Flip the Silver Switch

by Jackie Yeager

  For the next hour, we walk around, eating food on tiny plates. The perimeter of the room is filled with the same spinning food flowers we saw at Camp Piedmont. They’re constantly spinning and changing the foods we can sample—all from different countries, like sushi, egg rolls, quesadillas, hot dogs, and chocolate cream puffs.

  Soon Seraphina drags us away from the dessert table to meet some of the other teams.

  While I’m wiping the cream from the side of my face, Jillian elbows me in the side. Heading toward us are five kids dressed just like us—except there are four girls and one boy—obviously one of the other American teams. The boy waves to us. “Hi y’all! We’re the Texas team. We’re here to say hello. I’m Colton.”

  “Well, hi there,” Jillian purrs. “I’m Jillian, and we’re the team from New York.”

  “It seems weird to be dressed all the same,” says a girl in the same blue dress as Mare. “I’m Becca.”

  Mare looks her up and down. “Great, even more people dressed just like us.”

  I may not want to be friends with these kids, but I don’t want to be rude either. “Hi, this is Mare, and I’m Kia.”

  “And I’m Ander, and this is Jax. We are very pleased to meet you.”

  Becca blushes. “This is the rest of my team . . . Annalia, Penelope, and Dawn.”

  “Maybe we’ll see you around the tree suite colony,” says Colton. “Like at the pool.”

  “Okay,” says Mare, trying not to smile.

  Before I have a chance to remind both of them that the Texas team is our competition, an older girl runs over to Seraphina, and they both start hugging and squealing, piercing my eardrums. She has dark hair and a very big smile.

  Seraphina squeals. “Mathilde! What are you doing here?”

  Mathilde laughs. “My silly American friend, the same as you, of course!”

  Seraphina smiles, and they hug and jump around and around. I stare at them, not sure what to make of this girl with a French accent.

  “Mathilde, I can’t believe you’re a preceptor too! I had no idea.”

  “It has been too long since we have spoken!” She turns toward us. “Is this your team?”

  Seraphina’s face lights up like she suddenly remembers we are standing next to her. “Yes, it is! Let me introduce you to them. This is my other preceptor, Gregor . . . and this is Kia, Ander, Mare, Jax, and Jillian. Team, this is my French pen pal and exchange student. Her name is Mathilde, and she is one of my best friends in the world—literally!”

  We shake hands with Mathilde, and I listen closely as she speaks. Her words sound like butter melting on a warm piece of toast. “You have a wonderful preceptor, you know. Seraphina is one of my most favorite people in the world.”

  “I can’t believe you’re here too. I hope we’re able to spend some time together. But where is your team?”

  “Oh, they shall be along shortly, I am sure . . . oh, yes, here they are. Please do allow me to introduce you to them.” She calmly shuffles her team over to us, and I suddenly feel starstruck. I’ve never met anyone from France before.

  “Children, I would like you to meet my very good American friend, Seraphina Swing. She and I were pen pals and exchange students several years ago. And these are my new American friends, her team from New York.” She smiles as she tries to remember our names.

  Seraphina holds her hand up. “Here, let me help you. This is Kia, Ander, Mare, Jax, and Jillian. And I’m Seraphina, and this is Gregor.”

  We nod and say our hellos, and Mathilde turns to her team. “And here is my team, all from many different beautiful areas in Brittany, France: Maelle, Gwyndol, Danielle, Zoe, and Stephan.”

  Maelle reaches her hand out to shake mine. She is small, like me, with light brown hair and brown eyes. “Hello,” she says. “Your dress is quite, how do you say? Beautiful.”

  “Thank you, I mean, merci. I don’t know French, but you speak English really well.”

  “Thank you. At my school, we learn to speak English when we are very young.”

  Soon the lights dim, and Seraphina motions for us to follow her. “The ceremony is about to begin. We should head over to the theatre.”

  I say goodbye to Maelle and hurry with the rest of my team through the doors into an octagonal next to the ballroom. We take our seats and two familiar figures step onto the stage: Master Freeman and Andora Appleonia. Dressed in regal clothing, they look like a king and queen. All that’s missing are their crowns.

  “Welcome, children, to the Piedmont Global Championships!” He speaks in English and then follows it with languages I don’t understand. Confetti falls from the ceiling and the room goes dark—except for the eight walls. Each one lights up in a different color and displays inspirational words: Dream. Believe. Create. Imagine. Inspire. Solve. Think. Fly. My butterflies hiccup, and I sit on my hands.

  “We wish to congratulate you on your achievement in reaching this phase of the competition, and as you can see on the walls, we are honored to have representatives from all over the world.” The walls quickly change to display the countries that are represented: Canada, France, USA, Mexico, England, Ireland, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, China, Japan, Norway, Morocco, Dubai, Russia, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Thailand, India, South Africa, Australia, and more.

  “Over the summer, national competitions were held all over the world, and at those competitions, each team solved a task which included the creation of an invention. The results were outstanding. Now we have the pleasure of witnessing the great talent that you possess. Each team will be given the opportunity to showcase their inventions to our judges and to the teams represented from around the globe. But there’s much more to this competition than that. This is a global event where your minds will be expanded, connections created, and friendships made.”

