The Athlete

by Elin Peer

  “That’s so funny.” Silas joined in on her laugh but my eyes had been drawn to a window across the street and I walked over to see it up close. Behind a banner saying “Inner Beauty Spring Sale 2013 – 70% OFF” there were five life-sized dolls in the window wearing lingerie in white, black, and see-through red.

  Angel, Vicki, and Jeremy were looking at the window too but they were fixated on two of the dolls wearing fur coats over their shoulders.

  “How could people be so cruel back then? Imagine if someone bred humans just to skin us and wear us as coats. It’s disgusting.”

  “Look at their shoes.” Angel was pointing. “That doesn’t look very comfortable. How did they keep balance on those high heels?”

  Jeremy shook his head. “I don’t know. I can’t imagine normal people wore those.”

  “They all wore them. Even the men. Remember when we went to the Renaissance period?” Vicki had seen me now and explained, “Hunter, you wouldn’t believe how bizarre the fashion was back then. Men and women wore high heels and big wigs but the worst part was that women had to wear these monstrous big belts to look skinny and have bigger breasts. I tried one on and I could hardly breathe.” Vicki demonstrated how shallow her breathing had been.

  “Women in the Northlands still wear high heels.”

  Vicki, Angel, and Jeremy all looked at me in horror. “You’re kidding.”

  “No. I’ve seen the ruler’s mother Erica and Magni’s wife Laura wear high heels, and at the last bridal tournament the bride wore high heels too.”

  They were gaping at me, and from the endless discussions I’d had with Motlanders about bride tournaments in the Northlands, I guessed that they were unable to find something positive or kind to say on the subject.

  I gave them a smile and snapped a picture of the dolls dressed in lingerie before I moved on.

  “Can I have your attention?” Cole and Jonah, our instructors, had climbed up on a bench in the middle of the street and were calling us to them.

  “Welcome to the twenty-first century, which is one of the most fascinating periods any time traveler can go to in our park. If you haven’t already been to the far end, be sure to check out the DYL shop that was the biggest thing in the eight years leading up to the Toxic War.”

  “What was a DYL shop?” Jeremy asked and rose up on his toes to see to the opposite end of the street from where we had been standing a few minutes ago.

  “DYL stood for Design Your Life, and they were clinics that popped up everywhere offering products related to nano-technology, bio-technology, and of course artificial intelligence. Anything from brain implants, facial and body transformations, stem-cell treatments, not to mention cloning techniques for people in grief. There was nothing rich people couldn’t buy back then, and if you wanted to have a different voice, look like a supermodel, or speak every language in the world, it was just a matter of money.”

  I was a bit skeptical of that last part since there were all sorts of wild rumors about the technology of the past. This was an amusement park and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were going for a shock effect rather than historical accuracy.

  “But you Dolphins are here to do more than just marvel at the wonders of the past. You’re here to compete, isn’t that right?”

  Several lifted their hands and shouted a loud “Yes.”

  “What did you say?” Jonah held a hand behind his ears and looked at Cole. “I’ve got big ears and I could hardly hear them. Maybe the Dolphins aren’t as competitive as they used to be. Maybe they’re growing old and weak.”

  I grinned a bit because these people had no idea how competitive I could be.

  “Are you ready for another competition?” Jonah shouted and this time the team roared back with excitement.

  We were split into four new teams. I was now with Silas, Jeremy, Vicki, and Angel, whose beauty was overshadowed by a laugh that ground on my nerves.

  “Have you ever tried one of those?” Angel pointed to the hoverbikes.

  “We have something similar back home, but I’ve never tried an old-timer like that one.”

  “I don’t like speed.”

  I was about to answer her, but then I saw Cole pull off a cover from four antique motorbikes.

  “Well, fuck a duck, is that an original?”

  Cole laughed. “These are retro bikes, so not originals, I’m afraid.”

  “How old are they?”

