Free Super Powereds: Year 2 by Drew Hayes

backward and shaking her head. Whatever she’d been expecting, she hadn’t expected it to come with that much force, that much feeling. It was crazy that such a meek girl could be ratcheted up to that level of intensity.
    “What whoa?” Alice asked.
    “Oh, um, just whoa, I’m really excited about our team,” Mary lied lamely. “I can’t wait to get together and do some training.”
    “Nor should we,” Nick leapt in. “We have a weekend before us, so I say we do a little team building event.”
    “I swear to god, if you say the words horror movie I’m going to forcibly remove your baby-making equipment,” Alice said.
    “Perish the thought,” Nick replied. “No, I was thinking more along the line of an outing, an excursion if you will. Something fun for us all to do together. Shall we say tomorrow night?”
    “What did you have in mind?” Alex asked.
    “A classic training technique to help us learn to work fluidly and seamlessly,” Nick told her. “Wear something nice and meet at Melbrook around eight.”
    “I’m terrified, but curious,” Vince admitted.
    “Have no fear, I guarantee a night that will culminate in both training and entertainment,” Nick assured him.
    “I’m pretty sure that’s the part that terrifies him,” Alice said. “Well, that gives us tomorrow night, I say we get our schedules and relax a little with our evening.”
    “Sounds good,” Mary agreed.
    “Yeah, I’m down,” Vince said. “I’ll meet you guys there. I need to run a quick errand first.”
    “We’ll try to survive without you,” Nick assured him.
    * * *
    Michael Clark was halfway across campus, heading toward the nearest dining hall, when he realized he was being followed. He kept his head trained in the same direction and tried not to give any indications he was aware. There weren’t many people around – regular classes didn’t start until Monday this year, so he didn’t have to worry about any bystanders if things got violent. Not that he would have anyway. No, his only real concern was if things got wild and he used his powers he might get identified. That was still a big no-no, so he’d try to restrain himself.
    Michael slowed his pace by a few steps, letting the muffled gait of his pursuer draw closer, then spun around on his heels with his fists up, ready to deal with the threat by any means necessary. What greeted him was a figure with familiar hair and a slightly startled expression on his face. Michael didn’t let his guard down one bit. If anything, he grew tenser.
    “Trying to sneak up on me, huh? Can’t say I’m surprised,” Michael spat.
    “I think I’ll gloss over the irony of that particular statement,” Vince said. “I’m not trying to sneak up on you or attack you.”
    “Sure, then why are you following me?” Michael asked.
    “Well, I needed to talk to you,” Vince explained.
    “You’ve been following for a while just to talk.”
    “I wasn’t really sure how to start things off,” Vince said. “So I kept trying to think of a good way, but stayed close so I could and then... I suppose you started things for me.”
    “Uh huh,” Michael said skeptically. “Fine, then. I’ll play along: what did you want to talk about?”
    “Two things, actually. First off, I wanted to know how you found out about us last year.”
    “Lots of research and putting the pieces together.”
    “No, that’s how you proved it to everyone else. I wanted to know what tipped you off in the first place.”
    Michael stared at his opponent fiercely. There was nothing aggressive in his body language, nothing to suggest this request was coming with a threat of violence if not complied with. Still, Michael didn’t owe this freak any favors.
    “There was always something off about you,” Michael lied. “I just trusted my gut and kept digging until I found the truth.”
    Vince sighed. “If that’s what you want to stick with then I can’t force you to tell me. We will find out eventually.