The moonlight gathering was at a different spot than the last one. Similar to the first, however, it was in an open area which could be easily accessed by a large group of boarders. Voices and music filled the area, making it feel more like a big party than a gathering where one crew could challenge another.
"Phew," Arden whistled. "Look at the big crowd that turned up tonight."
The Falcons were standing at the edge of the gathering surveying the scene. Even Terrell was present, though he stood some way from the group as though not wanting to be associated with them.
"So." Reagan was looking around eagerly. "Who do we challenge?"
"We're not challenging anyone," Orion told him. "If it's a status race and we don't want Sahara to race, we'll have to have someone challenge us."
"Right," Reagan nodded.
"Great." Alegra was holding on to Naomi whom she had grudgingly let tag along. The little girl wanted to run off to take a closer look at the things going on around her, yet Alegra's grip on her was firm. "How do we get someone to do that?"
The twins exchanged glances. Both grinned.
"Leave it to us," Arden said before the two bounded off.
"Wait!" Orion called as he hurried after them. "You've got to get someone with a status that's..." the rest of what he said was lost to Sahara as he, too, disappeared.
Sahara wondered what they were up to. She turned to Alegra but found her busy with trying to keep a hold of Naomi. The only other person left to ask was Terrell. However, when Sahara approached him he scooted away. She tried again only to have him do the same thing. She felt a twinge of annoyance.
"Do you really not want to be seen with us that badly?" she asked.
"It's bad for my image," Terrell replied without batting an eyelash.
Sahara turned on her heel to leave. However, Terrell's hand shot out and he grabbed her arm.
"I was just kidding, jeez," he told her.
"Really?"
Not replying, Terrell leaned back against the wall. His eyes never left the teens.
"What are the twins and Orion planning?" Sahara asked as she, too, leaned against the same wall.
Terrell shrugged. "Probably putting their talents to use."
"Which are?"
"Annoying someone into issuing a challenge," Terrell said. "Though, it they aren't careful they may get more than they bargained for."
Sahara didn't bother to ask what he meant. She was sure he wouldn't explain anyway.
A crew, which had just arrived, jumped off their boards and walked past them. One of the members, a guy, caught sight of Terrell and froze for a second. Terrell calmly nodded at the guy. In response, the guy returned the nod before hurrying after his crew.
"You know him?" Sahara asked curiously.
As expected, Terrell didn't reply.
Sahara narrowed her eyes. Why won't you ever tell me anything about yourself? She wondered. She turned her eyes back to the crews. It bothered her. She wanted to know more about Terrell, and yet the more she tried to find out, the more he would close up, pulling invisible walls around himself and creating a space into which she wasn't allowed.
Someone flicked her forehead. Looking up Sahara found Terrell staring at her.
"What are you in such deep thought about?" he asked curiously.
"N-nothing!" Sahara burst out, her face going red.
For a moment, Terrell simply watched her. Then, he turned away with a shrug.
"Hey!" Alegra hurried over. "I think we should join the guys." She shot a glance behind her. "Things are getting kind of heated."
Sahara exchanged glances with Terrell before joining Alegra. Terrell followed some distance behind.
"Do you want to die!" an unfamiliar voice yelled.
As she got closer, Sahara caught sight of a guy yelling at Reagan. Arden stood calmly behind his twin with Orion beside him looking like this was not how he wanted things to go. Behind the yelling guy, eight teens, a mix of boys and girls, stood. They were all glaring at Reagan who looked far from fazed.
"Hey." Reagan shrugged. "I was just offering some advice."
Arden nodded solemnly in agreement, his hands crossed over his chest. Other crews were turning their attention to the group, sensing something was up.
"If you don't like it, I guess you'll just have to continue being stuck at the bottom..." Reagan continued.
"That's it!" The guy had enough. He cracked his knuckles and the guys behind him shifted position, aggression written on their faces.
