Chapter 2: Welcome to the Freewheeler Islands!

Lightning's POV

Hey, Mack,

How were your holidays? Sorry we weren't in Radiator Springs when you got back. Most of us decided to go to the Freewheeler Islands! It was kind of a last minute thing. The beaches here are so beautiful (and romantic). By the time you see me, I'll be so relaxed and refreshed, but don't worry. I'll still be ready to race when the season starts.

See you soon!

Lightning McQueen

I awoke with a jolt as the plane dipped suddenly. For a moment, I feared we were about to crash or something. Luckily, before I could scream (and Sarge could get mad at me for screaming), I looked past Sally, who was to my right and closer to the window, and out of it. I saw breathtaking scenery. There were lots of beaches with white sand, clear blue water and skies just as blue. I already had the feeling that I was going to love the Freewheeler Islands!

The plane got on the loudspeaker, announcing that we were beginning our descent onto Sanchez Island, the biggest island of the Freewheeler Islands (which I learned was named after the first leader when Europeans first settled into the islands). The local time was about ten o'clock in the morning and the current temperature was twenty-eight degrees Celsius. Not bad.

As we descended, a video played on everyone's screens with all kinds of information about the islands. They were first discovered in the late fifteenth century and were under European rule for a long time. Finally, they became an independent country in 1979. The two main languages were English and Spanish, but it was more than likely you'd hear the native languages as well. There were six large islands, as well as hundreds, maybe even thousands, of much smaller ones.

After the history portion of the video, the narrator went on to list a bunch of things you could do on the islands. The beaches was the most obvious one, of course, and there were plenty of water sports to choose from, but there were also lots of nature hikes and the theme parks. It all looked really cool and I was beginning to wonder if I'd have time to do everything before we went home.

Next to me, Sally smiled, gazing out the window at the paradise that lay stretched out before us.

"Looks beautiful, doesn't it?"

"And romantic", I added. "The second we can, do you wanna head to the beach? Just the two of us?" Much as I loved our friends, honestly, I couldn't wait to ditch them and spend some time alone with Sally.

Sally smiled "Of course"

The plane took another gentle dip and before I knew it, we had touched down on the tarmac. We had arrived!


The airport on Sanchez Island wasn't all that big, but there were so many people milling around, it felt as busy and chaotic as the much larger airports we'd departed from in Velo City and Miami. There were bright lights everywhere; the floors gleamed as if nobody had ever set foot or tyre on them and all the signs were in both English and Spanish.

"Hey, look!" Fudge cried, pointing. "That wet floor sign looks like a banana! Isn't that cool?!"

I spotted the banana wet floor sign and laughed. It was kind of cool.

With Sarge corralling us, we made our way through baggage claim and customs. What didn't help his bad mood was that we had to rent a luggage cart to hold Mater's bags.

I hoped he would loosen up and have some fun. He'd taken charge like this when we'd gone overseas for my racing and I had to admit, it was helpful then. Besides, we've all accepted that as who Sarge is. This time, though, it was just irritating. I mean, we were on vacation, for Chrysler's sake! So what if Fudge didn't feel well after taking her medication (plus, the constant motion and the recycled air didn't help either) and couldn't grab her barf bag in time? Or Fillmore disappeared again at the airport in Miami and had to be paged for twenty minutes?

But those things made Sarge even madder. Sure, I didn't enjoy those things either, but they weren't the end of the world. If he kept going the way he was, Sergeant Killjoy was gonna ruin this vacation for everyone.


The customs line moved like molasses, but Sarge didn't complain or look annoyed about it, to my surprise. In the end, we were cleared, had our passports stamped and into the country we went, all without any problems, to Sarge's surprise.

"I need the bathroom!" Fudge whined the second we were past customs and in the main terminal. "And I'm thirsty!" She seemed a lot better since she threw up, but her face was still a little pale. She'd also had to change on the flight, but now, she looked ready for vacation in a bright pink flamingo shirt.

"Brittney, you're fifteen!" Sarge snapped. "Stop acting like you're five! You're just gonna have to wait."

"Why?" she wondered. "The bathrooms are right there. And why'd you call me Brittney?" We almost never call Fudge by her real name. Even when she's in trouble, it's not very often we call her that. We've all gotten so used to thinking of her as Fudge that we all often forget that her real name is Brittney.

"To answer your questions in order, we've still got a lot of work to do, exchanging our money, getting our transport passes and figure out how we're getting to the resort. And I'm not shouting Fudge through the airport." Then he muttered, just loudly for all of us to hear, "You've all embarrassed me enough for one day."

