Read Online Novel - Arcanum 101 (with Rosemary Edghill) by Mercedes Lackey - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mercedes Lackey
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been put to a much better use. Now top-of-the-line commercial-quality Arcade machines lined one wall. Six game-consoles took up the next, with a seventh solely dedicated to Dance Dance Revolution. The biggest plasma-screen TV VeeVee had ever seen occupied the third wall, hooked up to a DVD and VCR that read both PAL and NTSB format video. There was full satellite too, and a cable package that got just about every station there was. The one thing you couldn’t have in your room was a television, because there was no reception and no way to get cable or satellite into all those individual rooms—of course, with full Internet who needed one? And for a lot of shows, it was a lot more fun to watch together on a 120” screen. The “furniture” was all the expensive kind of beanbag chairs, easy to clear off the floor for whatever reason. A microwave, a restaurant-sized fridge, and a drink machine rounded out the fourth wall. Right now, with everyone in class, the place was silent except for the pings and sound effects of the arcade and pinball machines.
“‘Dumped?’” VeeVee prodded.
“I bet everybody doesn’t get to use this stuff,” Tomas said snarkily.
“Actually, we do,” VeeVee said, tossing her head. “You can use any of the machines—or anything else down here—once you’ve done your coursework, whatever it is. Of course, you do have to access both the pinball machines and the arcade games with your ID card, which keeps track of the amount of time you spend on the machines. So you can’t goof off.”
Tomas was staring at her as if she’d grown an extra head.
“Oh, yeah, pachuco,” VeeVee said. “There is serious money involved here. And even more scary: serious brains.” She shrugged and smiled. “Upstairs in the Dining Hall is where we have concerts and dances. And “lights-out” in the dorms doesn’t mean “curfew’, it just means if you’re gonna do something noisy, take it here so everyone else can sleep. There’s a skater park I didn’t show you yet—you don’t skate, do you?”
He shook his head, looking as if she’d just hit him with something large and heavy. He probably hadn’t looked this stunned when he’d been arrested, VeeVee thought. Considering that had been less than 48 hours ago, Tomas Torres had received a large number of big shocks in a short time.
“Then you won’t care,” she decided. “What do you do?”
His mouth opened and shut a couple of times. Finally a strangled “—cars—” came out.
She facepalmed. “OK, then I got one more thing to show you. It’s a long walk, though.” She grinned, maybe a little cruelly. A barrio boy might not have a good idea of just how long a long walk was. “You better be up for it.”
Tomas just glared at her. She knew perfectly well he’d never admit weakness to someone like her. She’d known enough Hispanic boys to know the mindset, and Tomas seemed to be about as “old school” as they came. And so she was determined to make him stretch his legs and maybe get a little out of breath.
“See,” she said, as he puffed a little, determined to keep up and not let her know it was an effort. “Thing is, there’s money here, like I said, but this isn’t like some fancy-schmancy prep school either. I mean, not everybody’s going to college. So you learn how to use your powers, and you learn you aren’t alone, and then if you aren’t going to college, you learn how to make a living. And I mean a living, not starving in a fast-food or mega-mart job.”
She didn’t say why. If he thought about it, the answer would be obvious. People with powers like his—and hers—faced temptations all the time. And being stuck in a burger-joint, or behind a cash-register—well, when you were trying to figure out how to pay the bills and eat, it made the road Tomas had started down look real attractive.
Ms. Llewellyn was nothing if not pragmatic. Anyone who left here, if they weren’t college-bound, would be able to buy
“‘Dumped?’” VeeVee prodded.
“I bet everybody doesn’t get to use this stuff,” Tomas said snarkily.
“Actually, we do,” VeeVee said, tossing her head. “You can use any of the machines—or anything else down here—once you’ve done your coursework, whatever it is. Of course, you do have to access both the pinball machines and the arcade games with your ID card, which keeps track of the amount of time you spend on the machines. So you can’t goof off.”
Tomas was staring at her as if she’d grown an extra head.
“Oh, yeah, pachuco,” VeeVee said. “There is serious money involved here. And even more scary: serious brains.” She shrugged and smiled. “Upstairs in the Dining Hall is where we have concerts and dances. And “lights-out” in the dorms doesn’t mean “curfew’, it just means if you’re gonna do something noisy, take it here so everyone else can sleep. There’s a skater park I didn’t show you yet—you don’t skate, do you?”
He shook his head, looking as if she’d just hit him with something large and heavy. He probably hadn’t looked this stunned when he’d been arrested, VeeVee thought. Considering that had been less than 48 hours ago, Tomas Torres had received a large number of big shocks in a short time.
“Then you won’t care,” she decided. “What do you do?”
His mouth opened and shut a couple of times. Finally a strangled “—cars—” came out.
She facepalmed. “OK, then I got one more thing to show you. It’s a long walk, though.” She grinned, maybe a little cruelly. A barrio boy might not have a good idea of just how long a long walk was. “You better be up for it.”
Tomas just glared at her. She knew perfectly well he’d never admit weakness to someone like her. She’d known enough Hispanic boys to know the mindset, and Tomas seemed to be about as “old school” as they came. And so she was determined to make him stretch his legs and maybe get a little out of breath.
“See,” she said, as he puffed a little, determined to keep up and not let her know it was an effort. “Thing is, there’s money here, like I said, but this isn’t like some fancy-schmancy prep school either. I mean, not everybody’s going to college. So you learn how to use your powers, and you learn you aren’t alone, and then if you aren’t going to college, you learn how to make a living. And I mean a living, not starving in a fast-food or mega-mart job.”
She didn’t say why. If he thought about it, the answer would be obvious. People with powers like his—and hers—faced temptations all the time. And being stuck in a burger-joint, or behind a cash-register—well, when you were trying to figure out how to pay the bills and eat, it made the road Tomas had started down look real attractive.
Ms. Llewellyn was nothing if not pragmatic. Anyone who left here, if they weren’t college-bound, would be able to buy
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