Chapter 0096
Cara’s POV
It’s the day of Ethan’s science competition, and all of us are eager to see how Ethan fares. There’s a large crowd gathered, well over a hundred people. The competitors are a mixture of children from Packs BloodyMoon and DarkWood.
At only six years old, Ethan is by far the youngest child in the competition. Most of them are over twice his age, ranging from 12 to 16 years old.
“Is Ethan going to win?” Mia asks me, pulling on the hem of my shirt excitedly.
“Maybe, if he works very hard!” I reply with a smile.
“I hope he wins!” Mia shouts.
“Me too!” my best friend Ruby chimes. Thankfully Ruby was able to delay her start at the Illari Medical School until after Ethan’s competition, and Mia and I are glad to have her here with us.
“So do I!” a boisterous male voice calls out from behind us.
We turn to see my brother Ryan, a broad smile across his lips.
“Uncle Ryan!” Mia calls.
“You’re here!” I say cheerfully.
“Of course I’m here. I wouldn’t miss my nephew, and best student’s
responds with a chuckle.
“Best student?” I ask.
competition!” Ryan
“What do you think we’ve been up to while you and Mia have been making trips to the hospital? Ethan and I have been preparing for this competition for weeks now,” Ryan says, pulling Mia into a hug.
I should have guessed as much. My brother Ryan has gotten so close with Ethan, he must have noticed the boy’s natural talent for academics.
“Thank you, brother,” I say to genuinely. “Ethan is lucky to have such a supportive uncle.”
“I’m the lucky one, sis. He’s a great kid. I’m very proud of him,” Ryan says.
“Shhh… they’re announcing the judges!” Ruby whispers, pointing at the stage where at panel is set up.
“And our next judge, Matthew Bedford!!” the announcer yells into the microphone.
The crowd around us applauds. We keep our hands silent as the blonde, charismatic man
- Chapter 0096
walks across the stage smiling and waving before taking his seat next to the other judges who had already been announced..
“And finally, our last judge… renowned racecar driver, none other than Aidan Auburn!!”
The crowd erupts in thunderous applause and cheers. Ryan whistles loudly for his twin
brother.
I tug at Ryan’s jacket, trying to get his attention. I bring my lips close to his ear so he can hear me ask, “Aidan?! Did you know he would be here?”
Ryan laughs and turns back to me, “Of course I knew! The final round of this competition has the contestants design and build a car for a race. Who would be a better judge than our professional racecar driver brother?”
I laugh and turn back to face the judging panel, clapping my hands as loudly as I can.
Aidan sees me, making eye contact before winking at me with a sly grin. He can tell I’m shocked to see him. And of course, as usual, he loves feeling like he’s played on a trick on
- me.
That mischievous brother of mine, I think to myself affectionately.
As the competition gets underway, Ryan leans in close to whisper in my ear with amusement, “How’s your husband doing, sis? Couldn’t make it here today?”
I laugh and swat at his arm playfully, “Oh, stop it, you! You know I don’t have a husband. And keep your voice down, I don’t want Mia to hear you.
“It’s not me you have to worry about, just that dumb oaf Alaric. I can’t believe he really thinks Aylon is your husband. I bet he’d believe anything he hears….” Ryan’s voice trails off, and he gets a look in his eye that looks like the beginnings of a wicked plan.
“Don’t pull any tricks, do you hear me? The last thing we need is another hairbrained scheme from you and Aidan,” I warn him, half joking half serious. Those two are always pulling pranks.
From the look on Ryan’s face, it looks like he has an idea for another prank. He’d better not
“Me? Pulling a prank? How dare you accuse me of such mischief!” Ryan says very sarcastically.
I laugh and swat at his arm again.
Ethan does fantastic work through the first few rounds of competition. As his mother, I’m certainly biased in his favor, but the judges offer him high praise.
“It’s genius work, young man!”
#25 BONUS
“You’ve done very well! I’m impressed.”
“Excellent! Truly remarkable for a boy your age)
I’m so proud of him, I can’t stop myself from smiling from ear–to–ear for nearly the entire day. I always knew that Ethan was bright, but to have other people see it, to confirm his genius… I’m prouder than words can say.
Ethan easily progresses to the final round of competition.
“Good job, Ethan!” Mia shouts loudly when the crowd is mostly silent. Ethan blushes from the stage and gives his sister a ‘thumbs up‘ signal with a small smile.
I love the way those two support each other. There’s something special about twins. They really do love each other so much.
Soon enough, the judges are deliberating for the final round.
We’re all holding our breaths, waiting for their scores. Mia is sitting on my lap, bouncing with excitement, barely about to contain her nerves inside of her little body. Ruby holds my hand, squeezing with nerves of her own.
Ryan stands next to us, body still and waiting, matching my own posture. We’re both the picture of calmness and composure, but inside, I know we’re both eager to see Ethan take the win.
Ethan’s car was magnificent, sailing through the race course with no trouble at all. The design of his vehicle was superb, clearly the product of careful calculations for velocity and drag. A child twice his age would be lucky to make such a fast vehicle!
One by one, the four judges hold up cards showing their scores for Ethan’s vehicle. Each judge can give a maximum of 10 points to each contestant.
Judge number 1 for this round is my brother Aidan. He unsurprisingly unveils his score of 10 with a great smile, which is met with applause from the audience.
Judge 2 gives another 10, and the crowd keeps cheering.
Judge 3 pauses for a moment before turning around their card to reveal another 10!
This is it!
Ethan is going to win the competition with a perfect score!
Mia bounces faster on my lap, waiting for the fourth and final judge’s score. Ruby grips my hand even tighter.
The four
fourth judge is Matthew Bedford. He smiles at the crowd, flashing his blindingly white pearly teeth. He waves at the crowd, as if we are all gathered here today to see him, and not to witness the competition.
Matthew Bedford pauses for effect, lasting almost double the length of Judge 3’s pause.
Finally, slowly, Bedford reveals his score card.
The white card spins around and shows…
“What?!” Everybody is shocked by his score.
…it’s ZERO.
