Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Her main racket during night time
After she sen Felix, who fortunately but barely made it in time, she went straight back home. They bid their farewells there in his school. He hugged her tight as he thanked her and Zeke again for that awesome ride and got off the car. She promised him that she would give him his regards and love to their mom when she went back to City Z.
Though the Imperial, was brimming with peace and was her birthplace, her heart stayed in City Z. Country Folla has four major cities, which were supervised by a legal mayor on the surface but surreptitiously controlled by the mafia, and City Z was one of those. In that city, money, power, and passion were the holy words. As for her, she wasn't interested in any of those things. City Z simply had the means to make her feel alive again.
She cleaned up all the mess inside the house then prepared her bag afterward. She also left a note for her sister stating that if she forgot about her responsibilities and top priority that was Felix, she would chop her into pieces and feed them to a dog. Doing one last scan in the whole place, she stepped out and headed to her car.
Now, she was alone, so fervent and ready to zoom out of this place and into her world.
The ride from Imperial to City Z was like being warped in another dimension. If the Imperial was rich in culture, boasting in flair and artistry with its impeccable historical infrastructures, City Z then, screamed of summer. Bestowed with beaches and humid weather, the city was overflowing with vibrant tones and palm trees that could be seen even from afar.
As Erica entered the City Z, she put on her sunglasses and lowered the windows. Instantly, the hot gust of wind and the aquatic smell drifted to her. Her hair flew back as she passed by rows and rows of houses constructed with stucco walls painted in different colors, arched windows, arched doorways, and high ceilings accompanied by low pitched tiled roofs. People perching on their balconies or lazing on their verandas, ogled at her car and some even whistled. She smiled at the welcoming ambiance.
She was home.
***
Sleep was the second-best thing that could be offered to the body next to hypercars. Erica felt rejuvenated like a zombie coming back to life after arriving home. Though it only took her 4 hours, which was the fastest time, to drive from Imperial to City Z, she still felt tired. Probably due to lack of sleep. Glancing at the clock on her bedside, she threw off the covers. Tired or not, she couldn't continue sleeping.
Because this midnight was especially different.
She waded her way to the bathroom, stripped, and took a quick shower. Finished, she went out naked and plowed through the heap of garments piled inside her closet to look for play clothes. She fished out black tight jeans, a white tank top, and a leather jacket. After she braided her hair, she gathered her things and left for Red Ward.
Areas called wards were strip of lands that served as borders between cities. Red Ward bordered City L and City Z. It was the main base for people who love street racing which was her main racket during night time. As soon as Erica reached her destination, her phone rang.
"Hey hey! How was it? Did he scream? Did he pass out? Did he die? Oy, Erica! Answer me will ya?" Erica's best friend, Zeke, bombarded her with his incessant questions but naturally, his feelings were reciprocated with her silence.
"You just distanced your phone, didn't ya? Meanie," He whined as he mocked tears.
"Sure I did, Zeke. Your mouth never stops. " Her eyes made a 180-degree turn and she heard him smiling on the phone. He knew that was always her reaction to him.
"Okay, here's a serious question," said Zeke.
"What now?"
"Where the fuck are you?"
"Maybe if you had shut the fuck up, you'd hear me—"
Before she could even finish her sentence, he turned back and saw her. She was standing beside her car with a hand on the phone and the other clutching her jacket over her shoulder. Hiding her phone away, she took steps towards Zeke and put on her jacket. The toned muscles on her arm flexed for a moment then she tossed her braided dark brown hair that fell a few inches below her breast to her back. She passed under a lamppost that dawned on her like a spotlight, making her bare face glow.
For others, dressing up gave off a sense of confidence and power but for her, she didn't need to. More like, she didn't want to. She wasn't the type of woman who bothered with appearances. Shopping even exhausted her energy reserves. Denise said she had no sense of fashion with her monochrome taste but she couldn't care less as long as her body was covered. She was different from Denise and a lot had agreed on that.
Erica and her siblings looked poles apart from each other. She was the odd one out. She wasn't lovely or charming, unlike her sister, whose beauty lured people to protect her like a precious ornament. Rather, she was said to have striking features with a daunting appeal, owing to the dominant gene of her father in her mixed blood.
