Lyssa had already recorded her first of 4 songs for the record label. After some editing and remastering from them, it would be released for an ad campaign promoting a new children's clothing line. Depending on the success of the campaign the song would be released as a single also. Slowly but surely Lyssa was gaining exposure. If she could keep up this momentum it would be just a matter of time before she becomes a well-known person. Not yet a celebrity, but getting there.

Mom was still juggling 2 different jobs working about 10 to 14 hours a day. She did this without complaining and was still there to ask her children how things were going and give them advice. Seeing her kids mature so quickly gave her a sense of pride and saddened her at the same time. She knew that although they were following their dreams and working hard to achieve them they did not have the time to just be kids. Doing things like running around having fun with friends like other children. She often wondered if things would have been different if her late husband was still here but when she looked at them she knew they would have still gone down the same path. They would follow their dreams until they fulfilled them or at least had tried everything in their power to succeed!

Damian, on the other hand, became more studious than ever. He never had a clear goal in life but it seems something had lit a fire within him. he changed his curriculum at school to business-oriented one and spent hours a day with his head in the books. If he wasn't working or sleeping he was studying. He kept his plans to himself though. Just telling his mother not to worry and that he had it all figured out.

Almost studying as hard as Damian was Jayden. James and Kevin weren't joking when they said he needed to gain experience fast. They sent him doc.u.ment after doc.u.ment and dozens of links to videos containing a wide field of information. Everything from the full technical schematics of his kart, to possible racing lines and the pros and cons from using them on certain tracks. There were even obscure things like video doc.u.mentaries of karting from its inception until the current age. His homework was to absorb as much of this information as possible before the weekend because he would be applying for his racing license again this weekend. Luckily for him, the practical exam will be held at the same circuit as 2 years ago. There was one difference though. They would have to complete and pa.s.s the written exam first before they would be let loose on the track. This made more sense this way. Why would you send someone on track first and then ask them if they know the rules? Recognizing their folly after ma.s.sive crashes during the practical exam last year these changes were made. Jayden felt a lot more confidence this time around. He knew the track, had learned a lot the past years and he would be driving his own specially prepared kart. There is no way he wouldn't be confident.

The day of the exam uncle Anthony came to pick him up. He would bring him to Team OW racing and from there Kevin would take over. It was a warm spring day but Jayden noticed that for some reason his uncle was wearing a scarf even though he had a short sleeved s.h.i.+rt on. Curious Jayden asked his uncle about this. "Just caught a slight cold. Need to protect my neck." his uncle responded. Feeling that was logical Jayden nodded and said goodbye to his mother and sister. Damian was working now and would not be back until after Jayden had returned.

They jumped in the car and started their short trip to Den Haag. Jayden noticed that while driving his uncle was rubbing his neck a lot. This moved the scarf a bit and exposed some of the skin underneath. Although his uncle had shared the same dark complexion his father had it was still possible to see the slight purple discoloration on the parts that were visible. This struck Jayden as odd but not knowing how to respond he chose to pretend not to have seen anything. The journey proceeded swiftly and in no time they had arrived.

Kevin was busy loading the kart in the transit van and Jayden went over to see if he could help. Anthony went over to have a chat with James. When he came back he wished Jayden good luck, jumped in his car and left. Jayden was a bit taken aback by this as he had expected his uncle to join him. Kevin did not give him the time to dwell on this though as he had finished loading everything and wanted to leave. They entered the van and went on their way. 45 minutes later they arrived.

"Go check in while I unload your gear" Kevin ordered Jayden. Jayden looked around for a second before walking over to the building. "The last time I was here dad was with me," he reminisces back to the last day he was together with his father. Entering the building he went straight to the reception. He did notice there where a lot of children waiting already. The last time he was here Jayden was one of the youngest children to take the exam. This time his age was more in line with the rest of them. He checked himself in and sat down. Waiting for the managers to arrive. Memories of his father kept was.h.i.+ng over him. He gritted his teeth and tried to focus. Today he would finish what they started 2 years ago.

While Jayden's determination was building 2 familiar faces entered his field of view. "It seems the directors are still the same," he thought. Indeed Melvin and Luke entered and introduced themselves. The pointed out to Xander who was no longer an intern but a full-time employee. Although he was now an employee his role had not changed. He still checked everyone's registration and when he noticed Jayden a flash of recognition could be seen in his eyes. Finis.h.i.+ng the registration they were directed to a makes.h.i.+ft cla.s.sroom with close to 30 small desks arranged within it. The group was not that big so they all entered the room and took a seat. Luke announced they had 30 minutes to finish the test. The questions would be focusing on the rules racing etiquette and a few questions regarding general racing knowledge. As soon as everyone was seated and Luke finished his explanation the written exam started.

17 minutes later Jayden exited the room. He was the second one the leave after a girl left slightly earlier than him. Jayden had been prepared for this exam since 2 years ago and with all he learned in the meantime, it did not pose him any difficulties. He looked over at the girl that finished before him. Since they were the only 2 here she noticed this and walked over. "You're pretty quick. How do you think you did? I'm sure I aced it! My name is Sandra by the way. I'm 12 years old and I'm here with my father." She kept talking without giving Jayden a chance to get a word in himself. he looked her over and noticed she was a short girl just hitting p.u.b.erty, kind of cute but her voice put him off immediately. He introduced himself and tried to distance himself from her. Sadly for him, she did not notice his reluctance to continue the conversation and kept talking. He learned all about how much she liked karting and how her father was rich and would help her go all the way to formula 1. Just when Jayden thought he could not take it any longer the next group of examinees finished end exited the room. Sandra lost interest in Jayden since he did not react to her bragging and went over to her next victim.

10 minutes later everyone came out and half an hour later all the forms were checked. Everyone had pa.s.sed Melvin announced. This was not strange since the questions where pretty basic and where formulated so that it would be easy for children to understand. With everyone feeling jubilant it was now time for the practical exam. This was the part Jayden was most looking forward to. He wanted to redeem himself for the last time he was here. Although his results were good he had not been close to the fastest drivers back then and ended up 5th fastest. His target this time was to beat the fastest time set then by Stephen! This was not to boost his ego. He wanted to confirm his growth. Stephen had dominated since his first season racing and if he couldn't even beat his time set 2 years ago he would have no chance beating him now.

They all got into their racing gear and Jayden immediately got everyone's attention when they saw the name on his race suit and the back of his helmet. "Team OW Racing" it read in dark blue letters. He could hear the murmurs of some children around them but paid them no mind. He had his goals for today. Walking out of the dressing room he spotted Kevin standing by his kart the 93.

"I gave it a baseline setup according to what you told me about your driving style. Since the first session is about track discovery just push it for a bit and tell me how it feels. We should have enough time to make changes in between sessions." Kevin said helping Jayden strap himself in.

Having explained the format of the session and what was expected from everyone Melvin proceeded to start the practical exam.

One by one the marshall waved them by to enter the track. When it was Jayden's turn Xander appeared next to luke and Melvin and pointed him out. They had strong memories of Jayden not because of his results on track but because of the horrifying incident that happened after he left.

"He's back again it seems. Let's see what changed to have a team like that have him drive for them!" Melvin said.