Last week I introduced my new novel, the story of Amy McPeir. She has everything going for her: going to the college she wants, enough money to pay for it, and a chance for a bright future.
Time to destroy that. To the story!
**********
Amy sat on a cold bench in the early morning, waiting for Mom to come pick her up. She struggled not to yawn too much, though still grinning ear to ear. After the eventful graduation the day before and staying up all night partying with the other grads, she was looking forward to spending the day in bed.
Most people were already gone, having either drove home, found rides, or their parents had already picked them up. She didn’t mind the wait. It was nice to just put her feet up after all the dancing. It made her smile. She really did like dancing.
“Still here?”
Amy glanced around, quickly finding Emily walking out of the school.
“I’m surprise that you are,” Amy said.
The pretty Talented sighed. “I had a couple friends to say goodbye to. I’ll be heading out now.” She kept walking for her car when she paused and half turned to her. “Congrats, by the way. The Chemistry Academy. I hear that’s tough to get into.”
Amy just smiled. “Thank you. Good luck at the Art Institute.”
Emily huffed, tossing her head back. “I don’t need luck. I’m Talented.” She walked off, holding her head high. Amy rolled her eyes and moved uncomfortably on her seat, wondering when her Mom was going to get there.
BANG!
Amy jumped. Spinning around, she frowned at the school. It sounded like a door had been slammed shut, but she didn’t see anyone exit the school. Wondering where the sound came from, she got up to investigate.
“Hello?” she asked, opening the door wide enough to peek inside. “Anyone still in here?”
No answer.
Frowning, she ventured in, noting the mess the seniors made of the gym. Party streamers, popped balloons, silly string, plastic cups, and trash littered the floor, hung from the walls, and even splattered the ceiling. Amy did not envy the janitors their job cleaning up the mess. Walking into the center of the gym, she glanced around, trying to find someone who could have made the noise.
“You’re a jerk!”
“If you don’t want to go out with me anymore, you should have said so!”
“Great,” Amy muttered, glancing to the upper gym where the noise was coming from. Sally was getting into another argument with Jeff. Really, her friend had problems finding good guys. Oh, Jeff was nice enough, but sometimes he had a temper when things didn’t go his way. They were probably arguing about how Sally would be moving to Arco City and that he would be staying behind to attend a Tech school. Amy was a bit surprised that they held off this argument until now.
“Don’t you walk away from me!”
Amy watched as Sally stomped to the railing of the upper gym, tears streaming from her face as she left her now ex-boyfriend.
“I said don’t walk away from me!” Jeff said, storming after her.
“I can do what I want, Jeff,” Sally snapped, spinning around to face him and hitting him on the chest. “I’m leaving for Arco City and there’s nothing you can do about it!”
“Don’t hit me!” he snapped, shoving her back.
“Don’t hit me!” she yelled back, shoving him.
Jeff’s face was covered in rage as he shoved her again.
Sally stumbled back, hitting the rail and began to fall over the edge. Jeff stared in shock as she fell over the side then turned and ran. Amy gasped.
“Sally!” she yelled. There was no time to think.
She used her Talent.
The world slowed down, everything moving at a sluggish pace. Even Sally fell from the railing in a sort of graceful, practiced fall. Amy ran as fast as she could as the world blurred behind her, her feet easily avoiding anything that might trip her. That was how her Talent worked. She could be fast at anything she wanted with grace and ability anyone would envy. She didn’t worry about getting there in time to catch her friend.
She would make it with time to spare.
Moments before, she was in the center of the gym, then she had dashed up the bleachers that were still out to give the seniors a place to sit, then she stood under Sally, ready to stop her friend from hitting the floor. Sally screamed as she fell. Amy readied herself to catch her.
“Oof!”
They both fell onto the ground, the hard plastic of the bleachers not giving way for them. Amy knew that she’d have bruises from this.
“Ouch,” Sally said, sitting up and rubbing her lower back. She was still crying.
“Ouch is right,” Amy grumbled, rubbing the side of her head where she had hit the edge of a seat.
“Amy?” Sally asked, finally noticing her. “Where did you come from?”
Amy froze. Didn’t Sally see her use her Talent? Well, if she hadn’t, she wasn’t going to tell her friend about it. After all, she and Mom spent a lot of time and effort to keep her Talent a secret. They both knew what would happen if someone found out about it.
“I heard noises and came to see what was making the ruckus,” Amy told her. “Good thing I did too. I was coming up the bleachers when I saw you fall.”
