Stella Urbem

Chapter 1

"You really need to take a shower. Seriously, your car smells better than you do," Glow told Jey jokingly. Jey smiled, hiding his urge to laugh. Jace, on the other hand, burst out laughing. "I'll take one once you let me finish cleaning it," Jey shot back. He dunked his soapy rag back into the bucket of water next to him and rinsed, then he slapped the wet material onto his foam-covered NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car and began to wipe. Jey's race car was black with neon highlights, lighting up every race with its impressive colors. Glow turned back to her shiny turquoise IndyCar and lathered it in soap. Earlier in her life, Glow was afraid and reluctant to race a single-seat-open-wheel car on the most intense race track created by man.

She and the others lived in a world up in the sky, where racing was the career everyone wanted to have. There were different cities (also called "bases") of different sizes floating around the world that bore many talented racers and mechanics. This particular base was called B27-6, a small, quiet city hidden in the clouds and known only for its extreme track. The track of B27-6 floated 51,000 feet in the air and was shaped like a ring, which meant that the racers had to race sideways. Also, there was a gap in the track used as an obstacle to make racing in B27-6 even more exciting (and dangerous) than it already was. In the middle of the floating track was the racers' apartments and the garage, where all of the racers got their cars repaired, cleaned, and running smoothly. The rest of the citizens of B27-6 lived in the city above the track. Altogether, the city took on the look of a sideways "L" to where the short line (the garage and the racers' living quarters) hung in the middle of the track and the longer line (the city) stretched out past the track. Living in the sky made every normal activity twice as dangerous, but it made the view twice as beautiful. Jey finished rinsing off his car and walked out to the garage's open balcony (no barriers here). He breathed a relaxing sigh as he looked out at the surrounding track. "This, this is it," Jey said, nodding. Glow walked out into the setting sun with him. Jace paused from changing the brake pads on Glow's car and joined the two. "Yeah, this is it alright. The track basically screaming 'Danger!' at you." "Well if it was just regular racing, it wouldn't be worth so much," Glow responded. They all stared out into the clouds, thinking their own individual thoughts. Glow turned to Jace. "You know Jace, I think you'd make a pretty good racer," she said to him. "Maybe, if I didn't get motion sickness," he answered her. They heard a noise and turned to see a tiny little bolt rolling past them and off of the balcony. It just kept falling out of sight...no one knew when it would hit the ground, but they knew for sure that it would take a while. They turned back around and saw Venice, another one of the car repair boys, struggle to get from under Jey's car. "How's it looking?" Jey asked him as his head came into view. Venice was a handsome, sweet, young music-lover who was always ready when needed for a quick fixing. "It looks pretty good, your gas is full and the transmission runs smoothly. I think you're all set," he said, getting up and wiping his hands. "Thanks man," Jey said to him, shaking his hand and unconsciously patting him on the back. In this world, there were two main groups that everyone wanted to get into: the racers or the engineers. Racing was the center of their entire world, so everyone who could learned how to become either the superstar behind the wheel, or the genius who could fix it. Very rarely was there a person who was able to take on both careers, due to how demanding both were.

      "How's mine looking?" Glow asked, turning to Jace. Jace walked over to to Glow's IndyCar. "Chess is gonna give your engine a quick tune-up just to be sure. But, I think your good too," Jace responded. "Thanks," Glow said. Chess was also a mechanic; she was a heavyset tomboy with long dark hair and a friendly face. Chess and another car engineer, Aura, walked into the repair shop in their uniforms, ready for work. "Hey guys," Glow called. "What's up Glow? You ready for the big race tomorrow?" Chess asked her. Glow snorted. "Nope, have you seen the track? It gets creepier every time I look at it!" "At least they never change the track," Aura pointed out. "Still," Glow muttered to herself. "Anyway, it's gonna be epic," Jey said excitedly, trying to change the subject. They all heard the elevator ding and watched as Tack, another racer, came out of the doors. "Hey Tack," Jace said. Tack was Jace's best friend and the oldest of the group. "You ready for that race tomorrow?" Jace asked. Tack shook his head. "It's always pretty intense." "Someone gets it," Glow blurted out. Tack looked pleased to have someone share his opinion. "Yeah I mean, it's a sideways race track 50,000 feet in the air with no net or barriers or anything! And there's a huge gap you have to repeatedly jump over in order to survive!" "You should be used to it by now," Chess informed Tack. "That's easy for you to say, you sit in a garage all day fixing cars. We actually have to risk our lives!" Tack argued. "It's not that we're not used to it, it's just that it's dangerous each time," Glow corrected. "You're probably just nervous. This race is just before the championship," Aura noted. "I'm always nervous," Glow answered. She let out a sigh. "But, someone's got to do it. And it's what we love to do." "And it makes life interesting," Jey finished, putting his arm around Glow. Just then, RC, the garage manager, walked in holding her clipboard and started making orders. Jace looked at her but tried to look away, smiling. "Ok everybody, we need to get these cars in top condition if they're gonna compete in the race tomorrow. Venice, Jey's car is finished so let's take it to the lot so we can get to the other cars. Aura, check Glow's car and make sure everything's set. Chess, you help her. Jace, you start on Tack's. Common guys, let's get to work here." Everyone went straight to their jobs. RC was a teenage girl with bright blue eyes and long, super curly, blondish hair (her trademark) who always kept things organized and in order. She could get bossy, but that's what everyone loved about her.