A Prologue Part Two ~ Growing Up(sample)

Chapter Fifteen ~ Indurating the Crew Part II:

The week went by quickly, soon the young crew had beaten most of the missions on the simulator and today they would start practice for the games again. Reine already ate her breakfast and took a shower. She was dressed in gear for the games and ready for practice; additionally, she had adorned the protective gear she purchased for hoverboarding.

Her crew would be showing up any minute with their own gear. She wanted to learn the sport during practice, but there was something she was keeping to herself. She heard the door to the secret cellar open and raced up the stairs with her hoverboard under her arm. When she reached the top, her navigator was there waiting with excitement in her eyes.

She stopped in front of her and smiled with joy, before she spoke with excitement, "Ready for practice?"

"Aye," replied Alexia with a grin.

Her navigator also wore the gear for the games - a skin tight, black combat suit with a multitude of pockets and holsters for different gear and practice weapons. Her girlfriend was similarly dressed at the front door, already standing securely on her hoverboard with a beaming smile.

In a blur of movement, the two girls joined Deytria and Acovis outside. Her front yard was not very large - there was just enough space so that the four large apple trees in the yard did not feel cluttered with trees. She gave her girlfriend a curt gance, before she smiled and started to speak cheerfully.

"Always jumping ahead... okay, everyone - let's figure out these hoverboards."

Deytria was already slowly learning how to move around on her hoverboard, as the others unfolded hoverboards and started to mount up. Acovis fell on his butt, but the other two girls managed not to fall; though her navigator's legs would not stop jittering. Reine's legs felt like ooze, but watching her girlfriend gave her an idea of how to stand up securely.

The hoverboards consisted of two small disks with a bar that folded and connected the disks together. On top of the disks were fixtures that secured the rider's footwear in place. Once both feet were secured the disks emitted a light from the bottom and pushed off the ground with a faint hum.

By the time Alexia and Reine were moving around the yard slowly on their hoverboards, Acovis was standing up securely and attempting to do the same. The blonde was already speeding around faster than everyone else with a huge smile on her face. The kids practiced in the yard for a few hours, Deytria showed everyone how to get their hoverboards to jump using their feet, and everyone was enjoying the sport.

"Okay, let's go to the arena. Alex, lead the way please."

Alexia nodded in response and turned to lead the group towards the lift. The ride past the orphanage to the lift was short, and she took note that all of her crew seemed to have a talent for the sport, except her specialist; above all her girlfriend, who was already jumping her board onto rails and sliding down them when they approached stairs. The arena reserved for practice was on tier six, which had the best hoverboard park in Valhalla.

She grinned and pressed the key, before she joined her crew at the back of the uncrowded elevator. She had a full day planned, and they were right on schedule. Moments later, the elevator opened to tier six, and the crew made their way out of the elevator onto the cobble stone of tier six's walkways.

Alex took the lead followed by Deytria and Reine; who were experimenting with the boards - they tilted their feet in different directions with knees bent, which resulted in a slight weaving. Acovis watched with interest, as he carefully followed from behind the pair.

The kids gradually gained confidence, and she whistled; her navigator turned to look for a split second to see her with a thumb jerking up. Alexia grinned and pushed her front foot down to increase speed. The pads the user's shoes attached to controlled the stabilizer, main thrust, and aux thrusts based on foot movement and pressure controls.