“Yes,” Sally agreed, sniffing. “It’s a good thing. That jerk…” She started to ball, more upset that Jeff had broken up with her rather than the fall that could have really hurt her. Amy just sighed, hugging her friend around the shoulder. Sally had her priorities set strange.
*********
Emily couldn’t believe her eyes. She had gone back into the school when she realized that she had forgotten her purse inside when Amy had done something that should have been impossible.
One moment, Amy was standing in the middle of the gym, then in a blur of motion too fast for any normal human, she was standing beneath her friend to catch her out of a fall.
Emily stayed out of sight as Amy and Sally left, her mind in a whirl.
“She’s a Talented,” Emily breathed, watching Amy carefully. Since she was Talented herself, Emily could tell another Talented almost instantly. How Amy managed to keep her Talent secret all this time, she couldn’t say, but there was something she did know.
She had to tell the Talented Seekers that there was an unregistered Talented Speeder running around.
Quickly getting her purse, Emily left the school, careful to avoid Amy. This had to be reported.
**********
It was around lunchtime that Amy finally got out of bed. Rubbing the side of her face, she went to see what her Mom was cooking in the kitchen.
“What’s that smell?” she asked, sitting down at the dinning room table.
“Nothing editable,” Mom assured her with a chuckle. “I promised a neighbor that I’d make some play dough for them. I was waiting for you to wake up to see what you wanted for lunch.”
Amy grinned. “How about we go out to eat?” she asked. “To celebrate my acceptance into the Chemistry Academy?”
Mom also grinned. “I like that plan. Wash up and we’ll get ready to go.”
Amy nodded and started to go for the bathroom when the doorbell rang.
“Amy?” Mom yelled from the kitchen. “Would you mind getting that?”
“Sure, Mom!” she yelled back as she went for the front door. She opened it, wondering who could be visiting.
There were three men, dressed in black suits with dark sunglasses covering their eyes. Amy frowned. They looked like government officials from the movies, buffed up and perhaps not too bright.
“Amy McPeir?” one asked, his stony expression locked on her face.
“Yes?” she answered hesitantly. Who were these men and how did they know her name?
The men flipped out badges, a shinny silver emblem that they didn’t show slow enough for her to make out. “We’re Talent Seekers and we’ve been informed that you’re an unregistered Talent Speeder.”
Amy paled.
“Amy?” Mom asked, coming to the front door. “What’s going on?”
“Ma’am,” the man said, nodding his head a bit towards her. “Did you know that you’re daughter is a Talented?”
Mom paled.
The man switched his gaze between them. “I’m guessing that you both knew.”
“There must be some mistake,” Mom quickly said, coming up behind her and placing her hand on her shoulder. “My daughter isn’t a Talented.”
“Another Talented saw her using Speed,” a second man said. “Emily Halcroft saw your daughter use her Talent to catch her friend from a fall earlier today.”
“Amy?” Mom asked, her eyes wide and her expression terrified. “Is this true?”
Amy hung her head. Emily had seen?
“I’m so stupid,” she whispered, tears coming to her eyes. “I’m so, so stupid!”
“You’re not stupid, Amy McPeir,” the first man said emotionlessly. “You’re a Talented. We’ve come to take you to the Race Circuit.”
“NO!”
Amy found herself suddenly being crushed by Mom, as if she was going to protect her from these men.
“You can’t take my daughter there!” she said, her voice on the edge of tears. “She’s been accepted into…”
“It doesn’t matter where she’s been accepted,” the man said, finally a hint of annoyance in his tone. “She is a Talented Speeder. Her place is in the Race Circuit.”
“I don’t want to go to the Race Circuit!” Amy started to argue.
The man held a hand up. “You are a Talented, Amy McPeir. You’re place is not with regular people. You should be thrilled and thankful for this chance to be more than a simple person.”
“People die in the Race Circuit!” Amy argued.
“People die everyday,” the man said coldly. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I won’t go!” Amy snapped.
The man raised an eyebrow. “You will go, or both of you will send the rest of your lives in jail for failing to register a Talented.”
Amy paled and locked eyes with her Mom. There was fear in her expression, fear for her daughter, fear of jail, fear of what was happening.
“Mom…” Amy said, tears welling in her eyes.
“Oh, Amy,” Mom wailed. They clung onto each other, crying at their change of fate.
