Super Powereds: Year 3 Read Online Free PDF

He even appeared to have put on a bit of muscle here and there, though it was not fully defined yet. Far from lean, and certainly still out of shape by HCP standards, it was still clear that Hershel had put in a summer of incredible effort to make such an improvement.
    “Thanks,” he said, shuffling his feet a bit awkwardly. Hershel wasn’t used to having people look at him with such admiration; that was something only Roy had really experienced. “Is Vince here yet?”
    “Vince will be along in a few hours,” Mr. Numbers said, stepping into the room from the kitchen. It was a rare occasion, for Mr. Transport—always at his partner’s side—was nowhere to be seen. “He is currently meeting with Dean Blaine and some of the professors for an important discussion.”
    “Wow, you guys aren’t even letting him get settled before the grilling starts, are you?” Alice asked.
    “In this case, it was Vince who requested the meeting,” Mr. Numbers corrected. “He had a very unusual summer, and has professed a desire to be upfront with the faculty on all such matters.”
    “And let me guess, you’re not going to tell us any more than that,” Hershel ventured.
    “Correct. It will be up to the committee to decide if Vince’s summer will be declassified, and then up to Vince to decide if he even wants to share it. I trust all of you had more normal vacations?”
    “Normal is a relative term with this group,” Mary said. “But I didn’t do anything that would require a special meeting.”
    “Ditto,” Hershel agreed.
    “I was with Mary, so her answer counts for both of us,” Alice chimed in.
    “Excellent. In that case, let us move on to new business. As you know, your first day of junior year begins tomorrow. They will let you know which of your classmates failed to make the cut and return, but I have been allowed to give you one tidbit of information beforehand. Aside from Nick, everyone from Team One has advanced.”
    The students felt a strange, simultaneous combination of relief and stress surge through them. It was good to know Camille and Alex were still with them; however, they all had friends on other teams. Knowing two more slots were filled forced them to start running the numbers yet again for who else could remain.
    “Also on the subject of teammates, I’m sure you are all aware that Melbrook’s five-person capacity has dropped to an occupancy of four,” Mr. Numbers continued. “While I can appreciate how significant the loss of Nick Campbell was for all of you, Mr. Transport felt that leaving his room empty would only serve as a constant reminder of what had been lost. To that end, we are pursuing the option of allowing another of your classmates to take up residency here.”
    “I thought the whole point of this facility was to keep us separate from the rest of the students,” Hershel pointed out. “‘Contained’ was the word someone used.”
    “That it was; however, this project is evolving, and some of the higher ups have begun to think that segregating you from the general populace impedes the relevancy of the data.”
    “The data?” Alice asked.
    “We’re prototypes,” Mary reminded her. “They’re testing us to see if the procedure is viable. Not just if it works, but if there are any side effects they might not have anticipated.”
    “Well said,” Mr. Numbers agreed.
    “I don’t know how I feel about someone else moving into Nick’s room,” Alice said.
    “I’m actually on board with it,” Hershel countered. “No one will, or really ever could, take Nick’s place. Having someone live with us won’t change that. It will, at least hopefully, keep us from dwelling on his absence constantly. I miss him too, but setting aside his old room as a shrine isn’t going to bring him back.”
    “I guess so,” Alice begrudgingly admitted. “Who gets it, anyway? Do we have a vote?”
    “If we succeed in getting permission, then you will certainly be consulted before a