Agents of the Glass by Michael D. Beil Read Free Book Online Page B

applauded enthusiastically. “I
love
her. She’s the youngest EP—that’s executive producer—at NTRP. My dad says that she’ll probably be president of the network before she’s thirty.”
    The girl at the back of the room who had objected so loudly to the NTRP announcement was
not
impressed, Andy noticed. Her arms remained folded across her chest, her eyes narrowed, her jaw firmly set. When he turned to look at her, she glared at him, and he quickly turned around.
    “I understand that not everyone is thrilled by my presence here at Wellbourne,” said Deanna Decameron, “but I want you to know that
I
am quite excited to be here.” She looked right at the girl with the crossed arms. “Contrary to what you may have heard, the news division at NTRP
is
committed to objective journalism, Miss—”
    “Huntley. Jensen Huntley,” said the girl.
    Decameron’s lips turned upward in the slightest indication of recognition. “Ah, of course. I’ve read some of your work. Very…
creative.
Well, Miss Huntley, I look forward to working with you and, I hope, changing your mind about us.”
    “I wouldn’t count on it,” said Jensen. “I’ve seen what your network calls ‘quality programming.’ There’s nothing you can say to me that could justify the existence of a program like
How Far Will You Go? 
”
    Ms. Albemarle stepped forward again, hand raised in a peacemaking gesture. “All right, Jensen. You’ve made your point. We get it. You’re not a fan. If you’re going to continue in your position in the club, you’re going to have to learn to deal with it.”
    “But, Ms. Albemarle, I—”
    “We can talk about it
later.
Now, everyone, I have more exciting news. Ms. Decameron’s decision to assist our club is only half the story. Starting tomorrow, Wellbourne is going to be part of something
revolutionary—
a glimpse into the future of education. Deanna, would you like to tell them about it?”
    “I’d be happy to,” said Decameron, standing confidently in the center of the room, seemingly unfazed by Jensen’s hostility. “First, let me back up a bit and reiterate how pleased I am to be joining you for the next ten months. Ms. Albemarle showed me some tapes of your broadcasts from last year, and I have to say that I am
most
impressed. You have done some fantastic work, and I congratulate you all. But now on to new business. Starting soon, you will be watching a new program that is being produced by NTRP especially for
you.
Three times a day, for nine minutes at a time, you will see in-depth reporting of world, national, and local news. We call it NED—that’s NTRP Education—and each segment will consist of new material and will be presented in exciting ways. You will have the opportunity to send questions to the reporters, with the best questions to be answered during the next broadcast. So, what do you think? Pretty exciting, isn’t it? Anyone have any questions?”
    Andy sneaked another look back at Jensen, whose hand was already in the air. “What is her problem?” he whispered to Winter.
    “Crazy,” said Winter, leaning close to him. “Really intense. Thinks everything is some big conspiracy. Last year, she freaked out because Ms. Albemarle cut two sentences from her review of
Take That,
which is, like, the funniest show on TV.”
    “Yes? Jensen?” said Decameron. “You have a question. How…
surprising.
”
    Everyone except Jensen snickered. “Twenty-seven minutes. By my calculation, that’s almost
seven
percent of the school day. Is that time really going to help me get into an Ivy League college? Or would I be better off listening to my teachers? And how many commercials will I have to sit through, or promotions for those so-called reality shows on your network?” she asked. “What kinds of products will be advertised? And who makes those decisions? Do students get any say in what—”
    “Give her a chance,” said Ms. Albemarle.
    Still smiling, Decameron nodded at Jensen.