Zach held on for dear life, planting his feet firmly on the sideboard railing running along each edge of the snow machine to keep his balance. The snow machine turned off the small knoll the train tracks sat on top of. When they hit the pristine snow at the base he received a cloud full of the stuff in the face.
He quickly lowered the visor of the helmet. The engine of the snow machine filled his ears as Sasha seemed determined to outrace the other drivers to town.
But as they reached the pack she slowed down. After a few minutes he decided that she'd been having a bit of fun at his expense.
She wasn't a crazy driver. She kept pace with the other snow machines in the little pack, following their tracks unless it proved too rough, and then she would veer off slightly to make her own path through the soft snow. His father turned slightly to look back at them before facing forward with a stiff back. Compared to the relaxed postures of the other snow machiners, Zach was sure he and his father stuck out like sore thumbs.
The snow machine bobbed up and down with the bumps and depressions of the landscape. After a few anxious moments, and vision of himself flying through the air when Sasha hit one of the bumps, he relaxed his death grip on the handles just below him on the side of the seat.
He pulled the helmet down a little bit, annoyed it kept slipping backwards. If he was going to be doing this a lot he needed to see about getting a helmet that fit him properly.
Sasha slowed down to follow the others as they wove in and out of a stand of trees. She reached back to push at him, shouting, "Lean with me, not against."
Zach tried, but it didn't feel natural. It would take so little for them to tip over. He liked it a lot better when they came up over a hill and broke out into a big flat area with only scattered clumps of trees. The snow machines opened up, taking off across it at full speed.
Okay, he liked the speed. Nothing to run into, nothing to worry about. Just pure speed. Maybe he could get McRoyal to bring him out to someplace like this to teach him how to drive a snow machine himself.
Feeling the first bits of cold seeping through his snow pants, he thanked his father for not listening to him about the money. He would have been frozen in his hiking boots, jeans, and denim coat. Perhaps literally.
The aurora flared above them, making the white of the snow around them reflect back brilliant red and green. Zach had to squint against the sudden brightness. Next chance he got, he was going to look up the aurora studies in Fairbanks that Sasha mentioned. Maybe they had a long-distance college course he could take.
Suddenly, through the snow pants and parka he felt a flush of warm air. The visor of his helmet fogged up, only allowing the glow of the aurora through, but not allowing him to see any shapes around him. He heard the engine of the snow machine slow down.
Where did the warmth come from? He hadn't seen anything in the large clearing to indicate a home or cabin of any kind.
The seat beneath him dropped out from under him, along with the rest of the snow machine. Along with it, even warmer air enveloped him as he fell in a kaleidoscope of lights and darks and colored lights.
***
Hawk held tight to the handles at the back of the seat, using the tension to help buffer the rising and falling of the snow machine as it bounced and glided across the snow. His arms felt ready to give out in exhaustion.
It reminded him of the summer his parents sent him off to a summer camp where everyone learned to ride horses. He'd never cared for them. Living creatures who had a mind of their own and didn't mind letting you know it.
He reminded himself that the machine was no horse. With a bit of effort he allowed himself to ride along with the motions, only to have a sharp bounce remind him how easy it would be to fall off.
Maybe having the handlebars in his hands as a driver would have helped. He didn't like having to reach partially behind him for something to hold on to.
He took a chance to glance back, relieved to see the bobbing headlights of the other snow machines right behind them. He didn't see Zach himself, but Sasha had to be there. Most likely the far rear machine, the one that he thought might be the paintjob of the Zombie. Well, as sure as he could tell with the sheets of snow sent up in the air by the front skis obscuring the coloring and shape.
He hoped Zach wasn't having trouble staying on the back of the one Sasha drove. The boy had never been exposed to anything like this, not even a horse. Hawk frowned. He should have made sure Zach experienced more than city life other than a little hiking, canoeing, or simple day outings.
The snow machines slowed and lined up as they approached another stand of trees. He returned his full attention to staying on the machine as it began weaving back and forth between the trees.
Zach would be fine, he told himself firmly. He was a brave kid, unlike his father.
YOU ARE READING
Night of the Aurora (Salmon Run - Book 1)
Science FictionWhen Hawk and Zach Callahan arrive to start a new life in the wilds of Alaska they find the first challenge is just getting to the small town of Salmon Run. But, Alaska has more in store for them. Such as a massive aurora, the Solar Express train sh...
