Chapter 3

The second round was Robotics Design.

I decided on a novel approach, something unexpected, something they wouldn' t have seen before.

My design was innovative, risky, but potentially groundbreaking.

I worked through the night, fueled by coffee and desperation.

Leo' s face, pale and trusting, kept me going.

I had to break this pattern.

The judges reviewed the designs.

I watched Tiff, who seemed almost bored, exuding that same unnatural confidence.

She spent most of the design phase polishing her nails and texting.

How could she be so sure?

The results for Round 2 came in.

My score: 85. A good score for such a radical design.

Tiff' s score: 95.

Exactly. Ten. Points. Higher. Again.

A wave of nausea hit me.

Tiff caught my eye and smirked.

"Shame about your sibling, Maya," she said, her voice loud enough for others to hear.

"Guess he really needed that prize money. Too bad you' re just not good enough."

Her cruelty was a physical blow.

Jake stood nearby, looking away, pretending he hadn't heard.

My hands clenched. This wasn't just about skill.

I started watching Tiff obsessively.

She always had this pen, a sleek, expensive-looking thing.

She fiddled with it constantly, tapping it, turning it in her fingers.

It looked out of place, too high-tech for a simple pen.

Could that be it? Some kind of device?

Before the final round, Project Presentation, I had to know.

I tried to get a chance to look at it, to ask a teacher to examine it.

"It's just a pen, Maya," Mrs. Davison, one of the judges, said dismissively when I voiced my vague concerns without proof.

"Focus on your presentation."

I failed. No one would listen. My theory about the pen seemed crazy to them.

The final round was about to begin.

My hope was dwindling.