"You're such a joy to be around."-
"Well, you're a pain in the arse."
Jordyn had no idea that befriending the lovely idiot who broke her locker would turn her life upside down. But here she was, amidst bionics, secrets and life-threatening dangers...
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"Okay, everyone. Thank you all for turning up on such short notice. I know we're all hungry and eager to get to dinner, but there's something important to tell you. And I've got the honor of announcing it."
Joe stood on an elevated platform, casting a watchful gaze over the assembly of students and the trio of mentors gathered below. The platform provided her with a commanding view, allowing her to oversee the entire room. Despite the air of authority, her hands betrayed a subtle nervousness, their slight clamminess and tremble showing an underlying fear of making a misstep.
But taking a deep breath and plastering a smile on her face, she continued.
"Originally, it was planned for Mr. Davenport to be standing here, but he's running late and will be back from the mainland tomorrow morning. So, honestly, we can consider ourselves lucky that I'm doing this." She retrieved her tablet, reviewed her notes again, and cleared her throat.
"It's officially been six months since the start of this Academy, and for this occasion, we're going to subject you all to some tests."
There was an uproar of mumbles.
"Before any of you jump to conclusions! We aren't testing you individually, your performance won't have any direct consequences for you. It's more for us to track your progress and work on improving our teaching methods. So, no pressure."
The mutters seized, all students now more interested in what these tests were going to be like.
"It'll be group tasks, competition-esque. Take it as a fun time. Specifics will follow, so make sure to check out the board tomorrow morning for when you're up." Checking her tablet, Joe nodded and hummed as she had said everything needed to. "Any questions?"
Some chaos erupted as a response. Joe quickly acted by yelling over the voices and trying to calm them down, desperate to regain their attention. However, it needed Adam to step up and exclaim, "Silent!" for everyone to shut.
Joe smiled at her best friend and then redirected to the crowd. "Thank you. Now, like civilized people, if you have a question, raise your hand and wait to be picked." She looked around and counted more than 20 hands, making her sigh. Still, she held up her smile. "Logan, please."
"Do we have lessons as normal this week?"
Joe chuckled at the question and shook her head, "You don't. Your mentors will inform you of the specific changes tomorrow morning. Next question?"
Looking around, she noted that all hands had disappeared.
"Okay, then. Bon appetit."
Descending the platform, Joe joined the mentors who had stayed behind. Confusion was written all over their faces. Bree, who along with the confusion, also displayed skepticism, spoke up first. "Why are we finding out about this just now, with the students?" She pushed a strand out of her face and crossed her arms. "Surely, we would have benefited."