"Hey now..." Reagan took a step back. Glancing around he caught sight of Sahara. "Ah, here she is; our leader." Reagan proudly presented Sahara as he pushed her forward. "She'll sort this out."
"You're turn," Arden whispered into her ear.
"What?" Sahara asked in panic.
"Annoy him. Make him mad...get him to challenge you!" Arden elaborated as he winked.
"What!"
"Reagan got them all riled up so it won't take much," Arden whispered.
Sahara gulped as she stared at the fuming guy. "Um...ah..." she began.
Some way behind her, Terrell chuckled at her genius attempt.
"I'm not sure what he said but..."
"Learn to bring your crew under control," the guy snarled as he looked her over. "You're a leader?" he added. "Seriously?"
What's that supposed to mean? Sahara thought as her eyes narrowed. Yet as the group before her all shot her murdering glares, she tried to shrink back. The twins stopped her from going any further.
"Come on. Act tough," Arden whispered.
"Uh...my crew's fine as they are..." Sahara started lamely. "I don't need to keep them in check...and yes, I'm their leader."
The crew before her laughed.
Behind Sahara, Terrell rolled his eyes. He pushed past the twins and came to stand beside Sahara.
"You need to seriously practice if you're going to convince people," he murmured.
"Look...whatever," the guy who had been glaring before shook his head. He took a step forward. "Clearly you lot are not..." He never got to finish as Terrell held out an arm and stopped him from invading Sahara's personal space.
The guy looked up in surprise. His eyes narrowed. "What do you want?" he asked Terrell rudely.
Ignoring him, Terrell turned to Sahara. "You'll never get a challenge this way," he told her in a low tone so that only she could hear.
"Hey, I'm talking to you," the guy behind Terrell reached out and placed a hand on Terrell's shoulder. Terrell stiffened. "Yes, you and that thing you call you're leader," he sneered.
Arden was the one who reacted. He moved forward and punched the guy across the jaw. The guy stumbled back and was caught by his fellow crew members.
Terrell turned to glare at Arden; obviously violence hadn't been planned.
"What?" Arden asked innocently. "I can't have him insulting our leader, can I?"
"Why you..." the guy had gotten up and he and his crew were moving closer, looking ready to fight. "How dare you...!" The guy trailed off as Terrell turned around. He and his crew members seemed to freeze as Terrell glared at them, his eyes cold.
"Do you have a problem?" Terrell asked.
The guy swallowed. ""Y-yeah..." he attempted bravely. "You physically attack a crew member and you can't expect not to pay."
"You insult our crew's leader and you can't expect to walk away without consequences," Terrell replied evenly.
The guy didn't reply.
"It looks like we have a disagreement." Orion decided to step in. All eyes turned to him. "We all know the fair way to settle disagreements," he continued. "Except," he looked right at the leader of the other crew, "I'm not sure if..."
"I challenge you to a status race," the guy who had been punched pointed a finger right at Sahara.
Orion's eyes showed triumph. The guy had taken the bait. "The stakes?" he asked.
"We win, you disband," the guy said.
"And if we win?"
The guy raised his eyebrows, as though questioning if that was even possible. "Status," he decided.
"Perfect," Orion agreed.
Terrell nudged Sahara. She gave him a blank look. He stared right at her, his eyes trying to convey something.
Oh, Sahara thought. They challenged us...so I'm supposed to make someone else race in my spot. "I'm not racing," she said as she crossed her hands across her chest and tried to look fearless. She ended up looking more insecure than ever.
The other crew stared at her in disbelief.
"What?" the leader asked.
"Uh..." Sahara wasn't sure how to continue.
"Of course you aren't." Alegra stepped in as she came forward. The guys in the other crew all turned their full attention to her. "Small fry like this isn't worth your time," Alegra continued calmly.
"Excuse me?" a girl from the other crew stepped forward. She seemed not too happy about the attention the guys in her crew were suddenly showing Alegra.
