Finally arrived

"Are we there yet?" Nora asked.

"No. And asking this question after every five minutes won't help Nora. So, stop asking it!" Luke said frustrated.

She sighed, "How long is it gonna take?"

"Another half an hour." He said.

"I'll wake them up." She turned in her seat, "Hey." She shouted. It startled everyone, Joseph and Rachel jolted awake and looked around in confusion.

"Huh, what happened? We are late?" Joseph panicked. While Rachel threw away her eye mask and bolted upright.

"We're almost there." Nora said sweetly.

"Why did you shout?" They both said.

"You guys weren't getting up." She said and turned herself back.

"That scared me." Luke muttered. Nora looked at him and smiled gleefully.

"Are we there yet?" She asked yet again.

He looked at her, "Yes we are." He motioned with his chin towards a huge building which was a perfect example of modern industrial architecture, the black walls with glass exterior made it look a beautiful edifice. It was bustling with students from different colleges, buses were parked with banners tied on them, Luke found a parking spot and parked the car. All of them got out at once, "We made it on time, it's 12, still an hour to go." Joseph said stretching himself. "Get your stuff, we have to register ourselves in there." Luke said.

They grabbed their bags and headed to the building. "Isn't that Luke?" Someone called out, Luke turned around, "Edward, hey man." They stepped up and shook hands.

"You aren't late?" Edward smirked, he was a red head with his face shouting a handsome geek.

"Seems like it." Luke shrugged. "See you in there." Edward nodded.

"Who was that?" Joseph asked.

"Former champions." Luke replied. "He's from from Sovereign University. They are up for a winning streak this time."

The auditorium was a sight to see, it was much bigger than the structure seemed from the outside. It was filled with rows of tables some of which were already set up by students, with their laptops, cord extensions, water bottles, snacks and a hell lot of stuff. They moved to the front desk, "University of Nuezelea." Luke said.

A woman with big hair looked up and smiled, "You guys on time." She adjusted her glasses. "Just a moment... So, that'll be Luke Osborne, Rachel Fletcher, Joseph Abel and Nora Williams." She looked at each one of them. "Here you go your IDs and gift bags." She handed them each a bag. "Go choose your spot, the opening ceremony will begin shortly." They nodded and moved ahead.

"Let's take that one." Rachel pointed out to a table which was near the french windows.

She lead the way, "Rachel!" A girl with curly hair ran up to her, she smiled and hugged the girl tightly, "Linda, how have you been?" She asked. "I'm good, it's been so long." The girl held onto Rachel's hands. "Anyway, meet my team." She said stepping away.

"Nice to meet you guys." Linda bowed.

"Are they all here? Joe, Sam and Mary." Rachel asked.

"Yes they are. We all are in the hall, just keep your stuff and come to the hall." Linda said.

"Sure, meet you there." Rachel hugged her again and Linda left. They reached the table and put down all their bags. Nora started to go through her gift bag, "There's a lot of stuff in there." She muttered.

"That's just the start, there's a lot coming." Joseph said.

If the auditorium was big the hall was bigger. Students were already seated and were busy chatting. "Rachel, here." It was Linda. They were in the last row, towards the corner. "I forgot my ID, I'll go get it." Nora said turning back. "We'll be right there." Rachel said, pointing to the last row.

Nora nodded and exited the hall. She headed straight to the table, when she bumped into someone, "Sorry." She muttered and stepped aside, got her ID and headed back. It was easy spotting them all, their spot was surrounded by students, a lot of students. "Excuse me." She said, making her way through the crowd. The reason for the crowd was quite clear, the curly hair girl Linda, the morning guy Edward and Luke. Students were fawning over them, asking different questions. "Students please be seated, the ceremony will commence in five minutes." An announcement was made.

"Well, you got to move now. All the best." Linda said smiling. Finally the crowd dispersed and Nora made it to her seat and sat beside Joseph. "What was that all about?" She asked.

"You don't know?" He asked. Nora shook her head.

"Well they are last year's winners, Edward's team was first, Linda's team was the second runner up and Luke's, I mean our university was the first runner up. Also, last year's project was the toughest, it was a close call."

"We won, even though we lost a few hours?" She asked.

"Yes. Last year's team was technically a dream team, you see." He said with a shrug.

"Nora." Luke called out. She bent forward, "That is our last member, Nora, and this is Edward." He said.

"I know her." Edward said, she gave him a puzzled look, "You bumped into me, in the auditorium."

"Oh I see, sorry about that." She said.

"You already apologized." He said with a smile.

"Oh it was nice meeting you."

"The pleasure is all mine." He smiled at her.

Finally the ceremony began. A woman with blond made her to the, "Welcome to the 26th National Tech Fare Hackathon. As you are well aware, this is a platform where young programmers, designers get to open their wings and test their limits. The prizes are innumerable and the experience is unforgettable, make sure to live till it lasts." She turned a page, "Now let's welcome our sponsors." She invited some people onto the stage, who gave their speeches. Then a young woman came up, she stood out on the stage among older ones, she moved to the podium, "Mr. O'Connor couldn't make it, but he extends his best wishes to everyone here." And she was done, she stepped down and took a seat.

The blond woman was up again, "So for the prizes, the winner, first runner up and second runner up would receive a cheque of $100,000, $80,000 and $60,000 respectively. Students shall also be awarded for showing exemplary skills in coding, designing and delivering the pitch. The sponsors will also award students on their own accord." She turned another page, "After the presentation, the students may proceed to the auditorium and wait for further instructions." She along with all the sponsors stepped down from the stage and the presentation began.