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"WELCOME! To the Lunar Station's intergalactic tournament! I'm your host-"
"Why do they always get a Freija to announce the race?" Denny interrupted while they entered the outdoor staging area.
They spotted the usual crowd. Tennerites, Bopians, Wrixx, even Curiors from the Docron galaxy travelled here to race.
Sigma smirked and nudged Denny's arms with her broad shoulder. "Because they're loud enough to be heard without a voice modifier."
Sigma glanced up to Lex, who was tinkering with his gravity band. It blended in perfectly with his grey skin, but she knew what he was doing.
"You know you can't use that in the race." She warned him for the hundredth time.
"And you know that I'm not a child, so stop acting like my parental unit." He shot her a dashing blue toothed smile, and she rolled her eyes.
"Fine, but you'll get disqualified."
Sigma reached down to check that her boots were secure.
They'd been specially made for her unique body composition, but they still didn't feel fitting.
"Are your feet hurting?" Lex asked, his tone serious.
"No, they're okay. But I don't think that Zepper ever made boots for a Jollen before. Two out of the four are slightly different sizes."
Lex leaned down and took one in his large hands. "Can you still race? Or should we pull out?"
"No," Sigma immediately took her leg back. "We've been competing in this race together since we were fifteen solars. We can't stop now."
"But it's dangerous," Denny interjected, crossing all four arms for emphasis.
Sigma smiled and brushed a hand over her head. "No more than usual. I'll be fine."
She pointed two fingers, one at each of them.
"You two just get ready to lose."
They both grinned, and despite the worry in Lex's grey eyes, he didn't argue with her.
"RACERS! To the starting line!" The Freija called. "Let's go." Denny clapped his hands together and led the way.
They fell into the crowd, greeting a few friendly faces and leering at those with a grudge.
"One of us has won this thing six times. Let's make it a cool seven." Lex announced.
He didn't bother to keep his voice down, and why should he? He was a Gorvin, the biggest and most savage species, this side of the Helion belt. Or so most of the galaxy thought. Sigma knew better, and she elbowed his ribs.
"Don't start anything, I can't get into a fight this time, or Kappa will kill me."
"Just tell your sister it was my fault." Lex rested his huge arm on her shoulder.
Sigma shoved him off, "That would be a million times worse."
He chortled loudly, and Sigma had to hide a smile.
They reached the course, and whispers rippled around them. It was newly built for every race. Everything inside was very real, and that included the danger.
"Looks like they chose Earth terrain this time. Looks interesting." Denny commented, crossing his arms.
Sigma stared out at the rocky landscape. They'd learned about Earth when they were young, and it wasn't nearly as pleasant as this looked. Green grass that stretched on for miles, clear blue sky, and some kind of animal flying above. The ground was uneven, and there appeared to be breaks in the land masses.
"We need to be careful with this one. Something feels icky." Denny warned as their resident geographical expert.
"Icky?" Sigma smirked. "We'll be alright."
"RACERS! READY!"
"Here we go. No time to study, be alert for anything." Lex instructed, his eyes darting to Sigma.
"GO!" The Frieja bellowed.
Sigma, Lex, and Denny stayed together in the beginning. They preferred to test the course together. They ran on the grass, darted over the rocks, and jumped the gaps. Sigma caught sight of what was below; nothing but an endless fall. The race had no safety nets, and that's why it pulled such a crowd.
It wasn't long before a few runners missed their footing, and their shrill screams echoed in Sigma's mind. But they didn't have time to dwell. There were two Wrixx ahead, and they were gaining speed. Sigma darted forward, using her agility to pass the others.
She could hear Lex and Denny cheering her on, and it pushed her to move faster. She caught up to the Wrixx and quickly passed them, smirking when they cursed her for being Jollen. She kept running and jumping the rocks, watching for anything that might trip her. The wind whipped at her face, and she delighted in the feeling of freedom it gave her.
She could feel the track starting to incline and adjusted her speed. There was a Curior up ahead who was starting to struggle, and she knew they didn't like heights. She grinned and soon overtook them.
The gaps were getting bigger now. She had to be more careful. Slowing to a quick jog, she leapt over the latest gap and suddenly saw her goal. The finish line was in sight, and there was nobody in front of her.
She could taste the win already and moved between boulders. The next gap was fairly wide, but nothing she couldn't handle. She took a few steps back and ran for the edge, about to leap when the ground started violently shaking. She lost her footing and tumbled over the side of the cliff.
She grasped for the dirt and tried not to panic. She didn't want to think about the death that awaited her.
She managed to grab a hold, gasping for breath as she tried to find a way back up. The dirt was starting to crumble. She closed her eyes and pleaded with whatever spacial deity might be out there. She couldn't die like this and prove her sister right.
She kicked against the side of the cliff to find purchase, but it was the wrong move. The dirt shifted and crumbled beneath her fingers. She screamed at the top of her lungs as she fell back into nothingness. She stared up at the blue sky, flailing unnecessarily. This was it. She was going to float into space and die from oxygen depletion.
She closed her eyes and said quiet goodbyes to all those she cared about.
"Don't you dare think about leaving me." A voice whispered in her ear.
Suddenly, huge arms enveloped her, and she stopped falling. Sigma opened her eyes and stared into Lex's stony ones. She stared at him for a moment until the pieces gradually clicked into place.
"You used the gravity band? But you'll get disqualified."
He pressed a button on his arm, and they slowly floated back up to the ground.
"Like I give a fart about that when you almost died." His tone was filled with anger.
"But, the race is your baby. You love it." Lex placed her down on the ground and shrugged. "Yeah, well..."
Sigma was about to ask what was going on when Denny rushed past them.
"He loves you more. And I'm going to win this one!" He cackled and shot up the mountainside.
They shared an awkward glance and quickly ran after him. Although Lex's hand never left Sigma's.
