Bounders Read Online Free

enthusiasm.
    â€œYou’ll be bounding soon enough, kids,” she continues. “But don’t get ahead of yourselves. First you’ll be trained by the best quantum aeronauts, some of whom were bounding before you Bounders were even born. Your genes might give you superior aptitude for bounding, but aptitude is meaningless without hard work. And our ranks of quantum aeronauts have already put in years of hard work. You’ll do well to remember that.”
    Thanks for the lecture, Florine.
    â€œNow, what else was I supposed to tell you?” she says.
    Whispers flutter around me. A hunched hairy form in an Earth Force uniform approaches the podium. Oh wow, I’m pretty sure . . . Yep, it’s the Tunneler from the air rail. I’m glad he’s wearing his sunglasses, or the glare off the sea sure would be bugging him. He says something to Florine. Or I guess he grunts, and his translator box fills in the blanks.
    She waves him off, but he persists. Finally she covers the microphone with a long-nailed hand and spins to face him. She towers over the poor guy. I can’t hear her words, but I can tell the Tunneler is getting reamed. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that.
    A few tense seconds pass before she turns back to the microphone and smooths her black business suit. “I’ve been asked to announce that bags and belongings should be stacked behind the rope. Now say your farewells and prepare to board.”
    Dad joins the stream of parents flowing to the luggage dump. Around us, Bounders huddle with family, giving hugs and good-byes.
    Mom stares out to sea and bites her lip. When she faces me, her cheeks are damp. “Six weeks,” she says. “Then you’ll be home.”
    Who is she reminding? Me or her? “I love you, Mom.”
    Dad returns from depositing my bags. He grips my shoulder and bends down so his eyes line up with mine. “We’re proud of you, Jasper. Be safe.”
    â€œI will, Dad.”
    I turn to Addy. “So this is it.”
    She paints her face with a determined smile. “That Cole kid seems all right,” she whispers. “A good first friend. Stick with him. And pay attention! You better remember everything about the Academy and your tour of duty. I need to get ready for next year, okay?”
    â€œSure,” I say. “And, Addy, you always tell me not to care what other people think, right? Well, you shouldn’t either. Being a Bounder doesn’t change who you are. Remember that.”
    She tips her eyes to mine, and I hear her voice in my mind. You remember, too, Jasper. You, too.

    A straight-faced officer trades places with Florine Statton. “Welcome, families. I’m Lieutenant James Ridders. I need all the cadets to join me in front of the podium. We’ll be boarding momentarily.”
    Cole and I cross to the roped-off area along with the other Bounders. A few parents escort their children, but officers step in and wave them back as soon as they reach the ropes. A couple of kids cling to their parents. A few cry. I can’t watch. The massive lump in my throat returned as soon as I stepped away from my family, but I refuse to crumble. I’ve dreamed of this moment too many times not to be brave when it matters. I suck the salt-tinged air into my lungs and fix my eyes on the waves behind the passenger crafts, watching the spray jump onto the flight deck and roll back into the sea.
    Still, it’s hard not to look. A tall girl with a golden braid down her back jostles Cole and me as she darts for the front of the group, chased by her mother, who wedges past the officers.
    The girl moves lightly, like a scrap of paper in a breeze. She wears a pale-blue tank top and a silver chain. She holds her thin arms out by her sides, gently brushing her fingers against everything she passes. Every few strides, she twirls.
    â€œMira. Mira!” her mother yells. She holds the