Taz stopped, and looked warily at the speaker, a young
cadet with hair and eyes as dark as hers, lounging on one of
the upper bunks. Beyond him, several other cadets
bantered, mostly boys and seemingly uninterested in her
arrival. “Sí.”
“Well, that makes two of us,” he said in English,
grinning down at her. “Pedro Herrera. Nice to meet you...”
She was not in the mood to be friendly. “Taz,” she said,
and threw her jacket onto the bunk beneath his, the only
one not yet taken.
“That’s it? Taz?”
“Sí. That’s it.”
The cadet would not be deterred. “So who’s this superior
officer you’re on the rampage about? Got a boyfriend in the
League?”
“Maybe I do,” she said, tossing her braid over her
shoulder, annoyed at his nosiness. “And maybe he’ll kick
your ass if you try anything funny, Pedro Herrera.”
Pedro laughed. “As if I would! You think a lot of
yourself, don’t you, princess?”
Taz put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Forget
the boyfriend,” she said. “I’ll kick your ass myself.”
He looked at her skeptically, so she raised her chin. “Just
stay out of my way,” she spat, and disappeared into her new
bunk.
“Nice to meet you too,” she heard the cadet mutter. She
was clearly off to a great start.
Taz lay awake in her bunk for a long time that night,
listening to the breathing of eleven other cadets. She found
herself wishing instead for the familiar sound of Up snoring
- the idiota did snore, for all he insisted otherwise. She
should be happy – she was here, at the Academy, finally a
real G.L.E.E. cadet – but she felt more alone than ever.