The Adventurer
Copyright© 2025 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 1
William Hudson Bowman III was thirteen, and he lived in North Dakota. His friends and family called him Trey. His dad was William Hudson Bowman Jr., age 35, 6’2” tall, and an Army Captain in the Army Special Forces Operational Detachment Alphas (ODAs). He was on alert or deployed most of the year. He only made it home once or twice a year for a month’s leave. His mom was Kay Whitehurst Bowman, age 32, and 5’11” tall. They lived on Army bases until he was ten, then moved in with his mom’s parents to be closer to family and friends.
Trey’s father’s parents died in a car accident ten years ago. His mom’s parents were Robert and Kathern Whitehurst. Robert Whitehurst was a US Senator and visited on weekends. When he was home, or the Senate was in recess, his grandfather was campaigning and attending fundraising events and dinners. That left Trey, his mother, and his grandmother alone most of the time. They lived in a 6500 square foot two-story house with seven bedrooms, horses, and a stable on the estate. The estate was 250 acres and backed up to a national forest, so they were pretty isolated.
Dad’s brother Jack Bowman was the only other relative, and he ran a Pharmaceutical research company locally. Uncle Jack would visit on weekends and take Trey camping, fishing, hunting, or to local events. Trey would work at his company part-time during the summer for extra spending money. Uncle Jack, his mother, and his grandmother were close, and he would attend dinner at the house two or three times a week. Uncle Jack was single and a workaholic. He was 32 years old and 6’4” tall.
Trey didn’t know that his mom, Kay, and Jack were long-time lovers, and he was Jack’s son. Jack was determined to give his son the best opportunity in life, so he’d given Trey injections and special vitamins since he was ten. The vitamins were taken daily, and the injections were once a month. Trey was active in sports and practiced martial arts three days a week since he was five. He started martial arts while they lived on base and continued when they moved to North Dakota.
Trey played hockey in the winter, baseball in the summer, and golf in the summer. On weekends, Uncle Jack took him and his mom to golf courses in his private jet. They visited golf courses on the West and East Coasts. Trey was in 8th grade when his guidance counselor, Mrs. Sherman, summoned him and his mom to the office for a meeting. When they arrived, Mrs. Sherman said Trey was performing well above his grade level, and they needed to test him for advancement.
Mom asked what was involved, and Mrs. Sherman said the high school would give him a series of tests over two days. When we get the results, we can review our options. So, Trey took the tests at the high school, and we met with Mrs. Sherman again. She said Trey is at or above the 12th-grade level in all subjects except social studies. Mom asked So what are our options. Mrs. Sherman told Mom that putting Trey in 12th grade wouldn’t be a good option. Although physically, he’s big at 6 feet, high school seniors would resent his presence. She recommended taking online college classes or consulting with the university for more testing.
Mom asked about graduating from high school, and Mrs. Sherman said he’s already graduated with his testing. As I said, Trey’s only shortfall was social studies, and his overall test score was 3.5, or a B+. The university has better testing methods and IQ testing to help Trey pick the right courses for his future. Mrs. Sherman gave us a letter of recommendation to Mr. Ballard at North Dakota University, along with his high school graduation certificate.
On the way home, Mom asked Trey what he thought about the development. Trey said he’d miss playing sports but was bored with schoolwork. The teachers did their best, giving him advanced studies, but they had other students, too. Trey said we should talk with Grandmother and Uncle Jack and get their advice. Then, we can meet with Mr. Ballard and make an informed decision. Mom agreed and said she’s not enthused with him attending college at his age. Trey said Ah, Mom, he could learn so much and they laughed.
Mom didn’t know that Trey was an excellent hacker and computer programmer. His computer science teacher, Ms. Summer, taught Trey everything she knew in the 6th grade. So, she had a friend, Jacob, who tutored him through the 8th grade. Jacob was a programmer and hacker who taught Trey everything he knew. Trey had developed programs to keep tabs on the entire middle school. Jacob also set up Trey with programming jobs to earn money for his computer supplies. Trey had four cloud accounts, a custom computer, a laptop, and a tablet.
