Life Before Legend: Stories of the Criminal and the Prodigy Read Online Free PDF Page A

hours, and my stomach has started growling. Beside me, the other students
     (all at least a year ahead of me, judging from the colors of their uniforms’ stripes,
     which means I’ve seated myself with the sophomores instead of the freshmen) look unbothered.
     Maybe older students don’t get hungry so early in the day. I feel a little embarrassed,
     then try to forget about food. A couple of the students cast smirks and raised eyebrows
     in my direction, emphasizing the fact that I don’t look like I belong. I stay in my
     seat, my back straight, and try to remind myself of what Metias said.
Keep your chin up, don’t be intimidated.
    Orientation finally ends and we all start heading off to our first class of the day.
     I stay toward the back of a group of students and let my earpiece tune into the campus’s
     map. The place is huge—at least ten times the size of my high school—and I quickly
     make note of which buildings the students in my grade level are clustering around.
     If I get lost on campus today, at least I’ll know which buildings will probably have
     my classes.
    Suddenly, someone shoves me from behind. I stumble forward and barely catch myself
     before hitting the pavement, but in the process I knock over another student. We both
     tumble down. “I’m sorry,” I gasp out, scrambling back onto my feet and reaching a
     hand out to the other girl. She takes it gratefully. But when she sees who pushed
     us, she just shifts her eyes away and leaves me behind. I frown. When I turn around,
     I see a boy (sophomore level, judging by the gold stripes running along his uniform’s
     sleeves, which means he’s at least seventeen years old) with his head thrown back,
     laughing at the expression on my face. He keeps walking with a group of his friends.
     “Sorry,” he says as he brushes past me, his shoulder purposely knocking me off balance.
     “Didn’t see you.”
    I bite my lip as snickers rise from those nearby. Only a few actually look at me sympathetically,
     and when I do meet their eyes, they dart away. Just like the girl I’d helped up. I
     grit my teeth. It isn’t as if I’m new to teasing, but throughout grade and high school,
     I knew to let the taunts slide and keep a low profile in order to survive. I became
     an expert at evasion, and it worked . . . back then. But this isn’t high school—this
     is Drake University. I already know that I can’t go through Drake’s training by keeping
     my temper down and taking the punishment. I am officially a soldier-in-training; I’m
     going to fight for the Republic someday. And even though this boy is easily the same
     height as my brother, I can’t let him push me around on day one and then expect Drake
     to see me as a potential officer—especially not with all of these students looking
     on. I have to start earning my respect today.
    Metias’s words come back to me.
Stick up for yourself, like how I taught you.
He’d started training me early, after I came home one day with a black eye and a
     gash on my arm.
    So instead of letting the boy who pushed me walk right on past, I hurl an insult back
     at him. “Get some glasses, then. A blind person could’ve seen me walking there.”
    The boy looks at me, his eyebrows raised in surprise, the conversation with his friends
     paused in midair. I swallow hard. Suddenly I wonder if I made the right choice—but
     it’s too late now.
    “You’re that twelve-year-old, aren’t you? June Iparis?” he finally says, his hands
     in his pockets. The tight smile on his lips reminds me of twisted wire. When I hesitate,
     he tilts his chin at me. “Well, speak up. Why so shy now?”
    “Yes, that’s me,” I reply.
    “They did say you were a cocky one, thinking you’re a big shot now that you’ve made
     it into Drake on account of your family’s money.”
    A small crowd of curious students have gathered around us, and the boy’s gang of friends
     are making some sort of joke at my expense. I