"If our leader had to waste time on you..." Alegra calmly faced her, "Our reputation would really be pulled down."
"What reputation?" the girl snarled. "I've never seen, let alone heard of, your crew before."
"You've never heard of the Falcons?" Reagan asked in mock horror.
The other crew gave him a blank look.
"What city dome have you been living under?" Arden added to his brother's comment.
"Seriously?" Reagan continued as the other crew started exchanging glances as though asking each other if any of them had heard of the Falcons before.
One of the members, a girl, pulled up a hologram screen on their bracelet. Upon finding something, she leered. "You're not even ranked," she said.
Arden raised an eyebrow. "You believe that list all the time?" he asked.
Reagan nodded. "Believe it or not, there are some crews out there who don't bother with ranking."
"And why would that be?" the girl asked sarcastically. "Too scared to race?"
"Actually..." Arden began.
"Because there's no one worth to race," Reagan finished for him. It made him sound a lot like Terrell.
The other crew shot each other uncertain glances.
Reagan and Arden exchanged grins. They were having fun bluffing; too much fun.
Orion cleared his throat. "Well, since you challenged us. I guess we have no choice..."
"Wait," the leader of the other guy was staring at Sahara as though trying to figure something out. "Since you personally refuse to race, and since you're crew seems to be all here, let's make it a group race."
The twins exchanged surprised glances.
Didn't Orion say we can't do group races yet? Sahara thought in panic.
"You sure you want to race the entire crew?" Alegra spoke up as she seemed to catch right on.
"Scared?" the guy replied.
Is he calling our bluff? Sahara thought. Beside her, Terrell looked far from panicked. In fact, he no longer looked interested in the exchange as he kicked at a tuff of grass peaking out between the concrete.
"Then, lets race." Orion sounded enthusiastic.
"Race!" someone from the other crew yelled and teens all around cheered, excited to see something happen.
Alegra gave Orion a surprised look and even the twins shifted.
Orion pushed his glasses up. "As by the Creed, you have five minutes to decide the track and discuss team strategy."
"We know the Creed," the guy replied.
"Well then, see you in five minutes," Alegra told them.
The other crew turned and huddled together, already discussing where and how they were going to race.
"This isn't good," Arden said as Orion led the Falcons some way away where they got together.
"Weren't you partly responsible for this?" Alegra asked him.
"Hey, we didn't expect them to challenge us to a group race!" Reagan defended his brother.
Orion had turned to grab Terrell before he could leave and pulled him into their circle. The boy didn't look pleased but showed no resistance.
"So...what do we do?" Reagan asked.
All eyes turned to Sahara. "Uh..."
Seeing she had no answer, the gazes turned to Terrell. When he didn't say a thing, the gazes turned to Orion.
"We have six people who can race...five if we count Sahara out."
"Four," Terrell cut in as he showed he wasn't interested.
Alegra turned to glare at him. "Seriously?" Her eyes narrowed. "You can't help just once?"
Terrell shrugged.
"We need five...if we want less we have to ask the other crew as they issued the challenge..." Arden shot a look towards where the other crew was gathered, "And something tells me they won't agree as we aren't in their good graces."
"We could have Sahara take another position other than racing," Orion suggested.
"I've never tried any of them..." Sahara replied.
All eyes turned to Terrell.
"No," Terrell told them.
"Please?" Reagan begged as he and Arden stuck their bottom lips out and made a puppy face.
Terrell gave them a disgusted look. "Definitely not."
"Please?" Sahara whispered.
Terrell paused.
Orion raised his eyebrows.
"I'll show Sahara the ropes on scouting," Terrell finally said.
"That's my position!" Alegra exclaimed.
"You're racing," Orion informed her.
Alegra rolled her eyes. "I've raced the last few for you."
"And you're good at it," Orion told her.
Alegra muttered something under her breath.
"Where's the twerp?" Terrell asked her.
