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I was alave us no room to talk of our own ti of settling down and getting our assign meal e opened the door to our room There we halted, filled with diser

My bunk had been overturned and all my books strewn about the floor My carefully pressed and brushed uniform parts were scattered around the room It looked as if someone had thrown them down and then trampled and kicked them about There was a dusty footprint clearly outlined on the back of s had suffered si fro about, but Natred’s and Kort’s belongings still rested on their shelves Whoever had done this had targeted Spink andto curse savagely in a low voice very unlike his normal tone I stepped back into the common roo what could be wrong, and then stood in shock when they saw the ht have done this?" I asked them

Oron spoke first "We only returned to Carneston House about an hour ago And I had no reason to come in here" He looked at Caleb

Caleb was aswas touched in there"

"Check the other rooested brusquely

In the roo and possessions were the only ones that had been disturbed The mess in there was even worse than in our room; Gord’s books and personal ite on the floor, and someone had urinated on the We quickly backed out

"I’eant Rufet," I announced

"Do you think that’s a good idea?" Caleb asked ly cadet looked evento be seen as tattling," Oron added, scowling "And no one likes a snitch, Nevare"

In one sense, I kneas right A deep dread surged in me This was how they reacted simply because we knehat they had done This was how they sought to cow and silence us When they discovered that we had talked to my uncle and that he had taken the matter to the com silent about this and accepting their abuse would not stop it My uncle’s cos, but keeping silent hadn’tthis was the only way I could stand up to theht see me as weak, I held myself to what ,’ " I told Caleb and Oron "It’s a cadet reporting vandalisone" They just stared at me, unconvinced Why was this so difficult? My uncle had said it was the right thing to do "I’ downstairs now Leave this o with you?" Spink offered quietly

"I think one of us is enough," I told hirateful for his offer

With every step I took down the stairs, doubts assailedto do, running to the sergeant to tattle I knew the others ht speak with disdain Were we too soft to take a bit of pranking in stride? Yet the early months of school were past, and what had been done to our roo

I stood before the sergeant’s desk until he looked up at me Then, in as cale to our roo with anger Then he led the way back up the stairs to survey the mess for hi to tell The mess could have been made at any time When he realized there would be no easy discovery of the culprits, his orders were terse "Clean it up Have Cadet Lading report toThere isn’t much more I can do"

Spink and I set to work on our area immediately As our other rooe or amusement at our predicament

"It isn’t just the tinht on his bunk "It’s the feeling of invasion, and of being the butt of a joke with no chance to hit back"

Rory had coan to put Natred’s and Kort’s bedding back on their bunks as he spoke to us "At least your stuff is just tossed about Our roo in there Oron says he just about passed out from the smell when he first walked in, so he opened ourThat didn’t help much Trist is furious with Gord; he says if he don’t co to toss all his stuff And I’ll be there lending a hand!"