S.W. Tanpepper's GAMELAND, Season One Omnibus Read Online Free Page A

But before I could argue about it there was a knock on the door. “Jess?” It was my grandfather. “Come out here, young lady, and finish your dinner.”
    â€œ Just a sec,” I yelled. “Ash, I got to go.” I lowered my voice to a whisper and added, “You know how the Colonel gets.”
    â€œ Yes sir!” Ash said, giggling. “I’ll get right on spit shining my dinner plate with my tongue, sir!”
    I laughed and told her I’d think about it, then we disconnected.
    When I stepped out of the bathroom, Grandpa was just making his way back down the hallway. He turned and gave me a stern look and told me to go finish my dinner. I was so excited that I almost shouted, “Yes sir!” just like Ash had done.
    I love Grandpa, but there’s one thing you never do and that’s antagonize him. You take your life into your own hands. The only reason Eric gets away with it is because he’s just as bullheaded as Grandpa is.
    And, honestly? I think Grandpa’s a little afraid of him.
    â€  † †
    It’s a beautiful August morning by the time I leave the house for the dojang. The sun’s still low on the horizon and it’s not too muggy out. Not yet, anyway. The cicadas are singing in the trees. I almost feel like skipping all the way there.
    The studio opens at seven, though I usually don’t show up until around eight thirty. This morning, however, I’d been too wound up to sleep in, as thoughts about actually getting to see a part of the Forbidden Zones suddenly take on a more realistic feel to them. I’m earlier than usual—only the third person to arrive—so I’m left without a sparring partner and will have to wait.
    Kwanjangnim Rupert is with some guy I don’t know, a green belt. They’re walking off the mat as I sign in, looking like they’ve just finished up their first sparring exercises. They go straight into their meditations. I can hear the master talking about Yu , the water principle: “The stream flows around and surrounds its obstacles,” he quietly says, “and so passes them. Dripping water patiently makes its way through the hardest stone. This is how your strength flows in and through and around your opponents.”
    I smile privately, thinking about the coincidence that the kwanjangnim’s message for today would be about water, since that was all Ash could talk about last night. But while Yu teaches us patience and flow, one thing it doesn’t explain is how to breathe in an airless environment. If the tunnels turn out to be a valid option, then we’ll have to figure out how to get through them.
    As far as I know, none of the five of us has ever been scuba diving. In fact, I’ve never even been snorkeling, except in the neighbor’s pool when I was five, but that doesn’t really count.
    I settle on the bench and pull out my Link and ping Kelly to see if he’s awake yet. It sends me straight to his message box, so he’s either playing or still asleep.
    â€œ Sunbae,” Kwanjangnim Rupert calls over at me, startling me out of my thoughts. He walks over and stands before me with his hands on his hips. I exit the app and slide the Link into my bag. I’ll try again later or just stop by his house after I’m done here.
    â€œ Yes sir!” I shout, as I jump to my feet.
    â€œ You’re early.” He smiles knowingly. I have a reputation for being a late-sleeper.
    â€œ I wanted to get today’s exercises out of the way, Kwanjangnim.”
    He gives me a strange look and asks, “What could be more important than your training?”
    I quickly backtrack. “I mean, it looks like it’s going to be another hot one today. I figured I’d beat the crowds.”
    â€œ Is this the beginning of a new Jessie?”
    The boy looks up from where he’s stretching on the mat and his eyes widen. He’s tall for his age, blond,