Hot Wheels: New races, new drivers

Welcome to the World Race

The sun was shining at the California, blue sky with a few clouds, the sounds of the waves on the beach were so satisfying. A girl with green eyes, brown hair and light skin was sitting on the sarong which was on top of the sand while drawing the landscape with one of her dogs laying next to her, her name is Maria da Silva Oliveira.

"Maria!!" a masculine voice called

Maria got up from the sarong and grabbed it while calling her dog.

"vem Harley, vem pra mamãe (come here Harley, come to mommy)" Maria called her dog named Daphne. The Border Collie dog gets up, shakes their body to remove the sand and walked inside the house. While Maria went besides the house, seeing her older brother with a plaster around his leg after a race he did at the Grand Prix, he was reaching the second place until a rival driver distracted him and an accident happened.

"Logan, you should be resting" said Maria worried with her older brother

"I'm tired of just laying down while you are having fun at the beach" Logan said while rolling his eyes

"you'll be better soon, according to the doctors and surgeons. Talking about that, I know I asked you zillion of times, but I can't just--"

"if you're about to ask if you want my permission to race in my place, you already know the answer. No. It's too dangerous for you, what if you commit an accident behind the wheel? Y'know you are kinda clumsy sometimes, I don't want you to commit the same accident as I did"

"pff yeah, you always say I'm very clumsy for everything" buffed Maria while pouting.

Logan is 22 years old boy who always cared for his little sister, he likes seeing her sweet, kind and calmed personality, she and the rest of the family have a lots in common, they love nature and they are creative, while Logan is the opposite. He always get so irritated, and he isn't very much close to the nature. Seeing his sister asking him many times if she could race on his place made him feel two things, the first feeling he felt was proud, he likes to think he is inspiring Maria to do the same hobby as him, but the second feeling was fear, he is afraid that she'll do a mistake during a race, and he knows that she took her license last year when she turned 16 and he is still afraid.

"anyway, I'm going back inside" said Logan finishing the conversation

Maria guides her brother to his own room and she lied on the sofa, she felt her eyelids a little bit heavy and she took a nap. After some minutes, an alarm woke her. She get up to check her phone and saw that it was someone calling her, it was a number without the caller's name and she answered.

"Hello? Who is it?" answered Maria

"Hi, are you Maria da Silva Oliveira?" asked the caller

"yeah? And who is it?"

"Hello there, here is Dan Dresden? Sound familiar?"

"wait-- Dan Dresden? The Dan Dresden who raced against my brother at the Racing Circuit on San Fracisco?", she asked not believing, making Dan Dresden chuckle

"wow you still remember that race, I'm flattered, but I didn't call you to talk about past races, the reason is because we need a racer for our team"

"I would ask my brother, but he broke his leg during his last race"

"I know, but we want a racer with greatest driving skills and I've been thinking you will be a perfect choice"

When she heard this phrase, she felt the world around her stop and pause for a second, she only raced against her brother on the streets of California ever since she took her license, she always dreamed to be in a race.

"Maria? Are you there?" asked Dresden waking her to reality

"Ops sorry, but-- why me? I never raced in a racing circuit like you, and why do you think I have greatest driving skills?"

"Maria, I always noticed the way you looked at your brother during his races, your eyes starts to shine when you see a race, the way you have been feeling inspired by your older brother, you are the perfect choice"

"b-but what if I fail? What if I can't do it? What if I'm not a good driver?"

"Maria, there is one thing that a friend told me: 'fear is just an obstacle on the path to success. Face it head on, and you will see that your courage is more powerful than you realize'. Are you in or not?" asked Dresden saying his best encouraging phrase. After some time of thinking, Mari finally decided, she is motivated to race.

"I'm in" said Maria in a confident way

"Good. I'll be there soon"

"Thank you, Dresden."

The brazilian girl finally finished the call and changed into some comfortable clothing, she took a paper from a cabinet and wrote a letter for her brother with a phone number. Maria stood outside of the house waiting for Dan Dresden until he finally arrived with his car, Side Draft.

"hey, Maria. Get in" ordered Dresden

"Where are we going?" asked Maria

"to the place called Highway 35. You will be racing at the World Race"

TO BE CONTINUED...