Avery’s arrival changed the atmosphere of the workshop before the doors opened.
The other students wanted to compare sensor layouts, and Avery wanted to know why Priya had chosen a triangular guard rather than a round one.
They discovered that the two inventions solved different problems.
That distinction mattered to Priya.
She had spent days wondering whether Oliver’s imitation made her work less original.
Now she could see another student navigating a similar problem through completely different choices.
“Did you ever test your sensors in dirty water?” Priya asked.
“Only cloudy water,” Avery replied.
“Why?”
“Because our host’s pool looks like a swamp at the moment,” Mateo said.
Ethan groaned.
“Thank you for reminding everyone.”
Carol, who had just arrived with sandwiches, heard the exchange.
“That’s my fault,” she said to Avery.
“You’re the bucket lady?” Avery asked before she could stop herself.
Carol sighed.
“Apparently that’s my new title.”
Several of the children laughed.
Avery looked mortified.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Carol said.
“I earned it.”
Ethan watched her set the food on a table.
The old woman had spent much of her life trying to fix other people’s problems before anyone asked for help.
Now she was telling a room full of teenagers that her solution had been wrong.
That admission mattered more than any excuse she could have offered.
At ten thirty, a new difficulty appeared.
The school’s custodian discovered that one of the extension cords had been placed beneath a wet towel near the tank.
He immediately stopped setup and called the supervising teacher.
The students moved away from the water while the adults inspected the arrangement.
No one was hurt, and the equipment had not been powered on.
But the incident brought an uncomfortable lesson into focus.
They were so eager to show that Oliver had mishandled safety that they had nearly overlooked a simple hazard of their own.
“Who put the cord there?” Ethan asked.
Sam raised his hand.
“I was moving the controller table.”
“Did you notice the towel?”
“No.”
“Then we need to fix the layout,” Ethan said.
He did not shout.
He also did not tell the boy it was unimportant.
The adults rearranged the power connections, placed the controllers farther from the tank, and marked a dry walking area with tape.
The students repeated the safety briefing and confirmed that only approved equipment would be switched on.
Avery watched Ethan review the checks.
“Would Oliver have stopped the event for that?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Ethan replied.
“We should stop for it regardless.”
“But people are coming.”
“They can wait while we make things safe.”
Avery looked down at her robot.
“I wish someone had said that at our workshop.”
Ethan thought about Nell testing alone after dark, and about the hidden controller Oliver had used.
“So do I,” he said.