***********
Amy sat in the backseat of a black car, watching as the miles rolled past her window. The Talent Seekers gave her a couple of hours to pack before taking her from her home. Mom cried as she helped her pack. Not that Amy could blame her. She had been crying to.
The three Talent Seekers were still with her, two in the front seat and one in the back with her. They seemed deprived of emotion as they almost had to drag her away from Mom. That, for some reason, annoyed her.
There was no conversation in the car. They didn’t seem to bother and she was too angry at them to start one. She didn’t even ask where they were going. She knew where.
The Race Circuit Center, the RCC, found in Arco City.
Going to Arco City anyway, she thought miserably. But as a stupid Talented.
She should have realized that there were other people in the gym that morning. She should have done something else rather than use her Talent to save Sally. She should have just let Sally hurt herself then get help. That’s what should have happened.
But Amy couldn’t fool herself. Sally was her friend. She couldn’t just watch as her friend seriously hurt herself.
“Who is your father?”
Amy continued to stare out the window. An hour on the road and they finally decided to talk to her?
“Amy McPeir,” the man said sternly. What is his name again? Frank? Bill? Obnoxious? “It’s important that we have this information. His name isn’t on your birth certificate. And your mom must have known who he was. Now, just tell us who he is.”
“Why?” Amy snorted. “He’s already dead. You can’t punish him.”
“Records,” the man stated. “It helps to research the Talented.”
Amy knew that. However, she also knew that half the Talented came from families. Emily was part of the other half that spontaneously happened. She sighed. They probably wouldn’t leave her alone until they knew.
“Logan Phillips,” she muttered. “You’d know him better as Target.”
“Target?”
The surprise in the man’s voice intrigued Amy. Turning to face the man, she saw the shock was also in his face. He had taken the sunglasses off, showing a somewhat handsome face. He was staring at her, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“That’s who he is,” Amy confirmed. “He got Mom pregnant with me before your lot dragged him into the Race Circuit.”
“That’s why his name was Target!” the man exclaimed, excitement in his face. “He always said that his target was to get home! He meant you and your mom!”
Great, Amy thought with a scowl as she turned back to the window. He’s a big fan of Racing. Just what she wanted.
“Why didn’t you want to be a Racer?” the man suddenly asked, sounding interested. “It’s an amazing career.”
“It’s a career that killed my Dad,” she said blandly.
“Uh…” The man seemed lost for words on that one and didn’t continue the conversation.
Amy stared out the window, watching as the miles flew by. Most of it was farmland. It was all flat and unimpressive. She had seen mountains before and wished that there were some around to break up the scenery. However, the closer they got to the city, the farmland gave way to truck stops, then houses, then businesses, and then….
Arco City. Amy couldn’t help herself as she leaned in close to the window to get a better look at the city. While mountains were taller, the man made structures reached into the sky, a testament to human engineering. There were dozens of the buildings, each trying to out do the other. Amy wasn’t sure what the population of the city was, but she was sure that she would never know. People flocked to big cities like this one because of how much was there.
I should be going to school here, she thought, her heart stinging with regret. I was going to be a chemist. Not a Racer.
However, the car drove past Arco City, and they were back into suburbs. The RCC wasn’t actually in the city but just outside it. Amy wasn’t sure what she was expecting when they finally arrived. More officials? A racing complex?
When they arrived, she was surprised to find that the RCC looked a lot like a college campus.
There were several large buildings crossed with roads and surrounded by large lawns. It seemed very much like the Tech school near her home that she and her classmates would sometimes visit.
Is this really the RCC? She wondered, noting with some reluctance that it seemed like a nice place, unlike what she had always envisioned the RCC would be like. It took a moment for her to realize something else.
“Where is everyone?” she asked, finally noticing that there didn’t seem to appear to be anyone there.
The man raised an eyebrow of surprise. “Really? You’re a Speeder. It’s the Grand Race Circuit Final.”
Saturday, she remembered. There’s always a big Race on Saturday. And the Grand Race Circuit Final?
Fourteen years since her Dad died.
“Is that why you’re so miserable?” she asked. “You’re missing the Race?”
The man snorted. “Don’t you watch the Races?”
“The last Race I watched I saw my Dad die,” she grumbled.
The man grimaced. “You might have a reason then,” he admitted reluctantly. “But Silver Fox is racing. It might be her third win in a row. Six total!”
