Greasy Food and Talks

Thanks for giving me a chance to fix this. There’s an announcement at the end of this post that will, hopefully, have you cringe. Here’s the story!
*********
Finals were murder. Absolute murder. Amy couldn’t help but wonder why the teachers felt that it was necessary to combine all the tests of the semester into one large mass of regurgitated knowledge. Honestly! If she hadn’t known the basics by now, there was no reason why she should stay.

Even a few days after finishing her finals and she was still thinking about how terrible they were. And her teachers were cruel, waiting until after her race to post the results of her tests. If she hadn’t gotten a good enough passing grade, according to her contract she would be forced to drop. That was the last thing she needed hanging over her head for a race.

“Earth to Amy,” Maxx said in her ear. “Come in, Amy.”

Amy continued to ignore her program, focusing on her phone more than the small prop plane she was leaned against. Her friends had been texting her good lucks since they arrived and she kept asking how the stand food was. She was jealous of the cheesy nachos they were enjoying.

“Yo. ‘Chesty’ Adele Broadside. I’m talking to you.”

Amy glared at her plane, finally putting her phone away in her front jumpsuit pocket. “I thought we agreed to not use those code names for the race. Really? ‘Chesty’ Adele Broadside? Where did Jay come up with that?”

“He didn’t,” Maxx laughed. “He as playing around with a pirate naming app or something.”

Amy smirked. “Well, if you’re going to insist on calling me that, you should call Jay up with his code name. It was great.”

Maxx laughed. “Ah, yes, the infamous ‘One-eared’ Chains the Well-Endowed. He won’t be living that down any time soon.”

They laughed hard enough that they didn’t notice when Hacker came up, giving them both confused looks.

“I’m missing something,” he said as he put his computer tablet down on the tool chest reserved for Maxx.

“Oh,” Amy said, still chuckling, “we’re just talking about Master ‘One-eared.’”

Hacker chuckled. “Ah, yes. Teasing material.” He walked up to Maxx and shined his small flashlight in to peek into the plane’s engine.

“Why didn’t you get a nickname?” she asked, once again leaning against Maxx.

“I did,” Hacker confessed. “But, luckily, I was able to deter Jay from telling anyone.”

“Lucky,” she agreed. “How does Maxx look?”

“Perfect condition, as always,” Hacker said, patting a hand on Maxx’s single prop.

“Thank you,” Maxx said, sounding smug. “I do always strive to be perfect.”

“Perfectly obnoxious,” Amy muttered.

“You’d miss me.”

“Feeling nervous?” Hacker asked.

Amy shrugged. “Honestly? I’m more nervous about my test results than this race. I just have to get a decent score and I’m in the Finals. This will be a piece of cake.”

“Cocky, are we?” Maxx asked. Amy got the impression of a raised eyebrow from her program.

“You’re rubbing off on me,” she teased.

“Racers!” the overhead announced. “It’s time to get ready for the race! Racers Yuletide, Dagger, and Aims will preform first.”

“Good luck,” Hacker said, briefly shaking her hand before leaving. Sighing, Amy climbed into Maxx, securing herself in and adjusting the helmet on her head. She wasn’t boasting when she said that this was going to be easy. She wasn’t worried about being the fastest or the best at the tricks. She was going to jam as many simple tricks into this course as possible. And unlike other races, she wouldn’t be racing all the other Racers at once, just two others. Even for the Sponsors, it would be too dangerous to have that many planes up in the air at once. There would be a public outcry if that ever happened.

Amy was glad that she was in the first set of Racers, allowing herself a chance to relax and watch the others race having hers out of the way.

“Game plan simple is on?” Maxx asked as she drove him out onto the runway.

“Of course,” she said as the other two Racers lined up next to her. “We just need a decent score…”

Just a decent score. As long as she was in the top ten winners of this race and they would be going to the Finals. Her first Finals.

She tried to blow off the suddenly queasy stomach on the nerves of this race finally setting in, not her worry about the most cutthroat race she would soon be entering.
*********
Jay had been excused from the Sponsor box as soon as Amy touched down from her race. True to their plan, she didn’t try to speed through the course, keeping to simple tricks that quickly earned her points. As Jay walked to the hanger where she was driving in and the next three Racers pulled out for their turn, he kept half of his attention to the scores being called out by the commentator. He smirked as Amy’s race name came up as placing first place in her performance, even though she was the last plane to cross the finish line. The other two Racers, though experienced, were too focused on impressing everyone with their speed instead of their tricks. It really wasn’t a surprise that Amy won this by a landslide.

“Good job,” he said as he approached as Amy climbed out of Maxx. “Our plan worked. You won it.”

“Of course,” Amy snorted, taking her helmet off. Jay smirked as her hair stood on end after being under that helmet. “It wasn’t that hard. Compared to my finals, this was easy. Maxx, sports car.”

Jay turned his head away from the flash as the prop plane shrunk down into his familiar silver car form.

“Ah,” Maxx said, the stretch heard in his tone. “That’s better. It’s nice to have all four wheels on the ground again.”

Jay raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you like being in the air?” he asked.

“Meh,” Maxx grumbled. “I like being supported by something other than air.”

Amy pulled her phone out, quickly checking it. Jay raised an eyebrow. It was unusual for her to be more focused on her phone than her surroundings. He didn’t need to ask what brought this change on though. He already knew.

“How are your friends?” he asked. He couldn’t bring himself to ask about the specific one.

Amy snorted, flipping the phone around to show him a picture of a greasy looking churro. “They’re showing off, that’s how they’re doing.” She looked at the picture again, scowling. “I didn’t know that the races provided food like that….”

“Jealous?” Jay asked, uncertain if she was actually wanted the greasy food or not. In the Sponsor box, he and the other Sponsors were treated to the best hors d'oeuvres available. He wasn’t sure if the fat-fried foods the other spectators were offered could be any good.

“Have you ever had a churro?” she asked, eyeing him. “If not, you’ve been deeply deprived.”

Jay simply rolled his eyes. “Do you want to stay and watch the rest of the races?” he asked. “There’s been a Racers Box set up, if you wanted.”

“Unhealthy food there?”

He shrugged. “Dunno? Maybe?”

