Light Years Read Online Free

staid, but last year two students were brutally beaten. They were in the hospital for weeks.” She leaned in. “The police never caught the man who did it. They said it was a fraternity hazing gone wrong, but I don’t believe that for a second. Whoever did it is still out there.”
    I made a suitably concerned face. These people might as well have been from Mars.
    “Now, Sissy, don’t go giving the girl nightmares.”
    I tried to imagine what kind of person would develop nightmares from a story like that. I just couldn’t picture it.
    “I just think you need to be aware,” she said carefully. “Both of you. Try to stick together.”
    That evening, as Payton and I settled in for our first night together, Payton sighed and stretched.
    “I think this year is going to be great,” she said. “I was really scared before I came here, but now I’m finally getting excitedabout all this.” She stretched and sighed. “Yeah, this year is going to be great.”
    I smiled at her in the dark but didn’t say anything.
    I didn’t think this year could be any worse than the last, but you never knew for sure, did you?

Chapter Two

I SRAEL
    My high school buddies and I were at our favorite hangout, a café and bar on the beach. Our usual table on the deck was full of our empty glasses and wet napkins. It was only a few weeks before we were scheduled to begin basic training. We tried to be cool and nonchalant, legs sprawled, arms casually folded.
    “You know, it’s up to us now,” Alon said. “We’re the great Israeli hope. Saddam and Arafat won’t know what hit them once we sign up.”
    We all laughed loudly.
    “Yeah, they’ll be like, why is that tank pointing the wrong way, right?” Daphna said.
    “Oh yeah,” David said. “Heck, yeah. They’ll be like—why is that redheaded soldier holding his rifle upside down?” He high-fived Alon, who was infamous at the arcade for shooting aliens, robbers, and vampires holding his gun upside down.
    We whooped and cheered. We clinked our Diet Cokes.
    Life was good. I was excited.
    The day I packed for boot camp, my brother Adam leaned against the doorframe of my bedroom and watched me for a while.
    “I still can’t believe you’re going,” he said, shaking his head.
    “I know.” I flashed him a quick grin.
    “Are you nervous?”
    “Naw.”
    “Bullshit.”
    I laughed. “All right, then,” I said. “I guess you know best.”
    “I can’t wait to go,” he said fiercely. At fifteen, he hadn’t hit his growth spurt. It bothered him, made him feel he had to prove how tough he was.
    “Your time will come,” I said. “Everyone goes.” I sat back on my heels, looking at the piles of T-shirts, shorts, and socks around me. “And you’ll give Mom a heart attack and Dad an ulcer by volunteering for some crazy combat unit.”
    He grinned at me and looked so young I felt my heart squeeze.
    “I’m going to miss you,” I said.
    “Yeah, Maya, me too.” His voice was a bit husky, a hint of things to come. “Don’t be scared. You’ll be okay.”
    I stopped and looked at him. His hair was gelled in spikes and he was wearing baggy jeans and high-top sneakers scribbled with Magic Marker. Skater cool.
    “Thanks, Adam,” I said quietly.
    “Any time.” Then a look crossed his face that I knew so well.
    “What? What evil thought did you just have?”
    He had that smug tilt to his smile.
    “What?” I asked again.
    “Well, I was just going to say I hope you become a bad-ass soldier.…”
    “Yeah?”
    “Not a big-ass soldier.”
    It was common knowledge that many girls gained weight during their military service. They’d fill out their assigned uniforms until the seams stretched near bursting. I threw my pillow at him and missed. It went sailing over his shoulder. He laughed at me and ran out, suddenly a kid again.
    That night, my mother cooked my favorite meal, noodles with meat sauce. Kipi, our dog, sat near me and I slipped her the big chunks of meat from my