A/N: Tada! Here's a new story I decided to start in honor of my favorite TV show when I was little: Speed Racer! X3 This story, however, is centered in the new series "Speed Racer: The Next Generation". I will be trying a new way of writing, this time the chapters will be shorter! I will try this in order to see if I can update quicker this way because I feel horribly whenever I let you hanging for so long =w= So here it goes!
Disclaimer: Speed Racer: The Next Generation rightfully belongs to the Nickelodeon Studios. I, by no means, own anything of the series. What I do own is my OCs and small plot twists ^^
=o-o=Chapter 1: Starting Line=o-o=
~*~Anna Rose's POV~*~
A plain, dead, desert image was all my eyes could see through the dusty window of the bus. My hands were pressed against the glass like those of a little child's and my purple eyes were shining just as bright. Heat was the last thing troubling my mind at the moment, mostly because an open window was allowing a cool breeze to hit my face, sending my light brown, almost golden, hair flying back. My heart was pounding eagerly in my chest, waiting for the moment when the building of my dreams would appear in the horizon.
"You sure seem excited young lady," the grandma sitting by my side chuckled at my childish actions, catching my attention. For what I could see, she was wearing a long blue dress and a pink sweater.
"Y-Yeah, I've been waiting for this moment since a long time ago," I smiled back at her. "Oh, I'm sorry if I disturbed you!" I suddenly worried.
"You didn't disturb me at all!" The lady chuckled at me again, a gentle smile adorning her wrinkled face. "You seem like a very nice girl, may I ask you where you're heading to?"
"I-I'm going to the Racing Academy," I mumbled with a faint blush. "I was finally accepted."
"So you like action!" The lady laughed happily. "My grandson likes to imagine he's driving a race car. I bet he will grow up to be a fabulous racer," she added in a matter of fact tone as she winked at me.
"I-I have no doubts," I smiled shyly back at her, finding it a bit hard to talk to people I didn't know.
"Ah!" She suddenly pointed out the window. "That's the school, isn't it?"
I whipped my head in the direction the lady was pointing at and sure enough a huge white building was growing bigger each second the bus got nearer. My mouth hung open as I stared in awe at the tall building composed almost entirely of windows, not being able to believe that I was going to be living in that place for a few years.
The bus stopped in front of the school gates a few minutes later, the driver then asking for who was going to be getting off in this stop. I was the only one getting off at the moment, so I hurriedly pulled down my suitcases from the compartment and stumbled down the stairs.
"Be sure to give it your all, okay?" The lady from the bus told me sweetly from over the window. "Good luck!" She managed to say before the bus drove off.
"Thank you!" I waved goodbye at her before turning around and staring at my new school. "I think I'm going to need it."
I heaved a small sigh and picked up my luggage, crossing the street in order to reach the two posts that I supposed were the gates. Even if this was a school that trained future racers, I could only spot a few cars in the distance, and since I was the only person walking outside, I couldn't help but feeling lonely.
After following the driveway all the way into the parking lot, I was left gaping at the highest building of the Academy, which was now towering over my head. If there hadn't been smaller buildings by the sides, I wouldn't have been able to tell that the roofs were of a pleasant green color.
I had thought of taking a peek of what was waiting for me inside the crystal front doors, but I wasn't counting on them being electric, opening the moment I was two steps away. I found myself frozen on my spot for the millionth time that morning once I caught sight of the reception, or at least, what I could see through all the masses of people. It was a gigantic place full of windows, even the seats were made out of glass, giving a pretty modern style to the place.
Sighing once more, I dragged my things over to a secluded corner and piled them up there, only taking my full book bag with me in fear of my books disappearing. If the hall was really this big then I was definitely sure that the rest of the campus was enormous, meaning I was going to have to ask for directions in order to reach the principal's office.
"Just what I needed on my first day," I thought gloomily, trying to gather the little courage I had to ask a random person for directions. Let's just say my self-esteem wasn't as high as the sky.
"Um, excuse me…?" I mumbled shyly to the first girl I saw, failing miserably seeing as she merely walked away without having even heard me.
"Hey, can you help-?" I asked a couple who looked a bit older than me, though they kept on walking without sparing a look at me.
"C-Could you please tell me-?" I tried my luck for the last time with a boy who rushed by my side.
"Sorry, I'm late!" He yelled back at me as he kept on running, quickly disappearing into one of the many hallways.
I stood still as people kept on rushing by my side, trying to get on time to their last morning period. Crossing my arms tightly, I stared down to the ground sadly, already being used to being invisible. Maybe I was only disappointed because I thought things were going to be different in this new place.
Being too busy with my own thoughts, I didn't see a small white blur speed past me, a brown backpack being dragged behind it. It was too late though when a voice warned me about what was going to happen next.
"Chim-Chim! Give me back my things!" A boy's voice broke my line of thought.
