[ on hold ] BABE, kimi antonelli

▬ PROLOGUE.

BABE.
# 00, prologue
( to admire from afar )
real life.

▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

LIANA VALENTINE HAD been a motorsports fan ever since she could remember.

Her father, Louis Valentine, a once world-renowned Formula One champion was the spark of her interest. She could still recall the memories of him showing her his trophies he'd collected over time, and the pictures of the wall with him in his racing suits and his team. 

After his tenth World Driver's Championship, his reign came to an end when he had a fatal crash in the track of Monza, Italy. The crash was one of the worst crashes in motorsport history, Louis dying immediately on impact. The hospital tried desperately to bring back the life of Louis Valentine, but to no avail, they let him go. 

Louis Valentine never got the opportunity to say a final goodbye to his wife and his kids who were cheering happily on for him in the garage. Liana would never hear her father's voice again, hear him say he loved her or tuck her into bed. In a flash Louis Valentine was gone, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Yet, ironically enough, her father's fatal accident never changed her mind on motorsports. She remained a dedicated fan, but now watching from the sidelines and the screens. Deep down she felt she had grown with the sport, and she knew her father wanted her to love the sport as much as he did, even if it took him away from her.

But if there was one thing she promised herself, it was that she would never date a Formula driver. Whether it was Formula One, Formula Two or Three, she didn't care. They were out of the picture to her.

When Liana was ten, her school held an international student exchange. They invited students from all over the world, including Japan, London, Vietnam and Estonia. Liana Valentine, Nyla Nerissa and Colton Wells were grouped together to show around and guide an Estonian student, Paul Aron. 

The group became a close-knit quickly. They spent the year attached at each other's hips, practically inseparable. It helped even more that the Valentines were the host family for Paul Aron, bringing them even closer. Her mother was surprised to hear that Paul was currently in karting, and even brought him to the track to practice so he wouldn't loose his skill. 

A year flew by and the group found themselves bidding Paul a sad goodbye. The quartet promised to keep close touch to one another, which they did, and that they would visit each other whenever possible. 

This was how Liana found herself in the Hitech Pulse-Eight garage with Nyla and Colton. She would be lying if she said she didn't miss this feeling, being so up close to the action was a thrilling sight. 

They stuck together at the back of the garage, not wanting to disturb any of the engineers before the big race. As Nyla and Colton chatted animatedly to one another, a ping came from Liana's phone. She took it out of her pocket, reading the message out loud.

"'Where are you?', Paul's asking," she told her friends. Their attentions drifted toward her. "Okay, smile."

She raised her hand up to get a selfie, since she didn't know exactly how to describe her surroundings. Paul replied with a quick 'alright, coming.' and less than five minutes later she could recognize the familiar lock of his blonde hair making his way to his friends.