Stargazing: Changing Our Stars

Chapter Ten

I have never been one to live life on the fast lane. I had always believed in taking the time to fully grasp a moment. I thought about Orion and the seven sisters that adorned the sky in its night of glistering diamonds. I thought about sagittarius, the archer, as it pointed the way for us. I thought about the things that I had only come to know because I had taken the time to fully take in.

I’ve had the same question as Clarisse McClellan from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. To race car drivers, what did the world look like? Was grass just a blur of green? A rose bush just a blur of pink? Was people just a blur of brown and was houses a blur of white? What could they possibly miss? They had never taken the time to truly take in what life had to offer. It was no way to live.

Then again, to those like me who slowed down life to capture it’s beauty, what would happen when time finally caught up? We would have so much more to miss when our expiration date reaches us. Perhaps, that was no way to die. More pain, more sorrow, and more people left in mourning.

Paige was different. She had no choice but to live in the fabled fast lane, yet, she noticed everything I have. And, she was loved. By the people she knew and the people who her presence has just grazed.
She was younger, yet had more wisdom behind her then any scholar put through school by a well off family. It was unseen for her kind, but, she wasn’t just any girl. She was Paige Witherstone. The girl I kidnapped.

It was pouring buckets. No longer snowing, yet still cold. “I think it’s best we pull over.” Paige said. She had been sitting in a position that I couldn’t possibly find comfortable. Slumped low down into her seat and her legs nearly tucked under the seat – no belt. I wondered if it had been a childhood habit that she hasn’t grown out of yet. But, her words rang true. There had been no way that we could continue driving through this storm without running into some problem or another.

I nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“That you seventeen.”

“I don’t feel seventeen.” True. I had considered what she had gone through. It had not been what most seventeen year olds should go through. It had been too much. I placed myself in her shoes and considered what else I would’ve done – Nothing came to mind. She was just a kindred soul, her hand forced.

“I understand.” I nodded. “Also, could you please buckle up?”

“Why?” she asked as she gently brushed a strand of hair out her eyes. They look venerable and innocent. Nearly child like. “Because, you riding shotgun through a storm. It’s dangerous.”

She sat upright with hesitation and eventually buckled up. “Driving through a storm is dangerous too, waiter boy.” Her accent flared. “Pulling over would be safer. Or are you lost or something?”

Sometimes I just hated how she managed to crawl into my thoughts like that. True. It was safer but it was also true that I had been lost. I had been driving around for the last half an hour, convinced I passed the gas station at least thrice. In my defense, everything looks different at night. You know how the coat you left on the hanger tends to look like a humanoid figure in the dark? Or like tree branches that look like hands? Yeah, that kind of thing. Besides, it was storming! I couldn’t exactly see clearly...

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t bring myself to. Stupid pride, I chided myself. So typical of me to not ask for directions no matter how last I was. Urggg, men.

There was no safe place to pull over. There were no underground parkings open this time night and every decent hotel had been packed full this time of the year, especially with this storm. The only option left was under the old bridge. But, let’s face it. Even though London hadn’t exactly been knowm for its crime, parking under a bridge in the dead of night seemed to be asking for trouble. But, we had no choice.

I pulled up and Paige seemed to immediately understand my place of refuge from the storm. “Let’s hope this goes down smoothly.” She wished and my spirits immediately dropped. You know when you say things like,”At least it’s not raining.” and it suddenly starts to pour? The same backwards logic seemed to apply to these dangerous situations. In spite of Paige not being aware of what she just brought apon us, she brought us into a whole lot of trouble.

I’d like to say I was wrong, but I wasn’t. As soon as I cut the engine, Paige fully understood to danger we were in. On the right of the car, a hooded figure approached. I couldn’t fully see his face but the smirk plastered ear to ear looked ominous. “Urmmm, Daiman... “

“Yeah, I know.” I said as I noted another figure approaching from behind. “Just two?” Paige asked nervously. “You can take them, right?”
Before I could answer, a sudden crashing noise interrupted as thousands of shards of glass that had once been the driver side window came crashing inwards by the hands another figure, this one armed with a crowbar.

That was it. All hope I might of had of winning the fight had completely withered down. I was out numbered and out armed. Not that I had been a coward, I simply did the smart thing and attempted to start up the engine. Of course, things weren’t that easy. I found myself pulled through the now broken window by the crowbar - wielding  thug as if I were simply a rag doll. I hit the ground with an awkward thud as I saw Paige frailing as she was pulled out through her door.

What happened next happened so fast that I couldn’t keep up with. My mouth filled with the taste of copper and a sudden pang past through my gut. My vision blurred and my eyes watered. I heard someone screaming – Paige? Yes, definitely her. Yet, I couldn’t make out what she said.

My vision began to clear out slightly and I saw another figure approaching. He seemed more confident then the others. His hair was short and yet messy. His eyes so dark that it looked black. I felt as I knew him...

“You not very smart to hang about these parts at night.” He spoke with an eeriely familiar voice. I met him a while back, when Alex had called in his last favor. This young gang leader had been notorious along in the street racing world. His turf had been everywhere and most of the time he entered one of his racers into a race, he won. Most of the time, his wins were sketchy. Alex had made the mistake of crossing him a while back. He was asked to set up one of the cars and he used the opportunity to sabotage the car so that he’d win the race.
Needles to say, our friend here had not been too happy about.

He moved closer and I felt something cold press up against my neck as he raised my chin so that I’d look at him. “You Daiman. A friend of that piece of shit, Alex, aren’t you?”  I didn’t respond. “Get me the can.” He ordered the guy who had the crowbar.

“Yes, sir.” He said as he went off. Nathan, the gang leader, slipped his knife back into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and lighter. “You know, I kinda liked you are when we first met. But, you drew your alliance. Now, it’s simply business.”

He lit the cigarette and continued flipping the cap of the lighter. The crowbar minion arrived back, jetty can in hand and started pouring the black liquid over the car. “That idiot screwed me out of a car. Time I pay you back.” He lit the lighter again this time holding it over the puddle of oil.

“Paige! Run!” I screamed as an orange glow grew in front of me.