pretend like every crew is squeaky clean. But you don't have to worry about that for a long time, either. How about we get you settled in?"
He hopped down from the window and showed Ced where he'd be staying, a two-bedroom apartment currently housing three other boys. There was a screen in the common room, but not in the bedrooms. At least it had its own bathroom. After that, Benson took him down to the cafeteria, a sprawling room that took up most of the north face of the third floor. Last, he showed Ced to studies, a bank of rooms on the fourth floor they could use to work on their assignments. It had net access, too, but the devices were set into the desks, and Benson said there was a lot of stuff you couldn't get to.
He took Ced back to his apartment and withdrew a tiny device. "This is your ID. It'll give you your schedule and assignments. Don't think you'll have any of those for a few days. In the meantime, get used to your new digs. If you've got any problems, come see me, okay?"
Ced accepted the little device. "Okay."
Benson smiled down at him. "You might be thinking you don't want to be here. That it would be pretty easy to run away. You're right—it would be easy to run. But you will be found."
He clapped Ced on the shoulder and walked away.
His roommates were all gone, and there was nothing to do in his room, so Ced went down to studies and fooled around on the net. Other kids came and went. Some wore blue and white, some wore street clothes, and others wore bland gray stuff like him. Nobody paid him any mind.
His device pinged. Dinnertime. He walked downstairs and into the cafeteria, which was now crowded and noisy. He got in line and picked up a tray. The workers made him scan his ID, then gave him a pile of yellow stuff, a pile of green stuff, and a sausage sandwich. No one invited him to sit, so he plunked down at an empty table.
A hand darted in and plucked up his sandwich. A boy walked away, chowing down. He was about ten years old and his head was shaved on the sides. A few people were watching Ced, faces blank. The boy didn't look back. Not wanting to cause trouble on his very first day, Ced ate his sludge and went back to his room.
In the morning, when he went down to eat, the boy with the half-shaved head took his bagel. Nobody said anything. The boy stole from him so casually. Was this how they did things here? Then what was to stop them from taking everything on his tray? Face burning with anger and embarrassment, he ate what he had left as fast as he could.
Benson found him after breakfast. Ced thought it was going to be about the sandwich and the bagel, but Benson had an assignment. He wanted Ced to take a pack to Urden Fountain. A girl named Yak would be going with him.
"This is going to be real simple," Benson said. "Walk to the bench on the north end of the fountain. Sit down and put the package beside you. Wait there until our contact arrives to pick up the package."
"Then what?"
"Then nothing," Benson said. "Then you come home."
"What does Yak do?"
"Makes sure you don't screw up."
"What's in the package?" Ced said.
"A python with a real sweet tooth for little kids," Benson said. "So whatever you do, don't open it. Now go on."
Ced left with Yak. The street felt funny, foreign. At least the pack was light. Not that he'd believed Benson about the python, but it was still a relief that the package wasn't moving, either. He went down to the tube and got on the shuttle. Thinking Yak was called that because she was a barfer, he edged away from her every time the shuttle lurched, but over the course of the day, he came to suspect it was a joke about how she never, ever said anything.
He got to the fountain, sat on the bench, and set down the pack. After a while, a woman sat down, picked up the pack as she thumbed through her device, and walked off. Ced and Yak rode back to the Dragons' building.
"That was easy," he told Benson.
Benson raised an eyebrow. "Would you prefer something
He hopped down from the window and showed Ced where he'd be staying, a two-bedroom apartment currently housing three other boys. There was a screen in the common room, but not in the bedrooms. At least it had its own bathroom. After that, Benson took him down to the cafeteria, a sprawling room that took up most of the north face of the third floor. Last, he showed Ced to studies, a bank of rooms on the fourth floor they could use to work on their assignments. It had net access, too, but the devices were set into the desks, and Benson said there was a lot of stuff you couldn't get to.
He took Ced back to his apartment and withdrew a tiny device. "This is your ID. It'll give you your schedule and assignments. Don't think you'll have any of those for a few days. In the meantime, get used to your new digs. If you've got any problems, come see me, okay?"
Ced accepted the little device. "Okay."
Benson smiled down at him. "You might be thinking you don't want to be here. That it would be pretty easy to run away. You're right—it would be easy to run. But you will be found."
He clapped Ced on the shoulder and walked away.
His roommates were all gone, and there was nothing to do in his room, so Ced went down to studies and fooled around on the net. Other kids came and went. Some wore blue and white, some wore street clothes, and others wore bland gray stuff like him. Nobody paid him any mind.
His device pinged. Dinnertime. He walked downstairs and into the cafeteria, which was now crowded and noisy. He got in line and picked up a tray. The workers made him scan his ID, then gave him a pile of yellow stuff, a pile of green stuff, and a sausage sandwich. No one invited him to sit, so he plunked down at an empty table.
A hand darted in and plucked up his sandwich. A boy walked away, chowing down. He was about ten years old and his head was shaved on the sides. A few people were watching Ced, faces blank. The boy didn't look back. Not wanting to cause trouble on his very first day, Ced ate his sludge and went back to his room.
In the morning, when he went down to eat, the boy with the half-shaved head took his bagel. Nobody said anything. The boy stole from him so casually. Was this how they did things here? Then what was to stop them from taking everything on his tray? Face burning with anger and embarrassment, he ate what he had left as fast as he could.
Benson found him after breakfast. Ced thought it was going to be about the sandwich and the bagel, but Benson had an assignment. He wanted Ced to take a pack to Urden Fountain. A girl named Yak would be going with him.
"This is going to be real simple," Benson said. "Walk to the bench on the north end of the fountain. Sit down and put the package beside you. Wait there until our contact arrives to pick up the package."
"Then what?"
"Then nothing," Benson said. "Then you come home."
"What does Yak do?"
"Makes sure you don't screw up."
"What's in the package?" Ced said.
"A python with a real sweet tooth for little kids," Benson said. "So whatever you do, don't open it. Now go on."
Ced left with Yak. The street felt funny, foreign. At least the pack was light. Not that he'd believed Benson about the python, but it was still a relief that the package wasn't moving, either. He went down to the tube and got on the shuttle. Thinking Yak was called that because she was a barfer, he edged away from her every time the shuttle lurched, but over the course of the day, he came to suspect it was a joke about how she never, ever said anything.
He got to the fountain, sat on the bench, and set down the pack. After a while, a woman sat down, picked up the pack as she thumbed through her device, and walked off. Ced and Yak rode back to the Dragons' building.
"That was easy," he told Benson.
Benson raised an eyebrow. "Would you prefer something
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