End Of Summer ~ Mick Schumacher

Pathetic

"And that's P1!!  What an overtake in the final lap!! DeVille on P1!! This is a sensation, ladies and gentlemen!! I've never seen an overtake like this! The car driving backward like it wants to look at its competitors. Verstappen's chance to be world champion again just got snapped away by DeVille! Oh, dear god, this is by far the most mesmerizing yet terrifying overtake in history! Seems like we have a new world champion! Delancy DeVille is the world champion!! I repeat, Delancy DeVille is the world ch-" 

Cut.

Everything slowed down. The voices turned into muffled noises. It got quiet. For a moment. That felt like an eternity. 

Cut.

A sharp hiss of the motor. 

Losing control over the car. 

A sudden overturn.

My heartbeat got faster. And louder. 

The last glance before it turned black.

Fire. 

Cut.

Drained in sweat and screaming I woke up from my nightmare. Hairstrains fall down my face. My eyes met the full moon outside of the window. I took in a sharp breath when I realized nothing of it was real. My heart was beating fast and I felt cold like I was thrown into an ice bath.

My eyes which were still fixed on the full moon relaxed finally and closed. The worst thing about these nightmares is, that you still see them happening when you close your eyes. Shaking my head I tried to make it out of bed without feeling dizzy. 

Failed. 

The floor was spinning and the digits of the alarm were blurred. I was forced to sit down again, holding my head, and closing my eyes. Pressing my teeth together I opened my eyes and aimed at the water bottle at my desk.

Standing up slowly I managed to somehow manage my balance and made it to the water bottle. I emptied the bottle within seconds. Wiping away the water pearls from my mouth, I looked at my reflection in the desk mirror. My eyes hardened. "Pathetic." 

Throwing a robe over, I left my bedroom and went out on the balcony. With the cold wind hitting my face, I closed my eyes and opened them shortly after.

Leaning against the balcony railing and analyzing what was happening on the street. Well, not much. It was the middle of the night. A few cars passed now and then but nothing else. My heartbeat was normal again and I didn't feel that cold anymore. 

The new season of this year starts in a few days. We've already done some testing but tomorrow is the last one. The car is amazing, got some new stuff last year which I had to get used to. Charles is also satisfied with his car and we're ready to start this season. Excited? Not really. I have a goal and I'm going to follow that. 

What that is? Good that you ask, it's the title of the world champion. Being the first woman F1 driver in so long puts a whole lot of pressure on you for sure. Especially if there are specific types of men who still live in the 9th century.

Well, let me tell you a quick story. The first person to ever design and build a functional car was Carl Benz. Yeah, a man. But the first person to ever drive a car was his wife, Bertha Benz. That's right. A woman. So, sexist comments about women driving, especially in the F1, are like Christian Horner's opinions to me. Nothing but bullshit. 

Leaving the balcony and going to my room I took a look at the alarm. 03:13 a.m Yeah, I'm not sleeping anymore today. Grabbing some clothes out of my wardrobe I went to the bathroom and took a long warm shower. With music running in the background I relaxed and took my time. 

After finishing in the bathroom, I made myself something to eat. Since we drivers have to stay on a diet it was mostly healthy stuff. Scrolling through social media I looked at some posts of the F1 account and some fan accounts. Completely in my world, I didn't notice how somebody entered the kitchen. 

"You couldn't sleep?" A little shocked I looked up but relaxed the same second. It was Kimi. 

Now let me explain. 

My dad, Anthony DeVille was one of the best F1 drivers ever. And he is still the best in my eyes. My hero and my safe place. But since good things always have to come to an end, destiny decided to take him from me. He died tragically in a crash.

It was at a Silverstone GP. Basically at home. I was still a kid at that time but I always watched races of my dad. I saw the crash with my mom and his team in the pit. His car overturned many times before it broke into two pieces and the fire devoured it. He died on the spot. It was the darkest time of my life. Well, what did I expect? My dad was gone and all that stayed were memories and his name.

During his lifetime he was good friends with Sebastian Vettel, Michael Schumacher, and Kimi. When I was born, my parents decided to make Kimi my godfather. And after his death, he helped my mom and me. And that's why Kimi is one of the most important people in my life. Also, if you ask yourself where I got the attitude from, you know now. Back to the real-life situation. 

"Not really." I watched him as he poured himself a glass of water. 

"The same dream again?" He sat down in front of me. I nodded, putting my phone away. 

"As always. Nothing to worry about, I feel fine." But of course, he knew that I was lying.

"Auringonpaiste ("Sunshine"), you always say that. But looking into your eyes tells me that you're scared. You can talk to me."
Surprising about Kimi is, that he is called the Iceman when in fact he always has the warmest words for me. And I appreciate that a lot. A weak smile formed on my lips. 

"I know, and thank you for that. But I'm feeling better now. Sorry for waking you up. Are Minttu and the kids asleep?" He nodded. Minttu is not just Kimi's wife and a good mother but also my friend. Robin and Rianna are the cutest kids ever. 

"Do you want to try to catch some sleep again?" I shook my head, finishing my food. 

"I'm already fully awake. No chance. But you should go to bed again, you'll need the energy when the kids wake up." He chuckled a bit.

"That is true." He stood up, putting away his empty glass. "If you need me, you know where to find me." I gave him a thumbs-up and smiled while he walked the stairs up again. When he was gone I leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling. 

I want to win. I want to climb up more. I want to make a name for myself. I want to be better. I want to make dad proud. I want... 

I want it all. 

And that's it for today! I hope you liked this chapter and will stay to find out what's gonna happen in this season of F1!  Until the next time, 

Anastasia <3