Viti

Chapter one

*** Hey guys, so I've started a new story. This one, as you can see from the cover, is all about superheroes. I love superheroes. Anyway, enjoy this first chapter. Let me know what you think. Vote and leave a comment *** 

Grace Hayes couldn't stop.

The ground kept moving. Like a roller coaster, just far more unpredictable.

The ground dipped inwards, before levelling out once more, but by this time, Grace had gathered too much speed for a safe stop. She fumbled at the air, desperate to grasp onto, well, anything, that would slow her down.

Finding nothing, Grace feared she looked like a waving lunatic, but the nighttime streets of Brinkworth were relatively quiet tonight. At least she didn't have to worry about weaving around children or oncoming traffic.

C'mon, Grace, she chastised herself. You got this.

With a renowned sense of determination, Grace readjusted her legs, her feet planting firmly against the thin strip of wood she balanced on. The wheels beneath continue to swirl was wild as her beathing heart, but with gritted teeth, and a small path of grass she crossed over onto, Grace could feel the skateboard slowing down enough for her to leap off without causing too much bodily hard.

Struggling to regain her balance again, Grace stood by helplessly as her precious purple and white patterned board skittered across the street, finally coming to a painful stop in the gutter. Recent rainwater washed over the faded coral wheels.

"Dammit," Grace cursed, looking up and down the street before she made a made dash across the paved road. She shook off loose trash from her skateboard before she headed back across the street, still fuming about her embarrassing failure.

She wasn't a bad skateboarder. It was something she picked up a few years ago, when she grew bored of the trains and buses, instead opting for another mode of transport. It was a coin toss between a skateboard and a bike. Her sister had been hoping for a bike instead – it was safer, she reckoned –, but seeing as how Grace could barely afford a used skateboard from an opt shop, a mountain bike was a bit out of her budget.

Grace turned to the sound of running footsteps. Rapid panting was quickly followed, then a massive heave as the footsteps came to an end. Looking dishevelled with red cheeks, Elizabeth Borre came to a stop, her palms pressed into her kneecaps as she fought off the urge to collapse.

"Next time, stick with smaller hills."

Grace silently agreed with her best friend, tucking her skateboard under her arm and gazing up Parachute Hill, an area of Brinkworth that almost seemed to be completely vertical.

"Hey, you gotta make challengers, right?" Grace muttered as they started to walk downtown. The further the two friends walked, the more the streets lit up with bright store fronts and late-night shoppers.

Beth shook her head, her shoulder-length blonde hair flinging around her round face. "Nah. Challengers means something new, right? I'm good with where I am in life."

Grace rolled her dark brown eyes at her friend. "Coming from the world's next top fashion designer. Isn't your dream career all about new? Being different?"

"First of all, not just a dream, okay? It will be my career one day."

Grace hid a small smile. "I don't doubt you, Beth."

Beth lightly jabbed an elbow into Grace's side. "You better not. And anyway, fashion in different. Fashion plays by its own rules."

"Sure it does." Desperate to change the subject, Grace grasped Beth's arm and dragged her across the road to a street vendor. As they neared, the strong sent of hotdogs was almost overwhelming. She turned to Beth with raised eyebrows. "My shout or yours?"