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all.
    â€œKritta?” Kaal said, as they entered the Center. “Do you . . . uh . . . want to find a table?”
    â€œSure!” she said. “How about that one? That looks big enough for all of us.”
    â€œOh, yes. All of us. That’s what I meant.”
    â€œBack in a sec, guys,” John told them. “I’m going to look around for Emmie.”
    â€œGood idea,” Kaal said, and sat down next to Kritta.
    John looked up and down the huge airy Center, which had already been returned to its usual look, trying to see Emmie’s silver hair among the crowds.
    She would have been with Mordant Talliver all morning, which meant plenty of chances for him to insult and bully her.
    John had a troubling suspicion that he’d find her in tears. Maybe she was even hiding in her dorm.
    But no — there she was, sitting on her own by the central lake, drinking something pink and foamy through a bendy straw, and looking perfectly fine! Even better than fine, John thought. He hurried over to join her.
    â€œHey!” she said happily. “How’s it going? Having fun with Galactic Battle?”
    â€œThey made me team leader!”
    â€œNo way!” she said, laughing.
    â€œI know. I was amazed, too.”
    â€œThat’s awesome! You’ll do great. I know you will.”
    â€œOh, it’s early yet,” John said hesitantly. “We’re a bit rough around the edges. Well, okay, we’re very rough. At least we haven’t had to call in the Meteor Medics . . . not so far, anyway.”
    Emmie shuddered. “Don’t talk about the Meteor Medics. I’m trying not to think about ending up in the medical wing.”
    â€œI thought zero-G acrobatics was safe?”
    â€œIt’s supposed to be. But check this out. For our Space Spectacular performance, they’re projecting a ZeBub on the stage. You know what that is, right?”
    â€œA zero-gravity bubble?” John guessed.
    â€œExactly! And we all get to fling each other around inside it, doing flips and somersaults and midair spins and cool stuff like that. Which is fine . . . so long as your partner doesn’t throw you out of the ZeBub. You know, by accident.” She gave John a significant look.
    John put two and two together. “Your partner wouldn’t happen to be Mordant Talliver, would it?”
    â€œHe’s our team leader,” she said, sighing. “So he got to choose.” She slurped her drink noisily. “I volunteered as leader, too, but Mordant dropped some nasty hints about ‘accidents’ that might happen if he wasn’t chosen. Nobody wanted to take the risk. Zero-G acrobatics is dangerous enough!”
    John’s flesh was crawling at the thought of Emmie’s life in Mordant Talliver’s hands. “Accidents,” Mordant had said. John knew all too well what that could mean.
    â€œHow’s he been with you lately?” John asked. “Is he still acting, you know, weird?”
    â€œThat’s the part I don’t understand!” Emmie whispered. “He’s being so nice!”
    John was about to tell her not to trust Mordant, especially if he was acting nice, but he never got the chance. Suddenly Mordant himself was at the table, appearing silently from out of the crowds. G-Vez bobbed along behind him, the obedient servant as always.
    â€œSorry to butt in,” Mordant said with a grin. “Emmie, we need to go. Afternoon practice starts in five minutes, remember? I said only twenty minutes for lunch.”
    â€œOh, no,” Emmie said, standing up. “I can’t believe it. I lost track of time!”
    Mordant patted her arm, which made John’s blood pressure skyrocket. He said to her in a smooth voice, “Don’t sweat it. I know I’m pushing the team hard. I just want us to wow every single person who comes to watch.”
    â€œYou’re not angry?”
    â€œOf course not. We’re