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    The Upstanders: Silver
    The Upstanders: Silver
    The Upstanders: Silver
    Ebook84 pages1 hour

    The Upstanders: Silver

    By Michele Lang

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    About this ebook

    Adventure, mystery, and fun...a tale of kids fighting bad guys on a frontier planet!

    Cal loves his life on the farming planet of Iridescent. Between jetpack practice, his best friend Fire, and his scary but awesome fifth grade teacher, Miss Madeline, Cal's life seems just about perfect.

    But danger lurks just under the surface of daily life. Cal and his friends must battle the threat of space pirates and a mysterious blight in order to save their world.

    Warning: in this book, you’ll find a disturbing food fight, wicked jetpack flying, and a dangerous world of wonder. And you’ll also get to know kids — Cal, Fire, and Earther — who band together to stand up and do the right thing. Even if it gets them kicked off the planet...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherFive Tigers Publishing
    Release dateJan 22, 2012
    ISBN9781466106284
    The Upstanders: Silver
    Author

    Michele Lang

    MICHELE LANG is the author of the historical urban fantasy Lady Lazarus trilogy. Like her protagonist Magda, Lang is of Hungarian-Jewish ancestry. She and her family lives on Long Island.

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      Book preview

      The Upstanders - Michele Lang

      THE UPSTANDERS: SILVER

      By Michele Lang

      Copyright 2012 by Michele Lang

      Smashwords Edition

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Cover Art by Steven Palter

      © Tiguankiev | Dreamstime.com

      Image Title: Space girl

      THE UPSTANDERS: SILVER

      By Michele Lang

      CHAPTER ONE

      I really, really hate the sight of blood, Cal said, his voice shaking slightly.

      His best friend, Fire, didn’t answer him. Fire stood next to the door of the girl’s room, his hands clenching into fists. The screaming inside the girl’s bathroom got louder, sharper.

      The screaming stopped, and Cal heard two girls’ voices echoing over the tiles. He looked down the hallway, trying to find some teacher who could help. But the Ag Academy was holding its first Auditorium of the year. No teacher walked the scuffed lino-floor halls now.

      Cal’s worrying got interrupted by another scream, louder and cut in half by a sob.

      That’s it, Fire said. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. I’m going in.

      Before Cal could stop him, Fire barged through the beat up synthetic wooden door. The door swung closed, and Cal looked up at the door. GIRLS, it said. What Fire called:

      …The Forbidden Zone….

      Cal sighed and turned his back. He leaned against the wall and looked out the port window at the fields of Iridescent. Beautiful morning, beautiful world. Maybe if he just studied the multi-colored dome arching over their heads, he could forget the scene going on behind the door…

      Cal! Get in here! Fire yelled, his voice muffled and echoing. A low crash echoed out from behind the door.

      Cal’s mouth went dry. Nothing he wanted less than trouble on the first day of school. And Fire was all about the trouble. He sighed, chewed on the inside of his cheek. Maybe Fire could handle himself, and the trouble could just end without Cal breaking the rules.

      Cal hated to break the rules. He liked getting along with folks much better.

      He turned and leaned his hand on the door, held his breath. He looked once more up and down the halls. Maybe Coach was getting the jetpacks ready, and he needed a lugnut wrench from the front office…he’d be walking by any minute…

      Cal! Fire yelled. Please!

      That did it. Cal let the breath out, took another deep breath to steady himself. Then he closed his eyes and pushed hard on the door.

      He crossed over the threshold and the door closed silently behind him. When he opened his eyes again, Cal couldn’t believe what he saw.

      There really was blood. A girl was curled up on the gross tiled floor near the garbage can, her fingers covering her nose. Another, bigger girl towered over her, moving so fast she looked like a blur.

      Stupid Earther! The bigger girl yelled. Stupid, ugly Earther. Go back to where you came from!

      Shut up! Fire said, his voice dripping with disgust. Good Lord, you are stupid. Where do you think all of us came from?

      The bigger girl stopped her jumping around, and Cal saw it was Sharp. The prettiest girl in the fifth grade of the Ag Academy – and the meanest.

      Sharp pointed at Cal. Not him. He’s not from Earth, stupid.

      Cal gulped and tried to make himself small, not an easy task since he was the biggest kid in the fifth grade. Well, technically, he said, trying to smooth Sharp down. I was born on the planet Tentacle, so I guess you’re right.

      Shut up, Sharp, Fire said again. His skinny arms folded across his chest, as if he was stopping himself from poking Sharp in the arm. Doesn’t matter where somebody comes from. You don’t get to torment somebody. You bully.

      Sharp turned up her nose at Fire. Where do you get off telling me what to do? This little snot creep comes in here, like she owns the place.

      Cal turned to look at the kid crumpled up on the floor. He knelt down next to her. You need a tissue? he asked.

      The kid didn’t reply, just nodded her head yes. Cal sighed, and then he raised up to his full height. Sharp took a half-step back. I’m getting the girl a tissue, Cal said. And you’re going to leave her alone, now.

      Cal’s size and Fire’s rage seemed to outweigh Sharp’s nastiness for once. I thought you were smarter than that, Sharp said, though at least she wasn’t screaming any more. Now you’re mixed up in all of this, Calvin Adams. I might pretend to forgive when I have to, but I don’t forget. When you least expect it, I’m going to get my revenge.

      Fire stood between the kid and Sharp. He leaned in until his face was just an inch or two away from Sharp’s nose. Go ahead. Do me a favor and try to get revenge. Are you feeling lucky? Try right now. And find out what having a bloody nose feels like.

      Cal touched Fire on the shoulder and he flinched like Cal gave him an electric shock. Don’t play her game, Cal said. If you punch a girl in the girl’s room…on the first day of school…you’ll be in detention the entire year. They might throw you out of school. And that meant Fire would have to leave the planet of Iridescent altogether. Cal didn’t say it, but he knew that Fire knew.

      She punched a girl in the girl’s room, Fire protested, but he backed off. Cal took a deep breath and realized how much trouble he and Fire had already gotten into. Sharp was a bad enemy to make.

      Sharp

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