Free Bounders by Monica Tesler Page A

it, a dozen armed officers showed up. They checked each bed, taking a head count.”
    â€œI don’t understand,” Cole says. “Why would they need that kind of security?”
    Lucy shrugs. “Let’s eat.”
    As I follow Lucy and Cole to the chow line, I’m struck by the memory of what Marco and I saw in the med room. I have no clue why they need so much security either, but I can’t shake the feeling it has something to do with the alien.

6
    ONCE WE GET OUR FOOD, LUCY ditches us for a table with a group of girls. Cole and I set our trays down next to Ryan and some other guys who have bunks near us in the dorm. They seem all right, although one guy constantly interrupts, and another can’t seem to get off the topic of astroharvesting as the future of agriculture. A thrilling topic for absolutely no one.
    I shovel an enormous bite of scrambled eggs into my mouth.
    â€œBlahhh!” I spit the eggs back onto the tray. “What is that nastiness?”
    â€œFluffed tofu,” Ryan says. “They ship it here freeze-dried and then pump it with hot air in the kitchens. I kind of like it.” His mouth is overflowing with the stuff as he talks.
    â€œTake mine if you want it.” I push my plate away and nibble on some fruit sticks I grabbed in line. Maybe lunch will be better.
    I talk to the other cadets and try to ignore my grumbling stomach. Two guys at our table are from Americana West. One of the guys is from Eurasia. And another is from Australia. I guess there really are Bounders everywhere.
    The Westie next to me keeps checking his watch.
    â€œYou gotta be somewhere?” I ask.
    â€œWhat?” he says.
    â€œYou keep looking at your watch. What gives?”
    He shrugs. “It’s time for lunch. On Earth, I mean. After lunch on Saturdays, I watch Stellar Rangers . Always. I know I have to miss it, but it sucks.”
    â€œYeah.” What else can I say? I’m not upset about lunch and web shows, but this is all pretty overwhelming.
    â€œI’ll get used to it,” he says. “The new schedule, I mean.”
    As we finish eating, Florine Statton enters the mess hall, flanked by Earth Force officers. One of the officers I’ve never seen before, but the other one is the guy with the bad breath who knocked me down this morning. Florine wears black sunglasses and a black business suit that look identical to the sunglasses and suit she wore yesterday.
    Giggles erupt at Lucy’s table, and the energy in the room swells. Heads swivel to the rear entrance where a group of Earth Force officers is filling in.
    Cole bumps me on the shoulder. “Those are the quantum aeronauts.”
    I can barely believe it. We’re in the same room with the actual aeronauts. There’s Edgar Han. And Malaina Suarez. It’s like watching EFAN, but it’s happening right in front of us. Soon a whole line of aeronauts stretches across the back of the mess hall. They’re young and lean and fierce-looking. Well, except for the older guy at the end who isn’t wearing a uniform. I recognize him from last night. He’s the man who calmed Mira down.
    Another officer strides in alone. Sharp intakes of breath ripple through the mess hall. A girl at the next table says, “Ohmygoodness-ohmygoodness-ohmygoodess.”
    Please. Spare me. Maximilian Sheek has arrived, fashionably late, of course. His hair is even higher in person. Lucy whispers to the girls at her table, and they all burst out laughing.
    â€œGood morning, Bounders,” Florine says. For the first time in maybe ever, she actually sounds enthused. She continues talking in an odd, lilting voice as she hurries across the mess hall. “It is my greatest pleasure to introduce to you the true stars of Earth Force, starting with this gentleman right here, Maximilian Sheek.” She grabs Sheek’s hand and drags him back through the crowd of Bounder-filled tables to the front of the