Two more and retirement, she knew. It was the deal that all the Racers made. Room, board, money, all for spending the rest of their lives in the Circuit. You only retired if you won five Grand Race Circuit Finals in a row. Three had been the max for most. A few, like her Dad, made it to four. As far as she knew, no one got to five.
“Wonderful for her,” Amy muttered.
“Have you picked a name yet?” the man asked, again curious.
The car pulled to a stop, saving her from answering.
The car door was opened for her and she stepped out. There were more Talent Seekers there, a couple of them already taking her stuff out of the trunk.
“Welcome, Amy McPeir,” the lead woman said. She was a shorter woman, a few inches shorter than Amy, with short greying hair and dimples when she smiled. “I’m Camellia Robbins, the Talent Seeker over Speeders. Welcome to the RCC!” She held out a hand to her. Reluctantly, Amy shook the woman’s hand.
“My, my,” Camellia said, grinning. “Quiet sort, aren’t you? Didn’t want to be a Racer, did you? Don’t worry. You’ll have anything and everything you’ll ever want here. You’ll have your own room, food for life, money to do what you want.”
“And a chance to die on live television,” Amy muttered darkly.
The woman’s smile faltered for a brief moment. “Not true!” she said quickly, too much cheerful to be real. “Most Racers live to a nice old age!”
“And still die in this pit,” Amy rebutted.
Camellia’s smile quickly vanished into a frown. “Now listen here, girl, you’ve been given a wonderful opportunity! You have a Talent! You are blessed beyond what most dream of. You should be grateful!”
“Grateful?” Amy snapped. “I was going to go to college, get a degree, do what I want to do. Just because I’m Talented doesn’t mean that I want to be a Racer.”
Camellia rolled her eyes. “Oi. You’re going to be a difficult one. Very well. Let’s get this over with. I’ll show you to your room.” The woman turned on her heel and went for the closest building. Amy followed after, not bothering to seem excited or happy. The Talent Seekers around her were confused as she glared at all of them.
I’m probably the first Talented they’ve met that thinks it’s more of a curse than a blessing, she thought. But there was a reason why she had spent most of her life hiding her Talent. She didn’t want to be here. She didn’t want to be a Racer.
She didn’t want to end up like her Dad.
The building they entered suddenly transformed Amy’s initial thought of the RCC. While the outside seemed like any college, the inside reminded her of a hospital. The white hall was sterile and free of anything. The bright lights were a poor substitute for actual sunshine, since there were no windows to provide light. There were also doors lining the hall, close together and, Amy noted, equipped with locks.
“Each Racer is given their own room,” Camellia was saying. “The longer you are in the Circuit, or with more wins, you might be able to get an entire apartment to yourself.”
Joys, Amy thought with a scowl. They were going to keep her in a small room for the rest of her life.
They went up a couple of floors, with Camellia explaining the rules of the building. Amy only half paid attention, noting the curfew.
I’m an adult, she thought. I don’t need a curfew!
“And here we are!” Camellia said, dramatically opening the door to one room. Amy took it as an invitation and entered the room. It wasn’t much. Just as the hall was sterile white, so was the room, with a bed beneath the single window in the room. Exploring a bit, she found the closet and dresser inside it. She had more stuff in her own room at home. The men who brought her stuff placed her things in her room, then stayed as if they were waiting for instructions.
“Where’s the bathroom?” she asked.
“Down the hall,” Camellia answered with a smile. “You’ll be sharing it with the others of this hall.”
“Fine,” Amy sighed. “Can you leave now? So I can unpack? Or are you going to be helping me with that as well?”
“Sour, aren’t you?” Camellia noted. “Actually, there is one more thing that needs to be done.”
Amy frowned. They had her there in the Circuit. What else could they want from her?
One of the men stepped up to her and rammed a needle into her arm.
“Hey!” she snapped, stepping back from him. “What was that for?” Suddenly, the room started to blur. Struggling to stay upright, she had to grab the wall to keep standing.
“What?” she breathed.
“Just relax, Speeder,” Camellia said softly. “Just a little procedure that every Racer goes through. It’ll be over soon.”
Amy couldn’t ask what the woman meant because the world went black.
*************
Oh no! What is happening now? Next week, the introduction to one of my new favorite characters. Thanks to everyone who took a gander at this new novel. I hope you continue to read it. And feel free to share this new story. I suppose that I could hook more people if they start at the beginning of a new story instead of them saying “oh, I’ll get to reading all those other posts someday.” (Which I think what happened to Martin’s stories) Thanks for reading!
Enjoy the journey!
