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

wish my uniform fit better—Drake had
     hurriedly ordered a uniform tailored to fit me, but it’s still not quite right, and
     the sleeves bunch loosely around my wrists. I hope it isn’t too noticeable.
    “I’m on scholarship,” I say, careful to keep my voice calm, just like how Metias taught
     me.
    “Oh, is that so?” The boy opens his mouth in an expression of mock admiration. “Congratulations,
     little girl—did they take pity on you because of what happened to your parents? Well,
     we all know how you really got in. If your last name wasn’t Iparis and your brother
     didn’t slip a wad of cash to the admin officials, and if they didn’t fake your talents
     for some sensationalist news, I bet you’d still be sitting in your little grade school
     chair.”
    They’ll say things to provoke you,
Metias told me.
But don’t let yourself be the first to throw a punch. Don’t let them get the best
     of you.
Not that I’m actually strong enough to take anyone down, of course, but Metias’s
     words help keep my temper from bubbling over. I take a deep breath. “It doesn’t sound
     too different from how
you
must have gotten in,” I say, looking him up and down. His smile wavers—the crowd
     shifts uneasily, and several laugh at the idea of a twelve-year-old talking back to
     a six-foot-tall sophomore. “Your hands look too soft to have handled enough weapons
     over the years, and your buzz cut is too long. That would never pass in an inspection.
     In order for you to have received your ranking today with such a lazy haircut, I bet
your
parents paid off some admins.”
    The boy’s mouth quivers in irritation. He takes a step toward me and raises a hand.
     At first it looks like he might hit me, but he probably realizes that would look bad.
     So instead he tries to push me over. I see his hand coming long before he can do it,
     and I dodge him effortlessly. It throws him off balance; he stumbles forward a step.
     I can’t help smiling a little—what a slow soldier. Maybe everything I said
was
correct; maybe he did bribe his way into the university after all.
    He whirls on me. This time, the irritation in his eyes gives way to rage. He lunges
     for me again—his fist flies toward me. I dance out of the way again. More and more
     spectators have rushed over to watch (I wonder if this sophomore is known on campus
     for pushing others around), and as they look on with wide eyes, I dodge a third strike
     from the boy. This time I whirl around behind his back, and when he flinches, thinking
     I’m going to strike, he trips over his own feet. He falls onto the pavement and scrapes
     up one of his cheeks. His friends have stopped laughing, but giggles do come from
     several of the other onlookers.
    The boy hops to his feet and tries again—this time in earnest, his eyes intense with
     concentration. I duck and roll, then dart to the side, then spin in a circle—all of
     his intended blows breeze right past me. My confidence starts to rise as some in the
     crowd watch me with fascination.
This isn’t so hard,
I think as I tease the boy, hiding behind his back on light feet.
If this is all I have to worry about on campus, then—
    My confidence distracts me too much. When I’m not careful, the boy finally catches
     me on my shoulder and sends me tumbling to the ground. I land hard on my back, and
     all the air in my lungs rushes out in one
whoosh
. He’s going to hit me again. But before I can dodge my way out of this one, someone
     comes rushing into our makeshift circle.
    “What’s going on here?” a voice barks above me. Instantly the crowd scatters. “Cadets!
     Back to business, all of you—have you all forgotten the reports against you for tardiness?
Get to your classes!
”
    I wince as I get to my feet. My shoulder feels like it ran right into a brick wall.
     I suppose it’s not that far off, actually. The person who broke up our fight looks
     like a young officer, and now she folds her arms and