Pronuk by Julie Steimle (reading e books .TXT) 📖

A Little Suggestion

“Quarrels would not last so long if the fault were only on one side”—anon—

 

 

 

Zormna practiced in the Pronuk room, hitting the small rubber ball with her gloved hand, pushing off the walls with a brisk forcible shove as she dived again for the hit. The ball ricocheted off the wall then flew to the ceiling. It struck a lit circle and bounced towards the floor. Flipping, she dived at the ball, slamming into the firm stone where she skidding nearly a foot. She struck the ball again, sending it back at the wall. She scrambled to her feet and slid again, waiting for the flying ball to bounce off the wall back at her.

The door behind her opened. Inside stepped a blond cadet three years older than Zormna, smirking as he watched her game.

“Frustrated at your loss today?” he asked with a simpering grin.

Zormna tipped and watched the ball fly over her head toward the boy behind her. He jumped to the side, letting the ball hit the wall behind him and fly back toward the Pronuk game wall. Zormna reached up, snatching the ball just as it flew over her.

“What do you want Cadet Lenn? You want to gloat? You aren’t the one who won.” Zormna folded her arms with a scowl just for him.

He smirked. “Yes, but you didn’t win, and that is all that matters. The perfect little Zormna Clendar, the Kevin’s favorite is beatable.”

Zormna shook her head with a roll of her dark green eyes and started to play again. “Cadet Kurtz isn’t gloating, and he’s the one that beat me. You just like to rub it in.”

Cadet Lenn stepped forward, still smirking. “Oh, come on. Doesn’t it hurt a little, knowing you aren’t the best at everything, Zormna? The best fighter, the best pilot, the best student…. Scrapes, they were going to hand you that award before the match. They expected you to win at Pronuk too.”

Zormna scowled. She stopped her game again, clenching the ball in her fist. “They expected nothing of the sort. What are you jealous of, Lenn? I work hard for what I do. Why don’t you try it?”

The cadet still smirked as he said, “That’s for imbeciles and cocky jerks like you to do. No point in wasting my time.”

Zormna growled and started to walk from the room. Cadet Lenn stepped in her way. Zormna tried to step around him, and he let her, but not without a parting word. 

“Cadet Kurtz would like to set up a rematch.”

Zormna stopped. She looked back at the smug cadet and narrowed her eyes. “You’re joking.”

Lenn shook his head.

“No joke. He’d like a match without all those officials watching.” He smirked and added, “I think he thinks that they intimidated you and it wasn’t a fair game.”

With a scowl she continued to walk out the room.

Cadet Lenn placed his arm across the doorway. Zormna halted.

“Well? You’ll take the offer?” he asked.

Zormna rolled her eyes and slid under his arm. “Not a chance, Lenn. Not with you offering.”

The cadet clenched his teeth as he watched her go out.

Standing outside the door in the corridor was one of Lenn’s friends, and as far as Zormna believed, one of his thugs. She glared at the thirteen-year-old as she passed by marching down the hall to the game supply wall, dropping in the Pronuk ball and gloves. Cadet Lenn followed her. His pal trailed behind.

“Zormna, I’m just the messenger. Kurtz really just wants to play you again,” he said.

Zormna glared at him, but a flash of interest also flickered in her eyes. Cadet Lenn knew Cadet Zormna had a weakness for competition. She loved being the best. She loved being able to say, when all else failed, that no one could beat her. It was like a security blanket for her—a safety net. The girl craved to know that she could handle and master any situation she was thrown in—and that day she had lost a tournament, a serious blow to her ego.

“What for?” Zormna at last snapped, turning to face the two cadets. “He already beat me. He has the trophy. What else does he want?”

With a glance over at his friend, Cadet Lenn grinned. “I told you. He wants a fair private match.”

“Then why did he involve you?” Zormna huffed. “He did want it fair.”

Lenn’s smile evaporated.

Zormna smirked when she saw that she hit his tender spot.

“I can arrange things that he can’t,” he said bluntly, folding his arms.

“So can I,” Zormna said staring back at his smugness. “He could have just come to me, and I could have set up the room and the date.”

Cadet Lenn let a smirk creep back onto his lips. “Yeah, he could. But you intimidate him.”

“I what?” She stepped back now, making a face.

“You intimidate him,” Lenn repeated, this time looking self-satisfied.

Zormna let her face fall. She gave Cadet Lenn a sidelong glance.

“How?” she asked, leaning against the wall.

Both boys looked at each other and then at Zormna. Lenn’s friend laughed. With a twist of his mouth, Cadet Lenn chose his words carefully. “Well, ever since you pinned Cadet Korven to the floor all the cadets have been leery of you.”

