Arc One: Awakening

Chapter 17: Sunlight and Dust

Speeding wheels kicked up a shower of sand, churning up the pale grains and spitting them onto the deep tracks. The heavy fabric canopy protecting them from the scorching sun billowed with the steady momentum and carried a cooling air current into the vehicle.

"Do you mind tightening that rope?" Rhena asked, waving to the loose cord fluttering frantically from the tail of the car.

With a soft grunt, Alek shuffled onto his knees and twisted round. Rough canvas shaved against his wrist as he extended his arm to grab the rope, his fingers feeling for the frayed fibres until he finally snatched hold. Heaving himself inside, he coiled it around the bar and secured it with a tight knot.

"Thanks. Been meaning to get it fixed, but... well..." Frustration scrunched at her face as she held up her bandaged limb and winced at the tingled ache. The infernal bandages not only limited her movement but also made it impossible for her to fix her car sufficiently. Cas had brought her inside the house multiple times after discovering her with vehicle components balanced on an uplifted thigh and tools in her mouth, desperately trying to prove she could still manage. She maintained she could, but for the sake of her worried partner she relented.

"Are you sure you're good to be driving with an injury like that?" Alek questioned, settling into his seat and straightening the seatbelt over his lap.

"It's not that bad anymore. The doctors are just being cautious with the bandages," Rhena assured him. "Besides, I can drive with my feet if I need to."

"You've done that before?"

"Course I have," she laughed. "You won't find a vector racer who hasn't tested it at least once. There have been a few races where drivers had no choice but to resort to it. Some even do it just to show off, but the Racing Federation has cracked down on it quite hard over the past few years."

Inhaling at the humid air, he tried not to think about the accidents she must have seen after racers had taken those reckless risks. Yet the dangers didn't deter Rhena and others from participating in the sport, and he figured there must have been a significant payoff for them to put their lives on the line in such a way. "What got you into racing?" he inquired curiously.

"My dad," she said, gaze drifting to the steering wheel as a wistful smile played on her lips. "He was an incredible racer, but he had to stop. His body couldn't keep up with the demands anymore. My old coach saw my talent and convinced my parents to let me do some trial runs. Mum hated the idea. She always told me how terrified she was whenever my dad raced and she didn't want to go through that again, but she never stopped me."

"They let you choose?"

"Yeah. They did." Glimpsing into the top mirror, she noticed a pensive look cross his features. "Did your parents not give you a choice in what you wanted to do?"

"Not really," Alek replied, picking at his thumbs. "When the Sunbreak Army was established, they pushed for me to be a part of it. I think they assumed it would boost them up the social ladder."

"What would you have chosen?"

With a dismissive shrug, he heaved a short, exasperated breath. "I don't know, but it would have been nice for them to ask me before sending in my application to the Academy."

As the wheels crossed a densely packed span of dunes, Rhena adjusted herself in her seat to the rhythm of the bumps and lifts. The further they got from civilisation, the more the ground flattened, and the rainbow hues from the towering translucent structures floated in patches on the grains.

"Are they natural?" Alek asked, gesturing to the crystalline formations. "Or do people make them?"

"They're all natural," Rhena told him. "The sand sometimes gets so hot that it turns into glass. As more is blown onto it and heats, it grows. Some of these are hundreds of years old."