The Alien Within

Chapter 7: The Quiz Showdown

The sun rose brightly over the town, casting long golden streaks across the streets as Ms. Caldwell and her students packed into the school bus.

Today wasn't just any day; it was the day of the regional mathematics quiz competition. The excitement buzzed in the air, though a few students looked like they would rather be anywhere else.

As the bus rattled toward St. Francis Academy—where the competition was being held—Ms. Caldwell couldn't shake off a sense of impending doom.

She knew her students. Enthusiasm? Yes. Genius? Well, that was still up for debate.

Tessa, seated near the back, was her usual quiet self. She had been given a break from competing in the first few rounds, since Ms. Caldwell had wanted the other students to have their moment. After all, you couldn't depend on one student for everything, right? A team effort and all that.

But as the bus rolled up to the grand gates of St. Francis, something was in the air, a tension that seemed to whisper, "Today won't go as planned."

---

The grand auditorium at St. Francis Academy was a sight to behold. The polished wooden stage, the bright lights, and the hundreds of students milling about in their sharp uniforms created an atmosphere that screamed intellectual competition. Ms. Caldwell and her team took their seats, surrounded by other schools that were raring to go.

The competition began. Ms. Caldwell's students were up against three rival schools, each boasting top-notch math whizzes. But right from the get-go, it was clear: her students were floundering. Simple algebraic equations were met with blank stares. Geometry? Forget about it. As the questions rolled on, it became painfully clear that this was going to be a disaster.

By the time the tenth question was asked—something about the square root of a rather large number—a murmur spread through the crowd. The scoreboards told the sad truth: Ms. Caldwell's team was dead last, and if they didn't get their act together, they'd be eliminated in the first round.

Ms. Caldwell, who had been scribbling nervous notes in her clipboard, looked up in disbelief.

"They can't lose like this. Not like this!" she muttered under her breath. Her eyes darted toward Tessa, who was watching the spectacle unfold with a strange calmness, almost like she was amused by it all.

The other students started exchanging worried glances. Whispers started floating around. "We're going to lose." "We can't answer these." "We need help!" And finally, one brave soul spoke up, voicing what everyone was thinking: "Why isn't Tessa up there?"

The rest of the team turned toward her, realization dawning on them. If anyone could pull them out of this mathematical catastrophe, it was Tessa.

She was their secret weapon, hidden away by Ms. Caldwell's well-meaning but ultimately disastrous decision to give everyone else a chance. Desperation kicked in.

A boy named Ethan, who had just failed to solve a basic probability question, nearly sprinted toward Ms. Caldwell. "Ms. Caldwell, please! We're going to get eliminated if we don't let Tessa compete. She's the only one who can save us!"

Ms. Caldwell blinked, her pride wavering for a moment as she surveyed the mess her team had become. "But... I wanted to give everyone a chance."

Ethan, out of breath, shook his head furiously. "Not now! If we don't let Tessa take over, we're toast."

Ms. Caldwell sighed deeply. She turned toward Tessa, who had been sitting quietly, watching the chaos with mild amusement. "Alright, Tessa. You're up."

Tessa stood up, her calm demeanor never wavering. As she made her way to the stage, the room seemed to buzz with curiosity. Who was this quiet girl? The one who hadn't competed yet? Could she really save her team from the brink of humiliation?

---

The next round began, and Tessa took her place at the quiz table. The moderator, a stern-looking man with glasses perched precariously on the tip of his nose, read out the first math question.

"Question 11: If the sum of the angles in a triangle is 180 degrees, and two of the angles are 45 degrees and 90 degrees, what is the third angle?"

Before the moderator had even finished the question, Tessa's hand shot up. "45 degrees."

The moderator blinked, momentarily startled by her speed. "That... is correct." He cleared his throat and continued, but the room was now paying attention. Something had shifted.

"Question 12: If a train travels 60 kilometers in 2 hours, what is its average speed?"

"30 kilometers per hour," Tessa answered before anyone else had a chance to process the question.

The moderator looked impressed now. "That is... also correct."

