Ben then proceeds to pass one backpack to each kid. Then he looks around when he still has five bags. “Why did you ask for ten bags?” he asks looking at Rexan.

  In turn, Rexan face-palms. “Do you really expect a parent to let their child drink something without testing it themselves?” She then takes three bags and passes one each to the Watsons, including Sakura; then in Japanese she says, “Normally we would only provide the parents with the drink, but after what Lee performed, it’s the least we can do.”

  All eight of them thank the Blue Wolf crew for the gifts. Kenji reaches into his bag and takes a can from it and notices that it is cold, like it has been in the fridge; he pops it open and takes a sip. With a nod, he passes it to Sue. “It tastes similar to the original, but this one is a bit more fruity.” Sue nods in agreement after she too takes a sip.

  Rexan nods and points at the can. “This one will be Blue Wolf Junior, as it’s for the young ones. And instead of caffeine and taurine, it contains electrolytes and guarana.” She then reaches into one of the backpacks she still has and removes a pamphlet. “You can find one in your bags too; in here it lists the benefits, and it is as suitable for children as for people that are sensitive to caffeine.” She then points at a grid table. “In here it will show the recommended consumption by the company; we will be making a sugar-free drink, but first Blue Wolf is waiting for public review on this drink.”

  Lee reaches into his bag and finds the cold can and opens it; after taking a sip for taste, a quick image appears in his mind, but then it is gone. Cautiously, he takes a gulp for a better taste; this time, two images show in his mind. One is of a Brazilian drink made with guarana, the other is of a silver and blue can with a yellow logo with two red bulls running at one another. As Lee remembers the drinks, they start to spin with one another and fuse together, and then he sees the black can with the Blue Wolf. “Yes, it does taste like a mix of those two drinks,” Lee thinks to himself, then says out loud, “It is a nice drink; I like it.” The other four children nod in agreement.

  Alice tugs at Rexan’s sleeve and inquires, “Why the other two bags?”

  “They are for Lee’s other two friends,” Rexan says looking past Lee; then looking at the latter, she adds in Japanese, “Lee, can you give these to your two other friends? They seem shy and afraid to approach.”

  Lee takes the two bags with a nod and turns around confused, unsure about who Rexan is talking about; then he smiles seeing Suhan and her brother. Lee waves at them and rides his bike slowly. “Hello Suhan, and Cosmin.”

  “So, it is Lee!” Suhan’s brother, Cosmin, who is two years older than her, says with a nod. “Hello, Lee.”

  “Hello, Lee,” says Suhan with a smile at Lee, then she turns to look at her brother. “I told you that it was, but you didn’t believe me.”

  “Here,” Lee says passing the two backpacks. “The lady from Blue Wolf asked me to give you these; they have a new drink and are offering these to promote it.”

  “Thank you,” they say simultaneously; then Cosmin adds, “Is that Benjamin Winged-man?” Lee nods in confirmation. “Do you think he minds taking a picture with me?”

  “I don’t know,” Lee says with a shrug. “Why don’t you just ask him?”

  The three of them go back to the group; Suhan and Cosmin thank the Blue Wolf crew for the bags, and Ben agrees to take pictures with each child and even signs their helmets and bikes.

  As he finishes with signatures and taking pictures, people start to notice the commotion and it only attracts more people, including the parents and guardians of the other children.

  Lee notices Alice and Rexan take a few steps away from the commotion and make a call; at the end of the call, they give a small cheer; then Alice walks away while Rexan approaches the commotion once again.

  “Excuse me!” Rexan shouts in Japanese to get everyone's attention. Everyone looks at her; once she knows she has everyone's attention, she adds, “My name is Rexan; I am one of the members of the energy drink Blue Wolf, and alongside Mr Benjamin Winged-man—one of the many sponsored by our drink—we are here today with our crew to promote.” Rexan makes a pause to build suspense and also take a breath; then looking behind the crowd, she extends her hand and adds, “Blue Wolf Junior, an energy drink dedicated to children, one without caffeine or taurine!” As the crowd turns around, they spot the van that Alice just drove into the park. “Feel free to get your free samples before they are gone,” Rexan finishes, and almost everyone goes to the van where Alice stands with two other young women.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “You sure know how to get the crowd's attention and moving,” says Ben looking sideways at Rexan.

