Racing Against the Past

Chapter 1

It was a warm night in Daytona… but Alexander Thorne was shivering. He was in his hotel room, sitting on his bed with his head in his hands, and utterly terrified… even though he was safe. The thoughts gnawing at his consciousness grew louder and louder, and more and more frightening, until what was unmistakably a gunshot snapped him back into reality.

"This is why I hate going to sleep," he muttered to himself.

He looked in the bathroom mirror and noticed tear tracks running down his deathly pale face. The color would be back in his face when he got over the shock, and he knew no one had fired a gun… not tonight. No… it was all in his head… but God, he wished the nightmares and flashbacks would screw off. He heard a knock at his door, he shook himself, splashed water on his face, dried off, and adopted the confident smirk he wore in public.

"What's up?" He said when he opened his door.

A young blonde woman was on the other side. "You okay?" She asked in a soft southern drawl. "I… I heard crying… I think."

"Nothin' I can't handle," he replied smoothly.

"Alright. Everyone's at the hotel bar."

"Tell 'em the new guy's on his way," said Alexander. He followed her to the bar and, when he got there, took a seat next to the blonde and ordered his favorite drink: a screwdriver. He drank it slowly and heaved a sigh.

"So…" said the blonde, "congratulations on getting into the Wacky Races! Like it so far?"

"The people seem alright," he replied. "I'm Alex Thorne."

"You won the Daytona 500 three times!" She replied excitedly. "My name's Penelope. I watched you do it!"

"I've been racing since high school," said Alex. "I got discovered by a famous driver, who taught me what he knew. You might know him… Carson Fitzpatrick."

"You have a very aggressive style," she commented, "just like his."

"You don't win Daytona by obeying speed limits," he quipped with a wink. "I was a huge fan, by the way, of your father. He used to say he raced for you and your sister on TV. It's a shame he had to go in that way."

"Paul Pitstop died doing what he loved," she said, "you can't go much happier than that."

Alex flashed Penelope the first genuine smile he'd shown in what felt like years. Hopefully his car, he thought, with its new modifications, would be up to the challenge.