“My friends were showing pictures of their nachos earlier,” she mumbled. “I want some of that!”

“I’m sure they can send for it.”

“Alright,” she sighed. “Where’s this Racers Box?”

He gave her instructions and watched as she and Maxx took off. As much as he would like to join her in the Racers Box, he was sure that he wouldn’t be very much welcomed their, by either the Racers or Amy. Sighing, he wandered back to the Sponsors Box. He didn’t know why it felt so lonely walking back to it. He was used to being alone, keeping his Talent as a secret had often placed him in the uncomfortable position of isolating himself. But that was what he was raised to, once his father learned of his Talent. A lonely life so that no one would discover his powerful Talent that would have others trying to kill him.

So, why did he feel so lonely today?

“Well, hello there handsome.”

Jay inwardly groaned. That was a familiar saying he would prefer not to hear. Ever since he hit puberty, Jay often had random ladies hitting on him. Why they ever thought that pointing out his looks was a good way to stoke his ego, he’d never know, but he had to deal with it all the time.

“Yes…?” he said, turning around to find an objectively pretty young woman in a surprisingly simple yellow summer dress. Her wavy brown hair was perfect, her blue eyes crystal clear, makeup immaculately done, and every curve shown off.

A gold digger. Just what he wanted to deal with.

“May I help you?” Jay asked, already preparing himself to fend her off.

She laughed. Jay flinched a bit. Her laugh grated on his ears, sounding a bit fake. “Actually,” she said, checking her manicured fingers, “Your father hired me to help you.”

He frowned at her. Of all the things his father had done for him, not one of them was to hire someone to ‘help’ him. Jay learned how to get things done on his own; hard for anyone to discover your Talent if they aren’t around. He glanced over her again, wondering what his father could possibly think this woman could help him with. He briefly thought she might have been hired to distract him from his attraction to Amy, but he dismissed that. His father would never stoop that low.

“Help me?” he repeated.

“Not now, of course,” she said, grinning with perfect white teeth. “We’ll need to wait to see if Aims gets into the Finals, but once there… Well, she needs some publicity.”

Jay groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose as he finally caught on what was going on. “Advertising,” he grumbled. “She doesn’t like being in the public eye. You’d have to be Talented to get her to do anything.”

The young woman grinned. “Good thing I am.” She finally held her hand out to him. “Emily Halcroft,” she introduced herself. “Art Talented.”

He shook her hand, grinning though he wanted to scowl. Of course. A Talented, an Art Talented. With a good Art Talented on the case, they wouldn’t need Amy for the publicity shoots or sponsor covers. This Emily could do it in her sleep instead.

“She still isn’t going to like it,” he told the young woman. “Aims is a very…”

“Stubborn, bull-headed, pain in the ass?” Emily filled in for him, still grinning.

“I was going to settle for opinionated,” he said, fighting the urge to flinch at the young Talented observations. “Do you know Aims? Since it seems you could describe her.”

“She and I went to the same high school, same graduating year,” Emily said, pulling a lock of her hair in front of her face, inspecting its ends. “She’s obnoxious then so I bet she’s obnoxious now.” She let the hair fall from her fingers, her eyes zeroed on him. Ah, that was the look he had been missing from before. His father might have hired her, and she obviously had distain for Amy, but she took the job so she could get close to him. As he thought before: gold digger.

“I’ll try to make sure you two don’t cross paths,” he promised, only vaguely feeling his Talent kick in. As long as he didn’t outright promised anything, he could get away with grey areas. Try was a wonderful word in his vocabulary. “We’ll meet up on Monday morning to discuss the publicity.” He paused. “You do know where our headquarters are, don’t you?”

“Of course,” she said, flipping her hair back. “Eight then?”

“Nine,” he corrected. “I like sleeping in.”

“Nine then,” she said, that fake smile making another appearance. “Are you sure that you don’t want to meet up sooner? At like a restaurant?”

Oh, the passes. He was wondering when she’d put those in. “I’m sorry,” he said, feeling himself smirk. “You’re not really my type. Pretty? Yes, but I prefer my women a little more…” The image of Amy flashed in his head, of her just after her race, static hair in all directions, talking of greasy food, and calling him deprived for never having a churro before. “Snarky,” he finished. Emily looked baffled at his last word. Smirking again, he nodded his head briefly to her. “Until Monday, Ms. Halcroft.” He walked away, wondering if he could pick up a churro on his way back to the Sponsors Box.
************
“Why do I need publicity for a race I’ll already be racing?”

Amy and Jay sat on the couch in Hacker’s shop, discussing what their next step would be in the Circuit. Sally actually joined them this time, having rolled over her chair in front of them. Hacker was under Maxx, once again doing his post race checking. Amy wondered if Maxx was the best-kept program in the entire Circuit.

“Its not so much for you as it is for me,” Jay said, looking decidedly put out. Really, he had missed out on the food in the Racers Box. Her nachos had been waiting for her and she thoroughly enjoyed them as she watched the rest of the races. “I do have products that I need to sell. Everyone in the industry knows that my dad is going to pass the business onto me. I need to show off my skills before that happens so that I don’t get pushed around when it does happen.”

“You sound like you’re looking forward to that…” Sally said, uneasy. Amy was a bit uneasy about it too. She had always imagined CEOs of large companies being strange old men who cared little for their surroundings and were more concerned about what was wrong with their golf game than their company. It was easy to forget that Jay was a businessman, groomed from a young age to become a CEO. Her Sponsor rather eat delivered pizza in a greasy garage than spend his time at some cocktail party.

“I do like business,” Jay deadpanned. “I did have a choice to pick something else to do for a living. But I do like what I’m doing. I am looking forward to taking the company over.”

“Just promise me you won’t turn into a golfer,” Amy teased, poking her Sponsor in the ribs. “I’ve never understood that game.”

“Too late,” Jay laughed. “I golf every other weekend.”

“Maxx checks out,” Hacker said, pulling out from underneath the program. Amy quickly took the metal reader off her temple, tossing it aside as Hacker joined them. “Everything is in the clear.” He then coughed, giving Jay a pointed look. For a moment, her Sponsor looked a bit confused before his eyes widened. He suddenly coughed, his eyes darting to and away from her.