Trey and Mom arrived home and sat at the kitchen table with Grandmother and Uncle Jack. During dinner, Mom discussed the meeting at school and Mrs. Sherman’s recommendations. Grandmother said Let’s keep this to ourselves. The Senator and Captain may want to use Trey for publicity or advancement. Everyone agreed, and Uncle Jack asked Trey what he wanted to do. Trey said attending college in co-ed dorms had socializing advantages, and everyone laughed. Grandmother said Let’s wait until you meet with Mr. Ballard at UND and discuss your options then.
Everyone agreed, and Uncle Jack told Trey he’d have plenty of free time if he did online study. You may have to attend physical labs, but your afternoons would be free to work at my company, and everyone laughed again. Trey said he’d like to see about testing out of some classes, and the online courses seemed better suited. After dinner, Trey went to his room, went online, and programmed for a project for Jacob. When he finished, Trey checked Mrs. Sherman’s email and phone texts. She had emailed Mr. Ballard at UND and given him all of Trey’s school grades. Mr. Ballard was excited to have Trey attend UND as soon as possible.
Mom called Mr. Ballard the next morning, and we had a 1 p.m. appointment. Trey was excited not to have to go to school anymore and to schedule his day as he pleased. They attended the meeting, and Mr. Ballard presented the benefits of attending UND. Trey would get a full scholarship with room and board and an allowance for supplies. Testing was scheduled for the next two days, and then they would meet again to discuss classes.
When they arrived home, Grandmother called Uncle Jack and put it on speaker phone. They discussed the meeting, and Uncle Jack said Don’t sign anything until a lawyer reviews the agreement. UND may have a hidden agenda and try to promote Trey for publicity. Online scholarships are available everywhere, so expect a hard sale if your tests are in the upper percentile. Also, request and, if denied, demand copies of the testing for your records. We and an attorney can make an informed decision based on your test scores and their offer. Remember, it’s their first offer and not the last.
For the next two days, Trey spent the day at the university taking tests, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with breaks between tests and lunch. At the end of the second day, we met with Mr. Ballard again. He presented the university’s offer, and we requested to review my test results. He was reluctant to give them to us, but folded when we got up to leave. We reviewed the test results and told Mr. Ballard our attorney would review everything, and we would contact him.
Trey and Mom laughed on the way home at Mr. Ballard’s expression when we left. Mom said we should take a few days and make him sweat, and they laughed again. Uncle Jack joined them for dinner with Grandmother, Mom, and Trey. Everyone reviewed the university’s offer and Trey’s test scores. Uncle Jack said he would call his attorney to review everything. But he spotted some issues, and his attorney will make a counterproposal. The clause he noticed was the NIL exemption. Its name, image, and likeness. So, they plan on marketing you for donations and recruiting. The other things are security and transportation. If you attend the university, you’ll have a target on your back.
It took Uncle Jack’s lawyer a few days to draft a counterproposal. Trey spent them riding his horse Blackie and practicing his martial arts in his dojo in the mornings. Then, in the afternoon, he worked on programming jobs for Jacob and hacking. Trey hacked into the UND mainframe and read Mr. Ballard’s emails. There were several between Ballard and the university attorney. The university attorney advised Ballard that a separate agreement would be needed because Trey was a minor. There were also state and federal issues to consider. Then Ballard also emailed Mrs. Sherman to get her to contact us. She refused because Trey was no longer a student at the school.
Uncle Jack came to dinner on Thursday night with his lawyer’s counterproposal. We reviewed it and laughed. Mr. Ballard will have a stroke when he reads this proposal, which is three pages long and specifically lists what each party would do. Uncle Jack recommended that you not tell Mr. Ballard about your desire to take online classes until the agreement is signed. He’s more inclined to agree if you’re staying on campus under his control. Also, note that the deal requires the Chancellor’s signature, too.
