The assembly hall at the Great Heights Academy was stifling, but the heat of the room was nothing compared to the fire in the eyes of the Adeleke siblings. At the center stage, the four of them stood divided.
"You talk about knowledge like it's a magic wand, Shade," Tade argued, his voice carrying to the very back row. "But in the real world, nobody asks how many books you've read when the bills are due. Wealth is the ultimate freedom. It's the ability to say 'yes' to your dreams and 'no' to your enemies".
"And what happens when the money runs out, Tade?" Shade countered, her voice cool and steady. "Wealth is a guest that can leave at any time. But knowledge? Knowledge is the house you live in. You can lose your wallet, but you can't lose your mind. If you have the 'why,' you can always find the 'how'".
Young Oliver, only twelve, piped up in support of his brother. "Exactly! If we have the money, we can just hire people who have the knowledge. Doesn't that make wealth twice as powerful?".
Temi shook her head, looking at her younger brother with pity. "Oliver, if you hire someone because you don't know how to do it yourself, you are their prisoner, not their boss. You'll never know if they are lying to you."
The debate ended without a winner, but the siblings weren't finished. They decided then and there that their upcoming holiday wouldn't be spent at the beach or the cinema. It would be a journey to prove who was right.