Chapter 15
Daph protested, “The space fortress was made by Mom! She stayed up all night to help you!”
“The one Mom made was a piece of junk. It fell apart ages ago! Flick built me a new space fortress–that’s the real masterpiece!”
Dames puffed up with pride while Daph clenched her tiny fists in frustration.
Both she and Dames had seen their mother burning the midnight oil, painstakingly helping them with their craft projects. Why was Dames treating their mother’s hard work like it meant nothing?
The truth was, Selene never wanted to run herself ragged like this.
She’d tried paying the housekeeper overtime to help with Dames and Daph’s art assignments, but the housekeeper had tattled to Selene’s mother–in–law.
“What was the point of marrying a prodigy from Aldonia University of Science & Technology into the Vaughn family,” her mother–in–law had scolded, “if not to have you devote yourself to nurturing the future heir? Selene, Dames’s success is your life’s work. How dare you delegate his assignments to the staff?”
The housekeeper could clock out at the end of the day, but Selene, as their mother, had to keep working late into the night to make sure the kids‘ projects were finished.
Daph held Selene’s hand as they left. Selene walked past Dames without sparing him another glance.
Dames stretched his neck, peering down the road with anxious anticipation, muttering, “Where’s my space fortress? Why isn’t it here yet?”
He watched as parents led their children past him at the school gate, and even some kids stopped, curious about why he was just standing there.
Patiently–though he was getting tired of repeating himself–Dames explained to each of them that he was waiting for his grand, magnificent space fortress.
This craft project was part of the kindergarten’s “Young Environmental Guardians” event. Teachers would select the best creations from each class.
Only the kids with outstanding projects would have the honor of stepping onto the auditorium stage to present their work.
Whenever their kindergarten held an event, it was always a huge production–even
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reporters from the Capital Broadcasting Network’s children’s channel were coming to film this one.
From the day Dames started preschool, he had never budged from first place. It was no wonder he’d developed a habit of always striving to be number one.
Just then, Felicity roared up on her custom motorcycle, the engine’s thunder echoing across the empty school entrance.
Dames dashed over, eyes shining with excitement. He’d always thought Felicity looked especially cool on her bike.
But today, he was too anxious to appreciate it.
“What took you so long?! Where’s my space fortress?”
Felicity pulled off her helmet and shook out her long hair. “Relax, I brought it!”
She lifted an enormous cardboard box–over a meter tall–from the back of her
motorcycle.
Dames was over the moon. Grabbing Felicity’s hand, he raced into school, just as the bell rang for class.
Panting, he realized this was the first time he’d ever been late since starting kindergarten. But the thought that Felicity’s space fortress might help him clinch first place made him forget all about missing out on his perfect attendance sticker. “Damien, why are you late?” Ms. Hughes called out, her eyes narrowing when she spotted Felicity.
“The space fortress is huge. It was hard for Flick to bring it over,” Dames offered quickly, covering for Felicity.
Felicity, noticing the stack of “Outstanding Project” stickers in Ms. Hughes’s hand, reached out. “I’ll take one of those, thanks.”
“What?” Ms. Hughes blinked in confusion, but Felicity had already snatched a
sticker.
Peeling it off, Felicity slapped the “Outstanding Project” label right onto Dames’s bright red box.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Ms. Hughes exclaimed. “Each student’s project has to be voted on by the other children before it gets an Outstanding Project sticker!”
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Felicity tossed her hair with a cocky grin. “No one’s project is going to top Dames’s space fortress! I understand the TV crew’s already in the auditorium. To make sure everyone gets the full wow factor, Dames’s masterpiece should only be revealed on stage, in front of the whole crowd!”
Clutching the box, Felicity told Dames, “I’ll hold onto your space fortress for now. When it’s your turn to present, I’ll bring it up to you.”
