2 CHAPTER 1

Annabel climbed up the stairs. The smiles that glued her aging face have nothing to do with the public holiday, where she wouldn't struggle with those women in the metal market. Instead, her elated spirit was because of the racing festival. If she remembered correctly, today marked it the sixteenth racing carnival.

Sixteen years since the entrance examination began. How time flies.

The night camp with her crew, those nights when the stars clustered the heavens and the moon smiled at them, cheers of victories and happy screams all seemed anew. She could still hear the reverberation in her ears as if it were yesterday. She missed that frightful but yet enjoyable feeling of adrenaline, which always bit her stomach whenever she mounted her H-Board.

The longing within her drove her mind to that bright red H-Board, RCD-2427, with gold streaming underneath and a lightning bolt streaking its sides. Not an extravagant H-Board, but the fastest those days. Too bad, Jeff had damaged it on one of his training seasons.

Old memories will forever remain evergreen. Something lingered in her stomach, as the image of Max, perched somewhere in her memory without permission. He was the love of her life, the greatest racer in the whole of Anadan; though he never won any international title, not for once.

The happy smile initially on her face, waxed into a poignant memory of yesteryears. Her husband kept telling her that he careless about titles, to him, a good name was better than an expensive ointment. True to his words, people loved him dearly.

Annabel was supposed to be in a hurry, but she ambled up the stairs. It was hard to tell which she was struggling with, the ecstasy of lost love or the lock of her hair which refused to stay under a tiny rubber band. The brunette hair had been her pride and a source of praise from her husband when she was still in her prime. Annabel bit her under lips when it struck her again that the praises of her husband have tested the great beyond. It vexes her to realize that the emptiness which had been at bay for years now, was trying to surface.

Today is a day of joy; I won't ruin it for my boy.

Annabel felt something in her stomach lifting, but it stopped when it got to her chest. It was not the lone emotion of hopelessness, but the confidence she had in her son, her only child.

She turned the knob of the brown wooden door and was welcomed with that soapy air. She never gets used to it.

"My goodness, you are still in bed? It's morning already." Annabel said reluctantly, it was not her intention to disturb him, but she couldn't bear to see his days of unflagging training, crumble with the fleeting pleasure of forty winks.

The familiarity of the room struck as usual and she found her thoughts drifting back to Max. The memories of him were always constant here. This was his niche for ten years before they got married and Jeff was born nine years later. Nothing had changed much. Everything still had that old soapy fragrance. The picture of the gray hoe still stands elegantly on the wall and the bookshelf stood neatly, towering halfway to the ceiling. Jeff had personalized the room, but the comfort still portrayed her husband.

The crease on Annabel's tanned skin deepened, when her coppery colored eyes, rested on the rose decorated blanket, lying solo on the polished wooden floor.

"Jeff, get up, have you forgotten what day it is?"

"No, just so tired". Jeff mumbled in a grallian accent and steered lazily, sleepy frowns dusted his young face. He yawned and sat up reluctantly, with his feet resting on the wooden floor.

"Good morning." He greeted, rubbing his eyes but no longer dizzy.

"Your grallian is as perfect as the beautiful morning, don't you think?" Annabel asked in Araen, the general language in Anadan. She heard Jeff grumbled something, but paid no mind as she leaned on the window sill of the west wind, allowing the sight of the busy city to carry her away.

The street was alive with people as usual. Horns from the land Tripler were echoing noisily, and the mumbo-jumbo, carousing what supposed to be a hushed morning, often makes her wonder if some people ever go to sleep. 'The new age tech' one of the blinking boards reads. The smiling face of Dr. Jakins was on the billboard, advertising the flame card, one of his newest tech.

"Get dress, today is your day". More wrinkles appeared on Annabel's face–either because of age or happiness, it was hard to tell–as she lifted her gaze to behold the hovering neon signs, which were meant to regulate flight. The government had done a good job this time by including directional signs, but some people kept disobeying flight rules. Annabel remembered vividly, that she never obeyed one of that flight traffic for once. It was pointless, how can the law try to regulate flight, what is there to regulate? This is air for crying out loud, air means freedom!!

"Sure," Jeff said in Araen, dropping the Grallian accent now "You are giving me the credit when the race has not even started. I won't argue with you today, not this time."

Jeff's words made her broke her gaze with the outside world. Muscles were lining his back now. No! It was her imagination, the boy was skinny, even though healthy and full of life, he still looked three days starving. His dark hair dangles behind and his skinny features were pale. He really was not becoming a man any time soon and it troubles her.

"You are finally learning the ways of the Gray, your father would have been proud" Annabel smiled, trying to cover the worried crease.

Jeff paused with making the bed and chuckled, his mother always has something to say about the etiquette of the Grays. "What has my birth lineage got to do with my manners? I... don't even have powers like the others."

"Everything my son, they think we are the weakest, but without us, they would all die. We, Gray, are the food basket of the nation. Through our hard work, we make life worth living, and hard work begins with good manners."

Annabel couldn't see what was funny, but she was bemused when Jeff burst into hot laughter. He is happy at least, that's all that matters.

"You are funny mom, very funny, but also right. We got the speed like everyone else, that's comforting."

"That's why I need you to go out there and prove to them that we are the fastest in the history of Anadan."

"When...have you forgotten the Reds?" Jeff asked. His bright eyes weighed her on a scale, unsure what to make of her words. Those coppery eyes were a reflection. They always remind Annabel how much she missed her youthful days.

"I doubt, and talking about history, no Gray has ever made it to the fast five –"

"–And I know you will. I believe in you; you should also believe in you."

Jeff paused for a moment then stood to face her. Wrinkles were forming around her face, they could go unnoticed with the proper makeup, but now, they just stood there, building unfamiliar features on the beautiful skin. He saw propitious eyes, yet somewhere behind that glamour were worries swerving around her like vipers. She was thinking about him again, even though she tried to hide it. Jeff pretended not to notice, it was too early a day, to touch a bleeding scar.

"I will mom; I'll give it my best shot." Jeff managed to say. He was going to try and win the race, as difficult as it is, at least he would try, his mother should rest assured that he was alright, and she needn't have to worry every second about his wellbeing.

Annabel's lips widened as a simple smile cemented her face. It was as if that was the perfect answer she had expected.

"I know you will," She said and patted his shoulders gently "Matt is downstairs, should I tell him to come here, to meet you?"

"I don't think you should, I will be downstairs in a jiffy." Annabel nodded in agreement and strode towards the door, satisfied that he was awake and would be getting ready shortly.

"You look perfect mom; one could easily mistake you for a queen you know." Jeff teased.

"Don't be ridiculous Jeff," Annabel flushed with an aglitter grace, trying to conceal the smolder of his compliment underneath a smile "this dress was made from cheap materials."

"But that does not abolish its perfection, does it?" Jeff asked.

"Am flattered, you really shouldn't tell a girl your age such words or we would have scores of them lining on our doorstep," Annabel chuckled "Thanks for the compliment anyway." She straightened the blue dress with her hands as if Jeff's words have just brought out its beauty.

"Oh, before I forget, breakfast is ready, don't let it get cold." She said and shut the wooden door behind.