I think we all had something to say about that, but before we could say any of it, Sally spoke up calmly. "I don't think getting the passes is a ten person job. And I could kind of use the bathroom myself."

"All right", Sarge relented, "but I'll need someone to come with me."

In the end, I was the one who went with Sarge after we exchanged our US dollars for Freewheeler Island dollars. Everyone else headed for the bathrooms and to load up on drinks, snacks and postcards. I felt better once Sally promised she'd get some stuff for me too. When we all met up, I was grateful she'd gotten me a cold can of oil and nothing full of fat and sugar. I was starting a new racing season in February and even though I was planning on taking it easy this vacation, I didn't want to work too hard to get ready for the season.

"Here are your passes", Sarge announced, distributing them. We had paid in advance for unlimited access to all of the buses and ferries across the islands for two weeks. "Whatever you do, do not lose them! The forklift at the counter specifically said they won't replace them if you lose them." He was looking directly at Fillmore.

"To get to the resort", I added importantly (to give everyone a break from Sarge's voice), "we gotta take the green and white shuttle bus that comes to the airport every half hour. If we hurry, we should be able to make the next one. The bus goes to the dock and from there, we need to get the Green Island Express ferry and that'll take us directly to the resort, which is on Green Island. Obviously."

"Let's move out!" Sarge ordered.

I expected Fudge to make that same joke she always does: that she likes her house. But she remained silent. She looked a lot better now that she had a big bottle of cold water, so I guessed she knew as well as the rest of us that Sarge was the one person nobody wanted to annoy any more than they could help. Poor kid.


The second we rolled outside, I felt that warm tropical air hit me and I knew we'd made the right decision in coming here. The cold back home was a distant memory. There was not a single cloud in the sky and palm trees lined the grounds. In the distance loomed the ocean. In the other direction, farther into the distance, the very tops of one or two roller coasters were only just visible, peeking out from behind the palm trees.

"The bus is here!" Mater's voice pulled me from my thoughts.


Now, I haven't been on many buses in my life. Mostly, it's just humans or cars when they're drunk or tourists who take buses. Mack drives me to my races, but a bus feels different somehow.

This particular bus ride was pretty bumpy. The roads were full of uneven terrain and that isn't exactly a strength of mine, so I was glad I wasn't driving. Still, it was enough to make my tanks feel uneasy. I didn't want to complain, though. Sarge didn't look bothered and I didn't want to set him off either. The only other person who didn't look fazed was Fudge. She was fast asleep!

When I wasn't concentrating on not throwing up, I looked out the window and marvelled at the view. There were a few hotels and restaurants by the water; houses lining the streets and a long, wide marketplace. We didn't drive past the theme parks, but you could see some of the rides in the distance. We weren't staying on Sanchez Island, but we'd come over a lot for the theme parks and to shop.

The bus ride was only twenty minutes long, but it felt like a lifetime with the bumps in the road, making me feel queasy. Once we disembarked, under Sarge's eagle eye, my tanks churned even more at the thought of getting on a boat.

I guess Luigi was thinking the same thing. "Is there no other way to get to the resort?" I knew Luigi hated boat rides. Hey, I probably would too, if I spent as much time on a boat as he had.

Sarge rolled his eyes. "The resort is on an island!" he reminded Luigi as if he were speaking to the dumbest person on the planet. "You got three choices: Get in the boat; stay here for two weeks or go home."

Okay, was that really necessary? Sarge better relax soon!

Fortunately, the ferry didn't turn out to be so bad. The water was flat and calm, almost as if you could drive right across it. I started to relax. And after fifteen minutes, we arrived on Green Island, at our resort, the Rearview Mirage.

Immediately, I was impressed. There were several large pools, including two reserved for adults only. I could see at least three or four water slides, even one that went all the way around the water park! That looked like a lot of fun. On the other side, there was a golf course, tennis courts, a hot tub and a fancy restaurant. Two weeks in a place like this! Life doesn't get much better than that!


"This place is awesome!" Fudge declared excitedly once we'd made it into the clean, white lobby. "I can't wait to go to the theme parks! Za- I mean, The Evil One Who Shall Remain Unnamed", she corrected herself at Luigi's Look, "said Superman Escape at Action World is awesome! And so is Wild West Falls! Oh, and The Storm at Ocean World!"

Luigi smiled. "I think those rides are a bit too wild for me", he informed her ruefully. "You will spend some time with your papĂ , no?"

"Of course!" Fudge assured him. "The beach, snorkelling..."

"Well, this could be our second honeymoon!" Ramone commented, speaking for himself and Flo.

Not if Sarge has anything to do with it, I thought.

Studying the map, the inside of the resort was just as impressive as the outside: two indoor pools; a luxury screening room; a disco; a gym; a casino; an arcade and even a bowling alley and laser tag arena!

"Welcome to the Rearview Mirage!" a sleek white forklift with purple accents greeted us warmly at the reception desk. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes we do", I confirmed. "Montgomery McQueen." (I tried to ignore the snickers when I used my real name.)

"Excellent!" He handed us our key cards and explained that we also used them to pay for things and we'd need them to get into the elevator. "Gabe will show you to your rooms."

Another white and purple forklift approached us. He looked identical to the receptionist, except for two little things. One: While the receptionist had green eyes, Gabe had brown eyes. Two: The receptionist had a friendly, calm, laidback air about him. Gabe seemed friendly too, but he had the air of a classy gentleman, kind of like a butler.

"Shall we?" He spoke with a heavy accent, but his English was perfect. (Well, that was no surprise. English was one of the main languages of the islands.) He loaded up our bags onto a luggage cart. I was worried about how he'd go with Mater's bag because he was pretty small. In fact, the bag was bigger than he was! Still, he managed to hoist it onto the cart effortlessly. Then he led us to the elevator.

Everyone got into the elevator, except for Mater, who just frowned at it worriedly.

"Is something wrong?" Gabe wanted to know.

"How d'we know if this here elevator is safe?" Mater questioned. "I don't want them cables to snap and-"

"Mater!" I cut him off. My best friend had been in elevators before and he'd never worried about that before. I made a mental note to ask what was wrong later.

"Sir, I use these elevators every day", Gabe informed him calmly. "There has not once been an incident at this resort."

So, Mater got in, albeit nervously.

Our rooms were on the twenty-third floor, so Gabe pressed that button and off we went.

"The Rearview Mirage was where the cast of the popular American soap opera The Long Road stayed while filming several episodes last year", Gabe informed us. I noticed that he pronounced the words cast and last with an R sound: carst, larst. "In fact, I believe some of them may have even stayed in the suites in which you will be staying."

Ding!

"Ah! Here we are!" Gabe announced cheerfully, rolling out of the elevator, towing the luggage cart. "Follow me!" As we followed him down the hallway (which was decorated with white wallpaper, printed with vibrant green palm leaves), he kept talking. "I live here in the hotel, so I am available twenty-four hours a day. I am a native Freewheeler Islander. I have lived here on Green Island all my life and have been in the hospitality and tourism industry for twenty-five years. So, if you have any questions or need anything at all, please, I am your man."

"Thanks!" we all chorused gratefully. Gabe seemed like a a great guy.

"Ah! This is it! Suites 2319, 2320 and 2321." He unlocked each door and let us decide who was staying where.

Each suite had two sleep rooms and one bathroom, so we decided to have two groups of three and one of four. It actually worked out pretty well. I wanted to stay with Sally and Mater wanted to stay with me, so we took Suite 2319. Not surprisingly, Fudge wanted to stay with her dads, so they went across the hall in Suite 2320 and that left 2321, next door to us, for Sarge, Fillmore, Flo and Ramone.

"Gabe!" an annoyed British accent called out. "I need to switch rooms again! How you call this a suite, I don't know! Even my servant's quarters are much nicer and much bigger than this!"

Gabe rolled his eyes very subtly. "I will be right with you, Sir Proudwheel!"

So, Gabe carried our bags into our respective suites; we gave him a tip (a pretty big one for dealing with Mater's ginormous bag) and he left us to get settled, letting us know where he'd be, should we need him.


The suite was both luxurious and spacious. The walls were a deep ocean blue and there were pictures of dolphins, sea turtles, seahorses and starfish covering the walls. There were comfy couches and big, fluffy beds for any human guests. We wouldn't need those, but Mater was quick to find the chocolates on the pillows.

"Wow! This is incredible!" I breathed. I made sure I said something like this at the resort. The others had said to me once that whenever we travelled, I didn't seem as impressed as everyone else because I'd done a lot of luxurious travelling because of my racing. It came across to them like I had seen it all before, so nothing really matters to me. So, I tried not to act like a snob on vacation and actually be impressed by things. And I really was by the suite and the resort.

"Is you gonna room with me, buddy?!" Mater asked hopefully.

I hesitated. "I kind of promised Sally..." I trailed off awkwardly. Mater looked hurt. Both he and Sally are important to me, so I decided to compromise. "Why don't I room with Sally one night, you the next night and so on?"