  Rexan nods, then looking at the adults that remain with children, she inquires in a pleading tone, “I have a request to ask of you parents.” She then takes a deep breath and says, “Would you mind if your children do a race on this track with the Blue Wolf team uniform?” At this, the adults start to discuss as for the children, they are excited about the idea of having an official uniform from Blue Wolf.

  “I have a question,” says Lee, his mind being stimulated by the drink; every adult quiets and looks at him. “What is the catch? Why would you let us ride with the uniform? And would we be allowed to keep it afterwards?”

  Kenji nods and places a hand on Lee’s shoulder. “My son does have a point; what will you get out of this?”

  Rexan looks at Lee. “You are smart.” She then looks at the adults. “The higher-ups have seen Lee’s recordings, and they gave us the green light to record a publicity advert for the drink, any way we see fit.” She says then looks at Lee. “So yes, not only will you keep the uniforms as initial payment just for riding with them on, but if this advert is successful, each one of you that takes part will receive a brand new bike and a complete riding uniform.”

  “And all they have to do is ride on the track with their bikes in the drink's uniform?” ask Naxy’s mother, and Rexan nods. “If it’s just that, I don’t see any objection about it.”

  “Wait, I do have to ask…” Sue starts to say, then looking at Lee and the other children—the oldest being Cosmin at seven—she adds, “Will they need to do any stunts?”

  Rexan shakes her head. “No! They won’t need to.” She then looks at Lee. “Well, that is unless they feel like it, but we will not force or encourage them to do so.”

  As the parents nod and debate what to do, Alice approaches. “We will also need to write a contract stating the terms, just to protect your children and to be sure the company complies with the agreement.” She then lifts a thermo-bag with some drinks inside, offering them to the adults. “Not to mention, we still need to plan on what the commercial will look like.” She then looks at Lee. “And I have a feeling that if I ask for your help, it will be done in no time.” Rexan and even Ben nod in agreement.

  “So how long will that take?” says a woman dressed professionally; Lee thinks she looks familiar but can't be sure where from.

  “If we work fast with the sketch of the contract,” says Rexan pulling out her phone, “we might be able to start recording after lunch, then Alice and our cinematic team will work on it for the next day or two.”

  “That’s fine,” the woman says, then places each hand on Suhan’s and Cosmin’s shoulders, pulling them a bit close. “It’s just I will need to inform my brother about this to see if he has any objection about his children taking part.” Noticing this, Lee remembers that she is Suhan’s aunt from the party that evaluated the keychain.

  “That is understandable,” says Rexan. “I will give you all my contact number; if you wish for your child to take part, send me a message with their information.”

  As Rexan exchanges her information with the children's parents, Lee pulls at Alice’s attention, who quickly approaches him, Ben following her.

  “What is it, Lee? Any problem?” Alice inquires, kneeling so as to be at Lee’s level.

  Lee nods then looks at Sakura, who is by Sue. “I was thinking about my sister; she can't ride a bike really fast. Is there a way for her to take part in the commercial?”

  “Do you already have an idea on how the commercial can be?” Ben asks and Lee smiles.

  “I might, but I need confirmation from my parents that my sister can take part,” Lee says as fragments of memories of different adverts pop into his head, and at the same time, some fuse together giving him an idea on how the commercial can go. “And I need you to confirm that the benefits will be the same for any children taking part in the commercial, not just us riding.”

  Alice looks at Ben as she stands up, then she goes to Rexan who moments later approaches Lee. “You drive a hard bargain,” Rexan says and Lee just shrugs. “Let me make a phone call.” Rexan steps away and shortly after approaches, still on her call. “I don't know but I can ask him, just give me a moment, sir,” Rexan says in English then looking at Lee she adds in Japanese. “Lee sweetie, my boss is asking, if your sister can't take part or get the same benefits, will you still take part?”

  Lee looks at Rexan, then at the hologram coming from her phone; behind Rexan, Lee sees Alice discreetly mouthing, ‘Say no.’ So Lee looks at Rexan and says, “No, sorry; it is not fair that I can take part and maybe get a new bike, and my sister not, just because she doesn't know how to ride a bike properly.” Lee then sighs dramatically. “So I'm sorry, but if she can't have the same benefits as me by taking part, I will have to refuse and just go home.”

  On the hologram image, Lee notices that the man is cleaning his forehead and is in a panic. Rexan gives Lee a subtle nod before looking back at her phone; Lee slumps his shoulders, drops his head, and walks next to his mother. “Lee, what is the matter?”