No Way Back by Anna Mac

Larry rubbed at his lip contemplatively.

Peter suddenly shot to his feet and ran toward the library.

“Hey, Peter, where are you running off to? Wait for me!” Larry called out.

He was just asking the obvious. Larry knew full well where Peter was

The only place Peter could be headed was Class 2903.

At Class 2903…

Madelyn decided to return to her class when she heard about Jane’s challenge results.

Jane had been faster than Peter by six minutes.

She was stunned.

“How is this possible? How did Jane succeed?” Madelyn wondered, incredulous.

Jane had surpassed Peter’s timing.

It was simply impossible.

Just then, hurried footsteps approached.

Madelyn looked up.

It was Peter.

“Peter, where are you going in such a hurry?” Madelyn asked.

Madelyn swallowed anxiously.

She did not share what she knew.

She wondered if Peter was in such a hurry because he knew that Jane had broken his

record.

“Could he be looking for Jane?” Madelyn thought.

“Maddie, don’t you have class? What are you doing here?” Peter asked.

“I… I’m on my way to class now,” Madelyn said.

“Okay, we’ll chat later, Maddie. I have something urgent to attend to,” Peter said.

Peter made up an excuse without letting Madelyn know specifically where he was headed.

He then quickly left.

Madelyn was left standing where she was. She bit down hard on her lip.

“He lied.

“Peter lied.

“He lied to me because of Jane Fowler.

“Peter has never lied to me before.

“Jane Fowler, you’re an outsider. Are you trying to take away everything that belongs to

me?” Madelyn thought angrily.

Peter arrived at Class 2903.

The class was in progress.

He stood outside the window looking into the class.

He was surprised.

Jane was not inside.

“Mr. Fowler.” Someone noticed him.

“Professor Henderson, Mr. Fowler is outside,” a student said.

Some of the students in the class recognized Peter and called out loudly. Jane was the

center of attention at the University of Oricle that day.

Even Professor Henderson was full of praise for her. He had proudly made a post

proclaiming her the best student he ever had in all his years as a teacher.

She had broken Peter’s record and surpassed him.

The two were biological siblings related by blood.

Everyone wanted to know the juicy details.

“Keep quiet and self–study,” lan called out.

lan settled the students before walking out of the room.

“Peter, is something the matter? Can it wait until class is over?” lan asked.

Peter was one of his prized students, and lan was still very proud of him. His pride in Peter

had not been diminished by Jane’s unexpected genius performance.

“Professor Henderson, Jane Fowler… Where is Jane Fowler?” Peter asked.

“Have you forgotten? Anyone who passes the challenge does not have to attend any more

of my lesson. They pass the class with full marks. She has already left,” lan replied.

“Already left… Where did she go?” Peter asked.

At this moment, Peter had a thousand questions for Jane.

He wanted to know why.

He wanted to know why she was so talented.

He wanted to know why she was so talented yet had never shown him any hint of it.

“Peter, isn’t Jane your biological sister? Everyone knows the Fowler family has taken her

back as their daughter.

“Don’t tell me you do not have any way to contact your own sister,” lan Henderson said.

“I…” Peter stammered.

He realized he was at a loss for words.

He did not have any way to contact Jane.

He had no way to contact his long–lost sister, the biological sister who had been lost to

them for 19 years.

He had even wished that Jane had either died 19 years ago or remained lost forever.

He did not want to see her. He did not want her found by the Fowler family. He did not want

Madelyn’s position in the Fowler family threatened.

His disdain and coldness toward Jane were like a sharp spear.

Anyone with feelings would have been hurt.

“Peter Fowler?” lan asked.

He frowned imperceptibly.

lan felt that there was something strange about Peter.

However, he could not pinpoint what it was he found strange.

“I’m sorry to disturb your class, Professor Henderson. I’ll look elsewhere,” Peter said.

Peter knew it would be extremely awkward for him to face Jane at that

moment.

However, he had to know.

Computer programming had been Peter’s lifelong passion. He intended to pursue a career

in the field when he graduated.

He wanted to work with artificial intelligence, robots, rockets, airplanes,

computer chips, etc.

All the precision operations of modern high technology were dependent on computer

programming.

Peter knew he was a rare genius in the field. However, he had not been self–complacent

because of that. Instead, he had strived to learn more and increase his knowledge.

There were geniuses aplenty. There were plenty of geniuses who worked hard too.

There were many other people who were more talented than Peter in this world. For

example, his elder brothers.

However, at the University of Oricle, in his major, there was no one more talented than he

was.

There was one exception.

Jane had completely trampled upon Peter’s pride by completing the challenge in just 48

minutes.

The fact that Jane cleared the challenge in 48 minutes meant that Jane

had gone into the challenge knowing for sure she could fix lan Henderson’s

program.

She was different from Peter in the sense that, unlike him, she had not needed any luck.

Peter had never expected that he would be surpassed in the field that was the source of his

pride and confidence, the one he had chosen to work in when he graduated, while he was

still at the University of Oricle.

Worse, the one who had surpassed him was the sister he had hated, whom he had always

considered worthless and useless.

“I will not let you look for Janie!”