Skyglide (discontinued?)

Chapter VIII- Families and Injuries

Chapter VIII- Families and Injuries

Coralia and I floated down the river lazily on the sturdy raft, aided by the gentle flow of the wide shallow river. Occasionally I would prevent the raft from spinning using my oar, but other than that, it was a carefree lazy ride.

I turned around to face Coralia, who had her back facing me, boots off, dipping her right foot into the water and her left leg straightened, taking up a considerable amount of space on the raft. Occasionally she would jerk her bloody calf , and react to the pain. I would often ask her about whether her calf was beginning to hurt too much, but she assured me it was fine. I began to think about the events that occured during the race.

"Did Jay and Waldo tried to assist you when Ceres was attacking you?" I asked, trying to strike up a conversation as a cure for boredom.

"They didn't do much besides yelling at me that Ceres was on my back," she replied. "As if I didn't know that."

"They're gonna get it from me for not helping us out," I said grouchily. "Aren't they, like, experienced racers or something? They would know what to do."

"Probably they were too shocked or something."

"Yea, I guess so."

Coralia adjusted herself, tilting her body towards me, and changed the subject. "Imagine our families who watched the race, thinking we were gone from their lives."

"I'm lucky to have survived. You're lucky to have me found you. We're just darn lucky to get out of here," I said. "We can see our families again."

She shifted her gaze down towards the water. "Do you have a family?"

"Yea. I have my mother, uncle, and two siblings. Haytham, my good-for-nothing elder brother. He ran away from home and is now living the street life, causing trouble everywhere. He probably doesn't even know I'm in the darn race."

Coralia continued listening intently.

"Then I have my younger sister, Hayley, under the care of my uncle. She'd always talk about following in my dad's footsteps, and mine. She's always rooting for me and would wish to join the Skyglide race badly," I said in glee. "And she kinda looks like you."

"And your parents?" Coralia asked, intrigued.

"My mother has a serious illness, and she needs the money badly. That's why I'm here. Joining Skyglide to pay off the local hospital debts. And my dad... He's gone. Killed in action in the Skyglide race five years ago," I muttered, holding back painful tears.

"It's alright if you don't wish to continue talking about it," Coralia said, offering sympathy.

"No. I want to talk about it," I retorted. I felt like letting out all my bottled-up feelings at that time.

I let out a huge sigh before resuming. "My father was one of the elite racers in Skyglide. Year after year he'd win the grand prize, and used the money to help my sector. As a result of jealousy, he was betrayed by his own team, and after the incident, things went downhill, not only for Iphyria, but also my family. My mother was affected the most. She suffered from depression, and then she fell ill because of that. That five hundred grand I won is for her. If I win the other races, then the money goes to Iphyria," I finished. "What about you?"

Coralia leaned closer towards me. "Well, my mother and father work as delegates for neighbouring sectors, thus they rarely appear at home. It's like I don't even know them that much. I don't  But thankfully, I have an older brother whom I looked up to as a fatherly figure. He's looked after me all these years in my parents' absence. He was very reluctant to let me enter Skyglide when I was chosen for it," she said. "I miss him very much. He's all I have in this world."

"I'm sorry," I began.

"No, I should be the one who's sorry, again," Coralia said apologetically. "Your dad's gone, your mother's ill, your brother has left you and your sister. It'll be alright, you'll see. Things will work out." She placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks for listening," I said, looking up at her.

She looked past me. "Hey, whaddya know, we're close to the sea!" She exclaimed, feeling genuine euphoria. I turned around and saw the river slowly widening to fit in with the big blue expanse of water. Xanadu Canyon was already way behind us now.

I looked upon the waters. Fisheries and ports line the shoreline, and Arkydes City was not too far away. The Earth Pillars were clearly visible against the early evening sky. Boats skimmed across the water, creating ripples.

Using the makeshift oar, I began to steer the raft gently, trying not to strain my body. The stab wound still hurts. I pushed the raft towards the shallow waters, and Coralia was already gathering the belongings together. I gently leapt off the raft and pulled it onto shore with all my might. I then lifted Coralia and placed her down onto the white sand. Having no strength left, I collapsed and lay down beside her.

"Boy, that was fun," I muttered, placing my hands on my wound. Blood re-stained my hands.

Coralia breathed heavily. "Yea, I guess so." She closed her eyes and smiled.

Lady Luck was definitely on our side that day when two coast guards spotted us. I could hear murmurs of "What happened to them" and "are you alright, sonny" and "let's get them to the A&E". They noticed our terrible condition, and carried us and our items gently onto the back of their pickup truck. They drove us towards Arkydes City, and towards the nearby medical bay.

Not too soon did the paramedics took over when we arrived, and Coralia and I were carried on stretchers. As we were being transported, the familiar stench of medication filled my nose. One of the doctors immediately recognized our faces, and started giving orders that we should be given the best treatment. I guess he must've known that Coralia and I were racers. The racers presumed dead. There were murmurs and gasps around, and nosy people trying to get a glimpse of us. We were then sent to the emergency room to be cleansed, and treated.