rill, the quiet girl from Hardhills, pipes up.

*Did you hear about the man who invented the rear-view mirror? He never looked back . . .'

Her brother Henke punches her, but he's got a little smile twisting the corner of his mouth. Everyone else laughs a” it's such a bad joke a” except the straight-faced girl, Dee, who says, *Actually, it was a woman who invented the rear-view mirror and she didn't even earn a lot of money for it, so . . .'

Now we all groan and Ang scornfully tries to explain to Dee how Rill's joke was supposed to be funny.

Zoya grabs a few extra cookies and messages me again a” is that dee girl for real? and what about ang? her nickname has got to be ang two-times a” you know the sort a” anything you've done, she's done twice a” you get cold, she's got flu a” you bruise your knee, she has hers amputated I nudge her gently. Now is not a good time to start giggling, not while the older girl, Lida, is still sneering at our overalls.

*What's with you two Cadets being here?' Lida asks suddenly. *Shouldn't you be in school or something? I mean, how much flying has anyone here actually done, apart from me? I know I'm experienced.'

There's a jumble of answers ranging from months to years.

*I've flown five times,' says Zoya, with her chin up. *Actually, six, including last time.'

Lida's gaze comes to rest on me. *And you?'

The room goes quiet except for the bubbling of water in the kettle. Even Zoya would have trouble bl.u.s.tering out of this one.

*Just one flight,' I admit.

Lida bursts out laughing and drops her choke. *One yash flight? Are you totally disconnected? It must've been a good one a” did you beat Furey's round-the-world-record?'

My face flames red. *We crashed.'

*I know someone who crashed,' interrupts Ang.

Zoya squares up. *Well, we crashed and got shot. Medics took three bullets out of me.'

shut up about that I message quickly, but Zoya's not connected any more and Ang's revving up for a bigger boast.

*Oh, yeah? The guy I knew killed three civilian pa.s.sengers and ploughed up a school playground.'

*You win, Ang, you win!' cries Mossie, laughing. Little does she know that the full story of our crash would wipe the floor with Ang's anecdote.

Zoya glowers and mutters, *Two-Times.'

*Kettle's boiled,' calls Petra.

At that point Dee raises a hand, like a kid at the back of cla.s.s. *Sorry, I know this is all nice and I hope I can remember everyone's names eventually a” only, does anyone have the slightest idea what we're doing here?'

*Kid's got a point,' drawls Lida. *It can't just be training for some half-a.s.sed Victory effort. Mossie's never flown before, Yeldon neither.'

*I'm a techie,' objects Yeldon. *I could probably build you a People's Number Nine Glissom Bomber with my eyes shut a” doesn't mean you'd catch me going up in one.'

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