Read Online Bounders by Monica Tesler - Free Book Online Page B

set up camp, but most of the kids are silent except for the rustling of sheets and swish of blankets. I put my clarinet away and shove the case in the crack between the mattress and the bed frame.
    It’s cool in the dormitory. And even though I’m surrounded by dozens of boys—dozens of Bounder boys like me—I feel completely alone.
    â€œCole,” I whisper into the darkness, willing my voice not to crack.
    â€œYeah?” he replies.
    â€œGood night.”
    â€œGood night, Jasper.”
    Maybe I’m imagining things, but I think he sounds grateful. I close my eyes and drift to sleep.

    The next morning brings a true taste of life in the Force. Lieutenant Ridders shows up at six a.m. He’s nice enough, but he has five other officers with him. Each is meaner than the next. They shout at us to get out of bed, and drag out the cadets who aren’t fast enough. Anything we forgot to stow away—shoes, hats, even one cadet’s framed picture of his pet hamster—they kick across the dorm floor. They bark orders to get into daily uniform.
    I’m not even sure which clothes make up the daily. I dig into the duffel filled with Academy gear Mom packed. Earth Force shipped the stuff direct to us a few months back. Predictably, Cole knows exactly what to wear. I copy him as best I can, and once he’s dressed, he rummages through my storage bin and pulls out the rest of what I need.
    â€œHow were we supposed to know?” I say. “I figured daily uniform was what we wore yesterday.”
    â€œNo,” Cole says. “Those were dress formals.”
    â€œIt would have been nice to get a little direction. I mean, we’re just kids.”
    An officer with black hair and bad breath steps close. “You got something to say, plebe?”
    â€œNo.” What on earth is his problem?
    â€œNo, what?” the officer says.
    â€œUhhh . . . I don’t get it,” I say. “Just no.”
    The officer bends down and yells in my face. “No, sir!”
    I try not to turn away as his bad breath rolls over me. “Got it,” I say. “Sir. I mean, no, sir.” I hold my breath, hoping that’s enough to get him off my back.
    The officer stretches up to his full height. He looms over Cole and me, and he’s thick. “That’s more like it, plebe. Don’t step out of line. I’ll be watching.” He shoves my shoulder, knocking me straight into my storage bin.
    He lingers for a moment, a sick grin on his face, and then moves on to the next rack to harass some other cadets.
    I scamper out of the bin and struggle to catch my breath. Pull it together, Jasper. Don’t let that bully scare you. That’s all he is. A bully. After all, what could that clown do? You’re the Bounder, not him.
    Cole tugs my sleeve. The cadets are lining up. The officers position us by the door and march us out.
    â€œHe’s probably just jealous,” Cole says.
    â€œWho?” I ask.
    â€œThe officer with the bad breath.”
    Yeah, right. “Why on Earth would he be jealous of me?”
    â€œDid you see his rank?” Cole asks. “He’s an auxiliary officer. That means he was skipped over for quantum aeronaut.”
    Hmmm . . . he couldn’t even make the cut? I smile. Cole with all the knowledge. He’s definitely a good first friend. “Yeah, he’s probably annoyed he has to chaperone a bunch of Bounders.”
    Ridders leads us out of the dormitory and into the long narrow corridor. Something about the dorm felt a bit more homey—probably just because my stuff was there—but the hall is like a slap to the face. Wake up, Jasper, you’re not in Americana anymore. My dull headache returns the second I step under the bright lights, and the walls close in around me. The only thing that breaks the monochromatic sameness of the spearmint walls is the occasional door with its brushed metal