Chapter 2: Collision Course
The Dance family soon arrived at their destination: a rooftop garden atop a sizeable two-story shopping plaza. The host of the competition, a sporting corporation named "Black Wings," had rented it out for their event and even hired local policemen to guard it.
It spanned the distance of a stadium's field but was sectioned off with trees, tall, lush hedges, and rows of colorful flower beds. Most of the rooftop garden was encumbered by plants. Still, a concrete sidewalk was lined with benches for the plaza's frequent visitors. That pavement was precisely where the race was being held.
There were 12 competitors and two complete laps around the garden path. It was Vin's first time on that course, but he wasn't worried. He was distracted, sure, but not anxious.
Vin was usually the first one at the starting line, so he didn't have to converse with the other competitors. He departed from his family; however, his Mother somehow sensed his intention, chased him down, and pulled him back by his ear.
"Try and get along with the other kids. You're going to high school soon, so you may end up in classes with some of the teenagers here. It'll be a clean slate to make friends."
He and Macy inherited her scowl. However, she had a soul-easing smile that warmed him inside out.
Vin glanced down, then pocketed his hand before tossing out, "They're just a distraction."
His Mother plopped both of her hands on his shoulders, then brightly added, "Listen, sweetie."
"One day, you will become and do even greater than your Father. But that is once you're older; for now, I want you to act your age."
Vin wrinkled his brows and closed his fist. "How can I be greater? Dad had already accomplished so much more by this age than me."
The Woman lowered to embrace him, then sighed at her troublesome son. "That might be true. But-"
"Follow your own path. Don't bother chasing a shadow when you can become the sun."
Vin wasn't sure if that'd be the case but exhaled in defeat, then returned her hug. Sometimes, it seemed like she knew him more than he knew himself.
An obnoxious "Awww," followed by mocking giggles, arose from the crowd, so he broke from her grasp and then soured his expression. He glanced around and saw a group of boys his age pointing their way with laughter.
Vin peered at them, stormed forward, and shot them the middle finger. A quick wack at the back of his head interrupted him, and then his Mother quibbled, "What did we JUST talk about!"
He palmed his face, groaned, and then blurted, "Alright!"
The venue was packed, so he quickly disappeared into the sea of bodies. Conversations filled the air, and spectators and other skaters grouped and engaged in various topics. He listened to them while he walked; it was stuff like new Anime, movies, politics, school crushes, and a wide range of things he deemed pointless. He'd much rather talk about skateboarding. Honestly, that was one of the few things he was interested in.
As he roamed, he checked to see if one particular person had been present. He recognized most of the regulars who'd be competing, including her—"Laces," as he referred to them.
He'd been primarily unchallenged, winning every competition, so this person was less a rival and more of a royal nuisance.
Just as soon as he found her, another annoyance found him. An arm wrapped around his back, followed by a snarky remark, "Why am I not surprised to see the skate nut here."
Another boy arose with a smirk and added, "Hey, nutty, have you seen the post about a new plane- Oh, right. I forgot you don't know what technology is!"
Vin smacked the arm off, then saw three regulars standing behind him with amused faces. "I know what technology is, and I know about the planet. I just got done praying that some aliens come and beam you all up."
The boys burst into laughter, then the leading skateboarder chortled, "Your crazy ass will get probed before any of us!"
'I'm not crazy, not like that man that was standing on the car roof... I just like skateboarding a lil more than others.'
Vin glanced off into the distance, "I'm sure aliens only probe idiots. You three should read a book."
A strict finger stabbed his chest, then the boy retorted, "No, YOU, should read a book. Or, do anything else aside from just board man, seriously."
"Live a little, my man. Do something outside this competition stuff. Find a hobby, meet a cute girl, hell, you can collect smooth rocks if that's what you're into."
Vin clicked his teeth, listening with a deep frown. "What are you, my Mother?"
"No, but one day I might be your daddy, 'cause damn, your mom's a nuke!" the boy remarked loudly, high-fiving both of his friends.
The sudden appearance of a young girl caught the boy off guard. Her piercing voice broke the laughter as she uttered coldly, "Is that so?"
The boy, taken aback, quickly gathered his wits and ran towards her, frantically trying to explain that he was joking.
Vin usually cursed them more before the race, but this time, thoughts about the tin foil man heavily plagued his mind, so he left the idiots to their devices and moved on.
He became so spaced out that he missed the usual whines and complaints from the other local skaters. He'd become quite infamous in his bracket for his effortless victories, and his attendance guaranteed everyone else's loss.
