The Team // A Formula One AU

Mick

"It was Nikita." I say, leaning up in my bunk to look down at my roommates.

"How do you know?"

"I saw him in here last night. I took a video." I play it to the room and Daniel's eyes go wide.

"He just takes it! He took my watch!"

"We can get it back easy. Just sneak in his room today," I say and Daniel opens his mouth to ask how.

"Wait... Who would call me at three in the morning?" Charles interrupts, his eyes still on the video.

"I did. If your phone rang it might have woken you all up and we could've caught him. I didn't want to try alone."

Max laughs shortly. He thinks I'm some kind of massive tough guy just because I go to the gym more than they all do. If we had a fight he'd win every time. I may be strong but I'm just not a fighter. And Nikita's a mystery.

As if to prove my point, George asks a stupid question. "Who even is Nikita?"

"The guy in the video, you plank," Max says and kicks him in a friendly sort of way.

"Yeah but where is he from? How does he drive?"

"He karted in Russia but not very much apart from that. I heard that his dad was very rich, but he doesn't seem to have any money. I'm pretty sure his dad died."

"How do you know that, Spanish?" I ask Carlos who just shrugs.

"I just know things."

"Hey, what's my nickname?" Lando complains.

"Sparkplug?" Max suggests and I laugh, launching myself from my bunk as people start to get up. We spill into the corridor in search of breakfast and break into smaller groups.

"How about Ferrari-boy?" Charles jokes.

"Just because I'm borrowing your shirt it doesn't mean that I support this horrible team," Lando says indignantly. Sparkplug notices there's only one croissant left and immediately goes after it at speed, leaving us to find a table.

I sit down next to Charles to save our usual spot at the table and eye Nikita suspiciously as he comes in alone. Maybe we should start locking the door. Pretty stupid not to, really. I eat quickly and by the time everyone is in the hall Daniel and I have finished so there's no need for a cover story. We go back to our room to lock it then try to work out which one is Nikita's. Turns out to be the only other locked door.

"How do we get in now?" Daniel asks, used to me having all the answers. I don't always, but this time I do.

"All the locks are all the same. Use our key." Daniel chuckles darkly as he turns it and pushes the door.

"This is going to be fun."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm not letting him get away with this."

"Well no but... What're you going to do?" I realise Daniel might be more sinister than I thought. He has revenge on his mind and it doesn't look playful.

"I could take something of his, or maybe break something... But actually, no. I care too much about my career to ruin this chance. I'll just tell Tom what he did once we have the evidence. Or better yet, Phil."

I don't know whether to laugh or try to stop him. At least it's nothing violent, but Phil is the definition of evil. Okay, maybe that's an overstatement, but he's not someone who'd go lightly on a thief. In the first week as well.

"Isn't that a little harsh?" I ask as he picks the watch out from Nikita's locker, the key for which he found under Nikita's mattress.

"Do you have any idea how much this cost? Well, not me but... still."

He straps it to his wrist as he walks out and closes the door after us. We stand there in silence for a moment, unsure what to do with ourselves now. Then Phil comes round the corner as if fate is urging us on. I don't glance at Daniel, knowing it would look too staged. "Hey, Phil, I just found my watch in Nikita's room. On his bed actually. He stole it."

"Stole it?" Phil says giving us both an evil look, "What makes you so sure?" I whip out my phone and show him the video. His face goes stony and he storms towards the hall as we sink into a hidden corner to watch the spectacle.