Chapter 13 Chloe changed her shoes as she entered the house. Her voice was flat. "I was busy. Studying at my teacher's place ." "Studying until this hour?" Sergio scoffed, a humorless laugh escaping him. "Do you take me for a fool?" "It is a bit late," Chloe conceded, thinking quickly . "Senior year is intense. Commuting wastes too much time." " How about this? Starting tomorrow, Ill board at school." Living at the Lancaster family house meant constant drama ; she had neither the time nor energy for it. Sergio's face turned an ugly shade of green. He mused, 'Boarding? Just makes it easier to stay out all night, doesn't it? If she actually gets knocked up. An unwed pregnancy. The Lancasters would be a laughingstock in all of Erord. Sergio was about to speak when his phone rang. A glance showed it was Gianna, Chloe's new homeroom teacher. He calmed himself down and answered the call. "Mr. Lancaster?" Gianna's voice came through; "Is Chloe home ? I just wanted to let you know that I had Chloe over at my place tonight to study . We spent over two hours working, which is why she's home later than usual. Sergio was stunned. 'She really was studying, he thought. Gianna continued, Tve found our Chloe has great talent in physics. I had her do a few test papers, and she did way better than I expected "There's a high school physics competition coming up. If you're okay with it, I'll sign her up first." Sergio was dumbfounded. "She has talent in physics?" "Absolutely" Gianna replied, barely containing her excitement. " Mr. Lancaster, your decision to let her choose sciences was really spot on" Sergio spoke with Gianna for a few more minutes. After hanging up , his expression was deeply conflicted, Chloe looked up. "So, can I start boarding tomorrow?" Sergio found he had no grounds to refuse. Erin stared, disbelief written all over her face. That loser is actually going to take part in the physics competition? she mused. She'd heard Zayne mention this competition before-each class at Erord College only had one spot. 'Chlor, a weak student who just switched tracks days ago, qualifies? That's insane, she thought. Hack in her room, Chloe packed her things . The real Chloe hadn't bought much in the two months since moving in. Clothes and books fit easily into one suitcase. Early the next morning, she went straight to Cianna's office. "Ms. Nixon, could you arrange a dorm for me? I'll probably be staying there most nights." Gianna nodded. "I've entered you for the physics competition . It's next week. Focus on reinforcing your basic knowledge these next few days; do plenty of practical problems" Chloe smiled fandy. "Do you really think I need to have more practical problems, Ms. Nixon?" Gianna paused. She's right. Her speed is incredible, and her accuracy is perfect. There's no need for more practice, she mused. "Alright then, Gianna.conceded "Just relax. Don't put too much pressure on yourself." As Chloe left for class, Luke, who taught math next door, leaned over. "Ms. Nixon, did I hear right? You're sending Chloe to the physics comp? Did the school board approve?" Gunna smiled. "School policy is one spot per class for the prelims. The physica teacher and homeroom teacher decide jointly. No board approval needed" Luke was speechless. He thought, Right Gianna is both for her class. He paused, then asked , "But Chloe just chose physics. Is she really "Outstanding" Gianna confirmed, her praise effusive. "She's a natural talent. Once the competition results are out, you'll see I wasn't 1/3 p p. Chapter 13 mistaken. Before Luke could reply, his phone buzzed with a message. It was Javier Gates, a heavyweight in the math circles, who wanted to add him on WhatsApp. He trembled as he accepted it. Javier: [Mr. Gibbons, I read your paper on the platform. The calculated parabolic convergence zone is quite striking. However, there's a step in the equation I can't grasp. Between step fifteen and sixteen, was some process omitted?] Luke froze. He'd tried to deduce that part at least a hundred times but never figured it out. The final equation held up when worked backwards, so the result was sound, even if the derivation wasn't fully detailed. His paper had caused a stir in math circles recently. The principal even hinted at a promotion, maybe head of math But if he could connect with Javier and get his recommendation, maybe he could get a university lecturing position. Luke stared at the message for a long moment before typing a reply: [Sorry, Professor Gates, I'm in class right now. I'll get back to you. later.] Math class that afternoon. Like always, Chloe was reading a book borrowed from the library. Suddenly, a hand lifted the text from her desk: Stability and Bifurcation Theory of Parabolic Systems. "Can you actually understand this ?" Luke's voice cut in Chloe looked up at him and nodded. "Not bad" There wasn't much expression on Luke's face, but inwardly, his mind was reeling. He had noticed Chloe reading these advanced texts daily for a few days. Initially, he'd dismissed it as an act. But her casual response shocked him. Not bad? Meaning she can follow it? A high school student That's unbelievable, he mused. Luke picked up her draft notebook, scanning the chaotic, sprawling handwriting. He froze instantly. This wild scrawl. It's identical to the notes on that paper. "Mr. Gibbons, is everything okay?" Chloe asked in confusion. "N-nothing" Luke forced a smile. "Seems your math foundation is solid. Ms. Nixon mentioned your physics talent: 1 figured your math couldn't be far behind. How about you try this problem?" Chloe suppressed a sigh. Solving basic problems felt like such a waste of time for her . But Luke had already written a set of equations on the paper, asking her to continue deducing. Chloe glanced at the equation. Finally, something beyond high school calculus." Over the past few days , Chloe had been studying modern math every day and had gradually caught up with the development of it. This equation seemed to be a point that the current math community was trying to break through . She had already deduced it before. She almost wrote just the answer, remembering Gianna's constant nagging about showing work. Reluctantly, she began writing out each step clearly . Seeing the logical, elegant derivation unfold on scratch paper, Luke's eyes lit up with intense excitement. "Good! Very good!" he exdained, unable to contain lumell He snatched up the paper, taking a deep breath 'Chloe , would you consider being my research assistant? For my paper?" "Tyn afraid not. Mr. Gibbons ," Chloe declined politely. "My schedule is extremely tight." Vecraland had developed by leaps and bounds over the past seventy years, and she needed to spend a lot of time making up for the gaps of those years. Luke composed himself. "Right. Carry on with your reading" He hurried back to his office. He reorganized the derivation steps and sent them to Javier.