Sirius Academy (Jezebel's Ladder) Read Online Free PDF Page A

had
someone to room with. I’m alone enough as it is. Because of the space crunch,
they have me assigned to some broom closet in the nurses’ quarters.”
    “Private quarters?” said the
roommate “I’d take that in a heartbeat, even if I had to sleep standing up.”
    “When she says sleeping, she means .
. .” Risa said suggestively.
    “What?” asked Red.
    “I have a Senior boyfriend who I
never get to be alone with,” explained the older girl.
    “I’m sorry; my last friend was my
sparring partner.” Red left off the bit about her leaving to train for the
Olympics. “You’ll have to spell this out.”
    “S-e-x,” Risa spelled.
    The roommate demanded, “Do you want
to trade or not?”
    “Definitely,” said Red. “Risa and I
. . .” But the other girl was already gone to claim her new room.
    “It’s short for Sonrisa,” said her
new friend. “It’s Spanish for laughter. My mom always says, ‘men plan, and God
laughs.’”
    Red snorted. “I truncated mine,
too.”
    “What’s Red short for?”
    Red scanned her watch for
indications of bugs. Finding none, she said, “You can’t tell anyone.”
    “I swear by the Virgin.”
    “Redemption.”
    Risa nodded. “Yeah. I guess the
name got popular after that story in Time Magazine .”
    “Yeah. Well Dad was the religious
one. But we never went to church—too dangerous.”
    “Someone tried to kill him?”
    “Lots. But he was worried about the
other people attending. Dad said he couldn’t live with himself if someone blew
up a church to get to him. He was the real deal. People were always mad at him
for taking a stand of some kind.”
    Risa nodded. “My father’s a
politician, too. My family goes on Sundays and holy days of obligation so
people can see us attending, but he doesn’t live it. He steals millions
but smacks me for swearing. Hypocrite. I’d love to meet your father over the
next break.”
    “He didn’t last a year after Mom
died. He missed her so much, doted on her. As far as I know they never spent a
night apart, even when she was in the hospital.”
    Risa sighed. “I want a marriage
like that. My dad has a mistress now.”
    Their chat was interrupted by a
pounding on the door. “Security!” When Risa opened the door, the guard looked
inside and announced, “Found her.”
    The guard practically dragged Red
by the ear to the first floor of the main school building. Then he escorted her
to the martial-arts dojo, shoving her though the door and closing it behind
her. Professor Horvath was seething and no one wanted to be around to witness
the confrontation.
    Red gave her the once-over and
said, “You’re dying your hair now. Trying to cover the grey?”
    Horvath shouted, “What the hell do
you think you’re doing here?!” She didn’t use the name , not even in her
sanctum, not even this angry. “Do you think your flimsy cover is going to hold
together?”
    Locking eyes, the tomboy said,
“Yours did. I have a media shadow attending ladies’ finishing school in Paris. Even Grandma thinks I’m there.” The professor calmed a little and backed up for
another angle of attack.
    “You had a Stanford scholarship.
Your father was so proud.”
    “My father’s not here,” said the
girl. “You are.”
    The instructor closed her eyes,
waiting for the blow.
    In a soft voice, Red said, “You
abandoned our family when I was six.”
    “I had a husband to care for.”
    “So it was him over me?”
    “I tried to come back, but there
were . . . complications. You had other people who loved you.”
    “I lost everyone , except
that old harpy. You didn’t even come back for their funerals. You didn’t visit
once in ten years!”
    “It’s complicated.” Trina sat down
on the mat, her breathing irregular. “We need to call Rebecca. If she finds out
. . .”
    Red shook her head. “I’m emancipated now.”
    “How?”
    “I traded my board-of-directors’
vote to Grandma Rebecca for the next two years.”
    “ Mien Gott , that