I hadn't even reacted when someone slammed hard against me, sending us both crashing onto the ground. I groaned and rubbed my head as I pushed myself up into a sitting position, discovering that most of my books had flown out of my bag the moment of the collision.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" I freaked out as I bent over to gather my books, not even daring to stare at the boy. "I was spacing out."
"Hey, relax! It was my fault," the boy's voice answered me, shocking me with his words. "I wasn't looking where I was going. I shouldn't be running in here to begin with," he laughed.
I slowly raised my gaze to see him, not being able to believe what I had just heard. It was the first time in years someone was this nice to me, a stranger on her first day of school, and he wasn't only kind in his talking, but he was helping me pick up my books as well.
"That sure was a hard hit, are you alright?" He finally turned to me, his concerned brown eyes confusing me greatly.
He was very good looking, with his neck-length brown hair, his caring brown eyes and his kind smile. His clothing was simple though since he was just wearing dark jeans, black sneakers, and a blue short-sleeved shirt with red starts on the shoulders over a lighter blue shirt with long sleeves.
"Y-Yeah…" I mumbled, being unable to stop the shy blush covering my cheeks.
"I'm…Speed," he smiled sheepishly, taking my hand and pulling me up to my feet before shaking it.
"A-Anna Rose Summers," I introduced myself shyly. "Um, Speed as in…Speed Racer?" I approached slowly, just wanting to make sure.
"Y-Yeah, I received a great shock myself…" Speed smiled sadly, rubbing the back of his head.
"I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked!" I covered my mouth with my hand, knowing fully well how uncomfortable that must have been for him. How many people had not asked him if he was named after a famous racer?
"It's alright, really," he assured me, blinking at my nervous behavior. "If you don't mind me asking…are you related in some way to Tiffany Summers?"
"S-She was my mother…" I smiled sadly at him, holding my book bag closer to my chest.
"Sorry…It's hard living up to our parent's names, huh?" Speed told me sympathetically, sending me a soft smile.
"Y-Yeah…" I agreed while looking down, feeling bad for bringing up this topic.
Noticing our uncomfortable silence, Speed quickly perked up in an attempt to lighten up the mood. "So, where are you going? I don't remember seeing you before."
"Oh, I was supposed to go to the principal's office," I remembered, widening my eyes once I realized I had completely forgotten the reason why I was standing here.
"I can take you there if you'd like," Speed smiled at me brightly. "I'm already late for class anyway," he shrugged.
"Oh no, I wouldn't want to trouble you," I blushed, taking a step back.
"Come on," he laughed. "I'll help you with that," he told me as he took my book bag and hanged it over his own shoulder.
"T-Thank you," I sent him a small smile, walking at the same calm pace as him through an already deserted hallway.
"So how did you manage to get accepted?" Speed asked me with a smile, indicating his question was innocent.
"I'm guessing the same way you did: with lots of letters," I giggled sweetly. "There were almost no race tracks near the orphanage."
"Hey, I lived in the orphanage too! How come I never saw you?" He asked me amused, taking me down through another hallway.
"I lived in an all-girl orphanage," I giggled once more, catching the almost invisible blush that had suddenly dusted Speed's cheeks.
"So that's why," he laughed with me too, finally stopping in front of a mahogany door.
I gulped my nerves down while Speed knocked and opened the door, allowing me to have a nice view of the room. It was pretty simple, with white walls and wooden floor, only having a few furniture and windows looking out to the campus. Sitting behind a desk at the far back was a kind looking man who resembled Speed, and sitting on a chair in front of the desk was an older boy with short brown hair wearing a gray sleeveless shirt and jeans.
"Ah Anna Rose, I was starting to get worried," the principal greeted me with a relieved smile.
"I'm sorry, I got lost so Speed helped me find my way up here," I waved shyly at him, coming out from behind said boy.
"Heh…" The older boy mused, standing up and turning around, revealing a black tattooed X on his right forearm. "You sure are a cute one aren't you?" He teased me with a smirk, bending down in front of me in order to inspect my face.
My blush turned brighter as I stepped back behind Speed again, my shyness overcoming me again. Noticing I was feeling uncomfortable, Speed rolled his eyes and sent a reproachful glare to the boy.
"Leave her alone X. You already have a girlfriend, remember?" Speed told the boy, apparently named X, tiredly.
"Why? Are you afraid I'm going to take her away from you?" X sent a smug smirk to the younger boy, chuckling at the last one's flustered face.
"I-It's not that! She's shy; you were making her feel bad!" Speed countered, glaring childishly at X.
"Right, right. Whatever you say little brother," X waved Speed off, gaining an annoyed growl from his brother.
Wait…Brother?
"Boys! Boys!" The headmaster finally stood up to break up the fight. "Why don't you go back to class?" He sighed as he pushed both boys out the door, closing it right on their faces before they could even complain. "Ah, that's better." He sighed.
