Chapter 0098
Cara’s POV
I hate seeing my son go through this.
I can take the trouble that comes my way. I can handle whatever happens to me. But little Ethan… he’s just a child.
I can hardly bear to watch.
But I know that my son needs my support. Now more than ever before. I hold strong, trying to make eye contact with Ethan as much as possible from his place on the stage.
I’m trying to silently communicate to him that he has my support and my love.
I know that Ryan is right, that it’s only through times of trouble that we become who we really are. But this feels like its too much, it’s happening too fast.
“This is an outrage!!” Aidan yells, jumping up from his seat at the judges panel.
“Wait, Uncle!” Ethan’s little voice rings out, causing Aidan to freeze in place, momentarily shocking everyone.
my son.
A hush falls over the crowd, and everyone turns to look at my
“Wait, everyone,” he says, his voice a little more confident now that the room is quieter. “I have a few questions for the judges, if it pleases them.”
Aidan returns to his seat, and he turns to the two other judges who gave Ethan a 10/10 score. They nod towards Ethan, encouraging him to ask his questions.
“This event is about education. Let’s give the boy a chance to learn something of value,” one of the judges says, looking at Matthew Bedford.
Matthew Bedford crosses his arms over his chest, then huffs a large sigh before gesturing for Ethan to proceed..
“On the merits of the vehicle’s turning system, can you please explain your concerns with the steering?” Ethan asks Bedford sweetly.
“Well, I wouldn’t expect a child to understand the complex and-” Bedford says, coughing intermittently through the statement, as if stalling for time.
“Please, sir. I really want to learn from your expertise,” Ethan says, his green eyes widening in a display of cuteness that’s irresistible to the crowd.
I hear multiple people from the audience whisper “Awwweee, look how sweet he is!”
“Go on! Teach the boy!” one particularly vocal crowd member shouts up to Matthew
Bedford,
7/4
**
Bedford coughs again, clearing his throat. “Well, you see, it’s a matter of it’s a lack of mechanical functions that are necessary in order for the steering system…”
“He has no idea what he’s talking about, does he?” I whisper to my brother Ryan next to
- me.
“Absolutely no idea at all. The man has probably never designed a vehicle in his life,” Ryan whispers back snidely.
“In this case I opted for adaptive steering options in order to allow for adjustments to steering movement based on vehicle speed.” Ethan replies quickly, “As I’m sure you know, Mr. Judge, sir, adaptive steering is an innovative design that can eliminate certain mechanical linkages.”
Matthew Bedford’s face visibly pales and drops into a slight frown. He looks like he didn’t understand a word of what Ethan had said, even to an untrained eye.
The crowd starts whispering louder now, clearly impressed by Ethan’s knowledge and confidence in expressing that knowledge.
“Well, yes, but…” Bedford trails off.
“Were your concerns with the vehicle’s weight?” Ethan asks, his voice once again sounding so sweet and innocent.
“Yes! Yes, they were! Which is why disqualification is appropriate” Matthew Bedford begins to shout.
“Let the boy talk!”
“Yes, let him speak!”
The crowd is screaming back to Bedford to quiet himself and allow Ethan to answer.
Matthew Bedford sheepishly closes his mouth, sufficiently chastised by the audience.
“Removal of the traditional hydraulic steering system did save my vehicle some additional weight, which is why I’ve added some sandbags to the rear of the vehicle, to ensure compliance with the competitions rules and regulations,” Ethan says smoothly.
Bedford’s eyes are darting all around now, like he’s not sure how to proceed. He tugs at his collar, like the garment is too tight, like he’s being choked. He looks visibly uncomfortable.
A bead of sweat falls from the side of Bedford’s forehead, noticeable even to me from the crowd.
“So do you have anything legitimate to criticize the boy for or not?!”
“The little one hasn’t done anything wrong!”
+25 BONUS
Chapter Cou
“Get that judge out of here!”
The crowd has completely turned against Bedford now. They’re calling for his removal from the judges panel.
Bedford grabs his belongings and looks down at the crowd, fear in his eyes. “This–this isn’t right! He doesn’t deserve to win!!”
But the crowd doesn’t hear him, even with the added volume from his microphone.
So loud is the audience’s insistence that Bedford be removed from judging that all I can hear is, “The little boy has won!”
“He won!”
“Ethan Auburn is the rightful winner!”
“Okay, okay, settle down everyone. ENOUGH!” My brother Aidan screams into his own microphone, calling the crowd to an immediate silence.
The host of the competition returns to the middle of the stage. “What an exciting turn of events!! Our science competition champion is… ETHAN AUBURN!!”
Thunderous applause erupts all around me, to an almost deafening degree.
Ruby, Mia, and I leap from our seats, screaming with joy and pride.
“He did it, Mommy!!” Mia shouts at me, wrapping her tiny arms around my leg in a hug.
“He won!!” Ruby shouts with glee. She hugs my brother Ryan into a tight embrace, and I laugh at the shocked look on Ryan’s face. He certainly hadn’t been expecting that!
My eyes are on Ethan, who is leaping down from the stage, racing over to me. My son jumps into my arms, and I catch him, pulling him in close.
“I’m so proud of you, Ethan! You’ve done it! You’ve really done it!” I whisper lovingly into
his ear.
My son is a champion!
I don’t care about the awards that he will inevitably earn due to his incredibly smart brain. I don’t care about what status his academic achievements will bring to him.
But I care deeply that my son kept his composure, even when the odds were stacked
against him. He showed determination and grit. He used his mind to defeat an enemy that tried to embarrass him.
I’ve never been prouder of my child.
“I can’t believe I did it!” Ethan says excitedly, the toothy grin on his face so filled with wonder and excitement.
+25 BONUS
“Yay Ethan!” Mia says, wrapping her arms around both her brother and me.
“Alright everyone!” the host calls from the stage. “Please, let’s bring this back to order. It Is time for the awards ceremony!”
“Do you get a trophy?!” Mla asks Ethan excitedly.
“I hope so!” Ethan replies with delight.
“Now if I can have the champlon back to the stage please…” the host says, looking directly at us, locked in our embrace.
“Go!” I whisper to him, “Go get your trophy!” release him from my arms, nudging him towards the stage.
Ethan climbs back up, standing next to the host. The host smiles down at him and shakes Ethan’s hand in congratulations.
“Now if we can just have our special guest to the stage, please!” the host calls.
“Special guest?” Ruby asks.
I shrug my shoulders, unsure who it could be. Ryan also looks puzzled.
“Ladies and gentleman, please allow me to introduce our special guest for this year’s science competition…” the host yells, his voice echoing through the room.
“…It’s one other than Pack DarkWood’s Alpha King, Alaric Grant!!!”