Alegra's eyes widened. "Naomi!" She turned around in panic. Then, she bounded off to search for the girl.
"Now," Terrell turned to the others. "Quick, decide what everyone's doing while she's gone."
Sahara gave him a look. Terrell seemed to have things planned out too well at times.
"Arden and Reagan will be blocking." Orion lost no time. The twins high fived "Give me some time and I'll see what I can dig up on the other team's strengths and weaknesses," Orion continued, "I'll pass on any information I find from the finish line." He turned to Sahara. "You okay with helping to scout?"
"I don't know what that is..." Sahara began.
"Which is why I'm showing you," Terrell told her calmly.
Orion turned to the twins. "Be careful. Most likely they're going to play dirty. Especially since things got physical."
"I thought playing dirty isn't allowed?" Sahara spoke up.
"Group races are different," Orion replied. "There aren't many rules other than the winner being the racer who gets across the finish line first."
"We'll be fine," Reagan said. "You haven't seen it yet, but we're one awesome pair of blockers."
"Handsome too," Arden added.
Reagan turned to look at him. His eyes widened. "Wow, now that I look closer...you actually are pretty good looking!"
Isn't he just complimenting himself? Sahara thought.
"And you could be the best looking chap in Regona," Arden shot back to his twin.
They both grinned while Terrell gave them both a look that clearly said he thought they were crazy.
Upon seeing it, Arden threw an arm around his shoulder.
"Hey, you can be second," he told him as though to console him.
Reagan nodded as he too threw an arm around Terrell. "Think about it. Our names will ring all around Regona city as the three..." he paused, searching for the words, "...well...good looking dudes."
Sahara giggled. The twins turned to her and both winked at the same time while Terrell looked like he was about to punch someone.
"Say, who do you think is better looking?" Reagan asked Sahara quite suddenly.
Sahara's face went beetroot and her eyes suddenly refused to go anywhere near the boys as she concentrated on the ground.
"Okay, enough play...back to business," Orion saved Sahara.
"Hey, let's go!" a member from the other crew yelled over.
"Looks like our time's up." Orion sighed. In that moment Alegra ran up. She had Naomi in tow.
"But he said he would give me candy," Naomi was telling Alegra.
Alegra turned to her; she looked exasperated. "What did I tell you about accepting free tings from strangers?"
Naomi lowered her head. "Don't take it...unless you stole it."
"Good girl," Alegra patted her head.
She turned just as the Falcons walked past her towards the other crew.
"You're racing," Orion told her.
"What?" Alegra asked.
"Hey," Terrell shrugged, "You weren't here for the team talk."
Alegra glared at him.
"You'll smoke them, no problem," Orion encouraged her as they followed the other crew who was leading the way away from the moonlight gathering. A bunch of other crews and teens tagged along, deciding to watch, yet there weren't as many as Sahara had thought there would be.
"What makes you say that?" Alegra asked.
"They're ranked two hundred and sixty," Orion replied.
"Out of how many?"
"Two hundred and seventy."
Alegra grunted as she relaxed.
Terrell fell into step beside Sahara. "According to the Creed, you can only challenge, or be challenged, by a team within ten positions of yours," he explained for her benefit. "Otherwise it'll be too easy for higher rated crews to pick off small ones."
Sahara nodded.
"Of course...there are exceptions. Though usually you have to get a Keepers verdict on deciding those," Terrell continued.
"So, there is a number one of no man's land?"
Terrell nodded. "It just changes so often that none have managed to establish themselves as Omega.
"Are you racing?" Naomi asked as she caught up to Sahara.
"Scouting," Sahara told her.
"Can I join?" Naomi asked hopefully.
"No," Alegra caught up. "You're going to wait at the finish line with Orion."
Naomi pouted.
The group came to pause near an ally.
Orion was talking with the leader of the other crew. He nodded and then came over to the Falcons. "I got the route."
He turned to Terrell and held out his bracelet. The two exchanged info.
