[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.He also appeared to have a sense of humour.I bet he turns out to be a dick, thought Pan.The attractive ones always turn out to be dicks.She was unexpectedly nervous when it was her turn to speak.She kept it brief and then surprised herself when it came time to outline her skills.‘I find things,’ she said.‘Sorry?’ said Wei-Lin.‘You find things?’Pan regretted her words immediately.In fact, she had no idea she was going to say anything at all about her hunches, her intuition, until the words spilled from her mouth.Maybe it was nerves.Now she felt the eyes of the rest of the group on her and felt obliged to continue.‘It’s just that.well, I seem to know things other people don’t.So when someone loses something I can often tell them where it is.No big deal, or anything.Lost keys, that sort of thing.’ Pan could feel her face flush.Why did I bring up this crap? she thought.‘You mean you’re psychic?’ asked Nate.‘N.No,’ Pan stammered.‘I get hunches, that’s all.Feelings.And sometimes those feelings turn out to be.It’s hard to describe.Look, forget it.I don’t have any skills.Not really.’Silence.Then Nate laughed.He lifted his hands and made wavy motions with his fingers.‘Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo,’ he chuckled.‘Welcome to the Twilight Zone.’But it wasn’t said nastily.Pan found herself smiling, though when she glanced up she noticed a sneer on Jen’s face.There was nothing friendly about her expression.Wei-Lin clapped her hands together.‘Okay, everyone,’ she said.‘I think we are in need of a break.Please collect your backpacks and change of clothes and follow me.I’ll show you where we’ll all be sleeping and then take you to the canteen for what passes for lunch.I know you have loads of questions and I’ll answer as many as I can while we eat.After lunch, we’ll go to our first and last lesson of the day.Actually, it’s not really a lesson as such.I’ve arranged for us to observe a weapons-training class with Mr Gwynne to give you some idea of the curriculum.Lessons proper will start tomorrow.After that, we’ll come back here and I’ll finish this orientation by answering your remaining questions as best I can.All clear? Then let’s go.’They all packed the clothes, strapped on their watches and hefted the packs onto their backs.Wei-Lin led the way out of the building.A pale sun had emerged from between the clouds and caused Pan to narrow her eyes.She followed the Chinese girl down a rough track leading towards the distant wall.After a couple of minutes, Pan noticed that Nate was walking at her side.He was smiling broadly.‘You find things, huh?’ he said.‘Sometimes,’ replied Pan.‘Excellent.I think I’ve lost my mind.Any idea where I could find it?’Chapter 4‘This is where we girls will be sleeping,’ said Wei-Lin.‘Dormitory D.The boys are next door in E.We’re sharing our sleeping quarters with other groups, so you’ll find most of the beds are already taken.I suggest you find yourself a bunk and put your backpack on it.Stake your claim.’The dormitories were grouped together, about twenty of them.A fence separated the boys’ from the girls’ areas, though it wasn’t a high fence and seemed to be more a symbolic barrier than anything else.Each building had a large capital letter printed on the roof.The dormitories were constructed of corrugated iron, each one painted a bilious primary colour.‘Cheerful,’ said Nate.‘Hey, once we’ve checked in, how about meeting up at the poolside bar and ordering a few pina coladas?’‘Be sure to let me know if you find the pool,’ said Wei-Lin.‘I haven’t stumbled across it yet.’‘What’s with the segregation?’ Nate asked.‘I thought we were a team.Live together, work together, sleep together.’‘In your dreams,’ said Sam.‘I mean,’ Nate continued, ‘with only a few thousand of us left, I would have thought we should all be getting on with the grim task of re-populating the planet.It’s a dirty job, but I want it placed on record that I’m prepared to do my bit for the sake of humanity’s future.I’m happy to take one for the team [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]