Shadow World by A. C. Crispin, Jannean Elliot Read Free Book Online Page B

faintly. "Can I help it if the timing just happens to be right?"
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    Chapter 3 CHAPTER 3
    Tapped!
    The crowd hopped, flew, scuttled, loped, and jostled its way down the corridor toward the Arena.
    All these different kinds of beings, all in motion together, all excited. Great stuff for my documentary, Cara thought, excited herself. She turned her head from side to side, trying to see everything, wanting her camera to capture all of this, the most colorful, exotic crowd she'd ever been in.
    This is going to be a wonderful lead-in for my coverage of the Elpind's visit.
    Hundreds of beings practically stampeding to the assembly so we can all get our first look at yet another species from the galaxy's incredible variety.
    Carried by the crowd's momentum, Cara plunged into the noisy melee of the Arena. Large enough to hold the entire student body and faculty at one time, with movable floors, adjustable gravity, and a sound and light system that put Earth's finest arts or sports complex to shame, the Arena was a gymnasium, the low-grav hang-gliding site, a theater, and even an ice-skating rink. Right now, it was a bowl-shaped assembly hall with seats of various configurations for alien forms rising away in stacked layers from the low center stage.
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    The noise level was almost uncomfortable as the students poured in. Cara smiled at the strange mixture of sounds that so many alien tongues created.
    Grunts, whistles, gutturals, clicks, and growls mingled with more musical tones, producing a fascinating cacophony. Underlying it all was the ever-present sibilant hiss of the Mizari language. Cara caught a sudden whiff of overripe melon as two Vardi conversed in their olfactory-based language.
    The young journalist considered where to sit. She'd made several friends in the weeks since her arrival, and one of them, a Simiu, was waving at her now. She began to make her way toward Frrkk'eet, then hesitated as she noticed another familiar face two rows over.
    She hadn't seen Mark Kenner except to wave at in passing since the day he'd introduced her to his friends as he'd promised. But then he'd rushed away, leaving her with them, explaining that he had to cram for a makeup test. Waving back at the Simiu, Cara indicated her new direction.
    "It's a good thing I'm not doing my documentary on you," she said with a grin, dropping into the seat next to him. "You went into hiding on me."
    Mark laughed. "I told you from the very beginning I'd be a poor subject. No, really, I have been in hiding. Getting my coursework caught up," he explained. "How is the documentary coming?"
    "Really well. Everywhere I look there's something new and interesting to film."
    He raised his eyebrows. "Film?"
    Cara grinned. "A figure of speech. Of course nobody has used actual film for centuries ... but the term lingers on. Anyway, I think the only time I turn the camera off is when I'm in bed. And, of course, the chance to interview the Elpind ... I can't wait!"
    She watched Mark as she spoke, noticing something different about him. He looked more relaxed, more at peace with himself.
    "So, besides the coursework, how are you?" she asked, wondering if she dared say what she really meant. Why not? she decided. The journalist in her still wanted to discover the story she sensed in Mark Kenner. "I mean,"
    she added,
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    "you look ... uh, happier, I guess, than when I saw you the other day."
    "You mean, happier than when you saw me waiting for the shrink?" He grinned to take any implied sting out of his words.
    His smile was marvelous, warm and high-powered, Cara noted. The impact of it distracted her for a moment. When she recovered, he was saying, "...
    and so, I made a decision. You know, you always feel better when you've made up your mind what to do about a problem."
    "What problem? What did you decide?"
    "Whoa! My turn to ask a question. Don't you need to be down front to film this?"
    "Dr. Rob let me set up a second camera on stage. They always record special