Bestowed with rough-edged qualities by her father, she was pretty much indebted to him. She had hollowed cheeks with a sharp jawline heightened by a tiny scar on the left side of her eye. Her eyes, the color of honeydew rimmed with darker hue always stared at people in frigid calmness. That stony face of hers had been put into good use to intimidate people. Yes, it was indeed a very valuable asset.
She saw him draw in a breath as she got closer. He was a head taller than her despite being four years younger. Damn men and their growth spurt. His dyed blond hair swayed with the wind and his prominent ears, which made him endearing, reddened at the intense gaze she was giving.
***
Zeke stared at her best friend walking towards him and he couldn't help but gulp. 𝘖𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵-𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘰𝘶����𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘭.
She was the most exquisite girl that Zeke had ever seen, but of course, except his mother. Nobody compared to her. Hello, that was where he got his attractive genes from. His mind whistled when she stopped right in front of him. She arched an eyebrow.
"Did you just whistle?" she accused him as she folded her arms over her chest. Eyes narrowed.
Okay, that was not from his mind.
"D-did not." He looked away from her raw gaze that felt like a rusty paring knife, slowly skinning him alive.
He fidgeted. She gripped his shoulder, tight, to steady him. His body couldn't even move. The girl had an iron grip. He turned his head to her and saw her right hand hovering above his chest. He shut his eyes and whimpered like a frightened puppy.
Laughter broke out from her and he grinned as he opened his eyes. Erica's laugh, which was only counted by a hair's breadth, was his desired reward. It was rare as an endangered animal that needed preservation and he was her keeper. He would protect it for as long as he lived.
She slapped him hard on the chest almost stumbling on the ground. He glared at her while fighting the urge to push as her well. So much for being a good friend.
"That hurts you know!" he yelled, to which she just shrugged.
"Not my fault."
"But you're aware you have godlike strength. Spare your best friend!"
"By the way, you look so stupid a while ago," she praised with a ghost of a smile.
It caught him off guard. He just had a compliment.
"Why, thank you. It's always a pleasure to bring joy in this world," he replied as he made a graceful bow to his exclusive audience.
"You could be an actor."
Baffled at her comment, he grimaced. "No shit. I only aspire to become the best racer here."
Zeke pounded his chest and gave her a look of conviction. Her gentle and relaxed face turned impassive in an instant, removing all trace of cheerfulness from a while ago. Her eyes turned dark and icy, glinting dangerously in the moonlight. It gave him the chills.
He squared his shoulders and stood straighter, making his face as blank as her. Their stares blazed and battled. He knew well where this was heading but then again, he never minded because he was already up for it. Or you could say both of them were up for it. One way or another, it was always going to end up with settling their battle of pride with racing.
Oh, add illegal to that.
"Best racer you say?" She closed the gap between them. Their bodies almost pressed against each other. Gritting her teeth, she spat out, "Call them."
"You don't have to remind me. I already did."
The sounds of tires screeching and engine roaring broke the internal conflict between them. She tapped his shoulder and he nodded. They both took a step back and turned to head for their cars. Their friend, Henri Weiss, went out of his car with a bull horn on hand. Clearing his throat, he announced the details of the race and introduced the competitors for the night. Erica and him.
Plus two others.
They were not going to fight, one and one. There was no way. Not tonight. There would be the right time for that. Both of them had an agreement about this. They should learn and get better in their ways so they could face each other in the future and conclude who was worthy of the throne. They both loved street racing but it shouldn't break them apart. So, keeping their agreement was the only rule Zeke would certainly not break. He treasured Erica too much.
Cheers and shouts erupted from the outside, signaling that bets among them had been made. Zeke smirked. They didn't need to know who sided with whom since both of them were bound to get their hands on that load of smokin' sweet cash in a flash.
"Get your asses here on the starting line now, Zeke and Boomer," Henri shouted.
The lame name had Zeke clapping his hands, throwing into a fit of laughter. Boomer cranked his ignition on first as Zeke tried to regain his composure. Then suddenly, as if Boomer was high on crack, he did something aggravating that made Zeke's body tensed and blood seethed.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone