Fighter

Chapter 2

 “We’re going to the race! We’re going to the race!” Angelica sang as she skipped ahead of the four adults with Lucas Rutherford, Damon’s deceased sister’s only son.

            The perky brunette had not shut up about the biggest race of the year, and the adults did not intend to stop her. It had been a long time since the kids had gotten out of the house, and their excitement seemed more enjoyable than the prospect of going to a crowded race filled with drunk fans screaming and cursing at every little thing that happened. Alexa had never been a real fan of the races, but knew how they worked due to her time at school. Her mother and father had restricted her knowledge of anything magic-related up until it came time for her schooling; the more she knew, the more danger they were in. That was partially why Alexa’s father moved back to America with her mother: It had been easier to blend in there with the mortal population being much higher.

            Travis, on the other hand, had been a fan of racing since he was a child. His parents had been more political, but he – he had always loved the idea of flying fast and high above the ground. He would race around his extensive childhood backyard and pretend that he was fighting for first place with a bewitched broom. But of course, it was bewitched so that he always ended up winning. On occasion, Kenneth would sometimes go join his son and win, making Travis all the more competitive. Normally, Kenneth and Helen Kaneland didn’t like their son thinking that there was anyone better than him, but in the end he had to learn somehow that there were.

            This lesson came to its clearest observation as soon as Travis met the smart and beautiful Alexa Clemmons. Jealousy had overcome him as soon as he met her and saw how talented she was. That’s why he had decided to join the racing team at school – so he could impress her and show her that he was better than her at something. And he most certainly was. Alexa couldn’t ride a broom to save her life, but enjoyed watching Travis show off his talent.

            “So, uh, since you invited us here, Damon, you’re buying the drinks right?” Travis joked.

            “Only if Bertie Harkiss wins. I have money on him.”

            “Oh please! We all know that Mirabella Duvall will win,” Alexa added.

            “Duvall hasn’t won a race all season!”

            “I know. I just like to root for the underdog. I always feel so bad for them. And besides, her name is pretty so she at least deserves some recognition for that.”

            The group laughed at the very un-athletic Alexa trying to chime in on the conversation. Travis knew that she would take it lightly, but still wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist, pulling her closer to him. She made up for her lack of knowledge about his favorite sport with her charm.

            “Oh, Daddy, can I have a flag? Please, please, please?” Asked Angie, finally stopping her skipping as soon as she spotted the vender holding various types of merchandise for the racers. She knew very well that her father would never say no to racing merchandise.

            “Yeah, me too, Uncle Damon. I’ve always wanted a racing jersey.”

            “Since when have you been a fan of racing, Lucas?”

            “Dad used to watch it.”

            And with that, Damon’s wallet was out of his pocket and he was buying three different jerseys for Lucas. Alexa couldn’t help but laugh in the background with Damon’s wife, Marie, at how easily manipulated their husbands were by little children. Travis had never been a pushover until the birth of Angie. Then, every little thing she cried for or seemed to show even the slightest bit of interest in became hers. He didn’t try to spoil her on purpose, it just sort of happened.