Arcadia : The Hidden Child

Chapter 18

Almost a week had passed since we raided Damian's prison compound.  Mars broke the news about Micah on the night of the raid and Ty locked himself in his room for two or three days, but Franz had been visiting with him, bringing him some herbal teas to help calm and soothe.  Yesterday was the first day I had seen him come out of his room, but it was only to have dinner with us and then back in the room he went.  I didn't know that him and Micah were so close, but I was beginning to pick up on the full impact Micah's death had on him, on everyone really.  I didn't get a chance to know him very well, but the interactions I did have with him brought a smile to my face.
"Are you coming today Venus asked?"
"To what?"
"The burial ceremony."
"I would like to, I didn't really know about it."
"We are going to the Kimotabi."
The life force of our planet and all of the sparkles you see are the souls of Arcadians who have passed. Tristan's voice filled my mind, which saddened me.  No one has heard from him and it has been almost two weeks.  I was worried and I desperately wanted to see him!  I wanted to know where he was or what mission he was on and if it involved Charlie.  I've harassed Mars Enough, looking for an update on either Tristan or Charlie, but the news was always the same... nothing.
I went back to my room and changed my clothes to something a little more appropriate than my customary pants and hoody and opted for a nice pant suit.  I made my way to the front door where people were already lining up.  I saw Mars, Venus, Cash, and Ty standing at the front, so I slowly made my way to them.
"You look very nice," I said to Ty.
He smiled a small smile, he looked a little better than when I had last seen him.
We were landing our pods near the bank of the Kimotabi a little while later.  We all stood by the edge while Mars and Cash prepared Micah.  They laid him on what looked to be a thin sheet of glass and gently eased him into the water, giving him a slight push away from the bank.  We all stood in silence watching and then the most magical thing I had ever seen happened.  The small crystal specks from the water started moving, pulsing, through the water, moving closer and closer to where Micah was laying.  Once they got to him, they started swirling in a circle underneath him and then they slowly ascended out of the water creating a small funnel over him.  There were so many lights, dancing...swirling...pulsing and then all of the sudden they fell back to the water and Micah was gone, vanished into the water.
I stood there in awe at the beauty of what had just happened.  Some people returned to their pods and took off, but I couldn't help but stand there, watching, waiting, to see if it would happen again.  Ty took a seat, so I found a place beside him.  "That was beautiful huh?" I asked, still staring out over the Kimotabi.
"Yea, it was pretty magical," he said smiling.  He seemed lighter, happier, maybe at ease.
"You going to be ok?"
"Yes, yes I am." He left out a deep breath.
After some time past we stood up and started making way back to the pod and Ty looked at me, "So this one time Micah and Cash were wrestling...."

o o o o

When we got back to the hub Mars was standing outside waiting for me and a pit immediately started to form in my stomach.  I got out of the pod and made my way over to him, "What's going on?" I tried to keep the worry out of my voice.
"It's Charlie-"
I grabbed Ty's arm, "Oh no.  What happened?"
He smiled, "It is good news, my team found him hiding out and are bringing him here."
"They found him and he is ok?"
"Yes, they said his clothes are a little tattered and he has a few bumps and scrapes here and there but overall he is good.  Apparently, it took some convincing that they were the good guys."
"That sounds like Charlie, trust but verify he would always tell me." I smiled.  "When can I see him and any word on his family?"
"Not yet on the family but he will be here day after tomorrow.  He wanted to go back and get a few things before he made the trip here."
I nodded, "So two days..." I smiled, "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet, I have to get everyone back in one piece," he winked.
I patted him on the shoulder and then turned toward my room.
My head hit the pillow and I was out.
"Charlie!"
He turned and looked at me.
"What are you doing down here?" We were in some sort of rock structure, most likely a cave.  It was dark and the walls were wet.
He started walking towards me, I thought he was going to give me a hug but he walked right past me.
"Charlie?"
He didn't turn around.
What's going on?"
"Charlie!!!" I yelled, but he continued walking away from me. 
I followed him.  The ground had large and small rocks protruding out of the dirt making it difficult to walk fast.
"Charlie," I called again.  "Can you hear me?"
He didn't turn around.  Could he even see me? I wondered.  He walked right past me as if I weren't there.
I began to look around, trying to figure out where I was.  Nothing.  I looked up ahead and saw Charlie was now talking to another man.  I made my way to them and tried to grab Charlie's arm, but my hand fell right through him. 
"We don't have a lot of time," the one man said.  He was wearing all black and had a face mask resting on top of his head.  Was he Arcadian?
"Ok.  I just need to grab a few things from the house and then we can go."
"We will make our way back to the edge of town and camp out in the woods, and then tomorrow night when it's dark we'll go to your house, get your things and then get back to the field to portal to Arcadia."
"Ok.  Portal, you make it sound so normal," he laughed.
