ONYX
Well it was just like I expected when I got home. I was yelled at for not coming home and got clapped around the head pretty hard for taking the bottles. My uncle was too tired and had a hangover to beat the crap out of me for taking them. He's beaten me for doing less than that and put me in hospital. I saw my aunt in bed and made her a cup of tea to steady her nerves. She was curled up in bed with the bruises being hidden behind her clothes like most of mine.
It's a good thing today was Saturday. This meant my face could heal a bit before I went back to school, no suspicious looks from my teacher either. My bike race is tonight on the beach where the unofficial/illegal track was set. A part of the beach had formed with natural hills and sliding sands making the track only available to the most experienced dirt bike riders. Perfect for me, but perfect for the school bully leader too, and he cheats…badly! I was always able to dodge his tricks and win the races with him coming in second.
Well tonight I put on my helmet and waited for my uncle to pass out from the mountain of beer he consumed. Then I walked to the private garage I rented where I kept my dirt bike. I opened the garage and looked on my black bike. I thought I'd never feel love again but I felt it for my bit beast, and I left it for my bike.
I smiled when I remembered the days I was chased by police yelling at me for my licence. I was two years too young to ride one but could I give a flying fuck? Every time they chased me I gave them the finger and disappeared in the night. I always had a knack for doing that but didn't think much on it until I found out I had some powers. I'm just able to meld in to the darkness even when I once wore a white T-shirt. I could out run cars, trucks and I was even able to keep up with a train at some point. If I concentrated hard enough could move objects of considerable size with my mind. If there were anymore powers I had then I hadn't found them. Where they came from I don't know, but I had my suspicions when I looked at my beyblade.
Riding towards the beach took my mind off anything else when I heard the bikes revving their motors. The bullies were called the punks because they looked like punk rockers so the name stuck. The leader was called Scud, but I called him skid because he reminded her of the skid marks of shit left in his underpants.
"All right there On?" He laughed like an idiot as the others laughed just as stupidly. "How are your pants these days skid?"
"IT'S SCUD!" He yelled turning red as his gang tried hard not to laugh. I smirked as I made my way to the starting line to see what I could win. There ere always there options and I always chose the money. The other two were a new bike which I didn't need for the moment or an all expenses paid holiday.
I hardly spent what I earned from the races at all. I used the money from my part time job to pay for clothes, food, beyblade parts and things like that. I have saved at least fifty thousand pounds in my bank account. This is how much I had saved over the course of a year of racing and winning. Apart from blading I found I had quite a talent when it came to night racing. I was saving my money so I could eventually take myself and Aunt Sarah out of that hell hole called our home.
Today some big cheese came today to see the race and the money changed from a couple of thousand to a whole ten grand. I would definitely be putting my fist around that wad of notes no problem. This will bring me a few steps closer to getting somewhere else for me to live, hopefully somewhere safe.
I looked over to the box where the rich people sit to watch the races. Normally you can see their faces but this guy was hidden in shadow like he didn't want to be seen. 'Rich and mysterious? What's with this guy I wonder.' Well moneys money so I pretty much don't care about the guy. A boy who worked at the temporary bar when ever there was a race came over to me. "What's up Keep?" We didn't know his real name but he was known as bar keep so we called him keep for short. He was probably a couple of years older than me and the bullies wouldn't bother him for free drinks because he was a black belt. "That guy is dangerous. If you win his money don't accept his offer to race for him, you could end up dead like so many from here."
"Got it." I put my helmet on and watched him return to his bar. The punk gang just tried to grab some free drinks but he ran them down and beat the crap out of them. 'Looks like I'm not the only one with bruises now.' It was unfortunate Skid wasn't with them.
The race was about to start so I took my position revving my bike to get ready. The shooter stood by the starting line and raised his pistol in to the air. Three seconds later and he fired. All the bikes rose up a hugs cloud of sand behind them as they took off. First lap and everything was going fine, my heart leapt after each jump and the double hill before the finish line filled me with joy.
But then Skid started pulling out his dirty tricks. He used his chains to wrap around the bikers rear wheel casing them to fly off the track. He threw up sand in front of racers so thy drove themselves off the track. But my favourite had to be when he drove beside them and punched the helmets of kick the bikes off the track.
Then the lap before last came up and it was just me and him left. He drove up beside me, I dodged his helmet attack but he kicked my bike. The first one I just managed to keep on the track, but when he came again I skidded in to a hill. Everyone booed Skid as he slowed down to get to the finish line. But however I wasn't out yet. I was just touching the line but not over it and I was pissed off beyond anything I'd ever felt before. I drove at full pelt past the lap line and Skid noticed I was catching up fast so he sped up too. The only chance I had of winning is if I could go over the first hill and clear the second before the finish line.
I went faster and faster until black and white sparks came off the bike and myself. I went over the hill and cleared the second right over Skid's head at terrific speed. I saw black and white flames surround me and the bike as I flew towards the finish line. How my suspension survived the impact of the ground I'll never know all that matters is I won and was a few steps closer to moving out.
I skidded to a halt and felt shaky. I looked around to see everyone cheering and congratulating me on that jump. They showed me the footage, strangely there was no flames and I decided to keep that a secret too. I didn't want anyone thinking I was crazy or anything.