  “We had them built about seven years ago after a model from 2028 called R9, which was the last generation of bikes to run on gasoline.” He turned on the machine and turned the handle. I almost drooled as I heard the sound of the engine revving.

  “That is so cool, but how are you getting gasoline for them.”

  “No, the originals ran on gasoline but that’s impossible to get now so we had these made to run on standard algae fuel. We wanted the machines to sound authentic, though.”

  I let my hands run over the seat and squatted down to admire the part of the motor that was visible. “It has real tires and all.” I’d seen these in old movies, but never in real life. “Wow, that must’ve been quite an investment.”

  “It was. And not least because we needed to establish trails that the guest could ride them on. We thought the motorbikes would be wildly popular, but we were wrong.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’ll see when you ride them. They make you bounce up and down for every stone on the ground and people found it uncomfortable. It’s a rough experience compared to hovering above the ground.” Cole slid his hand down the seat on one of them. “Some of us enjoy the roughness of it, though.”

  “Can I drive one of them?”

  “Sure.” Lifting two fingers to his mouth, Cole gave a loud whistle to get Emanuela’s attention and waved her over. “Emanuela will hook you up with safety gear and explain what to do.”

  “Are you going to ride those bikes?” Sander came over to join us.

  “Yes. How about you join in?” Cole encouraged Sander.

  “I’d love to. Can I take the yellow one?”

  “Knock yourself out while I go find a fourth driver.”

  I walked over to the bike I wanted. It had a gorgeous dark dusty green color, and swinging my leg over it, I placed my hands on the handles and smiled.

  “That one is mine.” Emanuela pointed to the bike I was sitting on.

  “Sorry, love, I saw it first.” I tilted my head at the red one. “Besides, red is a better color for a woman.”

  Sander furrowed his brow. “Why?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Never mind, I forgot that you people don’t care about boy and girl colors.”

  Sander looked at Emanuela. “I didn’t even know there was such a thing.”

  “There’s not. Hunter is just making it up.” Emanuela moved over to stand right next to me with a determined expression on her face. “I always ride the green one.”

  “Except for today.”

  She opened her mouth to argue with me but was distracted when Cole returned with Coach Amy.

  “I don’t know, Cole, are you sure I can do this? Those machines look intimidating.”

  “Of course you can do it. Emanuela will show you how while I go and demonstrate the hoverboards.”

  As Cole left us, Emanuela gave Amy an encouraging sideways hug. “Don’t worry. It looks scary but it’s a lot of fun once you get going. Which bike do you want? The red or the blue one?”

  The plump woman approached the motorbikes like they might come to life and jump at her. “Blue is my favorite color so maybe I should go with that.”

  “All right. These bikes are easy to ride. Older versions had gears while these are automatic. All you have to do is know the difference between the brake and the accelerator.” Emanuela demonstrated before she walked over to a shed not far from us and returned with her hands full of four jackets, gloves, glasses, and scarves in different colors.

  I laughed. “What the hell, Captain, what’s all this? We’re n
ot going skiing, you know.”

  “Here you go.” She was handing out the equipment to Sander and Amy and they both took it. When she came to stand in front of me, she placed a crimson jacket, gloves, and a black scarf in my lap and hung the glasses on the handle of the bike.

  “No thanks. I’m fine like this.”

  Putting on her own scarf, she explained in a calm fashion, “These neck protectors will activate in case you crash. They work as an airbag to protect your head.” She continued to put on the glasses, placing the large elastic band so it didn’t mess up her hair too much. “I know it’s your first time riding bikes like these, but because they touch the ground, they’ll kick up dirt. You’ll need the glasses to protect your eyes when you’re behind me.”

  I scoffed. “What makes you think I’ll be behind you.”

  “Oh, my love, you’ll be behind me. Count on it.”

