Fiction

Fiction

(Prologue)

I feel abandoned. The forest looms over me as I feel the regret of becoming a cruse car rider. The adrenaline kicks in one last time as I pass two other riders and a concrete tunnel twinkles up ahead. The techno beat of the new age pop music playing from the chip behind my ear made me more exited then ever.

Entering the tunnel, I push on the excellerater, and this makes me surpass three other racers. I exhale and turn the trick corner, those never phase me. I blink once and a map of the race pulls over my right eye. I’m pulling into third and the finish line is about two hundred hours away, I step on it. I need first place, I said to my self. I pulled out of the tunnel and onto a sandy beach, my tires spray sand in every direction.

These new cruse cars they made are super smart, not to mention super safe. Not like the ones they used for racing way back in history. They only went up to about two hundred miles per hour and use horrible flammable gas. Gasoline was flammable and we outlawed a year ago, now we use a mineral-based liquid.

Around another corner I step on the excellerater once the last two racers (in front of me) are in view.

Great, I think, I am just a heartbeat away.

Imagine the future, there are no wars, no anti-peace crops, and no diseases. We don’t have flying cars but we have safer ones and women racers! We have high tech security and cleaner air. We still do most things our selves; we don’t have robots at our every whim. Our time is much better than people in history had planed; we are more…educated about our world.

And the different sorts of people! The celebrities today aren’t just singers or actors, they are the Memory Children, or more formally known as the Memories. They don’t act like celebrities they are serious about what they do; memorizing the past, fixing the present, and predicting the future.

There are also the Outsiders, the ones who live on the outside of the city. They say they live outside the city so they can warn us if danger comes.

But I doubt that will ever happen. The last war we had was twenty five years ago, around the time I was born. The Revelators were the ones in charge. They had some pretty good ideas for our city, but the government didn’t think so. This was how my dad died, he was just racing, when some Revelators came and trashed the race. He, and a few others, died intently.

My mother died of the last case of cancer shortly after my father’s accident, because the cure for cancer was new and still being tested.

That was around the time I met Augustan Ames, or just Ames. He was getting surgery…bionic surgery after an ugly train wreck. He took a liking to me, as did I, and we clicked.

I race for my mother and my father. I race for Ames sometimes. I race for my self and as I pasted those two other racers and crossed the finish line first, I say to my self, I’m happy Dad, I’m doing what I want to do; ride.

Chapter One

Ames

I smile, Daphne is two years younger than I am, and is fully human, but she is sort of stupid not to see thorough a man like me.

I’ve lied thousands of time to her, I told her that I had to get bionic limbs from a massive train wreck. And I’ve never told her that I was once a Revolter against the Practice Police. Why am I not one now? Revolters were such a threat that every Revolter would get arrested by the Practice Police just for knowing too much about them.

I feel bad for lying, but I never want to tell her the truth.

She is sleeping next to me and I just watch her breathe.

She can be a stupid little kid sometimes but she’s funny and I love her. I could never live with out her.

Her face is as pale as the fresh fallen snow out side of my house; the smell of her breath makes my stomach flutter, and her hair, a perfect yellow. I lean over her and stare at her face, my lips hovering over hers. She awakens, not startled by my closeness. I close the remaining centimeters and kiss her lips gently.

“Ames”, she says after I pull away. “Thanks for waking me.”

“Daphne, shh.” I pull her into me, enclosing my arms around her. “Don’t move.” I whisper. I pull on my pants and a T-shirt. “When will you be ready?”

“Ames.” She sits up slowly, disoriented. “What time is it?”

I start to answer but the clock answers for me. “12:45, Miss Daphne.” It says in it’s annoying he/she voice. “Almost lunch time, are you hungry Miss Daphne?”

“No,” I answer for Daphne, “she’s not hungry.”

She glares but says nothing.

“Daphne, we were planning to go down town, remember?” I said crawling onto the bed next to her. “What do you say? Huh? Get dressed and we can go out.” Knowing Daphne she might say no because she won another race yesterday.

She grunted, “Ames, I just want to sleep!”

I widened my eyes and bit my lip giving her my irritable look.

“Okay, fine!” she glared as she unwillingly got up. “You owe me big time Mr.” She walked to the wardrobe and opened it.

I rolled my eyes, “Daphne, I’m rewarding you! You are an excellent racer, this is how I repay you.”

“No, this is what you make up for not actually coming to the race.” She retorted. Daphne plucked out a dress and a sun hat.

Damn, I thought as I got up from the bed, she’s good.

