Mrs. Ramirez let out a jubilant cry.
“Both of them! Claire, both of them!”
Eli hugged me first.
Owen joined a second later.
For several seconds, we stood tangled together while strangers moved around us.
I didn't care who watched.
My sons had reached the state finals.
For boys who had spent their childhood building machines out of junk, it felt like standing on the edge of a miracle.
Across the room, Daniel embraced Mason.
Vanessa kissed her son's cheek.
Someone photographed them.
Daniel raised a hand toward the photographer, smiling broadly.
He never glanced at the names beneath Mason's.
Not once.
The final competition began at one.
This round included a demanding technical examination, a robotics challenge, and a presentation defending each student's research.
The organizers explained that finalists would receive individual scores, even when their projects involved collaborative work.
Eli and Owen had prepared separate technical analyses of Second Breath.