Zormna folded her arms and rolled her eyes.

He continued, “You get perfect marks in fighting class, Zormna. And everyone knows your temperament.”

“My temperament?” She cocked her head to the side.

“You’re hostile,” Lenn said.

She scowled but admitted deep down that her temper was shorter than it should be. “So, he’s scared?”

Cadet Lenn nodded. “But he still wants a private match.”

“And who is—?”

“I will be refereeing,” he said.

Zormna’s skeptical glare returned. “I thought you said he wanted this match to be fair.”

Cadet Lenn nodded. “It will be. It will be. Just trust me.”

She shook her head.

“Is it a deal?” he asked.

Zormna nodded. “Deal.”

He smiled. “Alright. All you have to do is get the room and go up to Kurtz and say the game’s on, and we’ll be all set.”

“And what are you doing besides refereeing?” Zormna asked, suspicious again.

“I’m setting it up. Cadet Kurtz just wanted me to ask for him, since you don’t scare me.” He laughed as he looked down on her, as she was rather small despite her athleticism.

Sticking up her chin Zormna wondered how much one ought to trust a snake, and turned from him to walk down the hall.

The Challenge

 

She found Cadet Kurtz in the eating hall, sitting with his friends. He was taller than her by a foot, four years older, and didn’t seem the slightest bit afraid of her when she approached him. Zormna stood at the end of the table, and his friends nudged him when they saw her walk up to him. He smiled as he looked down at her, still proud about the win.

“The game is on,” Zormna said to the red headed and freckled cadet. 

Kurtz’s smile vanished slightly when he heard her say this.

“Ok,” he said, looking her down. “When is it?”

Puzzled at his casual manner, the uncomfortable feeling that she was being duped returned.

“I scheduled the room for a week from now. Sixth hour, after lunch. You should have a break by then, if I’m not wrong,” Zormna said.

She watched his reaction.

He seemed no more nervous than usual, but he did appear to be as interested as she was.

“Done,” he replied then he turned back to eat with his friends.

Zormna watched him do this, still puzzling over it. But without anything else to say, she turned to walk back to her regular table. Watching cadets started to talk amongst themselves. It made her nervous to think what was going on in their conversations.

Just as she sat down, Salvar walked over to her, jerking on her arm. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Zormna grimaced and replied, “Eating lunch.”

She turned her tray of food around and started to dig into her warm thick soup. Salvar made a face. It was clear that she was ignoring him.

“You know that is not what I’m talking about.” He frowned as he stared down at her.

Zormna looked up, emitting a tired sigh. “I was just scheduling a friendly game, Salvar. Nothing more.”

He was still frowning. “What? You want to humiliate yourself again. Wasn’t today bad enough?”

She ignored him, taking a nice swallow of her soup.

Then she said, “I wasn’t humiliated today, Salvar. I’m second in the division. There is no shame in that. I can still beat everyone else at Pronuk—and he's older than me.”

Cadet Salvar turned red and sat down. “All I was saying was why do you want to do it again? What would be the point?”

Zormna stopped eating. She looked over at her friend. “To push myself. I learned something today about me that I didn’t realize. I don’t play Pronuk for fun anymore. I should be. I should be enjoying it like I love flying. I got so obsessed with being the best that it never occurred to me to play just to play.” She sighed again. “I need to have a bit more fun.”

“And you think this will be fun?” he asked.

Zormna nodded. “Yes. This time I’m playing my way—the way I do on breaks.”

Salvar leaned back. “Not with the flips? You’ll miss the ball and lose flat.”

Zormna stuck her tongue out at him. “I’ve gotten better. You haven’t been around these past few days.”

It was Salvar’s turn to look disgusted. “That’s not my fault. Alea Sholda keeps me in at the flight hall cleaning up scrapes and penchee.”

“You can’t be spending all your time in the flight hall, Salvar. Where else have you been?” she asked.

Salvar blushed. “In Math and Parthan language class. My dad wants me to match your marks and pass the adults test early.”

“Aren’t you taking it now?” Zormna asked. “You are of age.”

He nodded and said, “My dad wants me to get a perfect score. He’s holding me out for a while until he thinks I’m ready.”

“That and your voice has to finish changing,” Zormna said, teasing.

He jabbed her in the back, not letting her get away with it. He smiled.

The Game

 

A small crowd gathered outside the Pronuk room Zormna had scheduled nearly a week before. Cadet Zormna and Cadet Kurtz were both ready for the match. Cadet Lenn was standing in the observation room calling to them to get ready for the game.

<<You know the rules. No touching the other