Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 22

Aiden elbows him.

"Hey! I bet I'm right on the money, aren't I?" he grins at me.

I frown.

He looks taken aback. He looks like a kid who just dropped their ice cream cone. "What? Did I say something?"

"Alright everyone. Class is starting." The super buff teavher stands up from his desk and walks to the front of the class. "Today we'll start off the way we normally do, with a warm up. For those of you who may be new, ie Mia, just watch and observe and jump in if you think you have something valuable to say. I'm Mr. Olcan."

I nod and he begins.

He doesn't write anything on the board. He just starts talking. "Here's the situation. Winter has hit. The crops have gone to shit."

I'm shocked at his vocabulary, but no one else is.

He continues, "No food is being imported and the stores are running out, fast.

You've got a town full of hungry people, and you know that this kind of state is going to last a while. Fortunately enough, a lot of the major staples are in decent supply. You have a ton of flour and associated items that will last a while. It's the nutritional stuff that's lacking.

Assuming that you can only give the nutritional foods to one group of people, and the rest of the people will just be fed filling, but empty, carbs, who do you choose to feed: the workers so that they can ensure the care of the town, or the children so that they don't develop irreversible defects in the future?"

What the hell? Isn't this home ec? What kind of question is this?

People start firing responses left and right. The children because of the long term effects. The troops because the children will die anyway without them. Someone from the right, screams, "You'd starve the kids?"

The brothers don't say anything. The just listen, patiently. Quietly, all three of them. I've never seen them look so serious.

By this time, everyone but our table has had the chance to speak. Mr. Olcan turns to me. He stares at me with dark, grey eyes. "Mia, what do you think?"

I was hoping he wouldn't ask that. I look to the left, which seems to be full of worker sympathizers. I look to the right, which seems to be full of the child defenders. "Um... Can't you just... divide it evenly?"

My head starts spinning. Life, death. Life, death. That's all it is with these people. I thought we were gonna cook cupcakes or something. I rub my forehead. I look through the crowd. They're all waiting for an answer I don't have. I shake my head. "... I don't know."

He opens his mouth again, but then he looks at the brothers. Whatever he was about to say dies right there. He sighs. He takes a step away from the table. He thinks for a while, looking down at me. "It is a hard decision, isn't it?" he asks.

I nod, slowly.

"But you'll fail this pack if you aren't able to make it."

I furrow my brow. "This pack?" I look up at him.

"What are you talking about?" he sks without a moment of hesitation.

I almost let it go right then and there, because he seems so sure of himself, but I'm sure I heard it. "You said I'll fail this pack?"