“There is something we need to talk about.”

“And that is?” she asked, suspicious.

Jay took a deep breath. “Your protection.”

Amy raised an eyebrow. “What protection?” she asked, switching her gaze between the two young men. “What’s going on?”

“Amy,” Hacker sighed. “I expressed this worry to Jay, so I’m going to tell you. I’ve disabled the kill code in Maxx, yes, but I’m afraid that isn’t going to be enough to protect you from the Sponsors. There are still kill codes in the heads of all the other Racers around you. If one of them goes off while close to you, you could die.”

Amy froze, shivering as a chill ran through her. She had never thought of it that way…

“Only one kill code was used in that accident,” Jay explained to her. “And it killed two other Racers. If the Sponsors want to kill you off, then they still have the means to do it.”

“What can we do then?” Sally blurted out. She grabbed Hacker’s arm, pulling him close as she stared terrified at her friend. “If the Sponsors are that powerful to…” She took a deep, shuttering breath. “There must be something that we can do… right?”

“I’m working on it,” Jay said somberly. “I’m trying to get into their secret meetings.”

“Oh, really?” Amy snapped, the cold that settled into her chest clenched at her. “And how has that been going for you? I haven’t seen any progress on that, Jay.”

“One,” Jay said sternly, “is that I have to be careful to get into those meetings. I can’t seem too anxious or they’ll know something is up. I’ve been carefully placing hints to the other members of that meeting that I want to join, but none of them have seemed to pick it up yet. And two: my father won’t let me get in there. He knows about my Talent and he knows what would happen if I get just a few of those men to promise the wrong thing to me. He’s impeding a lot of my progress in that, which is another reason why I’m going slow.” He shook his head. “It’s taking much longer than I thought to get into those meetings. I fear that the time I do, it might be too late for you.”

“Then what are we going to do?” Amy demanded to know, jumping up from the couch and pacing. Her Talent triggered a bit and she practically ran laps around the garage. “I don’t want to die in the Circuit! I don’t want my life in the hands of madmen! I don’t want!”

Arms wrapped around her shoulders, the person dragged behind her by her Speed. It took a moment before her Talent stopped and she slowed long enough for the person to catch up. Catching her breath, she noticed that it was Jay who had her by her shoulders, his tight grip.

“Calm down,” he said firmly, looking her in the eye. “I made a promise that I’ll see you out of the Circuit. And I believe that’s the way out of this.”

She took several deep breaths. “What do you mean?” she asked softly. “They won’t let me disappear.”

Jay smirked. “They won’t have a choice. I have a plan, but you’re going to have to trust me.” She glanced around the shop, then her eyes settled on Maxx.

“What about Maxx?” she said softly. “And my schooling…?” She faced him again. “I can’t give this all up.”

Jay also glanced at the program, frowning slightly. “We’ll figure something out,” he promised. “But I need time for a plan. Will you trust me that long?”

Amy crumbled, burying her face in his shoulder. Jay simply held her as she cried, whispering that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her, that she was going to be safe.

She wished she could believe it.
**********
Now, the story on the fixing I’ve been doing (since I think this deserves to be said). As I started editing the last half of my NaNo novel, I realized that I was putting in a lot of fluff and not enough plot into it. I realized I was straying from what I had planned for Racer. So I had a heart-to-heart with my novel, which involved me writing down where the story was, where I wanted it to end up, and how I should progress the story to that point. Once that was bared out for me, I came to the conclusion that Racer had run away from me (pun intended) and that I needed to reel it back in. I’ve done some heavy revisions to the plot, turning it more to my desired ending than what my characters seemed to want. I hate to say this, but the Sponsors were right trying to kill Amy off at the beginning on the month. The Sponsors were moving the plot along where it needed to go, not where the other characters wanted it to go. The other characters wanted to put off the inevitable and they distracted me from the end.

Darn characters.

So I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to scrap what was left from NaNo and move forward from here, finally including a plot twist that should have already happened at this point. Worry not, though. With the end goal in sight, I can now bully my characters back into what is supposed to happen and not the side stories they’ve been feeding me. (As I read once, subplots are like candy, nice to have, but it will spoil the rest of the story. Sometimes it’s just better to cut it out.)

Long story short, expect the plot to suddenly kick into high gear. Things are going to be moving fast now, to pull out of the subplots and back into the story. I’ve even decided the name of book two (which has been plaguing me for years now). Hopefully, by April, we’ll be starting this second book.

Its name is Talentless.

Enjoy the Journey!

A Lull

I know this is a shorter post, but I want to work out the next race a bit. It’s a bit sloppy and needs work. To the story!
*********
Finals were coming and so was the next big Race. Amy wondered if it was going to be like this for the next three years until she graduated. Did the Sponsors purposefully choose the races to coordinate with her tests? She wouldn’t put it past them.

“Ugh!” Nat said as they walked out of one of their classes, flinching as she looked over the study guide. “This test is going to be murder!”

“Oh,” Aaron teased, nudging the young woman on the shoulder, “it doesn’t look too bad.”

“Says the Chemistry Talented,” Nat said, sticking her tongue out at him, making him laugh. Amy also smiled, poking a finger into the other Talented shoulder.

“She’s right you know,” she said with another poke. “You have an unfair advantage against us who aren’t Talented in this field.”

“Good choice of words,” Aaron pointed out. “A Talented like yourself should be able to whip through this test.”

“Nay, I can’t,” she said, waving his comment off. “They video tape me on all my tests. If I so much as try to use my Talent, they’ll call me a cheat. I’m much rather not get kicked out of school, thank you very much.”

“Come on, Amy,” Nat said, tugging on her arm. “Let’s get to the library to work on this. Maybe Aaron will tag along and take pity on us.” Amy chuckled and let herself be led away. It was a short walk to the library and soon she and friends were nose deep in books trying to find the answers to the study guide.

It was easy to forget about her troubles as she studied, focused on getting a good grade. This was how life was supposed to be, how it should be.

“Maxx calling Amy. This is Maxx. Come in Amy.”

She groaned, holding her head in her hand as her program called to her. “What?” she asked softly, trying hard not to disturb Nat and Aaron as he helped her through a problem.