I sent a nervous smile over to the principal but I hadn't even taken a breath when the door cracked opened once again just to reveal Speed's head.
"Hey, A-Anna Rose? I was just wondering if you had a racing team," he asked me quickly, smiling nervously at the headmaster's warning stare.
"N-No…why-?" I started, not knowing what he was thinking.
"Cool! See you at lunch then!" He beamed before disappearing through the door once again.
The principal and I were left in a complete silence after that, both of us not knowing what to say. The headmaster then sighed and sat back down on his chair before taking a sip of his coffee, probably to calm down a bit.
"Please, take a seat dear," he motioned to the chair where X once sat.
"Who gets excited because someone doesn't have a racing team?" I asked him confused as I took a seat, making the principal chuckle.
"Boys…" He shook his head. "Please forgive my nephews' antics," he smiled at me tiredly.
N-Nephews! So Speed wasn't joking when he told me his father was the Speed Racer!
"N-No no, it's alright!" I shook my hands in front of my face, quickly dismissing the subject.
"So, Anna Rose, tell me…why are you here?" The headmaster asked me kindly; pulling out a manila folder which I guessed contained my profile.
"E-Excuse me?" I blinked repeatedly, clenching my hands into fists above my lap to stop them from shaking.
"Every year a few hopeful racers step through that door. Many of them don't even pass the first week!" He explained himself, making my eyes widen unconsciously with every word he spoke. "What makes you any different?"
"W-Well, I-I…" I stuttered, my tongue tripping with every word I tried to say.
"Come on, come on! Don't ruin this. This is your last chance," I thought desperately, biting my lower lip and looking down at my trembling knees to calm down a bit.
"I…I want to chance all this…" I finally whispered, motioning with my right hand at myself. It was better to say the truth. "I…I want to…prove myself I can do things, that I'm not useless…I…don't wanna be invisible anymore," I sighed, hugging myself as if to prevent myself from breaking into pieces.
"I see…" The headmaster sighed, pushing back his chair and standing up to stare out of the window. "But why racing? Is it because you feel obliged to follow your mother's steps, to accomplish her dreams on her behalf? Or is it because of the fame and money, surely the easier way to gain a reputation?"
"No!" I gasped, surprising even myself by my outburst. "I just…feel good when I'm racing. It's the closest connection to my mother I still possess. When I'm behind the wheel, I feel as if I'm with her again," I continued in a lower tone, staring up at him with pleading eyes.
Wasn't he Spritle Racer? Brother of the legendary Speed Racer? He must know how it feels like to lose someone dear, whether it was because of his disappearance, or a car crash like in my mother's case. Can't he tell that racing is in our veins?
Of course, as much as my heart wanted to tell him this, my mind kept my lips sealed.
"How good are you at racing?" The headmaster Spritle asked me amusedly, apparently having given in.
"I-I don't know…pretty good?" I blinked quickly, taken aback by the question. I had expected everything but that.
"'Pretty good' doesn't last much around here," he suddenly chuckled, making me to tilt my head a bit in confusion. "To succeed you need skill, determination and, if you're lucky, some good friends to help you out," he smiled brightly at me, raising my hopes slightly.
"I'll…I'll try my best! I really will!" I smiled excitedly, realization taking a bit to dawn on me.
"That's the spirit!" The principal nodded at me with a smile. "This is your dorm room key for the Grand Prix building," he informed me, pulling out a slender card with my information and picture on one side.
"G-Grand Prix building?" I repeated as I took the card, examining it curiously.
"It's where all the dorms are," the headmaster nodded. "Drop your things off and get ready for the qualifying race."
"Q-Qualifying race!" I squeaked, widening my eyes in fear as I stared at the principal in shock.
"What? You thought you were going to walk on the track with no questions asked?" The headmaster Spritle teased me with a smirk, crossing his arms in fake authority.
"N-No but…It's my first time in front of so many people," I admitted shyly, looking down to hide my blush.
"There's always a first time," the principal chuckled, sitting back on his leather chair. "These are real racers, our top students. They too had to go through this," he told me, motioning over to a screen on a wall which was showing the face of four people right beside a picture of their racing car. "Who knows? Maybe you'll be up there someday."
"A-Amazing…" I breathed out, the weight of all the possibilities for my future suddenly suffocating me.
"So what kind of car are you racing today?" The principal asked me curiously, leaning his elbows on top of his desk.
"Um…it's…going to be brought here by the people of the orphanage in a couple of hours. It still needs a few repairs," I told him sheepishly, rubbing my right cheek with my index finger.
"I'm sure you'll do great," the headmaster nodded, content with my answer. "Now go get yourself sorted out and I'll see you at the track right before sunset."
"Thank you sir," I smiled nervously at him, taking this cue to stand up and head for the door.
"Good luck, dear."
I stopped the moment I was walking out and turned to give him a grateful smile. Maybe, just maybe, I'll really be able to accomplish my dream in this school.