The Incredible Space Raiders from Space! Read Online Free PDF Page B

rubbed his eyes again. “Time to train again already?”
    Willona shook her head. “Not quite. It’s dinnertime.”
    She led him down the hallway, and Jonah just kept blinking sleepily. He really could have used a few more hours of sleep. Willona took him to the cafeteria, then turned to him and smiled.
    â€œWelcome to the ISR.”
    She slid the door open, and Jonah’s eyes widened. The cafeteria was packed with Space Raiders, and they all cheered and clapped as soon as Willona and Jonah stepped through the door. He saw Jemma and Alex and even the girl with the tangled black hair and dimples.
    â€œWhat’s this all about?” Jonah asked, looking around in amazement.
    The cafeteria didn’t look like the one at Pinewood Academy. It was about five times the size of Jonah’s room, and it was made of the same rusted gray metal as the rest of the ship. There were some old stained white cupboards and a sink pressed against one of the walls, as well as four big metal tables to sit at, but Jonah wasn’t sure that made it a cafeteria. Large boxes stacked in the corner were labeled RATIONS.
    â€œAlex told the lieutenant about your run-in with the Shrieker and how your quick thinking saved his life,” Willonasaid, grinning from ear to ear. “He’s decided to give you a Badge of Bravery. On your first day! It’s unheard of. So we’re having a little celebration. Go on.”
    Jonah rubbed his eyes again and walked into the cafeteria, where Alex greeted him with a big smile and a salute. The other Space Raiders slapped him on the back and shook his hand, including the girl with dimples. Jonah felt himself blushing. No one outside of his parents had ever congratulated him before. Once, one of his teachers said “good work” when he won a school science fair, but that wasn’t really the same thing.
    A tall boy with dark skin and a shaved head walked up to Jonah and saluted. He looked about fourteen, but he walked and saluted like a real soldier.
    â€œThis is Lieutenant Gordon,” Willona said. “Leader of Sector Three.”
    The lieutenant shook Jonah’s hand. “Congratulations, Jonah the Now Incredible. You’re clearly going to make a great Space Raider. Jemma will sew your Badge of Bravery on first thing tomorrow. You should be very proud. How about another cheer?”
    The assembled Space Raiders cheered, and Jonah just smiled stupidly and let himself be led to a seat at one of the tables. They ate disgusting bean bars and drank stale water from the tap, but it was one of the best dinners of Jonah’s life.
    The Space Raiders smiled and talked to him andtreated him like he was part of the family. Alex told the story of their trip to the Haunted Passage over and over again, and each time it got more and more dangerous and exciting. No one seemed to mind.
    By the end, Jonah was basically staring the Shrieker in the eye and fending off its terrible claws as he pushed Alex into the grate and dove in headfirst after him.
    The dimpled girl kept glancing over, causing Jonah’s cheeks to burn red hot every single time. No girl had ever looked at him on Earth. Well, his sister looked at him all the time, but usually just to tell him to comb his hair.
    When everyone was done eating, a boy shouted, “Speech! Speech!”
    The shout was taken up by everyone in the room, until Jonah was forced to stand up. He felt his cheeks burning extra hot now. He hated public speaking.
    â€œUhh . . . ,” he started awkwardly. He tried to think back to things his parents had taught him. Ah. Always start by thanking someone. “Thank you, everyone, for the party.”
    The Spaced Raiders clapped and cheered. So far so good, he thought.
    â€œAnd, uhh . . . thanks to Alex and Willona for training me so far.”
    They both beamed. Jonah tried to think of something else to say. He couldn’t remember what he was supposed