Chimera Ryder

Chapter 18 - Back on the Horse

Jessa's head was still spinning from last night's dancing. It was a miracle that she was able to finish the race this morning. It was even more of a miracle that she didn't finish last. But with her team trailing behind the top ten list, her eighth place at the finish line was not something they could celebrate.

The twins had given up on Jessa already. They brought up a few potential trades for Mrs. Folly to consider. The chances of them making this year's finals were already slim; they had to start thinking about their races next year. Mrs. Folly still wanted to give Jessa a chance, but she knew if Jessa continued to perform poorly on the tracks, she would have to start looking for new candidates soon.

Ryder didn't know or care about their team's ranking. She was only a chimera after all. She was just glad that Jessa was spending time with her on the racetrack. She was more clingy to Jessa after their race. She missed Jessa, and she wanted to show just how much her adoptive mother meant to her. "Go away..."

Jessa tried to push Ryder's head away. Her leather uniform was sticky with sweat, and her head was still dizzy from last night. She wanted to cool down, but Ryder would not stop bunting her head against her small body. And now with Ryder's hair all over her face, she was starting to feel nauseous.

Rand strolled over and handed Jessa an ice bag.

"Thanks..."

He was the only person near her.

Jessa placed the bag on her temple and pushed Ryder's away with her boot. She felt better, but not that much better. She sat up, ready for Rand's lecture. But to her surprise, Rand kept his cool, as if nothing happened.

"You're not gonna yell at me?"

"For what?" Rand asked. "Today's race proved that I bet on the right horse. Granted, it was only a γ match, but finishing eighth while hungover was still an impressive feat nonetheless--"

"I wasn't--!"

"Just don't do it again," Rand added. "I don't know if Princess Verlassen put you up to it or what. You need to focus from now on."

Jessa was hoping Rand would say more. She was hoping that he would finally let her in on his plan. But he didn't. His sentence stopped there, and he moved back to join the rest of her teammates on the steamship.

Mrs. Folly rang the lunch bell from the back of their ship. Ryder left Jessa and followed the two bulls to their feeding stations. Jessa was alone on the curb again. She moved her ice bag to the other temple and saw the clean up crew arriving on their steam wagon.

They swept the tracks with their outmoded cleaning gear. The confetti and the candy wrappers now looked the same. Jessa had never stayed this long after a race before. The celebration ended hours ago, and the crowd had dispersed long before that. This was a different side of the tracks she was not used to seeing.

Her head was still woozy, so she closed her eyes, trying to regain her balance. When she opened her eyes, Ryder was sitting in front of her.

Ryder had a few fish placed in front of Jessa. Ryder looked very proud. What better way to show Jessa her affection than to offer food to her alpha?

Jessa stared at the raw fish on the ground. She felt nauseous again. The rancid smell of the fish forced her to stand up. She walked back to the ship and kept the ice bag on.

Ryder sat there, confused. Wasn't the food supposed to make everything better? Why did Jessa leave? Why was her mother walking away from her...?

***

"Forget about the Humble League," Rand said it as he docked his airship on the higher plane. "It's only a stepping stone. It weeds out mediocrity."