“The type of race has been announced,” Maxx informed her. “Just thought that you would like to know.”

“Oh?” she said, only half interested. She really didn’t want to deal with the next race.

“The day after finals…”

“Figures.”

“How does a lawnmower race sounds to you?”

“You’re either joking me or Hacker needs to fix the glitch in your program that’s making you confused.”

“Ah,” Maxx sighed dramatically in her head. “You’re no fun to tease right now.”

“I’m studying for finals,” she pointed out. “Spit it out already. What sort of race are we being forced into this time?”

“Something you probably haven’t heard before.”

“Maxx…” she warned.

“Fine,” he snorted. “It’s an air race.”

Amy frowned. “Air race?”

She said it loud enough that her friends gave her questioning looks. She waved them silent, pressing her fingers into her temple. “Are you sure?” she asked, that familiar sense of nervousness forming in her gut. “An air race? Complete with airplanes and…”

“And a fixed route,” he confirmed. “The only difference with this race is not only are we supposed to get to the finish in quick time, they’re going to be judging half of our points based off of tricks we do.”

Amy groaned, planting her head on the textbook before her. “Seriously?” she asked. “Airplane tricks?”

“Jay’s already contacted me to get you to practice as soon as possible,” Maxx informed her. “As soon as you’re done with that study guide, we’d better go out.”

“Don’t you remember my boundaries?” she asked. “I can’t leave the city and I’m pretty sure that no one would be too happy with us flying around their buildings.”

“You’ve got permission to go to the training area,” Maxx scoffed. “No need to be whiny about it.”

“You’re obnoxious.”

“You’d miss me if I left.”

“Quite bothering me,” she snapped, sitting back up. “I’ve got to finish this guide quickly then and I can’t do that with you blabbering in my ear.”

“Ouch,” Maxx laughed. “Fine I’ll leave you to that boring stuff.”

She groaned again, not bothering to reply to her car’s sarcastic remark.

“Something the matter, Amy?” Nat asked, frowning. “You were saying something about an… air race?”

“Yep,” she grumbled, pulling her worksheet closer to refocus on it. “Maxx has just informed me what our next race is. Apparently it’s all about airplanes and doing tricks.” She sighed, stabbing her pencil a little bit more than necessary on the papers. “I’m already enough of a circus animal. Now they want stunts. Perfect. And just in time for finals too.”

“Ugh,” Aaron agreed, having the decency to flinch. “Look at the good side?”

She raised an eyebrow, glaring at him. “And what good side is there for having to fly around trying to do tricks? I think I’ve changed Maxx into an airplane once. When I first got used to him. I am completely unprepared for it.”

“That’s why you’re going to practice,” Nat pointed out. “At least that’s what I assume Maxx was telling you.”

“As soon as I’m done with this guide I’ll be going,” she confirmed. “Come on. We’ve got to get this done before Jay come calling himself.”
*********
“Would you just shut up?”

Jay snapped his mouth shut, biting back a sarcastic remark as he watched Amy and Maxx soar through the air. Beside him, Hacker adjusted the microphone close to his mouth, studying their performance in the sky. He was really glad that he had the Double Talented memorize all the types of racing and what it entailed. Hacker was more prepared for this race than any of them.

“Looking good,” Hacker praised them. “You might want to work on your steering though. You’re not as tight as you usually are with your turns.”

“Maxx is huge,” Jay heard Amy complain through the earphones pressed to his ears. “I don’t think I’ve ever raced him in something this large before.”

“Hey!” Maxx butted in. “Don’t call me large!”

“You are!”

“Am not!”

“Stop bickering,” Hacker ordered. “I know you’re both nervous about this, but you need to keep level heads with this. Flying is a lot more dangerous than what you’ve dealt with before. Not only are you going to have to deal with the other Racers, but you’re going to be doing it in the air and with tricks. Be on your best behavior.”

“That’s easy,” Amy commented. “Disable Maxx’s sarcastic code and we should be good.”

“No one is touching my code!”

“You’re in my head,” Amy snapped. “Shouldn’t I get a say about what type of personality you should be?”

“They only change a program’s personality if the Racer and program never get along,” Jay offered helpfully. “And as far as the officials think, you and Maxx get along very well.”

“Thank you for siding with me,” Maxx sighed with relief.

“Alright you two,” Hacker said, focusing on their position in the sky. “I think you should practice those circles again. I know it’s a basic trick, but I think basic is best in this case.”

Jay nodded in agreement, not wanting to get another ‘shut up’ from Amy. He and Hacker had spent the entire ride here to the practice site strategizing about how Amy could win this race. It was obviously a race geared towards more experienced Racers, ones who had been doing these things for years. They would have the upper hand in this Race and that was exactly what Amy didn’t need. After the last race and her running out, if she finished in the top ten with her speed and tricks, then she would be off to the Final. Simple and easy were what they were going for. No need to draw more attention to themselves as possible.

“At least they’re looking better,” Hacker said to him, hand over the microphone so that Amy wouldn’t hear him. “They’ll have a chance at this race.”

“Good,” Jay muttered, watching as Amy and Maxx completed another loop. “The sooner we get her out of the Circuit, the better.”

They watched Amy and Maxx preform before Hacker leaned close, hand once again over the mouthpiece.

“What if they won’t let her?”

Jay glanced at the younger man. The worry was the same, the concern and fear that he himself had been living with. As hidden Talented themselves, they could understand Amy’s desire to get away and live her life as a Talentless. But that wasn’t her fate. The Talent Seekers had found her and brought her into a world where she didn’t want to be. There was a wordless agreement between him and the Double Talented to help her out of this world, to return to the life she had before because they understood.

“What do you mean?” he asked. “The plan is solid. She wins five Finals and she’s free. And we’ve taken care of that Kill Code. She’s safe…”

Hacker bit his lower lip, glancing up at the Racer. “Is she really safe? Yeah, I took care of the Kill Code, but that doesn’t mean that accidents don’t happen. I’m fairly certain that only one of the Racers in the last race had the Kill Code activated. The other two were just taken out in the process.”

Jay felt his gut wrench at the thought. Oh, he knew the possibility was there, but he didn’t think that the other Racers were just a danger to her as the Kill Code had been. It was sobering to think that all the Racers were bombs waiting to happen.

