Read Online Threader by Rebekah Turner - Free Book Online

Classes start at eight tomorrow morning, sharp.’ She hesitates, then adds, ‘Just to warn you, some cadets can give the newbies a hard time. There are only a limited number of positions offered with Galloway Industries after the graduate program, so everyone’s super competitive.’
    â€˜I can handle myself,’ I tell her. ‘What I want to know is, where can I get good coffee?’ I glance at the coffee cup Bobby left behind. I’ve got a fantasy they’ll have the real stuff here. Ground beans and all. Back home, I always bought the cheap powdered coffee, with its bright adverts promising bliss in a cup, but tasting more like dirt from a bucket. Once in a while, I buy my coffee from a cafe that roasts their own beans. While a take-away doesn’t break the budget, they’re still more than I can afford to indulge in daily. But when I do? I always make it last. The taste of the coffee, that delicious nutty, rich flavour, is something I always relish. Of course, the next day, when I have to go back to the bitter stuff, it’s always a reminder of everything that’s wrong with my life. Until now.
    â€˜Of course they’ve got coffee.’ Cora ushers me into the bathroom and shoves the Helios clothes in my hands. ‘What kind of horrible place do you think this is?’
    Figuring this means that despite her lousy job, Cora came from a reasonably well-off family, I say nothing more. Just close the bathroom door and begin to strip.
    Once I’m in my underwear, I sit down on the floor and put my head in my hands. The silence in the little room and the closeness of the walls gives my brain a chance to start shouting at me. What are you doing , it screams. What have you gotten yourself into? This is exactly what James didn’t want for you, remember?
    I mentally wall up that voice, but my thoughts turn to my mother. I don’t have many memories of James, even less of Alice. Just a fuzzy outline of a face with bright green eyes and wild chestnut hair like mine, but I’m not sure if that’s something I made up from staring at photographs of her. And now, discovering this whole other life she had, it’s like I’ve managed to connect to her and James somehow. I don’t realise I’m crying until a tear falls on my leg. There’s a tap on the door.
    â€˜Out in a minute.’ My voice wobbles.
    There’s a pause, then Cora says, ‘Take your time. Like I said, there’s no rush.’
    Wiping away my tears, I pull on the uniform: lightweight trousers with pockets down the side, white polo shirt and light jacket, all emblazoned with the Helios logo. Everything’s a little baggy, so I end up rolling up the pants and sleeves.
    Tying my hair back, I exit the bathroom and Cora runs a discerning eye over me. ‘Not the best fit yet. The uniform material is made up of hyper-molecules, so it can self-repair to a degree, and should self-adjust to your optimal fit within the hour.’
    â€˜Okay.’ I tug at the too-long sleeves, the material tough and smooth. My eyes are dry now and I’m determined to keep them that way.
    â€˜Great. Let’s go then.’ She slings my rookie pack over her shoulder. ‘We’ll dump this stuff then get something to eat. I don’t know about you, but I’m absolutely starving for a snack.’

CHAPTER 7
    We exit the medical centre and walk along a street lined with trees, topped with dense green leaves. The landscape of the Babel township is made up of clean wide roads, clipped hedges and swept gutters and the air is clean and crisp, flooding my mind with memories of my childhood in the forest.
    Cora gestures to a silver Lexus waiting by the curb. ‘I’ve got an academy car to take us back. I read on your file you’ve been living in Australia. What’s it like? I heard it’s hot as hell.’
    I shake my head as we climb into the car. ‘It’s not that bad.