And so it went. Tessa rattled off answer after answer, her voice calm and steady. By the time they reached question 20, the other schools were starting to exchange worried glances. The girl was unstoppable.

"Question 24: Solve the equation 3x + 5 = 20."

"x equals five," Tessa replied smoothly.

Ms. Caldwell's team was back in the game. The scoreboard lit up with their rising points as they shot ahead of the other schools, one correct answer after another. The opposing teams could only stare in disbelief. It was as if they had brought calculators to a sword fight, and Tessa was wielding Excalibur.

But the math portion was only the beginning.

As the competition moved into the general knowledge section, things somehow got even more intense.

"Question 1: Who was the 33rd president of the United States?"

"Harry S. Truman," Tessa answered without blinking.

The opposition's mouths hung open.

"Question 7: What is the capital of Botswana?"

"Gaborone," she answered before the other schools even understood the question.

By the time they hit the world politics section, it was practically unfair. Tessa smashed through 18 questions in a row, from naming obscure historical treaties to summarizing complex international relations. The other students? They could only stare, jaws practically hitting the floor. The audience was now fully invested in the spectacle. Even the moderator seemed to be in awe.

By the end of the competition, St. Francis Academy's auditorium had turned into a mix of admiration and disbelief.

The scoreboard flashed the final result: Ms. Caldwell's team had not only clawed their way back from the brink of elimination but had won the entire competition by a landslide.

The crowd erupted into applause, and the students of St. Francis, along with other competing schools, rushed forward to congratulate Tessa. She stood there, slightly overwhelmed by the attention but maintaining her characteristic calm. The competition organizers were already making their way to the stage, holding a gleaming trophy in hand.

"The Child Prodigy," one of them whispered as they handed her the award. "I've never seen anything like it."

Tessa gave a polite nod, accepting the trophy with a modest smile. She could feel the eyes of the entire room on her—some filled with admiration, others with envy, but mostly, sheer amazement.

---

After the competition, as the crowd began to disperse and Ms. Caldwell congratulated her students, something unexpected happened.

James Rudbick, who had been sitting in the audience, approached Tessa. His face was flushed, and for once, he seemed to have forgotten about his father's bizarre theories.

"Tessa," he began, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I just wanted to say… you were incredible out there. Seriously. I've never seen anything like it."

Tessa raised an eyebrow, slightly amused by his sudden burst of enthusiasm. "Thanks, James. I just answered some questions."

James laughed nervously. "Yeah, well, you did more than that. You completely destroyed the competition. I mean, the look on their faces—it was priceless."

There was an awkward pause, and James shuffled his feet, clearly working up the courage to say something more. "Listen, Tessa, I know this might sound weird, but... I think you're really cool. Like, seriously. And I was wondering if maybe... you'd want to hang out sometime?"

Tessa blinked, genuinely surprised by the sudden declaration. She hadn't expected this. Not now, not ever.

Before she could respond, Ms. Caldwell appeared beside her, clearing her throat loudly.

"James, shouldn't you be getting back to your father?"

James winced, glancing over at the corner of the auditorium where Mr. Rudbick was lurking, his eyes still locked onto Tessa with that unsettling intensity. It was a sobering reminder of the strange circumstances surrounding their interactions.

"Yeah... maybe later," James mumbled, clearly deflated as he gave Tessa one last smile before heading off toward his father.

---

As father and son made their way out of the auditorium, Mr. Rudbick's gaze never left Tessa. He wasn't clapping like the rest of the audience. No, his mind was working overtime. Tessa's performance had only deepened his suspicions. Her ability to answer those questions with such speed and accuracy? It wasn't human. It couldn't be.

"We'll get to the bottom of this, James," he muttered as they exited the building, his voice barely audible over the applause. "Mark my words. We're not done yet."

"No Dad, leave her alone!" James forcefully pulled himself out of his father's grasp and ran ahead as tears filled his eyes.

His father , Mr Rudbick, watched in confusion and astonishment, "What's gotten into him?" Before he shook his head and walked off