  It was my own fault. I’d called her love earlier, and I’d been amused at the tic by her eye. Knowing how much she detested me, it took me by surprise that she could get herself to use that word with me. Playing it cool, I gave her a smug smile and signaled with my finger for her to come closer. When she did, I lowered my voice. “I love it when you call me your love, but I worry that you might get your hopes up. You do know that I’m not interested in you that way, right, Captain?”

  Emanuela jerked back. “Don’t worry. The feeling is mutual.” She grabbed the glasses from my bike’s steering wheel and pressed them against my chest. “Safety first.”

  I would never tell her, but Emanuela looked a little badass when she swung her leg over the bike and took a seat. “Are you all ready?”

  Sander and Amy followed the leader when she turned on the engine and rolled down a trail to a forest road, where she stopped. Emanuela waited for us to come alongside her before she explained. “It’s a loop, so just follow the path and you’ll be fine. Slow down when the trail gets narrow and be careful when you cross the curved bridge or get to bumpy parts of the road.”

  “Oh, dear, this sounds very dangerous. Maybe it’s not for me.”

  Emanuela placed a gloved hand on Amy’s arm. “You can do this. Just take your time. It’s fun.” And then she looked at me and Sander. “One last thing: be careful if you overtake another driver.”

  “Emanuela, I think my bike is broken. It’s making a weird noise.” Amy was leaning to the side to look down on her bike.

  “It’s supposed to be noisy. Ours sound that way too.”

  I looked around the large area of the park where my teammates would be trying their luck in different areas. “How is this a team effort? Seems like individual sports to me.”

  Amy lifted her glasses. “It’s the combined result that counts. Just like in soccer.”

  “Okay, when do we start?” I asked with impatience, revving my engine.

  Emanuela pointed to a white starting point about fifty feet from us. “Once you cross that line, the bike will measure your laps. You can all see the number on the display in front of you.” She worked the computer on her own bike. “Do you all see four drivers now?”

  I nodded. My display showed number of drivers as four, laps as zero, and speed as zero.

  “We’ll go four rounds,” Emanuela instructed.

  “I’m scared.” Amy was biting her lower lip, her whole body tensed up as she held on to the bike.

  “Don’t worry. Just follow me.” Emanuela gave a last smile to Amy before letting her machine roll down the dirt path.

  Sander followed her like a dog on a leash while I waited for Amy to get going. The coach seemed so out of her element that my protective side forced me to make sure she was all right.

  In a way it was good that we were going slow in the beginning because the balance element of riding a motorbike was new to me. The hoverbikes we had back home balanced themselves, but these ones depended on the driver to not only steer but keep balance as well. I’d always loved a good challenge, and driving at a slow pace with Amy, I felt excitement run through me.

  “I don’t think this is safe,” Amy called out next to me, her voice shaking from the driving.

  “People from the past did it all the time. We’ll be fine.”

  I’m sure that if Amy hadn’t been wearing gloves, I would have seen her knuckles white from clinging to the handlebars.

  Up ahead, Emanuela and Sander were taking a right, entering the forest and increasing their speed. My competitive side wanted to race them, but Amy was still struggling.

  “Looking good, Coach. I think you’ve got it,” I encouraged her.

  “I’m just going to take it slow, Hunter. You go ahead.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes.” She sounded stressed, but I didn’t argue with her. Pulling the speed handle to the maximum, I almost tipped over as the bike sprang forward and when I came to the turn, I learned the hard way that Emanuela had been right when she told us to slow down in the turns. My bike tilted so hard that it was a miracle I didn’t land on my ass.

  A bit shaken and with my heart hammering, I set in the chase to catch up with Sander and Emanuela. Compared to my hoverbike at home, this bike was slow, and I cursed that I couldn’t make it go faster.

  Every turn, I pressed to go as fast as possible and then I saw Sander and Emanuela ahead of me approaching some bumps in the road. While he slowed down, she sped up and used the bumps to take off and fly a good distance. From the way she used her thighs to rise up and bounce back in her seat when she landed, I could tell she’d done this before.

