The Project

PROLOGUE

Florida

“Stranger danger!” Andi yelled, knowing that it was the only thing that was going to save her as she gave up her hold on her backpack and wrapped her small arms around the metal table leg, hoping that it would be enough to save her.

There was a heavy sigh, and then, Uncle Shawn was reaching for her again, but Andi refused to let go, knowing that it was the only thing that was standing between her and being forced to go into the fourth grade. She wasn’t going anywhere and as soon as Uncle Shawn realized that, he’d stop trying to drag her away from the safety of the table that had cost her three juice boxes and a box of animal crackers so that she could be closer to the bookshelves by the timeout mat.

“This is for your own good,” Uncle Shawn, the principal of Adams Elementary School, the closest thing that she had to a father, and the man that should really understand the importance of a solid foundation that only kindergarten could give her, said.

“No, it’s not!” Andi said, stubbornly shaking her head as she tightened her hold around the table leg, hoping that it would be enough to save her since the boy sitting on the floor next to her refused to help her.

“Can I have your crayons?” Drew, her twin brother and the boy that clearly didn’t understand what was at stake here asked, sounding bored as he searched through her Winnie the Pooh backpack.

“No, you may not have my crayons!” Andi said evenly, releasing her hold on the table leg so that she could reach over and-

“Oh, come on!” Andi muttered, unable to help but groan when Uncle Shawn took advantage of the move and pulled her out from beneath the table that she’d been forced to hide beneath when it became obvious that he wasn’t going to let this go.

“You’re going to love the fourth grade,” Uncle Shawn said with the same smile that he’d used on her when he’d tricked her into taking that placement test. She should have known that he was up to something, especially when he’d promised that she could get an extra book from the library if she did a good job.

He’d used her weakness against her, something that she would not forget.

“No, I’m not because I’m not going,” Andi said with a firm nod as Uncle Shawn placed her back on her chair as she did her best to ignore the curious stares being sent her way by the kids that never seemed to appreciate her efforts to teach them the fundamentals of advanced algebra.

“Don’t you want to learn more about math and science?” Uncle Shawn asked with an encouraging smile while Mrs. Jenkins stood in the corner, looking really hopeful that she would say yes.

Normally, that would probably bother her, but since Mrs. Jenkins refused to mix up storytime with books from the list that Harvard University highly recommended to encourage a lifetime of success so that she could check them off her bucket list, Andi didn’t care. Besides, she wasn’t going anywhere. Not when this was where she belonged. Admittedly, she hadn’t been happy when she found out that he’d signed her up for kindergarten since it got in the way of learning calculus, but she’d adjusted her plans so that she could stay with her brother, knowing just how much he needed her.

“I want to stay with my brother,” Andi said, knowing that Uncle Shawn would never willingly separate them when he knew just how much Drew depended on her.

“Andi, I don’t think that’s such a good-”

“I’ll go with you,” Drew said, cutting Uncle Shawn off with a heavy sigh as he climbed out from beneath the table and grabbed his Mickey Mouse backpack.

“Really?” Andi asked, unable to help but smile.

“We’re in this together,” Drew promised her, shrugging it off like it was no big deal, but at that moment, she swore that she would always let him have the last juice box.

“Thank you,” Andi murmured with a sniffle even as she couldn’t help but admit that this might be for the best. As much as she loved naptime, she felt that her time would be better spent focused on higher academic pursuits, and she had to admit, she didn’t see that happening if she stayed in kindergarten. She also didn’t like the idea of leaving her brother behind, not when he needed her so much.

She was his rock.

Andi just couldn’t leave him, not when she knew just how lost he would be without her. She-

“When do they have snack time in the fourth grade?” Drew asked, taking her hand in his and giving it a gentle pull as he headed for the door.

“There’s no snack time in the fourth grade, buddy,” Uncle Shawn said as Drew suddenly came to a stop.

Nodding, Drew cleared his throat as he released her hand and said, “I see.” With a heartfelt sigh, he gave her a gentle push towards the door with an absently murmured, “You’re on your own,” making her frown.

Sure that she’d misheard him, Andi turned around only to end up narrowing her eyes as she watched her brother sit down on her freshly vacated seat with a satisfied sigh and an absently murmured, “This is a really nice chair.”

Shaking her head in disgust, Andi said, “You traitor!” as Uncle Shawn took her hand in his and led her towards the door, her glare never leaving the boy that would be lost without her until she found herself walking down the long hallway and heading towards the other side of the building where the big kids’ classrooms were.

“I-I don’t think this is such a good idea,” she found herself mumbling as the messy drawings and rainbows painted on the hallway walls slowly began to disappear and were replaced by book reports, essays, and poster boards depicting the water cycle.

“Everything will be fine,” Uncle Shawn promised her, giving her small hand a reassuring squeeze.

Shifting her glare to him, Andi demanded, “Why are you lying to me?”

Chuckling, he took her backpack from her as he said, “I think you’re really going to like your new teacher.”

“And I really think that I should go back before I miss recess,” Andi said as Uncle Shawn led her to the classroom at the end of the hallway.

“This will be great. You’ll see,” Uncle Shawn said as they walked into the classroom lined with desks instead of tables like her old classroom. There were posters of volcanoes, the Periodic Table, grammar, and past Presidents decorating the walls instead of cartoon characters of the alphabet and numbers. She glanced towards the back of the room to find bookshelves filled with books and board games, along with a large beanbag chair that looked inviting.

“You must be Andi. My name is Miss Thomas,” a blonde woman with a warm smile said as she gestured to the empty desk in the front row.

Swallowing hard, Andi glanced from the desk that looked too big for her to the large boy occupying the desk next to hers and couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t look particularly happy to see her, and finally, back up to her uncle. “I really don’t think this is a good idea.”

“It’s a great idea,” Uncle Shawn reassured her as she found herself herded towards the desk.

“But-”