Free Crash Landing by Zac Harrison Page B

you’ve caught up with the rest of the class.”
    John nodded. Maths had been easy. Numbers were the same throughout the universe and he had always been top of his class at maths. His talent had been the reason Wortham Court School had offered him a free place. Zepp had introduced him to some new mathematical ideas, but they hadn’t taken long to understand.
    But the other subjects were a problem. Before he could even start the mountain of homework various teachers had handed out, he had had to start from scratch in almost every subject, beginning with work the other students had covered years before. Even with Zepp patiently explaining, it had been a struggle. John was sure all the information he was trying to fit inside his head would soon make it explode.
    “Let’s just go over these chapters on the early development of hyperspace technology again, then we’ll make a start on the history of the First Galactic Council,” said Zepp.
    As pages he had already read three times reappeared on screen, John muttered under his breath and leant in closer, hand poised over his ThinScreen to take notes.
    An hour later the screen went blank. “Lunchtime,” Zepp announced. “Let’s pick up from here after you’ve had something to eat.”
    “Are you sure you don’t mind helping me? I’m sure you’ve got more important things to do.”
    Zepp said, “My processors are more than capable of multitasking. Who did you think was flying the ship while I was tutoring you? I am very happy to assist you in any way I can.”
    “Actually, there is something else...” said John.
    By now, John was finding his way around the vast ship more easily. Instead of taking a TravelTube to the canteen, he returned to his own room. It was empty.
    “Good, Kaal’s at lunch,” he said, taking his old clothes out of the locker and getting changed. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he checked over his shoulder. Only a blank wall. There was nothing that could give away the fact that he was on a spaceship and not at a school in Derbyshire. “Ready, Zepp?” he whispered.
    “Patching in to the internet. It’s ridiculously slow,” Zepp replied. “Ah, here we are – Skype.”
    The entertainment screen by John’s bed switched on, showing the Skype homepage. Zepp had already put in a call. Far across the universe, a mouse clicked “Answer”.
    “John! Is that you?”
    His mum’s face appeared on the screen. John blinked and tried a smile. “Hi, Mum. It’s great to see you.”
    “It’s good to see you, too,” she replied.
    His dad appeared next to her. They were both in their dressing gowns, but John had no way of knowing whether it was morning or night-time on Earth. “Hello, son. How’s Wortham Court?”
    “OK,” said John. Wishing he could tell his parents the truth about his new school, he added, “But I’m way behind. Spending most of my time catching up in the library.”
    His parents glanced at each other, frowning. “But you did well at your last school, you shouldn’t be that far behind,” said his dad.
    John shrugged. “There are a lot of new subjects.”
    “Are you settling in yet —” his mother asked.
    “Have you made any friends?” his father cut in.
    John had been planning to tell his parents that everything was fine, but seeing them reminded him again of how much he missed home. His smile faded. “Friends?” he said, realizing that he’d hardly spoken to Kaal, or anyone else apart from Zepp, for the last week. “Yes, I think so. But everyone here is... umm... different. I’m not sure I fit in.”
    “Different how?” asked his dad.
    For a second John wondered what would happen if he told his parents he was sharing a room with a two-metre-tall alien who looked exactly like a demon. Wishing he hadn’t said anything, he mumbled, “Oh, you know, just people I haven’t met before.”
    “You look unhappy, John,” said his mum with another frown. “You can always come home if you don’t like the