The Race to Wales Industry

*Maverick Central High* hall way*

"That movie was hilarious!" Barbara exclaimed, bursting into laughter. Trent, on the other hand, just managed a weak smile. Barbara noticed the lack of enthusiasm and asked, "What's wrong, Twigs?" "Twigs" was Barbara's pet name for Trent, a reference to his slim physique.

"'I'm not into those kinds of movies anymore," Trent said quietly. Barbara was taken aback. "I thought you loved watching war and military movies," she said, a crease forming on her forehead. "Yeah, but my mom put a stop to that," Trent replied, his disgust palpable.

"That's really tough," Barbara said sympathetically. Trent just shrugged, his expression resigned. Barbara wanted to say more, but the bell rang, signaling the start of the school day. Trent turned and walked away, head hung low, not even saying goodbye to Barbara. She watched him go, feeling sorry for him.

In the language room, a crowd of students filed in for the third block class. Miss Gwen, the language teacher, smiled warmly as she entered the room. "Welcome to Language class," she said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, as if savoring the moment. She opened her eyes again, her smile even wider.

Miss Gwen was a tall, slender woman of middle age, with long green hair and deep green eyes. She always seemed to stand a little taller than the other teachers, and there was something about her that exuded confidence and kindness. She was one of the most popular teachers in the school, not just for her good looks, but also for her patience and skill in helping her students learn a new language.

"Today, we'll be learning about the Russian language," Miss Gwen said, pulling a book from her bag and reading aloud: "The Russian language was shaped by several major influences, including the 9th-century Christian missionaries. Russian is an East Slavic language of the wider Indo-European family. The founder of the modern Russian language is widely considered to be Alexander Pushkin." She put down the book and looked at her students, many of whom looked confused. "Does anyone have any questions?" she asked.

The students were quiet, not a single hand was raised. "Well, I'll ask a question, then," Miss Gwen said with a mischievous grin. "From our previous class, who can tell me when Pushkin died?"

One student in the back tentatively raised his hand. "1837?" he said, his voice cracking. Miss Gwen smiled. "You're absolutely correct!" she said. "Well done.

"Now, let's move on to our daily translation exercise," Miss Gwen said. "Who can tell me the Russian translation of the word 'satisfied'?"

A few students started to raise their hands, and Miss Gwen pointed to a girl in the front row. "Pozdravleniye!" the girl said confidently. Miss Gwen shook her head. "Close, but not quite," she said.

"Would it be 'udovletvoren'?" a voice from the back of the room piped up. Everyone turned to look at Harry, who was smiling with satisfaction. Miss Gwen glared at him. "Yes, that's correct, but I'd prefer if you raised your hand next time instead of just blurting out the answer," she said sternly. Harry just nodded, unfazed by Miss Gwen's scolding.

"Since that is all cleared up, who can tell me what hero is called in russian?" Miss Gwen asked but everyone remained silent.

Miss Gwen looked around the room, but no one raised their hand. "Really, no one knows?" she said. The room was silent. "Okay, I'll give you a hint. It starts with a 'G'," she said. "Come on, someone must know this!"

Suddenly, Harry's hand shot up in the air. Miss Gwen pointed at him. "Yes, Harry?" she said. "The word for hero in Russian is 'geroi'," he said, a smile of triumph on his face. "Correct!" Miss Gwen exclaimed.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. "That's all for today, class," Miss Gwen said. "Remember to read chapter 2 for tomorrow, and don't forget to study your vocabulary words."

The students began packing up their things, eager to get out of the classroom. Miss Gwen smiled as she watched them leave. It was always rewarding to see her students learn something new, even if it was just a word or two of Russian.

Trent ran after Barbara, calling out her name. "Barbara!" he yelled, trying to get her attention. But his voice was drowned out by the noise of the school bell and the chatter of students leaving class. Barbara kept walking, oblivious to his calls.

"Girl trouble?" a familiar voice said behind him. Trent turned around to see Sydney standing there, a weird smile on his face. "Ew, no!" Trent exclaimed, his face twisting in disgust. Sydney just laughed and shrugged, clearly enjoying his reaction.

"How was your night at the Wales Industries event?" Trent asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"It was awesome!" Sydney exclaimed, his eyes bright with excitement. "The Naerse technology is going to be the next big thing!" He continued, gushing about all the details of the new technology.

"Oh, and before I forget," Sydney said, "the school is offering a test for all fourth-grade students. The top five scorers will get to go on a field trip to Wales Industries."

"What?" Trent exclaimed. "I had no idea! When did they announce this?"

"My mom heard about it from Mrs. Madris, the principal," Sydney explained. "It's going to be announced at tomorrow's assembly, and the test is on Wednesday."

Trent's eyes widened. "That's only two days away!

Trent raced out of the block, his mind reeling from the news about the test. He had so much to study and only two days to do it! He needed to get to the library as soon as possible and start hitting the books. He was determined to be one of the five students who would get to go on the field trip to Wales Industries.