Daynight Racer (Completed)

Chapter 29

Lyst snuggled down onto the sofa, squeezing herself into the tight space between her mom and dad. Despite the limited space, she felt at home, nestled within the warmth of her loved ones. It was a feeling she had craved since the day she became alone, a feeling she never thought she would experience again in her lifetime.

And yet here she was, enjoying every second of it.

Eyes glued at the television before her, she watched as her purple and neon green racecar zipped through the damp track sitting in the middle of the Belgian forest, barely visible behind the translucent wall formed by all the tiny little raindrops. Watching the race from a spectator's point of view felt so different from her experience under the visor. Of course, the thrill of being in the car was absent, but that didn't diminish the excitement and satisfaction that she felt from simply looking at the sheer speed of the cars, albeit only from the other side of a screen.

"You're really quick in the wet," commented her mom, Ellie. "You have the talent in you, dear."

"Thanks."

"Are you continuing to race for Richard next year?"

"Yes," responded Lyst, almost without thinking. "I already have the contract signed."

Just as she completed her reply, she suddenly thought of Lindsay, Bree, Nick, Jaymes; how they're facing their own troubles, how she wanted to help them, how she promised to help them. 

Shoot.

Oh shoot.

What am I gonna do?

Lyst frowned and hunched her shoulders. "Actually, I don't know now."

Seeing her change of demeanour, Ellie's expression grew concerned. "What's wrong?"

"It's just... There's a few things going on right now."

"Tell us all about it, Lyst." urged Andrew, his first time speaking in this conversation. "We're all ears, and we won't judge." And then he offered a reassuring smile.

Seeing her parents look at her like that, she sighed. "Fine."

She began by sharing about her dinner with Ashley and Lindsay shortly after she was signed to the Powers team. She told them about Lindsay's troubled management of the street racing community, and how she wished to make her job easier. Then she moved on, recalling her brief interaction with Bree in the library. She remembered her childish innocence and her admirable aspirations. But most importantly, she remembered the promise to help her achieve her dreams, which she planned to keep. After that, she told her parents about her accident with Nick. She told them about his unfortunate predicament, which earned a grimace from her dad, presumably because he himself was once in a similar situation. Finally, she shared about her interaction with Jaymes; how miserable he was when he received the terrible news of being kicked out of his team.

She wished to help them. All of them.

It was a lot to talk about, and Lyst's mouth was dry by the time she finished speaking. And to be honest, for a moment, she felt like a philanthropist, but she didn't care right now. Looking at both her parents, she couldn't tell what they thought of her. Were they disappointed in her? Or were they simply taken aback by how much their daughter had gone through when they weren't there for her?

It took a while before Andrew finally spoke up. "What exactly do you want to do, then?"

His question came as a surprise. It suddenly occurred to her that she had never really contemplated that particular question before.

What exactly do I want to do?

What exactly should I do?

She sifted through all her possible options. For all she knew, she was just a twenty two year old girl walking through unpaved roads and somehow grew a big enough heart to accommodate those she cared about. She knew for a fact that she could only do so much, and if a little sacrifice is what she needed for a collective benefit, then so be it.