  “We have many extraordinary activities planned and much for you to be excited about! The Global Championships will kick off with a big day tomorrow. During the daytime, you’ll participate in the Piedmont Showcase Festival—where your inventions will be judged.”

  Tomorrow?

  “The festival will be held in the gala ballroom inside the Imagination Centre, which will be transformed into a showcase of your achievements. Each team will have its own booth where they’ll demonstrate their invention to our distinguished guests and judges. You will be notified of your judging time, and during your off time, you’ll be free to roam the Imagination Centre and experience all of the other inventions showcased by your peers.”

  “This is bad,” I whisper to Ander. “I thought judging wasn’t for another two weeks. We just got here. We haven’t even practiced!”

  He swallows hard. “I know.”

  “Tomorrow night, we will direct our attention to the university grounds for the Sport and Game Festival. There, representatives will be demonstrating a game or sport that was invented in their own country. You are encouraged to explore the campus and sign up for whichever activities you like. The more interactions you have with children from other cultures, the more fulfilling your experience at the Global Championships will be.”

  Ander whispers again, “We get to meet kids from all these countries and play their sports, too!”

  “But we’re competing against them, remember?”

  “KK, we already know we get to go to PIPS when we get back home. That was our goal, right? To go to a school where we get to build these awesome inventions.”

  “Yeah, but I want our invention to place in the top three so it can be built. It has to be picked. I want it to be real!”

  “Me too, but even if it doesn’t win, it’s okay. We never thought we’d even get this far.”

  “I did,” I whisper, but I don’t think he hears me.

  Master Freeman continues, “After our day full of showcases and games tomorrow, our competition will officially begin. The scores from your presentation to
the judges will be added to the other two scores you get while here at the Global Championships—the scores you receive in Swirl and Spark Recall and your new Global Task.”

  The crowd goes silent.

  Wait, what? More tasks?

  “Details of the Swirl and Spark Recall task will be given to your preceptors, but at this time, I will introduce to you Andora Appleonia, who will present this year’s Piedmont Global Task!”

  The Imagination Centre erupts into applause. The butterflies in my stomach freak out.

  This is not happening.

  Andora steps to the center of the stage, and a task illuminates on the wall behind her. Her voice crackles through the speakers.

  “The world is full of life-changing inventions. Your task is to take an invention commonly used by people today and re-imagine it. It must continue its current function but also yield a new, life-changing function. Your task solution must be created using skills from all six categories, take no more than twelve minutes to present, and include lyrics to a song.”

  What? Two more tasks?

  Ander slides down in his seat. “This task is harder than the one at Camp Piedmont.”

  “And we only have two weeks to solve it!”

  Master Freeman continues, “And now for the Piedmont Surprise!”

  I look at Ander. His eyes get huge.

  “This year, there will be an extra incentive for the teams who place in the top three at these Global Championships. Not only will both the inventions by those teams be brought to life when you return to your own countries, but the top three teams in this competition will participate in the year-long Swirl and Spark Tour put on by the Piedmont Organization.

  “Those three teams will travel around the world, showcasing their inventions to schools in cities across the globe, teaching younger children all that is possible when you work hard, think more, and dream big. They’ll travel with their preceptors by aero-bus and experience cultures they’ve only ever dreamed of!”

  I look at my teammates, and we all exchange glances.

  Oh my gosh. A tour with my team?

  And before I can think any more about the possibility of that, balloons fall from the ceiling, and just like at Camp Piedmont, as I catch one in my hand, it pops and everyone else’s does too. It’s like fireworks with all the pop, pop, popping! When mine pops, instead of seeing the broken balloon in my hand though, I’m holding a slip of paper, a message that I know from my time at Camp Piedmont is meant just for me:

  Our true dreams are sometimes different than what we wish for. Have the courage to make your true dream come true.

  I fold the slip of paper inside my fist and commit it to memory. I wonder what it could mean, except that I already know what I’m wishing for—to have the Ancestor App become a real thing. I want to build it with my teammates at PIPS, the Piedmont Inventor’s Prep School, when we get back home. That’s my dream, and it’s never going to change—not even if this piece of paper thinks it might.

  Moments later, the Piedmont gala is over, and my teammates and I follow Seraphina and Gregor out of the Imagination Centre. My mind swirls as I think about what just happened. I don’t understand it. I thought we just had to present our Ancestor App to the judges at this competition. That’s it. That was supposed to be our chance to get it built at PIPS. But now we have this new, really hard task to solve too, plus another one at Swirl and Spark Recall. I feel so confused right now, like my head is going to spin off.

  We ride back to the tree suite colony in silence, and I stare out at the sky. Just when I think I know what to expect, I realize that I don’t know what to expect at all. All I wanted to do was show everyone our invention. I thought it would win for sure. But now that’s not enough. The Ancestor App alone won’t be enough.