The ages ranged from 14 to 18, so they were still rather amateur. But after graduating, he'd never be unchallenged again because he'd have no choice but to compete with real monsters like his Father.
Sidetracked, he ended up at the race line early while recollecting the recent incident. 'Why'd he ask me that of all things… There is no correlation between aliens and sports at all.'
'And how come he acted like he'd never seen a skateboard… You'd have to live under a rock not to know what this is.'
Vin, who had one foot on his board, ready to start the race, looked at the pavement and squinted. 'Then there's the suggestion that something from out of this world would have any reason to stand on top of one of these.'
Amid his thoughts, the loud BANG of a starter pistol discharged, signaling the start of the race. A burst of cheering erupted among the spectators, who jigged in place underneath the early sun's kiss.
"Go, Vin!" his Father shouted, his boisterous voice breaking away from the melting pot of other disturbances.
While his left foot was planted on the head of the board, he used his right to kick off the ground, causing the board to roll forward. With another kick off the pavement, he moved even faster. After a few reps, he'd gained decent speed, quickly catching up with his opponents.
The course ahead was beautiful. Soon, the sidewalk would lead them into a tunnel of flowers, the first attraction of that race. Vin liked to be at the front of the pack, so the scenes weren't diminished by sweaty backs, but he'd been a bit unfocused this particular day.
He enjoyed being on his board a little too much as if he'd recently found a new appreciation for it. The sun was blocked as he entered the garden tunnel, and a cast of shadows took him.
His nose pointed toward the roof of that tunnel as he whiffed the lovely fragrance of roses and daisies.
The wind on his face while skating was more delightful than usual, and the feeling beneath his heel as the skateboard glided across the smooth surface of the ground was calming. Each of the four wheels turned at the same tempo, carrying him in any direction he chose.
It felt Right, and he wanted to experience it more. He wanted his heart's pace to double and to fight more of the wind directed at him. He moved faster, passing one racer than another while facing the thought from earlier.
'Yeah, there's no way an alien could do this. It's a shame no other creature will be able to enjoy this sport like us.'
Like most, Vin imagined the typical alien from movies when considering extraterrestrial beings: skinny, with round black eyes, green skin, and tentacles for limbs. Not that their shape mattered; even if they did look like humans, he wouldn't lose.
The tunnel was spacious, but its limit was four skaters side by side. Most of the pack clashed against one another to get ahead, and the occasional park bench on either side of the walkway meant few chances for a fifth person to pass and improve their standing in the race.
Vin rode up behind the blockade that'd been shoving one another, then veered to the far right of the course. When another bench appeared, the furthest racer had to squeeze into the middle to avoid crashing. Vin, on the other hand, steered for the bench and lowered his stance into a squat. Then, upon approach, he jolted up, popped the board off the ground in a perfect ollie, and floated across the wide bench while kicking the board into a double twirl to show off his skill.
After clearing the jump, he quickly rose ahead of the blockade, leaving more behind him and gaining on the front racers. At that point, their moans and protests were just par for the course.
Soon after exiting the tunnel, Vin stunted past more racers, daylight returning and lighting his path again. Vin could see the lead racer, who'd put a considerable gap between them.
'White, thick-rimmed glasses and light blue wheels on her skateboard. Shoes with buckles instead of laces…'
He'd always gone home after a race and returned to his routine day; however, since he met her, he pondered their encounters. Lynn was a frequent attendee of those events, also elected most likely to maliciously push him off a rooftop.
Probably with good cause.
A few months ago, Vin thought he could goad the other racers into trying harder and began taunting competitors. A slap on the ass here, a smug-goofy face there. Usually harmless. Though, there'd been something more about Lynn… She never acknowledged any of Vin's antics or insults. And since girls in the scene were rare, he had a whole book of slander.
Despite everything, out of all the sweaty backs he'd watched while competing, Lynns was the most stable- perhaps a more effective descriptive would be frigid. Her skating was unyielding and cold like ice, always level, always intentional. Almost pleasing to observe…
Even his Father, who'd trained him to the point of blood, sweat, and tears, had acknowledged her.
That was his FATHER, his COACH; why would he look at anyone else besides him!?
It was infuriating.
So much so that one day, Vin rolled up from behind her and quickly undid her shoelaces mid-race. She fell and face-planted into the ground, which Vin believed served her right… Always ignoring his taunts and skating in her own world. So graceful and collected.