The man just stared at him.
Charlie didn't understand it was normal for him, bouncing from one place to another in a blink of an eye.
"Can we take a rest in a little?  My old knees are getting tired."
"We don't have a lot of time, it will be light soon and we have some distance to close."
"Ok." He waved them on.
"We aren't leaving you behind."
"Alright." Charlie began moving forward.
"It will get a little easier when we are out of this cave."
"How did you find me anyways?"
"We traced your scent signature to this area and then it disappeared, so we started looking in every hole."
"Scent signature?"
"Yes.  Everyone has one."
Charlie just moaned and had a look of disbelief on his face.
KNOCK!
What was that?
KNOCK!
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Araleigh!"
I rubbed my eyes.  "Venus?"
"Yes! Let me in!"
I swiped in the air to disengage the keypad.
"What are you doing?" Venus asked.
"What do you mean?  I was sleeping..."
She chuckled.  "I know that! But there is so much to do today."
"There is?"
"Yes! Cash told me to come get you."
"Where are we going?"
"I'm not supposed to say but I think you will enjoy it!" She started walking out of the door and then stopped looking back at me.  "Get up!" She waved her hands motioning for me to get up.
"Fine." I threw the covers off of me and made my way to the bathroom.  After I freshened up, I made my way to the dining hall where Cash, Ty, Venus, and Franz were having breakfast.
Venus looked up and patted the seat beside her.  I nodded, went to the counter to get my food and sat down beside her.
"Good Morning." They all said.
"What's going on?"
"We've got some plans today.  We want to take you and Ty out.  Since you guys have been here it has been one thing after another and you've not had a chance to just enjoy Arcadia." Cash said.
I looked at Ty and he seemed to be doing a lot better.
"Franz, do you know what's going on?"
His eyes twinkled. 
"Do you want to share?"
"I do."
"So are you?"
"No."
"But."
"You asked if I wanted to, not if I would."
I smirked and he shrugged.
Everyone finished eating their breakfast and we all headed to the front door.
"Are you ready for an amazing day?" Cash asked.
"Yes." I said confused.  "But what's the special occasion?"
"I told you," he opened the door, "we want you guys to relax and enjoy our home.  Charlie is on his way here, Damian hasn't been seen or heard from in days and the prisoners have been released."
Cash, Franz, and I climbed into one pod while Ty and Venus climbed in a the second.
"Now, what to do." Cash pondered.
"Oh I know the place we can go." Franz leaned over and whispered in Cash's ear.
Cash smiled, "I like this idea, but we need to stop somewhere first."  Cash punched in a series of numbers and the pod began to lift off the ground.
I couldn't help but smile, although part of me wished Ty was in the pod with us.  He seemed to be doing better, but I just wanted to see for myself.
"He's fine." Cash said.
"What?" I asked confused.
"Ty.  You keep looking back at the other pod.  He's doing fine, that is the magic of the Kimotabi, plus, Venus is taking him somewhere just for him."
"Fine.  Where are we going?"  I asked, nervously excited.
"It's the surprise." Franz said, with a large grin on his face.
I smiled back at him and turned to look out of the window. The greenery started to disappear and was replaced by more paved walkways and glass buildings.  We were heading closer to the center of town, I realized.
We circled a building and then landed on it.  We stepped out of the pod and moved towards the door which swung open, just as a man was walking out.
"Good day to you sir."  He said with a slight bow.  "And to both of you." He looked at Franz and I and smiled.  "She's waiting for you on the third floor."
"Perfect." Cash said.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"You'll see soon."
We walked through the doors and to a glass bulb that was suspended off the side of the building.  As I stepped into it, I realized too late it wasn't even attached to the building.  There was a low hum, which I had to assume was the magnetic levitation.
"You may want to hold on." Franz said titling his head to the handles on the wall.
The doors closed behind me and we zoomed down, floor after floor after floor.  I grabbed on the handle just as we were slowing to a stop.
"Wow."
"Yea, I couldn't stand using the ones on Earth, they were so slow."  Cash said, being overly dramatic.
I let go of the handle and we stepped out into an empty dark hall.
"Are we sure this is it?"
"Yep!" Cash said grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the door in front of us. "I have arrived Lupita!"
A woman with olive skin and yellow hair mounded high on her head walked out.  She was dressed head to toe in a silk looking outfit that was a mixture of royal blue, hot pink, and bits of gold. 
"Cash!" She threw her arms open as she approached him.
He let go of my hand and moved towards her with his arms open.  When he got to her she slapped him in the face.  "That is for leaving without saying goodbye.  You had me worried."
Cash rubbed his cheek and smiled at her.  "I'm sorry.  I must do what the Queen demands."
"Likely excuse, it will not always get you out of trouble with me you know." She smiled and then stepped forward to give him a hug.  She pushed him away with her hands still firmly on his shoulders.  "Let me look at you."  She spun him around.  "Do they not have food on that planet?  You are wasting away."
He laughed and looked at me. "Lupita, I would like to introduce-"
She cut him off.  "This is her?"
She knew about me?
"This is Araleigh."
She walked over to me and gently but firmly spun me around.  "Yes.  Nice figure.  A little too bulky in the arms, but I can work with it."
Bulky in the arms?
"She is one of the best fighters I know."
"I have heard.  Your mother has spoken about her in length."
She was talking about me?  I wanted to ask what exactly they talked about, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
"And your mother too, I should say."
"You know who I am?"
"Of course darling." She smiled and placed her hand on my cheek.   "I have known about you for quite some time."
"And you didn't tell me?" Cash asked jokingly.
"You were just a child." She turned towards him and lowered her voice, "And you still are." She walked towards her desk. 
"You hurt me Lupita!" Cash feigned.
"You will get over it."
I liked her.  She was spunky and full of life.
"Come over here darlings." She waved her hand in the air.
We all filed in line and walked to stand around her desk.  She pushed a series of buttons and the desk began to turn on.  "This is what I have come up with so far.  You didn't give me much time." She said cutting her eyes at Cash.  He just shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her.
Moments later an image of a dress appeared floating in front of us.
She clapped her hands together.  "This is for tonight."
It was a short little dress that was sparkling.  "I choose a dark blue." She turned the image around and the back had a large scoop that showed my entire back and stopped just above my hips.  "What do you think?"
"I love it."
"Perfect!  Go pick out some shoes," she pointed to the rack of shoes against the wall.  They were all in my size and all a light silver color, but designed differently.  I turned to see her and Cash talking intently.
"They go back a long time." Franz said walking over.  "Oh I like these." He pointed to a very high pair of heels.
"You wouldn't like them so much if you had to walk in them." I smiled.  "She seems to know a lot about me."
"She's very close with the Queen."
"Really?"
He nodded, "I don't know how they know each other, but I feel like there is a story there."
"Interesting."
"Have you picked out a pair of shoes?" Lupita yelled to me.
I held up the pair in my hand.
"Perfect, bring them to me." She waved us over.
Franz and I walked back over, while Cash took a call on his comm's device in the corner.
"What color would you like these?"
"I don't know.  Fashion was never really my thing."
"I can tell." She smiled.
I don't think she meant it as a jab, but it came across that way. 
Without missing a beat, she continued, "I think gold."
"Ok." I shrugged and smiled.
"You are much easier to work with than your mother.  She is so full of opinions on this and that," she paused for a moment.  "I like you." She nodded.  "And though she may not know how to express it, she's happy you're back.  She missed you greatly."
"Really?"
"Of course she did." She turned to look at Cash, "choosing to send you away the first time was not an easy decision for her, and the second time was nearly impossible, but she had to protect you and Arcadia." She raised her eyebrows and shook her head. "Poor thing."
I really wanted to dig more into the story and ask what she meant, but Cash walked back up.  "Are we done here?"
Lupita's face changed instantly and a huge smile was plastered across it.  "Of course!"
She looked at me.  "Give me a couple hours and I'll have your dress and shoes ready for you."
"As always Lupita," Cash grabbed her hand and kissed it, "a pleasure."
She snatched her hand from his, "Next time don't go so long without coming to visit."  She smiled and patted him firmly on the cheek.
"Yes, yes.  I understand.  I said I was sorry."
"Now leave me.  You swoop in here after so much time has passed and bring me all this work."
"You love it."
"Shoo." She said waving her hands in the air.
Cash grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room with Franz following close behind.
"I like her." Franz said.
"She is too much for you Franz," he turned to look at him, "trust me."
Had Lupita and Cash once been together?  Cash really was a wild child.
"Now where to?" I asked.
"Franz? This was your idea.  Do you care to share?" Cash asked climbing into the elevator and punching the code for the roof.
Franz put his finger to his chin and thought about it.
"Come on Franz." I pleaded.
"Ok, we are going to one of my childhood favorites."
"Which is?" I urged.
"To the Hubbux arena."
"The what?"
"I will show you.  It is great fun."
"Ok." I sat down in the pod and watched as Franz punched in some coordinates.
"I have called to clear it, so it is just ours." Cash said.
That must have been why he was on the phone earlier.
"Excellent!" Franz said excitedly.
It looked like we were flying out of the center of town towards the outskirts, a place I had yet to visit.
"This is where I grew up," Franz said pointing to a pile of dirt, "before the Nevi's destroyed it."
"I'm sorry."
"It is no problem now.  It is how I met Cash and Tristan."  He turned to look back at me.  "It was actually Tristan who found me."
"Really?"
He nodded, "Apparently, I was almost dead, but he found me and brought me back, so I am forever in his debt." He smiled.
It looked like we were almost done crossing over the open dirt field because we were coming up on some buildings.
"Where is this?" I didn't think there was more than one town.
"This is called the Hubbux.  They are technically under the Queen's rule, but arrangements have been made allowing them to live how they want within reason.  They govern themselves, but ultimately the Queen has control.  It has worked out well for everyone since the arrangement years ago.  They used to fight against us, but are happy now."
"Interesting and they don't have a problem with us coming here?"
"Not at all, as long as we abide by their rules."
"Which are?"
"To not get in trouble."
"Do you think you can manage?" I asked Cash.
"I will try for you." He smiled.
"Over there." Franz pointed to an open field.
I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a field with hovering discs, are large cube structure and some sort of race track or course.
"This looks fun."
"Oh it is quite fun and I thought you would like it.  It will test your mental and physical skill."
"Right up my alley."
"I know this.  This is why I suggested it." Franz said honestly.
I smiled and looked over at Cash.  "Have you been here before?"
"Once.  Growing up it was forbidden, but now because of the arrangement mom has made with them, they have opened it up, but only occasionally... which is probably a good thing.  Less opportunities to make a mistake the better."
  I laughed.
The pod landed moments later and waiting for us was a man with long dark hair and scruff on his face.  His worn face, matched his loose and tattered clothing.
"Good day to you." Cash said, posture perfect, extending his hand out to shake the mans.  "I appreciate you doing this for us today."  He turned to look at me.  "It is her first time here."
"She won't break anything will she?  If she does, you pay for it." He had an accent I couldn't place.
"She is a quick study, but of course we'll cover any damage.  Thanks again."
The man turned and began to walk in the gate, seemingly annoyed.  "The rest of the group is already inside suiting up."
Rest of the group?
We walked through the gates and saw Ty, Mars, Venus, Ivan, and a few others standing there in some sort of silver space suit.
Venus waved me over, "Let's have some fun!" She yelled out to me.
We walked over and I grabbed my suit off the table and slid it on over my clothes.
"What are we doing first?" I asked.
"You get to decide." Franz said.
"I don't really know what's here, so I will let you pick for me Franz, since this was your idea."
He smiled. "As you wish." He did a small bow and then looked around.  "I say we do it all, time permitting, make the loop."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Franz moved the group to the field with the floating discs.  "Everyone grab a disc."
"I love this game," Ivan said, punching his fist into his hand.
"Split into two teams."
My team was made up of Mars, Franz, Venus, and Demetrius.  The other team was Cash, Ivan, Marx, Lourdes, and Izzy.  I had only just learned of the others names, but I did remember them from the night on the training field, which seemed like so long ago.
"Why aren't you and Ivan on the same team?" I asked Venus.
"Why aren't you and Cash on the same team?"
"Because we may be a little competitive." I smiled.
She nodded and winked at me.
"Have you ever been here before?"
"Not this one, but one like it."  She raised her chin, "And this is one of Ivan's favorite sports to watch...it can get a bit violent, but I don't think we will have that problem today."
"I have no idea what you are talking-." I was cut off.
The man from the front gate started speaking in a slow and monotone voice, "The rules of the game are easy, be the team that gets the most points before the round ends.  Each round lasts ten minutes and there are three rounds."
Seems easy enough, I thought.
Anyone looking at him could tell he was unhappy to be here today.  He added "Also, don't touch the rings, you will get a nasty shock."
I couldn't help but think I saw a little smile.
"Any questions?"
Yes.  I had a ton, but I didn't want to bother him anymore.
"Field is on, don't forget your sticks."
"Sticks?" I whispered to Venus.
"I will show you."
"Thanks."
We all walked to our teams starting points on opposite sides of the field.
Franz looked around.
"Ok.  Mars and Demetrius, can you guys be blockers?"
They nodded.
"Venus and I will be movers."
Venus nodded.
"Araleigh, that leaves you to be our scorer. How good is your aim?"
"Pretty good, I guess." I shrugged.
"Ok." He turned to me.  "You are probably very confused."
I nodded and pinched my lips together.
"The concept is really quite simple.  The rings move from side to side and front to back across the field, all except one.  There is a ring in the middle of the field that is very small, it does not move, but is also difficult to score in because you have to throw the ball perfectly.  The other three rings move around the field, you just have to be careful because if you aren't paying attention it could hit you from behind and they will hurt."
"How do you move the rings?"
"With the sticks.  We all get sticks," he scrunched his face, "except you."
"Great." I smiled.
"You just have to maneuver around it, although you can wear a thicker suit to help dampen the sting, but it's harder to move around in." He threw his hands in the air, "Up to you."
I nodded.
"With it being your first time, you may want the extra protection, there's a lot going on."
"Ok." I nodded.  "One probably important question.  How do I fly the disc?"
The horn buzzed giving us a one-minute countdown.
My heart started pounding, I was excited and nervous all at the same time.  I thought I could hear Ivan screaming a chant across the field. 
I turned back to Franz, who jumped on his board.  "You shift your body side to side and back and forth.  To go up you are going to raise your toes and sink your heel and then the opposite to go down.  Similar to the ones you had on Earth, but unlike Earth, if you go up too fast on these you will flip."
"Can I fall off?"
"No. Your feet are locked in."
Everyone started getting on their boards, we had less than ten seconds left.
"Stay around me and Venus.  Grab the balls when we first go in and we will push the rings into your path.  Once you toss the ball, the ball will go back down to the main level.  You will need to get more balls." He was yelling at me as he was moving onto the field.
I jumped on my board and couldn't help but think of all the technology we had borrowed, no thanks to the Nevi's.  I'm not going to think of them today, it's going to be a good day.  I moved forward on my board and shifted from left to right and quickly tested the up and down as I was following the team to the field. 
The field looked much larger now that I was standing in the middle of it.  I looked up high above me and saw the rings floating in the four corners of the arena.  A good distance below the rings were the line of ten or so balls hovering in a straight line.
The horn buzzed and everyone started moving so quickly, climbing into the air, taking their positions.  It was all a littler overwhelming but I moved towards the balls picking up speed.  It took my breath away at first, but the higher I got the more natural it felt.  I grabbed a ball and the arena buzzed with an orange light followed by a cheer from the other team. 
The ball swooshed back down to the spot I had just taken my ball from. 
I looked up and saw my teammates yelling at me, so I raised to their level and got behind Franz.  He pointed his stick to a ring across the field and Venus nodded.  She zoomed over to it and pushed the ring our way.  Franz started moving towards it, "Get ready Araleigh." He pushed it again and I threw the ball. I thought I was going to make it but Ivan came in at the last second and bumped the ring out of the way.
"You've got to be quicker than that," he laughed.
I watched as the ball flew back down to the pit.
I went down to grab another ball and zoomed back up to the playing field.  I saw Mars off in the distance blocking one of Ty's shots, he must have been their scorer.
I started moving after Venus who was moving to outside ring.  She pushed it towards me and I rushed it and threw the ball in, barely missing it touching me.  The stadium lit up in green.
I looked up to see Ivan turning to go towards another ring as he gave me a wink.
I went back down to the pit and grabbed another ball, but this time decided to grab two, placing the second one between my knees.  I had to find a way to cut down on time between scores.
I heard a loud zap and looked up to see Ivan grabbing his shoulder and Venus laughing.  The arena buzzed again in orange and then again.
Really? Two points back to back?
They had pushed two of the rings together and Demetrius and Mars must have just missed them.  Mars slung one of the rings towards Franz, upset.
I moved over to Franz and threw a ball in the ring just as it got to him, lighting up the stadium in green just as the timer sounded.
The ball between my knees flew out and went back down to the pit as all of our discs began to slowly descend.
There was a loud buzz from above and another ring appeared.  It was glowing green and then flipped to orange and then to silver and then back to orange. 
Mars must have seen me looking at it.  "You want to make it in there when the other teams color is showing.  It will take a point away from them."
I nodded. 
"Players ready," the voice said over the loud speaker.
The field started to hum again and then the horn sounded.
I moved quickly to the balls and put one between my knees and then grabbed two more, one for each hand. I was not going to lose this round.  I glanced over and saw Mars nod in approval.  I moved quickly up to the main playing field and made my way to the glowing ring.  I turned and saw Ty moving towards the ring as well, so I took one of my balls and threw it at him, knocking the ball from his hand.  He turned to look at me and I smiled. I got to the ring and tossed the ball in. The stadium lit orange with a buzzer sound. 
The scoreboard showed minus one point.
I fist pumped and then ducked out of the way of a ring passing.  I quickly grabbed the ball from between my legs and moved after it tossing the ball in.  The arena buzzed in green.
We continued playing.  The second round ended with us up one point, so we were tied going into the third round.
The horn buzzed and we were off again.  I did the same as last time and grabbed three balls, I looked over at Ty and saw him doing the same thing.  I scrunched my face at him.  I found Venus and followed her, she grabbed a ring and slung it my way.  I sunk a ball in and the arena flashed green followed quickly by orange. I moved towards the center ring because no one was guarding it.  Just as I approached I saw two blockers coming at me.  I swooped up and over the ring doing a full cartwheel in the air, tossing the ball in when I was vertical.
Both the blockers looked at me, shocked.  I don't know if that looked as cool as it felt but that was pretty amazing.  The arena flashed orange as they lost another point.  I saw a ring flying across the arena in front of me.  I tossed the ball as it passed but Ty threw one of his knocking my ball out of the way and sinking his ball. He laughed.
I zoomed back down to the pit to grab three more balls and found Franz and Venus.
I looked at the timer.  "We have less than a minute left. Go grab a ring each and send it my way.  Once they cross I am going to throw the ball through them both."
They nodded and went to different corners of the arena.  They slung both rings at me, looking at the speed they were traveling, I took a rough estimate and moved to the right some.  They were crossing and I threw the ball in.  The arena flashed green, orange and then green again.  The humming stopped and we began to descend.  I looked at the scoreboard.  We won by one point!
I was smiling when we met up with the rest of the team.  We all made our way to the exit where we climbed out of the suits and put the boards up.
"Good job Araleigh, that one move was awesome.  I will have to try that sometime," Lourdes said. 
He must have been the other blocker, it was so hard to tell when I was upside down.
"Good job indeed," Cash said.  "We'll need to play again."
"Of course! That was amazing."
"Who is thirsty?" Cash asked.
We all walked over to the bar, where Smiles had moved to.  That is what I decided the name of our tour guide was.
"We will take 10 Verbies."
The guy punched some buttons and ten glasses came out of the bar, filled with a bright green liquid.
"Verbies for the winners." He held his glass up in the air and then shot it back.
Everyone else followed and I followed them.  It was strong and hard to describe.
Cash ordered a second round and we all drank again.
We all talked for a little bit about certain parts of our game. "We don't have a lot of time before dinner Araleigh, so we can do one more thing."
I put my drink down and looked at him.  "What are the options?"
"One is a simulated fight cage and the other is racing a-rods."
"Ohh, let's race."
"I had a feeling you were going to say that." He smiled.
We all made our way across the facility to a large wall. 
Mr. Smiles followed us over.  "Only three riders at a time.  We will take the top finishers in each heat and they will be in the final race."  I didn't think it was possible, but he seemed even more unhappy to be here.  "You three are up first, then you three," he said pointing at me as one of the three, "and then you three."  He left Cash out. 
He saw the concerned look on my face and waved it off.  "I asked to sit out.  I need to make some calls."
"Any word from Tristan?"
He smiled.  "No.  I have left him a few messages but haven't heard anything back."
Franz, Lourdes, and Marx took their seats on the A-rods. Mr. Smiles was talking them through a few things and then they slowly pulled away to the starting line.  The a-rods looked similar to the pods, but they were narrow and didn't have a dome lid.  They were silver and it looked like the suits we had to wear connected you to the machine, I assume through some sort of magnetic system.  The horn sounded and they were off. 
We could watch them on the screens in front of us. 
"How many laps?"
"Four."  Venus said.
"But they are long." Ivan added.
"Oh, have you been on this course before." I asked them both.
Venus shook her head no, while Ivan responded with a resounding, "Yes."
Great. I'm in Ivan and Demetrius's group.  They were talking about something, but I decided to watch the map and the a-rods.  I watched where they were turning, accelerating, braking.  I desperately wanted to beat Ivan.
I watched lap after lap.
When they had one lap left, we slipped into our outfits and took our seats on the a-rods.  Mr.Smiles was finishing explaining all of the handles and buttons when the other team finished.  Marx had come in first.  I saw Franz and Lourdes walk over and congratulate Marx on his win right before the bell rang. 
To the starting line.  My pulse was racing.  I have never been on a machine like this before but I knew the route I wanted to take, so I just had to get used to the controls and not crash it.
Mr. Smile stepped aside and then pushed a button.  Whatever was holding the a-rods at the start line vanished and the a-rod leapt forward a little, almost like a spring releasing tension.  Ivan and Demetrius took off.  I twisted the handle bar forward and the a-rod lurched forward awkwardly.  Come on Araleigh you can do this.  I twisted it again and held it in place and I was moving forward faster and faster.  There was a turn coming up ahead, so I slowed down and turned the handles. 
Easy.  Ok I think I got the hang of this now.  I didn't see Ivan or Demetrius anywhere.  So much for beating them, I thought reluctantly.  I accelerated and started taking the turns faster.  I remembered where I was on the map and could remember the next turn coming up.  I was going pretty fast now.  I was catching back up with the boys.  At least one, I was still too far behind to tell who it was.  They kept dipping out around curves.  I was in a long straightway with a turn to the left up ahead.  I accelerated as much I could until I was nearing the turn.  I hugged the inside curve in preparation for the immediate right turn that followed. 
I was gaining on whoever was in front of me and could catch quick glimpses of whoever was in first, probably Ivan.  I continued taking the turns one by one.  We were crossing the starting place again and my position in the field flashed on the display.
Third.  Yes, I know I am third, thank you for reminding me.  But it did show I wasn't that far behind second, and only a little bit further from first and we had two laps remaining.  I continued riding, enjoying the wind whip through my hair, hugging the corners, accelerating faster.  I saw second place just ahead of me now and I knew the straightaway was coming up.  I twisted the handle and the a-rod jumped a little and took off.  I was going to close the gap. 
We were in the straightaway and I was getting closer and closer.  They must have felt me because I saw them glance around and then turn back around and lean forward.  Their a-rod started to accelerate but they were going too fast and the turn was coming up.  They needed to slow down or they were going to hit the wall.  They disappeared behind the curve and I saw a puff of red smoke shoot into the air. 
I sped to the curve and saw Ivan getting off his a-rod.  He had crashed into the wall, but the wall wasn't there anymore.  It was an illusion? 
I pulled up beside him and pushed a button on the side of my helmet.  The clear visor disappeared. "Are you ok?"
"Yea I am fine." He said kicking the dirt.  The nose of his a-rod was stuck in the red powder in the wall.  "Keep going, I will be back out there in a minute."
"You sure?"
"Yea.  Go.  Go." He said waving me off.  I pushed the button on my visor and the clear face protector reappeared.  I turned my a-rod and continued racing.  Although it was probably no point, Demetrius would be too far ahead now. 
Just as I was pulling away I saw a small robot flying overhead.  He lowered a chain and pulled Ivan's racer out of the wall.  
I accelerated and took to the course again.  Before I knew it, I was at the start again.  The stats popped up on my screen. 
Second place.  There was some huge distance between me and Demetrius, but it was ok.  I was still having loads of fun.  When I got around the second curve my display lit up.  Ivan must have just crossed the start line because it showed how far behind me he was.  I continued pushing forward, leaning in and out of turns, letting the wind fly past me.  I had just cleared the straightaway when my screen flashed.  Demetrius had just finished.  I continued and approached the finish line as well and pulled in to park my a-rod beside Demetrius's.
"You were very fast." Demetrius looked at me.
"What?" I was shocked.
"You are a good racer.  You posted amazing speeds, especially that last lap.  You would have caught up with me if we had one more lap."
"You think so?" I laughed.
"Yes." He said seriously.  "You are a natural."
"That was exhilarating."
"What happened on the second lap?"
"Ivan." I looked up and saw Ivan coming around the last turn.  "He took the curve after the straightway too fast and crashed into the wall.  I stopped to make sure he was ok."
He smiled and then turned to Ivan, who had just parked his a-rod and was getting off of it.  "What happened man?"  He yelled over the roar of the a-rods taking off from Venus and her riding partners as they kicked up dust. 
Ivan looked at me.  "Her."
We all walked off the course and he continued.  "You were so damn fast."
"That's what I said." He said lightly hitting me in the arm.  "A natural."
"You put the pressure on me and I failed."  He shrugged his shoulders.
I laughed.  "Well I'm glad you're ok."  I looked around and saw the first group at a bar so we walked over to them and they had drinks ready for us when we arrived. 
"Awesome race guys."  Franz said.  He turned to look at me.  "You were brilliant.  Handling the course like a pro.  How did you do that?"
"I just watched your race."
He nodded his head.  "Impressive.  I had some bit on the race.  I totally thought you were going to win, but then Ivan," he shot a dirty glance at him, "had to crash."  He laughed.  "But then I made a new bet and said you were going to stop to check on him.  So, I won that one." He threw his fist in the air and laughed.
"Who do you think is going to win this one?"
"Venus for sure." Franz and Lourdes said at the same time.
I nodded.  "She is pretty badass."
"And she is all mine, so I win," Ivan laughed.  He pushed a few buttons on the table and another round of drinks came out.  "To Araleigh.  Another badass."
I felt my cheeks flush. "Thank you." I gave a slight nod.
"What is going on over here?" Cash said walking up.
"Nothing much." 
"Awesome race, except you, Ivan." He joked and everyone laughed, including Ivan.
"Blame your sister.  She was fast."
"Yea she is pretty amazing."
I smiled.  "Enough of this. How do I order us some more drinks?"  Ivan showed me and then I swiped my comm's device and seconds later another round appeared on the table.
"These are delightful."
"Delightful." Franz said, as if saying the word to dissect it's meaning.  We walked back over to the track.
Venus had won as we all expected, but it was close.
"It's time for the final race to see which team comes in first." It sounded like Mr. Smiles was repeating what he had said a thousand times before.  He continued, "Even though you were against each other the first race, you are now together for this race.  Whoever wins, wins it for their whole team, so racers get on your a-rods."
"Araleigh.  Do you want to race?" Demetrius asked me.
"What? You won.  You should race."
"You heard him, he said it is a team race now.  Typically, winners of the qualifying race are in the final, but you were faster than I was."
"If you want me to." I said smiling.
He nodded and I walked up to the a-rod.  Mr. Smiles handed me my suit and didn't say anything.  I quickly slipped it on and made my way to the a-rod.
"Oh, I am going to have to try and not be last this race." Marx smiled.
"Flattery won't help you win," Venus said smiling.  She pushed the button on her helmet and moved the a-rod to the starting line.  Marx and I followed.
"This will be a five-lap race and winner gets this trophy," he said holding up an odd shaped cylindrical piece.  He sat the trophy down and removed the blocker for the gate.
A sound buzzed in our helmets.  We were off. 
I could do this!
We were all neck in neck going into the first turn.  This was a lot more difficult when you were in a pack of people.  I must have gotten too close to Marx's a-rod because a blue light flashed between us, and kept us apart.  Interesting, so the a-rods were designed to prevent us from hitting one another.  The next turn I took a bit more aggressively and again the blue light flashed between us like an invisible bumper. We were getting close to the straightaway.  This is where I had to make my move.  I started accelerating as I came out of the turn and was able to move into first.  The light on my display pinged, informing me of the position change.  I twisted the handle as far as it could go and started to slowly pull away.  I was coming up to the turn and slowed down just enough.  Hugging the next few corners I could feel my lead growing slowly, turn after turn.  I passed the start line and it showed both Venus and Marx were battling for second and about a turn behind me.  I continued moving, in and out of turns, lap after lap.  This was wonderful, the purple sky dancing above me, the wind whooshing past me, my friends and family.  I would have to remember to thank Cash and Franz for this.  I would remember this day forever.
I crossed the finish line and the a-rod shut down.  It shocked me a little as I was not expecting it.  I must have gotten lost in my thoughts and stopped paying attention to the laps.  I pulled the a-rod in and jumped off, slipping out of my suit.
I looked over and everyone was cheering.  I turned and expected to see Marx and Venus coming in second but I didn't see them yet.
"It will be a minute." Franz said, reading my thoughts as usual.  Wait, could he actually do that?  No.  I don't think so.  He is just very intuitive.
"What?"
"Ara, you were very fast.  You set a new record." He said pointing to the board above the track.
"I wasn't even paying attention."
"You almost past them."
"Yea right."
"No seriously.  I think even he was in shock," he said pointing to Mr. Smiles.
He saw us looking at him so I waved to him and he shockingly waved back with a hint of a smile.
Venus and Marx were coming around the last turn.  They were neck and neck and crossed the finish line and almost the same time.  We all looked to the leaderboard and it showed Venus coming in a fraction of a second before Marx.
They both parked their a-rods, slipped out of the suits and walked over to us.
"Ok, you aren't allowed to race with us anymore." Marx said.
"Why not?"
"It isn't fun with you.  You completely dominated."
I shrugged. 
"He's just upset he came in last." Venus joked.
"That too," he smiled.  "Amazing job Araleigh." He walked over to me and whispered, "I meant you can never race against me ever again.  I will take you on my team any day!  If you want to race as a profession, let me know.  I can make some bit off you."
"Last round of drinks and then I have to take Araleigh to get ready for tonight."
Venus clapped her hands together.  "This is going to be so much fun!"
We all took our drinks just as Mr. Smiles was walking up.
"Very impressive driving Araleigh.  You are welcome to race here anytime you want," he said handing me the trophy.
"Thank you," I smiled and grabbed the trophy from him.
"If you ever want to get on the circuit and race against other people of your skill set I would pay you to do it."
"I don't know if I could do that."
"Well keep me in mind." He smiled and walked away.
He was surprisingly pleasant, when he wanted to be.
We started making our way to the pods.
"Check your comm's devices for information about tonight." Cash yelled back to everyone, shaking his in the air.  "Let me see this trophy of yours." He said looking back at me and taking the trophy.  "You did very good today.  Did you have fun?"
"I had an amazing time."  I turned and noticed Franz wasn't with us.  "Where is Franz, I don't want to leave him here."
"He got a ride with Venus and Ivan.  We will see him later."
"Where are we going now?"
"We need to swing by Lupita's shop to pick up your dress."
"Oh ok."
We were up and away, the field growing smaller in the distance.
"You seemed to make an impact on the owner. He actually talked to you and then smiled.  What did he say to you?"
"He said I did a great job racing and offered that if I ever wanted to race people of my own skill set then he would pay me to do it."
"That's awesome.  I heard he once used to be an amazing racer. He went by Scotty Speedster, but there was a bad accident before they had the bumpers, sending him off his rod into a wall.  He couldn't walk for years, but with daily therapy he got better and better.  Unfortunately, all he has now is this facility, because no one will let him race again."
"That is so sad."
"Yea a little I guess."
I turned to look out of the window.  What would that feel like?  I guess I could relate on some level.  I thought my life was going to go one way and now it is one hundred percent opposite of what I thought.  Ruler of a planet I recently learned about, a family I never knew about.  Too much.