The Limit (Sebastian Vettel)

3. The Girl He Once Knew

Lily was bored.   She picked up her cup of tea and took a sip.  Grimacing, she put it down.  It was awful.  The Italians just didn't make tea like the British.  It was one thing she missed about living there.  

She'd arrived at the factory early, eager to make a good impression on the higher ups.   The trouble was none of them had actually been there, so she'd taken a seat in the canteen and started reading a true crime magazine she'd bought at Heathrow airport the evening before. 

She soon became aware of someone watching her.  "Eager aren't you?" came a familiar voice.  

She turned and looked over at the man who was leaning against a table a few metres away.  He was dressed in a pair of fitted designer blue jeans and an FDA polo shirt, his overly long dark brown hair brushing the collar.  He was smiling at her, but Lily knew that it wasn't a welcoming smile. It was a mocking one.  

"Damon," she stated.  She said nothing else.  There was nothing she wished to say to her good for nothing brother. 

"Lils. I see you won yesterday.   Your opposition couldn't have been up to much."   She narrowed her eyes, glaring at him.  He laughed.  

Oh how she wanted to smack him in that smug face of his.  "I won on Saturday.  You going to congratulate me?"

"No," she said bluntly.  "Now if you don't mind, I'm reading."

"Ok, I'll leave you too it. Just one question before I go. Who did you fuck to get into the FDA?  Was it Massimo? Someone higher up?  We all know it wasn't through talent."

"Bastard. I'd wipe the floor with you if I was in F2."

"Come off it Lils.  You're just a girl.   You may have been Dad's favourite but I'm the one that got his talent.   All you've ever done in life is kill our mother."

"Vaffanculo," she spat.   Damon walked off laughing.  Lily cursed under her breath.  Why did she let him get to her every time?  Why was he such an asshole?  

She heard him pull a chair out at a table across the room.  Bit by bit the room began to fill.  She spotted Marcus, one of her fellow FDA newbies.   He waved at her but didn't come over.   He joined another two lads that were wearing FDA shirts too. 

She looked down at her navy hoodie.   She had her FDA polo shirt on underneath it but she'd been cold that morning and she was yet to receive an FDA hoodie.  

"Hey, is this seat taken?" she heard a voice say.   She looked up and immediately recognised the golden boy of the FDA, Charles Leclerc.   

"Obviously not," she drawled.  He sat down.

"Hey, I'm Charles.  You're Damon's sister right?"

"Unfortunately."   Charles laughed.   Lily found herself smiling.

"Lily," she said, holding her hand out.   Charles took it and gave it a small shake. 

"First day here?"

"Officially, although I came in a couple of weeks ago to sign my contract."

"It think it's great they've signed you.  I heard from the Prema guys that you were something else when you drove those races for Carlin last year."   Lily felt herself blushing slightly. 

"I...well, it's been difficult getting this far, but everything seems to be on track now, if you'll excuse the pun."  Charles laughed again. 

"I'm going to get a coffee.  Can I get you anything?"

"Is the coffee better than the tea?"

"Yes, it's drinkable."

"Go on then, I'll have a latte, extra sugar please."  He stood up and walked over towards the counter.