Chapter 1 — Wide Smile, High Style

"Hey, wait!"

Greaseball, Electra and CB whirled around to find that Pearl had been listening to their conversation.

"You mean...you mean CB's the reason Rusty went so slow?" she repeated slowly.

Greaseball laughed. "Of course he was!" he chuckled nastily. "What did you expect?" Electra laughed too, and CB flashed a mocking salute to Pearl, who stared in disbelief.

"I'll go tell the Marshall—" she began, but Greaseball grabbed her arm, suddenly looking serious.

"You're in this as well," he warned her. "You raced, too. They'll only suspend you if you ever tell."

Pearl stared at him for a moment, as though challenging his seriousness, then tore her arm from his grip and raced away from them.

Electra sniggered again. "C'mon, Greaseball, CB. Let's get out of here. We've got more races to win."

Greaseball started to follow, but CB had spotted Rusty not far away. His face split into a wicked grin at the sight of the defeated little steam train sitting alone. He wheeled over to him, circling him like a predator.

"Too bad, Rusty," he said, his voice dripping with patronising sympathy. "I guess you just had a real bad run, right?" He gave a cruel laugh as Rusty hung his head.

"Get lost, CB," he mumbled.

"Not so confident now, are you?" CB said, circling him again. Rusty looked back up defiantly.

"I said, get lost," he spat. "I know the truth, and sooner or later the Marshals will as well."

"Good luck with that," CB said enthusiastically. "If it's okay by you, though, I won't hold my breath."

"Get," Rusty growled, "lost."

CB chortled, and made another wide circle around the steam engine as Rusty lowered his gaze again.

"That's the last time I race with you," he sneered, as though the whole ordeal was Rusty's fault. "That's right, steam train—the rerun is for just those two." He indicated to the retreating backs of Greaseball and Electra. "The two real engines," he added. "Call yourself an engine? You're no engine, Rusty!" And with a cruel laugh he skated off again, spraying Rusty with dust as he followed Greaseball and Electra.