"Alright, you guys head to the starting line," Orion told Alegra and the twins. "I'll be waiting at the finish."
"Isn't he going to give the others the route?" Sahara asked Terrell curiously knowing that Orion had given it to Terrell just moments before.
Terrell shook his head. "It varies in a group race. Usually the scout is the one who directs the racer though. They and the blockers aren't always allowed to know the route. It makes it more challenging."
"You," Alegra had come to pause by Terrell. "You better do a good job scouting or I'll haunt you for the rest of your life." She turned and headed off with the twins and three members of the other crew.
"When the racer doesn't know the route, working with the scout is vital," Terrell explained as he switched his board on. He motioned for Sahara to do the same. "If the race is going at a fast pace and corners are tight...then it's critical that the scout give instructions at the right time. Otherwise you'll miss a turn and fall behind...or you could crash fatally." He got on his board and Sahara did the same. Behind them, Orion had headed off with Naomi and the rest of the other crew for the finish line.
"Have you scouted before?" Sahara asked hoping to find out. If he says yes, I'll know he was in a crew, she told herself. It would give her one more thing she would know about Terrell.
"Maybe," was Terrell's answer. "Now stop talking and concentrate, cause we're going up." He started off and Sahara followed.
Her heart dropped as she started to ascend further and further. She wobbled unsteadily.
"Terrell," she called uncertainly as the ground got further below. This was already way higher than she had gone before.
"Don't think about it...enjoy it!" Terrell called back as he continued to climb without hesitation.
"I'm going to fall!" Sahara yelled after him as she followed. She didn't have gravity pull, and that terrified her; for if she lost her balance, she would slip and fall.
"It's good practice!" Terrell yelled as he even took the time to shoot a glance back.
"I'll die!"
"Don't think of the height. Just board like you always do."
"I'm going to die!" Sahara repeated.
"Don't fall and you'll be fine."
This is crazy! Sahara gulped as they rose above the height of a few buildings. She shot a glance down at the ground only to freeze in terror. She wobbled. I can't do this! Squeezing her eyes shut she tried to calm down.
"Sit down," Terrell's voice suddenly instructed her from right beside her.
"What?" Sahara's eyes flew open to find Terrell calmly hovering beside her.
"Sit down and I'll tow you."
Sahara hesitated.
"Do it slowly and you'll be fine."
Doing as he said, Sahara slowly sat down, her legs dangling over each side of her board. Terrell moved in front of her and switched to towing mode. Sahara felt her board lock behind his and seconds later her board followed Terrell's rising further and further above the city.
How is he doing this so easily? Sahara wondered as she watched Terrell comfortably standing on his board. He looked perfectly balanced. Is he really not using gravity pull?
When they were a good way above the buildings, Terrell stopped climbing. Sahara watched as he did something on his bracelet. For a brief second, she wobbled unsteadily. Then, Terrell's board was beside hers and she heard a 'click' before she was steady once more.
"I've locked our boards together," Terrell explained. "You'll be fine now."
Sahara didn't relax. The fact was still that she was way higher than she felt comfortable with. Beside her, Terrell was surveying the area below. He then let out a sigh and plopped down on his board. He didn't seemed concerned with the fact that one wrong move could send him falling to his death.
"Tell me some more about your world," Terrell demanded.
Sahara gave him a surprised look. "Shouldn't you be teaching me to scout?"
"They haven't started yet." Terrell waved it off. "I want to know more," he added.
"More..." Sahara paused. "Like what?"
Terrell wrinkled his forehead. "Ah!" His eyes brightened. He turned to Sahara, hope on his face. "Do you have strawberry milk?"
The question took Sahara by surprise. "S-sure."
Terrell's eyes narrowed. "Lots of it?"
Sahara nodded.
"Enough that it won't ever run out?"
A grin cracked across Sahara's face. "Oh, I'm sure it won't."
