Ripping Races

Part I, Chapter I

Gasping for air, Pen headed straight for Soba, too afraid to look back. As he headed back to his home, he cried, "Never, never! I'm never going back there, that's final!" Approaching the front door of his house, he took a deep breath, and slowly opened it. "Mom, all the money, it's gone!"

"What!? How?"

"I was in Kevron, about to get the supplies for our shop, when these two thugs came up behind me, and took all the money! I didn't have enough time to fly away, and when I tried to fight them, they pushed me down and ran away. I hate humans! I hate them!"

"So our money, it's all gone?" She gasped.

"Yes, but aren't you worried about ME?"

"Of Course honey --"

"-- I don't think you really are!"

Pen headed for his room, with tears flying down his face, he slammed the door behind him. He had just been in Kevron, home to the human race. Pen had never liked Kevron, it's smelly people, busy streets, and smoggy skies made it a terrible place. This was also not the first time Pen had gotten into trouble in Kevron, one time, a man tried to take his flight goggles, probably to sell in the black market. Pen fought him, and he won, but the fight left a scar under his left eye. As Pen recalled all the terrible things that have happened in Kevron, he took out his notebook, and wrote NEVER GO BACK TO KEVRON in all capital letters. Then, Pen's parents entered his room. 

"Pen, I'm sorry I wasn't more concerned, its just--" his mom started, "Without that money, we're going to need to close our shop."

"Close the shop!? Why can't it stay open!"

"Without that money, we won't have enough money for stock, and if we don't have stock, there is nothing for people to buy." Pen's father explained.

The Swift's shop, named Swift Foods, is a shop on the streets of Soba, a city toward the top of the Kaze Mountain. Their shop has been around since Pen's great grandfather started it long ago. It had done very well, until about 10 years ago when the chain grocery store called Stockwells moved in just a block down. Ever since then, their shop has barely been making enough money to keep their family going.

"Without our shop, are we gonna need to live on the streets or something?" Pen screeched. His parents let out a little chuckle.

"Ofcourse not. Your father has actually been thinking of getting a job as an architect! There's a great firm not too far from here, and I think he should apply right away." Pen's mom said, glancing at her husband.

"Sandra, I told you, I'll go fill out an application tommorow!"

"Oh you've been saying that for weeks!"

"C'mon, I've been busy!"

Sandra glared at him for a good minute, until he started to sweat, and then she continued.

"Anyways, it's the only choice we have. As for me, I'm going to go back to school, and pursue my dream of being a nurse! Without the shop holding me back, I can finally go back to school!"

Pen, a little overwhelmed, didn't know what to say. He didn't know if he should feel sad about losing his family's shop, or happy for all the new opportunities. He simply said, "Oh... Okay." His parents seemed satisfied with that, and headed back to the living room. Pen was still shaken up by everything that had happened that day, so he curled up into a ball on his bed, and went straight to sleep. In his sleep, he dreamt of what he loved most; flying. Soaring through the sky, Pen feels unstoppable. In the sky, no nasty human can get him, and flying calmed every last nerve in his body.