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name?â Aadi asked as he moved over.
âMy name is Tacitus,â said the boy and put his tray on the table. Tacitus took everything off and neatly placed his tray under the table.
âHi, Tacitus. Where are you from? My name is Raiko Lee, but you can just call me Raiko, and this is Eirena Collington,â Raiko said to Tacitus as he sat down.
âI am from Alaska,â he said and started methodically eating, lifting his fork in perfect timing and symmetry. Aadi wondered how this kid moved so perfectly. They all kind of stared at Tacitus for a moment with their mouths slightly open in awe.
Scott shook his head and mouthed to Aadi, âWeird.â
âUm, I am from Georgia,â Raiko said.
âAadi, Damien, Dakota, and I live in the same neighborhood here in Florida. Raiko and I are roommates and just met on the trip,â said Eirena.
âUh⦠and why are you girls sitting at our table? I donât recall you being invited,â Damien said and slightly pushed at Eirena to move her over.
âBecause you are on our team, and we wanted to meet you before Simulation Class,â Eirena said and elbowed him back.
âWell, youâve met us, so leave,â said Damien. He stood up, turned to his left toward Eirena, leaned on the table, and put his nose within an inch of her face.
âLook, Damien, leave them alone. They arenât hurting anything, and they are staying. You can go if you want, though,â Aadi said sternly. He stared at Damien in silent warning. Damien turned to him, and his frown got deeper, as his eyes glared at Aadi.
âWhat are you going to do about it if I make them leave, Aadi?â Damien asked, glaring at Aadi. He moved his hands to his plate and grabbed a spoonful of pudding.
âIâm going to stop you,â Aadi said, deepening his voice and leaning on the table toward Damien.
âIâd like to see you try,â Damien said. He picked up a spoonful of pudding and flung it at Aadi. Just as Aadi ducked, Eirena tripped Damien with her right foot. Damien fell slightly to his right, giving her leverage to reach him, and she wrapped her right arm firmly around his neck.
âKnock it off before I embarrass you by beating your face in!â she said directly into his ear. Scott, Aadi, Raiko, and Dakota burst out and doubled over in laughter. Tacitus just didnât get the joke and stared at the scene, unaffected.
âDamien, I think Eirena can handle you and save me the trouble of beating your sorry behind,â Aadi laughed.
Damien pushed Eirena off of him. She slid onto the floor and caught herself in a crouch before she fell to her knees. âKiss off!â he said, and then sharply pushed his tray aside as he got up and left the lunchroom.
âDonât sweat him. He has a quick temper and a sour disposition all the time. It takes a long time to get used to it,â Aadi said and pushed his tray aside.
âWell, I donât like him because he is a cad, and I know before camp is over, I am going to kick his butt or have to stop you from doing it,â Scott said with a laugh. They all finished up their lunches and headed to their rooms to change for Processing.
After Aadi arrived at his room, he realized all the boys were there getting showered and dressed. There was a holographic sign on the wall above Aadiâs desk to shower and report to Processing in the name order shown on the screen. Aadi noticed that his name was last on the list, so he went to the computer to play a quick videogame while the rest of the guys got dressed and left.
Aadi looked around and noticed that all the boys were gone. He walked over to his bed, took off his shirt, and bent down to pick it up.
âEbu, you okay?â Aadi whispered.
âEbu here, but I am bored. Can I come out?â Ebu begged, crawling slightly out of the backpack.
âNo! I mean⦠I donât know if itâs safe. I have to go to Processing,
âMy name is Tacitus,â said the boy and put his tray on the table. Tacitus took everything off and neatly placed his tray under the table.
âHi, Tacitus. Where are you from? My name is Raiko Lee, but you can just call me Raiko, and this is Eirena Collington,â Raiko said to Tacitus as he sat down.
âI am from Alaska,â he said and started methodically eating, lifting his fork in perfect timing and symmetry. Aadi wondered how this kid moved so perfectly. They all kind of stared at Tacitus for a moment with their mouths slightly open in awe.
Scott shook his head and mouthed to Aadi, âWeird.â
âUm, I am from Georgia,â Raiko said.
âAadi, Damien, Dakota, and I live in the same neighborhood here in Florida. Raiko and I are roommates and just met on the trip,â said Eirena.
âUh⦠and why are you girls sitting at our table? I donât recall you being invited,â Damien said and slightly pushed at Eirena to move her over.
âBecause you are on our team, and we wanted to meet you before Simulation Class,â Eirena said and elbowed him back.
âWell, youâve met us, so leave,â said Damien. He stood up, turned to his left toward Eirena, leaned on the table, and put his nose within an inch of her face.
âLook, Damien, leave them alone. They arenât hurting anything, and they are staying. You can go if you want, though,â Aadi said sternly. He stared at Damien in silent warning. Damien turned to him, and his frown got deeper, as his eyes glared at Aadi.
âWhat are you going to do about it if I make them leave, Aadi?â Damien asked, glaring at Aadi. He moved his hands to his plate and grabbed a spoonful of pudding.
âIâm going to stop you,â Aadi said, deepening his voice and leaning on the table toward Damien.
âIâd like to see you try,â Damien said. He picked up a spoonful of pudding and flung it at Aadi. Just as Aadi ducked, Eirena tripped Damien with her right foot. Damien fell slightly to his right, giving her leverage to reach him, and she wrapped her right arm firmly around his neck.
âKnock it off before I embarrass you by beating your face in!â she said directly into his ear. Scott, Aadi, Raiko, and Dakota burst out and doubled over in laughter. Tacitus just didnât get the joke and stared at the scene, unaffected.
âDamien, I think Eirena can handle you and save me the trouble of beating your sorry behind,â Aadi laughed.
Damien pushed Eirena off of him. She slid onto the floor and caught herself in a crouch before she fell to her knees. âKiss off!â he said, and then sharply pushed his tray aside as he got up and left the lunchroom.
âDonât sweat him. He has a quick temper and a sour disposition all the time. It takes a long time to get used to it,â Aadi said and pushed his tray aside.
âWell, I donât like him because he is a cad, and I know before camp is over, I am going to kick his butt or have to stop you from doing it,â Scott said with a laugh. They all finished up their lunches and headed to their rooms to change for Processing.
After Aadi arrived at his room, he realized all the boys were there getting showered and dressed. There was a holographic sign on the wall above Aadiâs desk to shower and report to Processing in the name order shown on the screen. Aadi noticed that his name was last on the list, so he went to the computer to play a quick videogame while the rest of the guys got dressed and left.
Aadi looked around and noticed that all the boys were gone. He walked over to his bed, took off his shirt, and bent down to pick it up.
âEbu, you okay?â Aadi whispered.
âEbu here, but I am bored. Can I come out?â Ebu begged, crawling slightly out of the backpack.
âNo! I mean⦠I donât know if itâs safe. I have to go to Processing,
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