That was then. Since Vin's family was in attendance, he decided it'd be best just to run clean. With a powerful forward push, Vin darted for the girl, entering a powerful stride called a burst, fully intent on passing them before they returned to the spectator's sight.
His Father wouldn't look at another racer again. Especially not Lynn, only him and his brilliance.
Vin locked in, gathering his bearings and honing in on his goal. He cleared his mind of any unnecessary thoughts, tin foil hats, aliens, Lynn; it was all meant to be drowned in his focus.
"Concentrate," he told himself.
'Keeesk-'
He performed better when he voided his mind of all thoughts and noise.
'Ksyt-'
Voided his mind of all noise, Noise, NOISE.
'Kysst kssst'
There was a static-like ting, almost like billions of small electric currents hoisted in a very particular portion of his mind. Mind? Instead, the feeling evolved to the point where he believed his physical brain had begun to tingle.
Vin was well acquainted with his inner voice. Knew its sound, its mood. Knew its presence.
So, he wondered, what was the subtle frequency that'd begun to rise… Nothing conceivable; he just felt like he was no longer alone in his head. Perhaps it was all the talk about aliens that'd shaken his mind.
No, no.
Its existence was slowly getting louder, overcoming his exerted heart's quaking. Soon, he heard, well, not heard because nothing had audibly reached his ears. But, somehow, he heard another presence inside his mind.
Vin, who'd been watching Lynn's back, lowered his eyes to her feet and scowled in confusion. He wanted to probe into his inner thoughts, wanted to ask, 'Who's there?' But he either feared he'd somehow go completely bonkers like the tin foil man. Or that someone or something would actually reach out from the depths of his desolate mind and reply.
He tried to ignore it, for his sanity's sake.
"Chill Vin, just focus on the ra-"
With a stronger static-like pulse in his brain, the garden's colors flared, becoming offensively vibrant. The sun's illuminant support became a burden, causing an innate recoil as he shut his eyes. The wind's breath, while usually delightful, stung his face as he raced forward on his board's wheels.
His burst, a rapid increase in speed, was the most powerful in his group. After speeding up to lessen the gap between him and first place, he lost his spatial awareness.
It took only a moment of incomprehension before he slammed into Lynn, sending them both flying off their skateboards and onto the unforgiving pavement.
Scrapes and blood dribbles voyaged outside his new wounds and onto the Earth, but the pain was the least of his concerns.
Vin hastily sat upright and squeezed his head, feeling like something was tuning into his brain, like a forceful, violent radio frequency. The internal static was painful, but even more chilling was what he heard in reality.
Sitting on their knees a meter away from him was Lynn. Banal breaths and wet sniffles joined the fray of noise he'd perceived.
'Dammit,' he thought, blinking rapidly to gain clear enough vision to make out the girl's state. They'd been the same age and, to his displeasure, the same height. He remembered her being quite pale upon their first meeting, but skating in the sun had given her a honey-like tan. Her hair was light brown, and too short to be pulled so tightly back into a ponytail. Ripped jean pants and an oversized hoodie with an abominable snowman print. She'd dressed like a boy, yet, her demeanor and how she carried herself reminded him slightly of his Mother. Docile, yet confident.
Vin's brows arched inward, watching Lynn.
At some point in the years they raced together, Vin forgot she'd be capable of emotion. Seeing her, the unmoving, begin to weep filled him with unexpected remorse. Vin bitterly bit his lip, still fighting his inner turmoil.
Following another sad sniffle, the girl directed her green, glistening, sorrowful eyes toward him. She parted her lips and cried, "Why! You've gone too far!"
"All you ever do is harass me!" She continued.
Lynn veiled her face in her hands, speaking sluggishly, muffled, "What did I ever do to you…"
There was more to her sobs than just that incident. The girl—well, gender alone had to make it challenging to participate in a sport dominated by males. Perhaps it was the constant repulse from many of her peels that eventually led to a crack in her indomitable glass fortitude.
Vin didn't know how to address the matter and couldn't because another stab stuck in his mind. Even more curious, on the last attack Lynn released a pained groan as well, seeming in sync with him.
Further, moments after that pulse, the city- if not the world grew quiet.
Tranquil.
The array of city sounds was cut like a TV that'd been unsuspectingly unplugged. There were no loud engines speeding down the city streets, no obnoxious horns, or even idle chatter. It all ceased.
Then, there was a voice. Vin never forgot how casual and eager it sounded to communicate with them.
It was, after all, the voice that'd ruin his life.
"Hello, Humans."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone