SANCTUARY
Chapter Eight
Anakin breathed in deeply, filling his lungs with the distinct scent of Tatooine, sand, and most importantly, engines. The sun was shining brightly, the stands were filled with spectators, and his pod was finally ready. It was a good day for a race and he felt something surge through his veins. He always experienced an added boost of power in him right before a race. It was more than adrenaline and it certainly wasn't luck. He was going to win; he was sure of it, if his pod could survive that is.
He walked around to the other side of his pod to finish his last minute checks. He looked up and was greeted by Cliegg, Owen, Beru, and a very worried Padme. He nodded towards them and smiled.
"Hey guys. I didn't I'd see you until after the race."
"Well, we wanted to wish you luck before finding our seats." Cliegg smiled, removing his hat to wipe the sweat from his brow.
Anakin grinned back at him and leaned against his pod. Owen joined him and wrapped his arm around Anakin's shoulders.
"Good luck, brother. Don't get yourself killed, alright?"
Anakin laughed good-naturedly and nodded. "Don't worry about me. My baby and I…were going to be just fine."
Owen rolled his eyes and was about to reply before making eye contact with Beru. He quickly decided it would be better to let Anakin have his moment than feel the wrath of Beru. Besides, it was only a matter of time before Anakin got his comeuppance for walking in on him and Beru. She still hadn't fully recovered from the embarrassment and as for Owen, he just wanted revenge.
The final call for all the racers sounded over the speakers and Anakin's well-wishers took that as the signal to leave. Cliegg, Owen, and Beru quickly said goodbye, leaving a still silent Padme standing in front of Anakin.
He smiled hesitantly, unsure of what to say to her. He knew how she felt about him racing and for a moment, had a brief flashback of his mother walking towards him, telling him to be careful.
He was thrown back into reality when he felt a rush of air as Padme closed the distance between them. She embraced him tightly, almost fearfully, as she whispered quickly into his ear: "Please be careful."
As she reluctantly released, he nodded slowly. He didn't know what else to do. She was the one person in the universe that mattered most to him and he wasn't about to let her down in any way.
She smiled bravely and quickly disappeared into the crowd. His eyes strained as he tried to follow her form in the crowd. He bit his lip as he lost sight of her and turned his attention back to preparing for the race.
Anakin's hands gripped the wheel in tense concentration as the engines revved their readiness. He looked briefly into the stands for his family, knowing he wouldn't see them but needing to see them all the same. For a moment, his confidence in himself faltered and he knew that even the slightest eye contact with Padme would rejuvenate his morale. In that instant, he found her. Her eyes were shut tightly and as he strained to see her more clearly, he noticed that her lips were moving. She was praying for him. That was all he needed.
He took a deep breath and smiled to himself. Now he was ready. His hands gripped the wheel a little tighter and he exhaled loudly. He closed his eyes as the official gave his last instructions. That strange feeling was flowing through him again and the tension in him subsided. He felt relaxed, calm, and ready to win.
Within seconds, the flag went down and the race had begun. Anakin quickly maneuvered to the front of the pack, keeping a careful eye on the actions of the other racers behind him. His pod went around the first turn smoothly, surprisingly more smoothly than he remembered. Just as his confidence had kicked into full gear, another pod whizzed out in front of him. Anakin gritted his teeth with determination and pushed the accelerator down a little harder, trying to ignore the warning going off in his brain that he shouldn't push his pod too hard.
Much to Anakin's dismay, a second racer slid out in front of him. He pushed down on the accelerator a little more now, not caring anymore about his pod. He wanted to win. He hadn't spent all that time and credits on his pod just to finish third. Adrenaline pushed him further and he had tuned out the roar of the crowd long ago. He had to win. He didn't know how to lose.
The next turn was in sight and Anakin pushed down on the accelerator as hard as he could. He was steadily gaining on the two racers ahead of him and this made him drive his pod a little more harder. He was almost there, victory was right there.