"All right", Mater agreed. I could tell he was still disappointed, but he knew fair was fair.

Sally gave me a sympathetic smile as I went to check out the bathroom.

Everything in the bathroom was made of shiny, smooth marble and there was even a TV above the bathtub! That was convenient.

Outside, we had a floor to ceiling glass window and a balcony. The view was incredible. The grass of the golf course was a bright emerald green and beyond that was the clear blue of the ocean.

"Glad we came?" Sally quizzed me, parking beside me on the balcony, breathing in the fresh air.

I sighed happily. "Very." Everything was perfect. Except for the fact that I could hear Sarge and Fillmore bickering next door. What spawned this latest argument, I don't know.

"Well", she announced, "I guess we'd better unpack if we wanna head to the beach."

"Right!" I agreed.


With that as motivation, I unpacked in record time.

"You ready to go?" I asked Sally. I knew she would be; she is exceptionally organised.

"Yep", she confirmed. "Let's go. We should find out what the others are doing as well."

"Yeah", I agreed. I turned to my best friend. "You coming, Mater?"

He shook his cab. "Nah. I think I'll stay here."

That didn't sound like Mater. The Mater I know would be excited to head out and have some fun. "You sure?"

"Yeah", he replied half-heartedly. "I'll be fine."

"D'you want me to stay with you?" I offered, even though I'd much rather go to the beach with Sally.

He shook his cab again. "Nah", he repeated. "Y'all go and have fun. I'll find somethin' to do here."

"All right..." I agreed uncertainly. I didn't know what was wrong with Mater, but I wasn't going to get into it just then. Maybe he'd tell me later.


We met up with a bunch of the others at the elevator and found out where they were going to be. Flo and Ramone were heading for the spa for a romantic afternoon of their own. Sarge and Fillmore were heading off to a nearby national park. Fudge was heading for the pool, which everyone could guess. She was carrying her towel and you could tell she was wearing her swimsuit underneath her shorts and T-shirt.

"My dads are meeting me there", she added.

"Where are they now?" Sarge wanted to know.

"They said they wanted to rest for an hour or two. Then they'll come and find me."

We all rode the elevator and exited the lobby together, but immediately after, we all went our separate ways. Sally and I decided to drop Fudge off at the pool before we left. I felt a little guilty for ditching her. She told me not to worry about it, but I know Fudge too well to not worry. (I've always thought it must be a little lonely to be Fudge; she's so much younger than the rest of us. I feel so different in age to most of the others. If I didn't have Sally, I don't know what I'd do.) Maybe that was Mater's problem. This was such a romantic place, so he was probably worried that I was gonna spend every second with Sally. Of course, there would be times where I'll wanna be alone with her, but I was still determined to spend some time with my friends as well.

Still, I was grateful to be alone with Sally and the two of us headed to the beach.

The only problem was that the beach was so crowded that it didn't feel like we were alone. There were other couples, old and young, strolling along like we were. Children were shrieking and laughing in the water. Boats were everywhere. It was nice, but not at all the quiet, romantic moment I'd envisioned. I could come here with my friends, but not my girlfriend. Then there was the inevitable...

"Oh, my gosh! Is that Lightning McQueen?!"

"No way!"

"Oh, my God! I love you!"

"Let's just take a look around", Sally suggested. "Maybe we'll find somewhere quieter we could go."

She must've read my mind.


Well, it took a while, but we finally found a perfect place on the other side of the island. We just drove past a large pile of rocks and there was another beach, just as beautiful, but smaller and quieter. No one else was around. As soon as we were over there, it felt like Sally and I were the only two people in the world.

I think we both lost track of time there. We spent hours in companionable silence, admiring the view and each other. We played in the water for a while. We wrote our names in the sand. The next thing I knew, the sun was setting. Now, that view was absolutely breathtaking. The sky was orange, pink and purple. I'd never seen anything like it in my life.

"What a perfect day!" I declared.

"Really?" Sally teased. "We took things slow all day."

I laughed. "C'mon, Sal! You know I've changed since you first met me. I love to slow down now and then. Especially with you."

I pulled her in for a kiss as the sun set behind us. Oh, yeah! Coming here was so the right decision! We were in for an awesome two weeks!

Easter eggs in this chapter:

Rearview Mirage: That was the hotel where Sheriff stayed in the unreleased Cars Toon, To Protect and Serve. Even though the short was never released, I have a book of it and the pictures are fully animated, so it looks exactly like the movie.

Suite 2319: A pretty obvious reference to Monsters Inc.

Please review! :)