LOGINFor a split second, Liam didn’t move. He simply stared at the stage, his mouth falling open as he tried to process what he’d just heard.Then the entire auditorium erupted.Students cheered, people clapped, and high schoolers stomped their feet against the bleachers. The principal rose from his seat near the stage, applauding enthusiastically as Liam finally realized that the name echoing through the auditorium was his.He had actually done it.A disbelieving, ecstatic laugh escaped his lips.“YOU WON!” Chase shouted, aggressively ruffling Liam’s hair before pulling him into a celebratory headlock.“I WON!” Liam yelled back, laughing so hard he could barely get the words out.“That’s my boy!”“Get off my hair, Chase!”“Not until you admit I’m the best unofficial project supervisor in the entire state!”“You’re the worst!”“And yet, look at you. Grand prize winner!”Liam broke
Liam pulled back, his expression turning serious in a way that seemed far too mature for a fifth grader, let alone a ten-year-old kid. He looked down at his gray slacks, nervously tugging at his tie.“Yes, I still haven’t told her about the project, Chase. I wasn’t sure I was even gonna win, and I know she’s already swamped with work. She’s probably grinding through her hospital shift right now, and she’s already got way too much on her plate to worry about. I didn’t want to add to her stress, you know? She handles all our bills and does everything for us. The least I can do is not add to her worries.”The moment the words left the kid’s mouth, Chase felt his heart give a strange flutter inside his chest. He stood there, totally floored, as a strong wave of emotion hit him straight in the gut.He didn’t even know if his chest was tightening because of how incredibly smart, considerate, and empathetic Liam was at such a young age, or if it was because of how fiercely Spirit protected h
“Chase!” Liam screamed, his face lighting up as the crushing feeling of disappointment vanished from his chest. He didn’t care about looking too cool for school anymore. He sprinted out from behind his booth and threw his arms around Chase in a tight hug.“I knew it! I knew you were never gonna disappoint me!”“Of course, buddy. I told you I had your back,” Chase chuckled, giving the kid a reassuring pat on the shoulder.In reality, Chase had actually flaked out on the kid. He had been so buried under his own chaotic lifestyle over the past couple of days that Liam’s project had completely slipped his mind. He had even forgotten that he’d ordered the specialized micro-engine from the tech distributor.But earlier that morning, while sitting at his office desk, a loud ping had sounded from his laptop. It was an automated email notification informing him that his package had finally arrived at the downtown courier station.The second his eyes landed on the tracking notification, his bra
Without wasting time, Liam launched straight into his presentation, momentarily forgetting about the dead engine. He let his brilliant, quick-witted mind take total control. He explained how his climate-responsive community was designed to make the most of natural sunlight, improve airflow, and collect rainwater for reuse. He walked the judges through the layout, and the automated system that would allow different sections of the structure to respond to changing weather conditions. He explained everything so casually and effortlessly that it left the judges completely floored. As the presentation went on, the judges’ hands remained folded across their chests, their faces frozen in disbelief. The surrounding chatter in the sports complex began to quiet down as a crowd of older high school students, teachers, and wandering spectators slowly gathered around Liam’s booth, completely wowed by the words coming out of a ten-year-old’s mouth. Liam pointed to different sections of the arc
Inside the indoor sports complex of Oakcrest Science and Tech Academy, Liam was literally baking in his school uniform. It was a stiff, deep emerald-green blazer stitched with a gold oak leaf crest, charcoal-gray slacks, a crisp white button-down shirt, and a suffocating striped tie that felt like a chokehold.He tugged hard at his collar, his palms slick with sweat as he stood behind his designated booth, anxiously fidgeting with his fingers and praying for a breeze.The entire complex had been transformed for the school’s STEM Discovery and Innovation Exhibition. It was an exhibition where the school’s upperclassmen, mostly eleventh and twelfth graders, showed off their most impressive technological innovations.Across the aisle, a senior was showcasing a customized, solar-tracking water purification system. To his right, another older student had built an automated drone programmed for topographical mapping.The crazy-high level of competition didn’t make Liam sweat at all. He wasn
“Hey, take a breath. Just calm down,” Chris breathed, stepping closer and placing a reassuring hand on her arm.“Something might not even be wrong with him, alright? If it were a real, life-or-death emergency, the school definitely would’ve shot you a text message by now. Did they send you anything?”Spirit checked the notification screen. “No. Nothing.”“See? Don’t stress. Everything’s gonna be fine, I promise.”“Yeah… thank you so much,” Spirit muttered. But as she spoke, she actively refused to look him in the eye, her gaze darting toward the floor, the exit sign, literally anywhere but his face.As a defense attorney, Chris spent his entire life studying people. He was trained to spot the tiniest, most microscopic shifts in human behavior: the micro-expressions, the nervous tics, the defensive body language that individuals exhibited when they were trying to hide something. And right now, Spirit was checking every single box on the li
A mocking chuckle vibrated through Charles’s chest. “You’ve got a lot of nerve for a rookie, Nurse Browne,” Charles murmured, straightening to his full, imposing height. He took a step forward, using his tall body to crowd her into the glass side table. “But let’s get something straight. This is
Spirit froze, the kit suddenly weighing a hundred pounds. If she went back to the hospital now, she would lose the five-thousand-dollar bonus. Worse, Katherine would know she had failed on her very first day, completely ruining her credibility before her residency even truly began. She thought o
“I don’t care where or how you’re gonna do it, John! Find someone!” The furious voice cut right through the silence of the lobby where Spirit Browne was seated with her messenger bag strapped to her shoulder. It was her first official day at Voss Memorial Hospital as a licensed Registered Nurse r
Spirit had spent the remainder of the afternoon tucked in the bedroom, the television playing in the background while her tired eyes tracked the slow hands of the wall clock. Despite the ridiculous luxury surrounding her, her stomach was beginning to growl with hunger. Chris had told her to u







