Free Psion Beta by Jacob Gowans Page B

known for a long time now?”
    “ Yeah. He said I shouldn’t try to experiment around or tell anyone. We had to sign stuff saying we’d keep it a secret. My family tells everyone I’ve gone to a boarding school in Melbourne, Australia for the next several years on scholarship.” Brickert chuckled. “Me? On scholarship!”
    “ Do you have any idea how to—how to do—whatever it is?” Sammy struggled to find the words to describe something he knew nothing about.
    “ No,” Brickert said, shrugging.
    “ When do you see your family again?”
    Brickert looked at him incredulously. “Don’t you know? Sorry. I assumed they told everyone. We won’t get to see our parents until we graduate. Didn’t they tell your family that?”
    “ Of course,” Sammy covered quickly. “I— I just wondered since maybe you are closer to home . . . you know, maybe they’d come visit or something.”
    “ Nope. It was really hard leaving them, too. Tonight will be the first night I’ve ever spent away from home.” Then Brickert suddenly became suspicious. “You’re not going to tell anyone that, are you?”
    “ No. Course not,” Sammy said. “You can trust me.”
    And he meant it. Brickert seemed loyal, much like Sammy’s friends in the grocery store. Brickert’s youthful innocence brought out a tamer side in him that he hadn’t felt in a while. Sammy lost himself in his memories, missing Feet and Gunner and others. Brickert had to clear his throat to get Sammy’s attention back.
    “ Sorry,” Sammy mumbled, “just thinking.”
    “ You didn’t tell me how you found out about being a Psion,” Brickert said. They were both sitting on their chairs wearing the new uniforms. Sammy had his feet propped up and Brickert was settling in as though he was about to hear a good story. But Sammy had a chance now to make a clean start with a new crowd; he wanted to make the most of it. Someone knocked at their door at that moment, saving him the task of thinking up a lie to tell Brickert.
    Sammy got up a little too fast and crossed the room. The door opened to reveal a tall skinny boy with light-brown hair and blue eyes wearing a gold and white jumpsuit. He was definitely older than both Sammy and Brickert. He wore a monstrous grin on his face.
    “ Hey,” he exclaimed. “Can I come in?”
    “ Sure,” Sammy responded, moving out of the way to allow him room.
    “ Albert Hayman,” he said, shaking their hands heartily. “Everyone calls me Al. The commander asked me to keep an eye on you guys. Make sure you find everything okay.”
    “ Thanks!” Brickert answered as if he had just won the lottery.
    “ What’re your names?” he asked.
    “ Brickert.”
    “ Sammy.”
    “ Are you two the only nukes?” Al asked.
    “ What does that mean?” Brickert asked.
    “ Nukes . . . New recruits. Newcomers. Don’t either of you game?”
    Both Sammy and Brickert shook their heads.
    Al rubbed his forehead. “Well, that’s going to have to change if you want to fit in. Who else came today?”
    “ Three girls with us,” Sammy answered.
    “ Really? Five? Wow. Biggest group I’ve ever heard of.”
    “ How long have you been here?” Brickert asked.
    “ Me? I’ve been here forever. Over five years. Almost six now that I think of it. Second longest of anyone here right now, and I finish in about nine months.”
    “ How many Betas are there?” Brickert asked, definitely eager to get his important questions answered. Sammy didn’t bother reminding him Byron had already told them the answer.
    “ With five new recruits that brings it up to . . . twenty Betas.”
    “ Does everyone get along?”
    “ For the most part. If you can tolerate being called a ‘nuke’ or worse for a few weeks. Are you guys hungry?”
    “ I’m starving,” answered Sammy. In fact, he could not remember eating since the pizzas on the night the Shocks had come. Thinking about the Shocks reminded him of something else. “Al, what day is it?” he