Shadow Fire (39 page)
Authors: Kimber Leigh Wheaton
"I wasn't gone for that long."
"Maybe not long for you, but I was counting down the days. I've been keeping track on my calendar. And now you're going again." She sank back into her chair and pouted. "I wish I went to boarding school too. There's nobody here I can hang out with, unless you count the guards, and they're no fun. All they ever want to do is stun things and eat doughnuts." Samarra sighed despondently. "Online school isn't the same as being in a room full of kids my own age, with a living breathing teacher instead of a robot. Robots are the most boring teachers in the world. The short ones are the worst. They drone on and on… Have you ever asked one what it dreams about? It stops responding and shuts down because it can never understand the question. It's sick!"
Cassian chuckled and dragged his chair closer to her. "Going to school down south isn't as great as you think. The seasons are all back to front, and the toilets flush the wrong way. I don't get to see much of anything because the teachers never let us leave the property. They say it's too dangerous. I spend my time on the school grounds, and that gets boring fast. There's nobody there as fun as you. I missed you too."
Samarra punched him lightly on the arm, grinning broadly. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."
"No, I'm not." Cassian stood up and buttoned his jacket. "I better find Mr. Sairfang. And you should do something about the stairs." He hugged her goodbye. "See you in a couple of days."
Samarra waved him off. Like a gust of wind, her brother had rushed in and out of her life once again.
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