As the next turn approached, his determination only intensified. The roar of the crowd came back to him as his adrenaline pushed him further. It was moments like that, the feeling of impending victory, that he lived for. This was why he loved racing. There was no other feeling like it in the world. It was different than what he felt for Padme. This feeling was power. He was in control during a race and he felt it now.
He had almost caught up to the two leaders and sped up a little more. He was almost there and the next turn was now in sight. His pod began to sputter and the wheel began to shake violently. Fear crept down his spine and he quickly let up on the accelerator, hoping that would solve the problem. It worked for a moment and Anakin took that as a sign to once again push down on the accelerator.
Unfortunately, the wheel began to shake even more violently than before. His pod swerved to the side and he couldn't get control. Suddenly, smoke began to emerge from the engine just as the red warning light began to flash anxiously.
His breathing quickened as beats of sweat dripped down his forehead. The pod was spinning out of control now and there was nothing he could do but wait to crash and hope it wasn't into another pod. Smoke began to fill the entire pod as it swerved and spun wildly around.
It crashed with an intense force into the concrete border around the track. It crunched into the wall, crushing Anakin's leg on impact. His head slammed into the wheel and everything went black.
Consciousness slowly crept back into his body and he winced as the pain of his accident filled his senses. He willed his eyes to open but just didn't have the strength. Somewhere into the darkness he heard a faint voice calling to him:
"Please wake up, Anakin. You have to. Please…just open your eyes."
The voice was desperately sweet and sad at the same time. It continued to call to him over and over again as he drifted in and out of consciousness. The pain throbbing through him still wouldn't let him open his eyes and he still couldn't figure out who was talking to him.
"Anakin, don't leave me. I don't know what I would do, what everyone would do if you did. Please, Anakin, open your eyes. Just once so I know you're alright."
He wanted to, he really did. But he just didn't have the strength. The voice kept calling to him, begging him to come back but he didn't know how.
"I'm here, Anakin. It's me, Padme. I'm not going to leave you. Cliegg, Owen, and Beru are waiting outside and they really want to see you. But they can't do that if you're not awake."
Suddenly something clicked inside of him. It was Padme talking to him. Why didn't he realize that before? Everything was coming back now…the race…the crash…the pain. He managed to turn his head despite the searing pain it caused in his neck. He winced as some light slowly crept in.
The light seemed to shed a soft halo over her and she was beautiful. She was standing over him and she smiled softly down at him. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.
"Hi."
He forced a quick smile and tried not to groan in pain from the effort. "Where am I?"
"You're in the medical tent. The medics brought you here right after they pulled you from the crash. Your right leg is broken and you broke a couple ribs too. You're very lucky to be alive, Anakin."
He chuckled softly. "Still lost the race though."
Padme frowned slightly and inched closer to him. "That doesn't matter. I'm just glad that you're alright."
He nodded slowly and despite his better judgment, looked her square in the eye. "I'm sorry I scared you."
She smiled and tenderly brushed his hair from his eyes. "I know. I'm not the only one you scared, you know."
He winced again and looked at the rest of his body for the first time. His right leg was wrapped tightly and his other one was badly bruised. He had deep cuts along his arms and he was sure his face and neck were equally cut and bruised like the rest of his body.
He sighed deeply. "Can I see them?"
She smiled contently and nodded. "Of course, I'll get them."
She disappeared for a few moments and re-emerged only moments later with Cliegg, Owen, and Beru behind her.
"There he is! How are you holding up?" Owen exclaimed happily.
"I don't know. What do you think?"
"Well, I have to say you don't look the best. You look like you just smashed into a wall."
"Owen!" Beru smacked his arm while Padme and Cliegg could only shake their heads at the banter.
The reprimanding of Owen came to an immediate halt as Anakin's hearty laughter reached their ears.
"Aww, come on guys. He's going to be just fine."