Terrell let out a wistful sigh as he placed his hands behind him and leaned back to stare at the sky. "It sounds like you live in a paradise."
"Because of strawberry milk?" Sahara asked. "Because trust me, my world has a whole lot of other issues..."
Terrell cut her off, "tell me about your home. Where you live." He was still gazing at the sky.
"Hmm," Sahara stroked her hand across the surface of the board as she thought about it. "I only just moved there..." An image of the Kane's house floated into her mind and she found herself smiling. "On a hill surrounded by fields, there's a small blue house." She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "It almost looks like it's part of the sky on some days."
Terrell was listening closely.
"A white picket fence is around it...and there's a chicken coop nearby. Mr. Kane's barn isn't far either." She let out a little chuckle. "It looks like it'll fall apart any moment because he's patched it up so many times. He's an inventor, you see...but not very good at it."
"Do they make noise?"
Sahara turned to look at Terrell in surprise. "What?"
"The chickens in the chicken coop...do you hear them?" he sounded genuinely curious.
"Oh yes." Sahara nodded. "They and the birds wake me up every morning. Of course, that's if it isn't a loud bang from Mr. Kane's latest invention attempt." She leaned her head back to stare at the sky. "When everything's quiet, you can hear the wind and the whole house creaks." I miss it, she thought as she realized how in Regona she hadn't really felt more than a soft breeze. "Mrs. Kane's apple pies are to die for." Sahara's eyes shone. "Sometimes the smell drifts up to my bedroom."
"You should smile like that more often," Terrell murmured.
Sahara's eyes widened as she realized she had been getting carried away. She turned and found Terrell gazing at her. Her face went beetroot and she scooted away, forgetting she was in the air. She would have gone right over the edge of her board had Terrell not reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Seriously," Terrell scolded as he pulled her back. "Diving off your board from this height is not something I would recommend...well, not when you're board is locked to another anyway."
Sahara's eyes were wide at her narrow escape. Just then her bracelet began to beep at the same time as Terrell's. Sahara scrambled to pick it up, yet when she pressed the receive button, a hologram of words popped up before her.
Private communication requested.
"Yes, we're here," Terrell said.
Sahara looked up in confusion, yet when she saw he wasn't looking at her, she realized he hadn't been talking with her at all.
"Yeah, yeah," Terrell continued. "I'll get her on too." He turned to Sahara. "Here." He reached over and pressed 'accept'. "It's a method where no hologram pops up. Only you are able to hear the person on the other end. It's a privacy mode so no one else around you can listen in," he explained.
"You all there?" Alegra's voice spoke seemingly directly in Sahara's ear. She jumped in surprise.
"Yup," Terrell said as he seemed to hear her voice in his own ear.
"At the finish line," Orion's voice joined in.
"All ready," the twins chorused.
"The race starts in thirty seconds," a voice sounding like it came from some computer, said. A hologram countdown popped up on both Sahara and Terrell's bracelets. A screen appeared below it, showing Alegra and the twins at the start line. It zoomed in, and suddenly, Sahara saw things in the screen from Alegra's view.
Terrell ignored it as he pulled up what looked like a map of the city below. Sahara watched in awe as a 3D version of the city area below was created in a miniature form. A red line was weaving its way in and out of the buildings, showing a route.
"Twenty seconds," the same voice said.
"That's the main route," Terrell told Sahara as he pointed at the red line. "It shows the way to the finish line."
"Fifteen seconds."
"So that's the route Alegra and the twins have to take?" Sahara asked.
"It's the suggested way," Terrell replied.
"Ten seconds."
"But we're going to give them another way."
"Another?"
"A better one," Terrell grinned.
"It better be a better one," Alegra's voice threatened to show that she had been listening in.
"Oh don't worry. I'll make sure that at least two of you arrive in one piece." Terrell grinned evilly.
"Three," the computer voice continued.
"You better do your job!" Alegra threatened.
"Two."
Terrell's grin widened.
"Race!"