  “Watch it,” Sander shouted when I overtook him in a sharp turn. Looking back over my shoulder I saw dirt kick up from my bike and heard Sander cough.

  Emanuela must have thought this would be an easy win. She only looked ahead and that’s why I was able to overtake her when she didn’t expect it.

  Leaning over the handlebars of my bike, I was determined to put distance between us, but Emanuela did the same and stayed right on my heels.

  There was no way I was going to let her pass me and so I used a dirty trick, deliberately going for the muddiest parts of the path, hoping to deter her from getting too close.

  An angry outcry made me turn my head to see her wiping off mud from her glasses and stopping her bike.

  I gave a belly-deep laugh and continued as fast as I could make the machine go. I hadn’t had this much fun since I moved to the Motherlands.

  A minute later, I wasn’t laughing when Emanuela came flying past me at an impossible speed.

  “What the hell?”

  CHAPTER 6

  Stupid Pride

  Emanuela

  The mud hit me square in my face and blinded me. Stopping my bike, I groaned with frustration only to see Hunter race ahead with sounds of laughter hanging in the air behind him.

  It enraged me!

  All day, he’d made me feel like an idiot. The way he lit the fire like a pro and the way he worked the lasso with ease even though it had taken me weeks to perfect. I had been highly competitive for as long as I could remember and it wasn’t in my nature to let him beat me at my own game. I had driven these bikes since we first got them seven years ago, and there would be no end to all the teasing my brothers would give me if Hunter beat me at it the first time he drove a bike.

  When Sander passed me, I bent down and found the hidden switch – the one we used when the park was closed and only people we trusted were around.

  Instead of the limit of the fifty kilometers per hour that safety regulations enforced on our park, my bike would now be able to go up to one hundred and ten kilometers per hour. I wouldn’t drive full speed, just enough to wipe that smirk off Hunter’s face and return the favor of a mud bath, if possible.

  I made skid marks and my bike rose up on its rear wheel as I sped up to pursue Hunter.

  Sander was easy to overtake, as he heard me coming and pulled to the side.

  Hunter on the other hand kept blocking me and it had me shaking with the need to take him down. This guy didn
’t play according to the rules of the Motherlands. He didn’t feel the pressure on his soul to be nice like the rest of us. He was worse than my brothers and needed to be taken down a notch or he would no doubt be insufferable during our soccer season.

  Hunter seemed to have a psychic sense, always knowing what side I would attack on. I was speeding up and falling back every time he cut me off. It was clear that he was familiar with racing, but he wasn’t familiar with this trail and there was no way for him to block me when the road split into two. Forced to pick one side, Hunter went right, while I sped up and went left. A bump in the road had my bike flying through the air, but I’d done this for fun many times and gave a howl of excitement before landing on the trail again. My back wheel slipped but I steadied the bike and looked over my shoulder to see Hunter pursuing me with a determined expression on his face. I had always been competitive, and the rush of winning spread as a bubbly feeling of satisfaction. Yes! I was finally ahead and this time I wasn’t going to let anything change that.

  If I drove full speed it would be obvious that my bike was tuned, so I kept close enough for him to follow but never overtake me. And to pay him back for the mud on my face and hair, I returned the favor.

  My advantage was that I knew every twist and turn on this trail. Hunter didn’t. He would trust me to slow down when there was a curve. At least I counted on it.

  My heart was beating as fast as my bike was racing. My brother Cole had pulled this stunt on a few competitors in our secret group of drivers, but I had never been mean or brave enough to do it. When the turn came up, I waited until the last moment to brake. It was too late to continue on the road because with my speed I wouldn’t be able to turn my bike fast enough. Instead I took an alternate route between the trees. His roar behind me made me bring my bike to a stop.

  Just like I had planned, Hunter had trusted that I would play nice. Because of it, he lay face down in a mud hole while his green bike was on its side with the engine still running.