“They want the Talented gone, Jay,” Hacker went on. “And they do have a tight hold on all the Speeders. Literally. The Racers are controlled not only in life style, but the computer chips too. Maxx is amazing, I’ll admit, and there isn’t much that I wouldn’t give to have something like him myself… But it’s the Sponsors who put him into her brain. If they have that sort of power, then what hope does she have to escape?”

“What are you suggesting?” Jay asked, feeling his Talent begin to tingle. He had made his promise. He would keep Amy safe. He’d help her live through the Circuit. If it were impossible… He shuttered. He didn’t want to think of what happened when his promises were impossible to keep. “What can we do?”

“We need open options,” Hacker said seriously. “We’re going to need another plan if we want to keep Amy safe.”

Jay considered it, glancing up once again. Though he couldn’t see Amy, he could imagine her expression, the hard look of determination, her jaw set as she strove for a perfect trick. Such a strong willed woman, stubborn in the best way and uncompromising in the worst.

“We need ideas then,” he then agreed. Somehow, he needed to keep Amy safe from the other Sponsors.
********
Amy landed on her bed with a grateful sigh, throwing her arm over her eyes to block the light. It had been a long afternoon of training and more training. She wasn’t sure if she would be ready for the upcoming race, but she was going to try her hardest. Sure, some of her tricks might be simple, but Hacker pointed out to her that the more simple tricks she did, the more points she got. Complicated tricks, while might get her more points, took time and concentration. Something that she didn’t need to worry about during her first air race. Just focus on the small things. Big things come with time.

Her phone suddenly went off with a single ring, warning her of the text. With a groan, she rolled over and reached for her phone. Checking it, she smiled to see who it was from. Tyson.

Hey there, pretty girl. Long day?

He must have just gotten off of work and wanted to chat. She had no problem with that.

Yep, she replied back. Training for my next race and studying for finals. Fun times.

Ugh. I don’t envy you.

“I don’t envy myself either,” she grumbled to herself.

How was work?

Fine. Can’t wait until I can quit though. Customer serves sucks.

She chuckled, having worked in a shop once, she could agree with that statement.

You coming to my race?

Will Jay be picking me up again?

Amy snorted, unable to keep the smirk off her face. Those boys… They played nice but they obviously didn’t like each other. She suspected that if it weren’t for her, they would never meet up again.

I’ll ask one of my other friends to pick you up, she sent. Since the last race, Aaron and Nat had politely asked Jay if they could get tickets for all her races. After all, they were her study buddies and all the other Racers had special tickets for friends and family to come to their races. Jay had been happy to provide tickets for them. He had even given some to Tyson without the young man asking for them. Amy wasn’t sure when that transaction happened, but she was just glad that they were at least making an effort to be friendly without her there.

Great, Tyson texted back. She could just imagine the relief he had when she offered another friend to pick him up. Then I’ll be there.

Amy smiled, though feeling her heart clench at the thought. She shouldn’t be doing this. She shouldn’t be getting in a relationship with Tyson. It would only lead to heartache for him. He didn’t know that the Sponsors were out to kill the Talented, more specifically Speeders like her. He didn’t know that she went into each race, fearing that it would be the last. He didn’t know the grief that would come if she died and he was watching…

Great, she texted back, biting back the bile that was rising in her throat. I’ll see you there.
************
I am now sensing an end to Tyson and Amy. Even Amy is starting to realize that a relationship with Tyson isn’t healthy for her. She isn’t telling him things, important things, and she doesn’t want to hurt him. He’ll be hurt either way, but less hurt if he’s away from her. But I’m thinking that I’m going to have to accelerate a plot twist to cover this. I’ve been hinting at it for a while now… I should probably make good on it… MUHAHAHAHA!

Enjoy the journey!

The Wake

I’ll keep saying this: Maxx is my favorite character. He’s so fun to write. To the story!
***********
Amy shifted on her feet uneasily, wondering what could be taking Jay so long. He had promised to pick her up after he got Tyson. For whatever reason, she was worried about the two meeting without her. She figured that they would meet at some time; Tyson often expressed his dislike for her Sponsor and Jay often expressed his worry about becoming friends with someone she met over a milkshake.

The way she figured it, they would either become good friends or enemies for life.

She worried that they would become enemies.

There really wasn’t any reason why they should. Honestly, they were both good people (as long as one discounted Jay’s life as a Sponsor) and tried to treat everyone well. There wasn’t any reason why they shouldn’t get along. There shouldn’t.

“You’re doing it again,” Maxx said.

Amy wished her car was there by her so she could scowl at him. However, Maxx was sitting in Hacker’s garage, getting his necessary work done. He had driven himself there as she waited at the RCC for Jay to show up. At the moment, she sat outside her building, dressed in a dark dress for the wake.

“Doing what?” she asked the voice in her head.

“I can tell you’re getting aggravated,” Maxx said. “What is it this time?”

“Jay and Tyson are late,” Amy complained. “I’m just wondering what is taking them so long.” She got out her phone, preparing to text Tyson.

“Sure,” Maxx said sarcastically and she got the impression of an eye roll. “That’s why you’re getting aggravated.”

“Maxx…” she warned, not knowing what she could do to her program who was miles away.

“Amy…?”

“Shut up.”

That, of course, did not make her car shut it.

“You’re worrying over nothing,” Maxx went on as if he didn’t hear her. “You should just tell both of them that they are really good friends and that you don’t want any romantic relationship with either of them.”

“Maxx…”

“Oh? You do want a romantic relationship?” he asked, chuckling. “I should have known. If you want my input…”

“Which I don’t.”

“Then I’d pick Jay.”

This surprised her. “Why?” she asked, frowning down at the curb, really wishing Maxx was there so it didn’t seem like she was talking to herself. Thankfully she was still at the RCC. It was very common for Racers to talk to their programs when separated.

“I think he has first dibs,” Maxx explained. “After all, he’s been trying so hard to get your affections.”

“You’re mad.”

“I’m inside of you,” Maxx pointed out. “If I’m mad, that makes you mad.”

“Shut up.”

“Why should I?”

She groaned, holding her head in her hands. Why did the Circuit never disclose just how annoying the programs could get?

“I’m trying to concentrate on this evening,” she eventually said. “Can’t do that if you’re arguing with me.”

“Ah, but you like it when I argue with you.”

“Maybe I should get Hacker to install a mute button into your program,” she threatened. “Maybe then I’ll get some peace and quiet!”

“You’d get bored without me.”

“Give it a try.”

“I said that you’d get bored. I won’t let that happen.”

She groaned again. Why did they have to program her car to have a smart mouth?

The sound of an engine caused her to look up; the blue sports car of Jay’s was unmistakable. “My ride is here,” she said, standing up as Jay pulled up. “Stop talking to me.”

“I won’t be far from your thoughts.”

“You’re in my thoughts,” she snapped as the door opened and Tyson climbed out. “Now, leave me alone.”

Tyson froze for just a moment before relaxing. She had explained to him about Maxx and, while he was rightly nervous to hear about the computer chip in her brain, he took it fairly well. Perhaps it was just strange seeing her actually talking to Maxx without him there for it to sink in.

“Maxx bothering you?” Tyson asked, that worried tone he usually used whenever she started talking about the Circuit. It was obvious to her that Tyson wasn’t too thrilled about Maxx either until she told him that Maxx was the best thing that had happened to her in the Circuit.

“He’s always bothering me,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I love him to death but he’s like an annoying little brother who won’t leave me alone.”

“I love you too!” Maxx laughed in her head.

“You can have front seat,” Tyson said, holding the door out for her. “I’ll sit in the back.” His eyes briefly glanced to the driver still hidden from her view. “I don’t think Jay likes me very much.”

So she was right. They wouldn’t be friends. Idiots.

She got in and let Tyson close the door for her. Glancing at Jay, she noticed that her Sponsor was dressed a casually as he could get, which was probably the best that Tyson could. Jay nodded at her but refused to make eye contact.

Seriously, she thought as Tyson got in behind her. These two need to get along.

“How was the ride?” she asked, directing her question to either of the young men.

“Uneventful,” Jay said blandly. “Just how all rides should be.”

“Yep,” Tyson said. “Nothing to report.”

If that wasn’t a lie, then she didn’t know what was.

“So,” she went on, refusing to let there be any awkward silences on their way to the wake. “Where are we going? You didn’t tell me where this thing is being held.”

“It’s being held in the Racer Museum,” Jay said, driving off. “The top floor is generally reserved for formal events; generally for winning the Final or funerals, or important announcements. It’s not uncommon to hold it there.”

Amy frowned. She knew about the Racer Museum but she had refused to go there. She was living in her nightmare, she didn’t need to be reminded about the tragic history of it.

And she really didn’t need to see the display about her father.

Nearly everyone had asked her if she had seen it during her first few months in the Circuit and wondered why she hadn’t already. She always gave the same reason. She had barely known her father. He was more of a stranger than a father to her. The words hurt to say in her mouth, but she said them. Maxx was the only one who really knew why she didn’t go.

It was just another reminder of what the Circuit had stolen from her.

They had killed her father. She didn’t want to see the celebration of it.

The entire ride over she kept trying to draw out some sort of conversation out of either of the young men but only got short, unhelpful answers. She refused to give up. Silence wasn’t her friend at the moment. Why weren’t they helping?

Finally, Jay pulled up to the building. It was similar to other museums she had seen in her life, large, spacious, with too little parking around it. Though it was nearing evening, the building was lit up, people milling around the entrance before going in.

“I’ll find a parking spot,” Jay said as he stopped at the front of the building. “I’ll meet up with you inside.”

“Fine,” Amy said as Tyson got out and opened the door for her. Once they were clear of the car, Amy could have sworn that Jay sped away just a bit too quickly.

“What really happened on the drive down here?” she asked Tyson as they went inside.

“Nothing,” Tyson insisted. “We barely talked. It was really awkward.”

She raised an eyebrow. That was unusual; Jay had grown up having to have small talk with anyone and everyone. Surely he could have found something to talk about with Tyson.

“I’m sorry if I’m not good enough company for this,” Tyson was saying. They walked up to the elevator and joined the other guests up to the top floor. “You probably should have brought someone more used to situations like this.”

“No,” Amy said, shaking her head and smiling at Tyson. “I’m glad that you’re here. Otherwise I’d be suck with no one.” To make sure he knew that she was glad, she took his hand, squeezing it more for her comfort than his. “It’s nice to have a friend here.”

Tyson blushed. For a moment, she thought that he wouldn’t make eye contact with her, but surprised her when he held it. She smiled, feeling relieved.

Yes, she was glad to have a friend here.
**********
Jay was one of the last few people to get up to the top floor. Of course the upper room was already filled with people but he only sought out one person among the throng. And though it stabbed his chest, he was certain she was with someone else.

Thinking that he would have a better chance of finding them if he walked around, he wandered around the room’s edge, pausing every few steps to look at the displays. Each wall was dedicated to one of the three Racers who had died the week before, highlighting their lives and the races they had been in. He forced himself to look at all of them, to burn in his memory just why he was working to bring down the Race Circuit.

He was going to stop the slaughter of the Talented.

But he needed to be reminded. He wanted to remember why he was doing this. These Racers had families; he could see those who truly mourned among those in attendance. They weren’t the Racers who were here because it was polite to go to these wakes; they weren’t the Sponsors and other high end officials here who treated this more like a cocktail party than a wake. No, the families were crying, accepting heartfelt and not so heartfelt condolences from everyone. He paused when he saw a young girl, perhaps a sister of one of the Racers, hold a picture of the Racer close to her chest, tears welling her eyes. She was probably told not to cry, important people were here and they had to make a good impression.

At least, that was what he was told to do at his mother’s funeral.

Why are they killing the Talented? He wondered for the thousandth time. It plagued his thoughts, haunted him in every meeting he was in with the same men who plotted the deaths of these Racers.

He had been born into this world. He knew just how cutthroat these men could be under the polite front they gave the public. He was aware of just how much corruption seeped through the entire business. He should have grown up used to this; it should have meant nothing to him.

Perhaps it was his Talent that gave him the sense of moral most of his equals lacked. After all, he was forced to keep every promise he had ever made. While he should have been bitter about it, he was more bitter when people didn’t keep their promises. He was forced to magically, why couldn’t they do the same? Why was he the only one who ever kept vows? Wasn’t that wrong? Where were people’s values these days?

He shook the thoughts out of his head. It was useless to think on it. Twenty some odd years of life had taught him that life isn’t fair, that it isn’t kind, that it isn’t what everyone wanted. So when he did find someone who was kind, fair, and helpful, it gave him some small hope that there could be something done in this world to turn it better again.

“Son!”

Jay half turned when his father came up to him. Of course Ford was here. One of his Racers had been killed during the race. Jay knew his father well enough to know that the man had given the family a large sum of money to help them through this hard time in their lives. Most people didn’t know that about a third of the Racers came from extremely poor families; being a Racer was basically a blessing to their families, an income they wouldn’t have otherwise had. He was so glad that Amy only had her mom to worry about and even then didn’t provide for her.

“How was your meeting with the Racer’s family?” he asked, accepting the champagne glass from his father and taking a small sip.

“Tears,” Ford said blandly. “A lot of tears. Glad that I got that over with. It’s never easy meeting with the Racers families.”

It was at times like this that made Jay wondered if father really was a bad person. Ford ran a solid business; he cared for his workers and tried everything he could to help them out. Even as Jay was growing up, trying to hide his Talent from others, his father had been there, helping and protecting him from others who would use his Talent to their advantage. Jay owed a lot to the man.

Except… He had been part of the meetings that planned the Racers deaths. Was it guilt that made Ford give back to the families or was it a front to the world.

Jay wished he knew.

“I see that Aims brought her friend,” Ford said, nodding to the center of the room. Jay immediately sought out after the Racer. Indeed, she was mingling among the other Racers, introducing the young man he had invited for her. It hurt a bit to see her smile as she introduced him to the other Racers, laughing at the jokes they shot at her and him. They would never act that way around him; he was a Sponsor. He was evil.

“You’re doing the right thing, son.”

Jay frowned at his father. “What do you mean?” he asked, half knowing what he meant. It would hurt to actually realize it.

“You’re letting her go,” Ford said aloud and patting his shoulder, making him flinch. “I know that you’ve… shown interest in her, but really, it’s not possible. She’s a Racer and you’re her Sponsor.”

“Are you saying the cliché that our different statuses are pulling us apart?” Jay asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No,” Ford said, shaking his head. “I’m saying that she brings attention and you are merely background. It’s the way that things should be.”

Jay glanced back to where Amy and Tyson talked with the Racers.

“He’d be better for her anyway,” Ford went on. “From what I’ve heard, he’s Talentless and far from pubic eyes, something that she wants. You shouldn’t deny her that.”

Oh, that hurt with truth. Jay didn’t say anything as his father left him to his own thoughts. It made sense, so painfully perfect sense that he turned to go. His father was right. Amy didn’t want him; she made it a point to tell him just how much she didn’t like him and wanted to be left alone. She needed someone on the outside of Racing, out of the Circuit and the world that it entailed.

She didn’t need him.

Jay left the wake, deciding to just wait for Amy and Tyson to be done. He’ll wait in his car, trying his hardest not to cry.
**********
Amy was surprised when she couldn’t find Jay a while later, after she had talked with the Racers and the families of those who died. He had been there just a few moments before, talking with his father…

“Excuse me,” she said to Tyson, squeezing his shoulder in a brief farewell. “I’ve got a call to make.”

“Sure,” Tyson said, eyeing the crowd a bit nervously. He had a right to be nervous. He didn’t know anyone here and the teasing the Racers had given him earlier had been… eventful, to say the least. She was sure that if she hadn’t been there, he would have been teased relentlessly. She had no doubt that the Racers would descend on him the moment she was gone.

“I’ll just be a minute,” she promised, then slipped from the room. Outside, the hall was relatively empty, with a few individuals who had escaped here to get a breather. She snuck past them and to a part of the hall she was sure no one would overhear her. She took out her phone and quickly called Jay. Bringing the phone to her ear, she listened for a few moments before he answered.

“Yes, Amy?”

She frowned. His voice sounded… wet? “Are you alright? Where are you?”

“I had something come up,” he said with a sigh. “It’ll be a few more minutes. Then I’ll be back up.”

“No,” she said quickly. “I think Tyson and I are done here. Will you be down front in a few minutes?”

“Yeah, I can get you at the entrance. You might be waiting for a bit.”

“That’s fine,” she assured him. “We can wait.”

“I’ll see you both in a few, then.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

Amy frowned as she ended the call, looking at her phone confused. What was that about? Normally, Jay wasn’t one to walk out of an event, especially if it were a wake for another Talented. Something was up.

However, she needed to go back and get Tyson. As she suspected, the other Racers had cornered Tyson and grinned as they made the poor boy blush. She pushed her way through the others to Tyson’s side, grabbing his upper arm.

“Sorry, friends,” she said, grinning in a way that meant different. “But we’ve got to go.”

“Ah,” Silver Fox said, sighing dramatically. “Well, wakes aren’t fun, so I don’t blame you for leaving. I’d leave too, but I feel like I should stay longer. I’ve known them for years, so I don’t mind staying.”

Oh, there was so much to admire about Silver Fox. She really was one of a kind person. She never let her temper rise despite her red hair, she always took her wins and losses graciously. She was just a good person.

“Thank you,” Amy said, smiling thankfully at the older Racer. “I’ll see you all later, alright?”

With their goodbyes said, they made their way down to the lobby of the museum. “Well,” Tyson said as they sat outside of the entrance, waiting for Jay to show up. “That was…”

“Different?” she offered. “Sad? Depressing? Cruel?”

“I was just going to settle for sad,” he said with a nervous chuckle. He then frowned at her. “What do you mean, cruel?”

Amy sighed, staring down at her feet. She hadn’t told Tyson about what the Sponsors were trying to do, by killing off the Racers. She didn’t want him to worry about her. Jay was worried enough about her, with Hacker and Sally not far behind him. She didn’t need another person to fret about her well-being.

“I just…” she said, wondering what she could tell him. “I just don’t like going to wakes. And they know that. But… I’m a Racer and they were Racers. They just expect us to be best buds and.. I’m complaining. I just don’t like what the Sponsors force me to do.”

Tyson hummed, his tone taking that protective sense that she was used to from Jay.

“It’s not Jay,” she quickly amended. “Jay’s actually one of the better Sponsors. He doesn’t expect me to do much… But he’s kind of in the same position that I’m in. He’s a new Sponsor and has to play by their rules. It’ll be a few years before he can talk himself out of things like this.”

“I still don’t like it,” Tyson said, suddenly taking her hand and squeezing it. “You deserve better than to be treated like this.”

Amy smiled at his sincerity, squeezing his hand back. Oh, this was what she needed. Someone to tell her sweet lies and make her feel better about life. Jay may promise to protect her, and be magically bound to it, but there was something about Tyson’s earnest desire to make her feel better, even if that meant to tell her things that she wanted, not what she should be told.

“Thanks, Tyson,” she said, leaning against his shoulder and closing her eyes. “I’m glad that you’re here.”
***********
“You’re just letting her go?”

It was the day after the wake and Jay sought out the only company he thought he could handle. Maxx sat in Hacker’s garage. Hacker and Sally were currently out, enjoying a lunch date. And Amy…

Tyson had borrowed his sister’s car and took Amy out for the day, leaving Maxx in Hacker’s good hands. It did, however, leave the program alone during the lunch time and Jay took full advantage of it.

“What else can I do?” Jay asked with a sigh, slumping down on the couch. Maxx was in motorcycle form, his front tire turned towards him. “They were cuddling last night! I drove up and they were practically in each other’s arms. And neither of them seemed too ashamed about it either. They kept talking as if nothing was happening…” He didn’t mention that Amy decided to ride back to the RCC in the back with Tyson, letting the country boy walk her back to her room.

Jay then felt sorry for all the drivers he had made wait on him over the years.

“I’m never chaperoning again,” he grumbled.

“Uh, it’s not so bad,” Maxx said. “I do it all the time…”

“You’re a program.”

“Your point?”

Jay grunted. Sometimes there was no talking to the program; now he knew why Amy got so frustrated with him.

“I still think you’re an idiot,” Maxx kept saying, ignoring his annoyance. “Letting her go with Tyson.”

“He’s good for her,” Jay grumbled, staring down at his feet. Unlike Tyson’s slightly ruined tennis shoes, he wore dress shoes, a type of shoe that his kind wore. “I’m a Sponsor,” he mumbled. “She deserves someone who is more her type.”

“I never thought I’d hear you say that,” Maxx said. The motorcycle somehow sounded disappointed.

“What?” he snapped at the program. “It’s the truth. You know Amy hates anything and everything that deals with the Circuit. And, let’s face it, I am kind of in the middle of everything with the Circuit. The Races wouldn’t happen if there weren’t any Sponsors promoting them.”

“You’re different from other Sponsors,” Maxx pointed out. “And Amy knows that.”

“Why are you on my side, anyway?” Jay asked, interrupting the program. “You’re a computer chip in her head. You should be siding with her.”

“I was programed with a personality for a reason,” Maxx stated. “The Racers like having their programs argue with them sometimes. Besides, since I’m in her head, I know vaguely what she’s thinking about. And I can tell you, her relationship with Tyson isn’t the best for her.”

This was new… Jay sat up in the couch, eyeing the bike in front of him. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“I can already tell that their relationship isn’t going to be healthy,” Maxx told him. “Yes, perhaps she does need someone outside the Circuit to complain about all its problems and all the grief it’s causing her, but she’s already keeping secrets from him. And she will keep secrets from him because he’s not pressing for the truth. I’m sure he knows that she’s lying about things and he’s not going after the truth. I may be a computer program, but even I know that relationships don’t work well with lies. You outright told her about your Talent on your first private meeting and you don’t sugar coat anything. You tell her what she needs to know wither she likes it or not. Tyson…” Maxx turned his front wheel back and forth. “He’s just telling her that everything will be alright and she’s believing it. A relationship should not work that way.”

Jay sunk back into the couch, carefully picking the program’s words over. There was a lot of truth in his words; he was honest with Amy on a lot of things, not just with his Talent but also the Circuit and his fears about what the Sponsors wanted to do with her. He wanted her to know the truth. She deserved truth.

But if Tyson was leading her away…

“I still can’t do it,” Jay sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I just can’t.”

“Jay…”

“No, Maxx,” he said, quickly cutting the bike off. “What you say is right; relationships don’t work on lies, but she needs someone outside the Circuit right now and that’s Tyson.”

“I can tell that you’re lying.”

“Since when?”

“You care about Amy,” Maxx said bluntly. “Why don’t you just tell her? It’s one of those lies that I was just talking about.”

“Maxx, do you know what would happen to me if the Sponsors find out about my Talent?”

The program didn’t answer. He knew all too well. While thankfully the Kill Code had been removed from his program, Maxx didn’t like that there was once been a time when he could have killed Amy in a supposed crash.

“Amy is a very public person,” he spat out spitefully. “And anyone romantically involved with her will also find themselves in the public’s eyes. I’m in enough spotlight and if I get anymore, there’s a good chance that my Talent will come to light as well. I don’t need her spotlight either.”

“I hear bitterness.”

“Of course you hear bitterness,” Jay nearly snapped. “I want to be with Amy; she’s an amazing woman that I care about. But if I get too close…” He groaned, closing his eyes tight. “Damned if I do, damned if I don’t. I either protect my secret or I get Amy. I don’t see how I can do both.”

Finally, Maxx had nothing to say.
**********
I’ll say it again: Maxx is my favorite character. He can say whatever he wants and get away with it since they can’t “touch” him. And he knows more about relationships than the other characters, which I’m not sure how that happened, but it’s been entertaining to write the computer chip telling the humans off. That said: Maxx is great.

And then Jay’s father… I really want to hate the man, I do, but… He had to go human on me, showing compassion to families, being a decent businessman, and protecting Jay... I’m not sure what his motive is yet for killing off the other Talented, but I need to uncover it. It’s just frustrating.

Anyway, that’s the end of my notes. Until next time, enjoy the journey!