Then, Uncle Jack asked Trey and Mom if they wanted to go to South Carolina this weekend. Mom couldn’t say yes fast enough, and Trey agreed. Grandmother said, “Thanks for leaving me with the asshole,” and everyone laughed. Senator Robert Whitehurst, Trey’s grandfather, thought he was a very important man, and everyone should obey him. The problem was that Grandmother had the money in the family. The ranch was her parents and everything was in a trust. The trust goes from Grandmother to Mom, then to Trey. Grandfather and Trey’s Dad are left out. The “Senator,” as he likes to be called, lives off his Senate salary and bribes/donations.
Trey said Sorry, Grandmother, for leaving you with the Senator. Uncle Jack offered to let her come with us, but she refused. Grandmother wanted to keep an eye on the ranch while the asshole was there. We all knew what she meant. The Senator was known to have affairs with his female staff, and she didn’t want the whores using her bed. The only reason they stayed married was that he was gone most of the time. Also, the asshole carried a lot of weight that came with his position.
Mom and Trey met with Mr. Ballard the next morning, and he looked ill reading the counterproposal. Trey said they had submitted applications to six other universities, so don’t feel bad if you can’t accept it. We’ve already got two invitations for visits, but you were first. Mr. Ballard reluctantly agreed, and they went to the Chancellor’s office. The signatures were notarized, and Trey received his student ID, credit card, and meal card. Returning to Mr. Ballard’s office, we got a list of courses and returned home. They reviewed the courses offered, and Trey selected six online courses. He also picked six courses to test out. He would break the news next week.
Mom and Grandmother were happy that Trey didn’t have to attend university for any classes or labs. Trey signed up for the online courses and ordered the e-books using his university credit card. They never told Mr. Ballard about taking online courses, so hopefully, it would fly under the radar. They ate dinner, and Uncle Jack called. We were leaving at 6 a.m., and he would pick us up. Then the senator arrived home, didn’t say hello to anyone, and went to his home office.
Trey asked Grandmother if she was sure she didn’t want a nut roast tonight, and everyone laughed. After dinner, Trey went to his room, packed, then hacked into his grandfather’s laptop. Trey installed a worm in his hard drive to transfer all Grandfather’s files to his cloud account. It would send updates with changes once a week. Trey hadn’t done it before, but felt it was necessary now. The look on Grandfather’s face as he entered the house told Trey something was seriously wrong. Trey read his laptop files in the cloud and saw the problem. One of the Senator’s money men was being investigated for illegal campaign contributions. If he talks, the Senator is in serious trouble.
He shut off the computer and got ready for bed. Trey never told anyone about what happened after puberty hit. He could read other people’s minds if he focused on them. Trey also noticed he could persuade others to do things for him. He hadn’t practiced it very often, but it was almost like hypnosis. Then there were the changes in his body and mind. He had more strength and quickness in his punches and movements. Trey also noticed more definition in his muscles, and his dick and balls got larger too. There was no one he could ask, and he was afraid to do so if there was someone. He finally relaxed enough to fall asleep.
Uncle Jack picked up Trey and Mom and drove to the airport. The Gulfstream jet was waiting and took off for South Carolina. When we landed, Uncle Jack rented an SUV and we drove to the Sage Valley Golf Club. We checked into the hotel, Mom went to the spa, and we went to the practice range. After warming up, we went to the starting line. Uncle Jack teed off first, and Trey followed. He outdrove Jack by 25 feet, but to the left of the fairway. Trey was having problems with his clubs, and Uncle Jack said You’ve outgrown your clubs. Trey shot an even par, despite his erratic drives and approach shots.
Uncle Jack shot a two-over-par, and they drove to a golf superstore. Trey was measured and then got a new set of clubs. They took his old clubs as a trade-in, and his new clubs were six inches longer. Trey thanked Uncle Jack for his new clubs, and they drove back to the hotel. Trey told Uncle Jack he sensed the Senator was in trouble last night when he arrived home. Uncle Jack asked how, and Trey said his facial expression and the yelling in his office. They went to the practice range, and Trey hit a bucket of balls with his new clubs. The difference was substantial, and he looked forward to using them tomorrow.