Pulling out her shoe drawer, she sighed. “I can’t believe you didn’t come.” She turned around, fully dressed. I startled her by standing so close and staring so hard into her eyes.

“Daphne, you know I love you.” I said slowly.

“Ames, sometimes I don’t know.” She replied shyly.

“But Daphne,” I reminded her firmly. “I do.”

She smiled wryly but agreed. “Just say it,” She said placing a hand on my chest. “Remind me once in awhile.”

I smiled back, “Here, will this remind you?” I leaned down and kiss her ever so gently.

I was bad boy Ames but that didn’t stop Daphne from loving me.

I grabbed her hand and we set off for another day.

My arm twitched as we boarded the train. Nether of us felt like driving down town so we took transit.

Daphne was reluctant as we boarded the train; she never liked the idea of them after my ‘traumatic experience’ with trains.

“Are you sure about this?” she said scared, as she tip toed onto the train. “I mean, you have a very bad experience with trains.”

I shook my head, “I’ll be fine, I’ve began to forgive trains.” I teased her, “I’m worried about you. You look very uncomfortable.”

She glared at me, “No, no, I’m fine.” She tiptoed into a seat.

But I don’t like train rides because I always have so much time with my thoughts. Meny of which are the lies I have been creating for Daphne.

“Ames,” she said cautiously. She rested her head on my shoulder, “Are you okay?”

“Daphne, I’m okay.” I lied. She kept her hand latched in mine and rested against me.

I turned so she could rest on my lap. It was so hard to lye to someone so loving and irresistible but some how I was bad enough to.

After the train ride, we pulled into the down town station. I took one big breath of relief.

I hate train rides, I reminded my self.

My mood improved when we arrived at the beach, the only reason we went out in the first place.

To see the beach and Daphne so happy, I am so glad I got the surgery. If I hadn’t I wouldn’t have survived. I got caught in an ugly brawl with one of those too sorry Practice Police; it turned so ugly I lost an arm from infliction. I never thought it was possible to do that but I proved that if you get on the Practice Police’s bad side you don’t go away with just a couple of bruises.

I was fighting with a guy by the name of Justin Waltz, which I believe quit after that. He was a good fighter, strong, did not care that I was a bit bigger then him. But I’ve been looking for trouble from now, they said it’s from the surgery but I think I’m a natural born Revolter.

I love that day, the day I met Daphne. She took my breath away. I took hers, I know, it was easy to tell. I had just gotten my arm done and ran into her in the cafeteria. Boy is she cute, I remember thinking. And I was right, she doesn’t deserve any one better than me because I am the best that there is.

I grabbed Daphne’s hand and ran down the beach. She was just breath taking when she did any thing. I twisted backwards and grabbed her other hand, and like those old dancers way back in history, I spun her around and held her close.

“I love you, Daphne.” I reminded her. “You know I do.”

“I love you too Ames.” She replied sweetly, kissing my nose. “And thank you, for everything.”

I set her down on the sand and took hold of her hand. The sand stuck to our shoes and the sea air was in our hair.

The city was broken into parts such as; forest, desert, oceanic area, and the down town area that was basically one of each area. I lived in the high forest area, were it snows, Daphne lives in the city area below the mountain. She says that my home is better than hers is. I secretly agree; no body around there hits on her or sends fan mail. All though the beach was my favorite place in the city.

I breathe in the salty sea air. Ah, I think to my self, wonderful.

“Ames.” Daphne grips my arm as she takes her sand covered shoes and smiles up at me. “Let’s watch the sun set.” She pointed out to the horizon.

I nodded, not wanting to say any thing so I can listen to her voice swirl around my head.

She sat down on the sand and talked about all of the things she loved; the beach, racing, me. As I sat there, consitrating on her words and the way she spoke, I thought, How was I this lucky?

“What are you thinking about Ames?” Daphne nudged me, awaking me from my thoughts.

“I’m thinking about how I’m the luckiest guy in the world.” I replied.

She smiled and rested her head on my shoulder. This is how it’s going to be, this is how it should be. And I will never know what is going to come between us.

Chapter Two

Daphne

Who is Augustan Ames? My handsome boyfriend, that’s who Augustan Ames is.

Ames isn’t like any one else. Beside the fact that he has artificial body parts, because almost everyone who has missing limbs has fake body parts, he is the kindest person I have ever met.

Ames understands that I strive for first place and that I never settle for second or third while racing. He also understands how much he means to me, I just feel that something is not completely right. Like he has some kind of secret, but then I tell my self he wouldn’t keep stuff from me.

The sun set was breathtaking.

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