  Gregor stops the aero-cart at the pool in the center of Colony Square. The lights in the trees cast a glow all around it. “Hop out, kids,” says Seraphina. “We want to show you something.” We step out and swish along the brick.

  Gregor looks out at the sparkling water. “You may congregate here in the Creativity Pool any time you like, with any of the other teams. Feel free to dive from the Thinking Pad, swim in the rejuvenating water, swing on the Idea Swings, or climb across the water using the problem-solving bars. A computerized life guarding monitor system has been installed and is working here at all times.”

  Ander jumps on the ledge surrounding the water. “This is so cool!”

  “I can totally wear my new bathing suit,” says Jillian.

  “But what about our new task?” I ask. “Don’t we need to be working on that?”

  “Indeed you do, but if I know this team, I imagine you’ll need breaks as well.” He looks at Ander and grins.

  “I have no shame,” Ander replies. “I definitely need breaks.”

  “But why would we hang out with the kids from the other teams?” I ask. “We’re competing against them.”

  Seraphina smiles. “It’s true that you’re in a competition with the other teams, but you can still do good work and be friendly too. That’s all part of the experience.”

  “But if we can take breaks whenever we want, how do we stay focused? Aren’t you going to give us a schedule?”

  “We’ll assist you in the same ways we did at Camp Piedmont,” says Gregor. “But this isn’t Camp Piedmont. This is le Universite de Creativite. There is much here that’s meant to inspire you, and that includes new friends from around the world. Seraphina and I will be staying in suites in the lower level of the tree house. Hers is directly below the girls’ and mine is directly below the boys’. We will certainly be close enough to keep you on track.”

  I climb back inside the cart. I don’t understand how any of this is supposed to work.

  We hear the whirl of a motor, and soon another aero-cart drives toward us. Three boys dressed just like Ander and Jax pile out and race to the edge of the pool. A red-haired boy picks up a rock and chucks it at the idea swing. It lands several feet away with a plop. He yells to his teammate, “Beat that, Simpson, or are your fingers glued to your computer?” He glances at another boy still sitting in the aero-cart.

  Simpson looks up from his computer for a second, but then looks back down at the screen. A girl, wearing a yellow dress just like mine, walks toward us. Her long black hair is pulled back into a ponytail . . . no, a braid—and she has a harsh scowl on her face.

  Jillian whispers, “Is that Witch Girl from Michigan?”

  What? No!

  She stops at our cart and smirks. “Wow, I’m surprised the famous New York team isn’t off writing another Broadway play.”

  Ander looks at the boys by the pool and then back to her. “What are you doing here? Your team didn’t make it to the Global Championships.”

  “Actually, we did. The Maryland team was disqualified. Their original language turned out to be not original after all, and we slid right into their fifth place spot. So here we are, ready for world domination.”

  Mare scowls. “Yeah right, your team won’t be dominating anything.”

  “Oh yeah? Well, as you can see, Simpson is already busy at work on our new task. If my calculations are correct, which they usually are, he should be finished with it by morning.”

  “How can you make him do everything?” asks Jillian. “That’s not fair.”

  “Being part of a team means passing out jobs that best fit each team member. Simpson is a wizard on the computer. The rest of us are good at watching him work. And if his idea is terrible, the rest of us let him know, and he gets back to work.”

  “That’s really unfair,” says Jax.

  “Maybe, but our invention won’t be. Anyway, I’m here to say hi. We’re supposed to meet all the other teams, so here I am doing the right thing.”

  I force myself to say, “Hi.”

  She twists her braid. “I’m Martin
a.”

  Jax clears his throat. “I’m Jax.”

  Ander and I look at each other. “I’m Kia,” I say. “And this is Ander.”

  Jillian follows my lead. “I’m Jillian, and this is Mare.”

  “Cool,” says Martina. “The one in the cart is Simpson, and the rest of them over there are Drake, JT, and Fletcher.” She turns to the boys by the pool. “Guys, this is the NY team.”

  They nod and go back to throwing rocks in the pool.

  “Well, I better go see what fantastic invention Simpson has thought of. He’s determined to come in first place this time, so no matter what you think up, it won’t be anything like his.”

  She spins around and stomps back to her cart.

  This is so unfair.

  Mare’s eyes are practically bulging. “I can’t believe that stupid team is here now too.”

  “Seraphina, why didn’t you tell us? I thought you said they wouldn’t be here.”

  She shakes her head. “I had no idea. The Piedmont Committee must have realized the error at the last minute. But it doesn’t matter. You have the same number of teams to compete against and you’re going to create a wonderful solution. Don’t worry about them.”

  “But what if we don’t want to come up with another wonderful solution?” asks Jax.

  I look at him like he just spoke like an alien. “Why not?”

  “Well, like what if we don’t want to win after all?”

  I stare at Jax. His face is turning red but probably not redder than mine.

  “Why wouldn’t you want to win?” Jillian asks.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Yes, you do,” I say. “You wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.”

  He doesn’t say anything.

  “Jax!” I say.

  “I know why,” says Ander. “You don’t want to go on the Swirl and Spark Tour, do you?”