"CHEAT!" I heard Skid cry. "LOOK WHO'S TALKING!" I yelled back. He tried to throw a punch at me and I lost it. I dodged his punch and winded the fucker about three times. I kicked punched and head butted the git with my helmet. They pulled me away and I managed to get a kick to his head before they took me away. The visor on his helmet flew away and his helmet cracked. He fell to the floor unconscious and I smiled under my helmet as he was dragged away.
I came up to the box where the shady rich man waited for me. "Here's your ten grand." He sounded like one of those American fat cats with a harsh voice like he smokes too many cigars. "I want you to work for me, a racer like you would bring in a lot of cash."
"No thanks, I'd rather die when I'm old."
"Suit yourself, but your wasting a valuable opportunity." I may've been mad at the world but I wasn't stupid enough to get myself killed. That wouldn't be good news for aunt Sarah if I couldn't get her away from that bastard who calls himself my uncle.
Keep looked at me and nodded as if to say 'good'. Thanks for the advice, if there was one thing you could rely on Keep to do, it's give good advice when needed. He gave me a free beer because he enjoyed watching the jump too. He looked at me and asked if he could have my phone number. I choked on my beer and looked at him in a weird way. He was bloody serious! He was good looking but I didn't have the time or life that would accommodate a boyfriend let alone a friend right now. I looked from his brown eyes to his short black spiky hair. The top of my head reached his shoulder and he was a couple of years older than me. But the thing back at my house was the problem, not him. I did fancy him at some point but I learned to fight on my own and wasn't looking for a relationship right now.
"You don't want to get mixed up in my life. There's nothing wrong with you but my life hasn't got any room for friends at the moment. I don't want to see you get hurt even though I know you can take care of yourself. Sorry that's just what it's like right now. Thanks for the advice." Keep looked a little downtrodden but understood and smiled. "Anytime. If you need someone to talk to though, you know where to find me."
"I'll keep you in mind." I knew he worked at the local bar down the road from my house when he wasn't here. So yeah, I'll definitely be keeping him in mind.
I slowly rode my bike back to the garage and cleaned it up. Then I locked the garage door and walked as slowly as I possibly could back at to my house. The bastard was still asleep and I felt the urge to grab a knife and run him through. But then I knew Sarah would get the blame. Slowly I walked to bed and nursed the bruises on my face from his fists.
Then I sighed and lay back to sleep for tomorrow was Sunday and I work all day at the restaurant. I worked in the back mainly, you know, sweeping, washing up, cleaning basically. I was never shown as a waitress when I had bruises on my face. The boss knew of my life but he didn't get 'emotionally involved' he would say with his workers. He did once and it led to problems apparently.
So anyway, I go to work get paid every Sunday and I work three hours after school till nine O'clock every night. It's not as profitable as the races but hey, it's small money used for small purposes. My boss took one look at my face and sent me to the back like I expected. I didn't mind, the little bratty kids really get tome on Sundays.
I got on with my work in the back when who should I see walk in the door? That's right, my older buddy Kai. He was closely followed by Ray, Max and Mariah. As soon as I spotted them I went as far back as I could so they wouldn't see me. I thought it strange they came here without Tyson. But I overheard a conversation from the cook as he breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad he won't let that bottomless pit come in anymore, I could barely keep up with his orders. I swear I nearly had a nervous breakdown the last time he came in here."
"Well you can rest easy as he won't be coming back." The waitress replied with her oversized breasts and heavy make up which I think she put on with a garden trowel. I was told never to judge a book by it's cover. But when she would talk sometimes I thought a Nat would have more brain cells than her. Don't get me wrong, I think she's ok but sometimes she acts like a total whore/bitch/super model wanna be.
I breathed a sigh of relief when they left. I had successfully managed to avoid them for two hours. I went out the back to carry the bulging bin bags to the giant wheelie bin opposite the back entrance in the alley. I put them in the bin and turned round to be met by a pair of brown eyes. "Onyx."
"What are you doing here Kai I'm working." He smirked. "That's a nice way to say hello to the person that put you back on your feet."
"Sorry, I'm just not in the mood to be nice today." Kai raised an eyebrow. "Or any other day by the look of things." I laughed quietly and lay back against the wall looking at him feeling as amused as he looked. "So what brings you here?" Now he looked very serious. "I wanted to see how you are." I gritted my teeth and bowed my head. "I'm fine."
"So your uncle hasn't-"
"No." I growled feeling a little defensive, I think Kai knew that when he took a step back. "Sorry." I said and raised my head to look at Kai more clearly. "Don't be, you haven't done anything wrong. But if I find your uncle has been beating you again I won't hold back my fists on him, got it?" I nodded and smiled like I hadn't done in a long time. But why was Kai protecting me? I was about to ask him when my boss stuck his head out the back door and yelled at me for loitering. "I'd better get back to work. See you around Kai." I went back inside and finished my work.
When I came home my uncle called me in to the living room. "Yes uncle?" I replied trying very hard not to grit my teeth. "I hear your going to the tournament tomorrow make me proud." That was the weirdest thing he's ever said to me. So I just nodded and left, I had never known him to support me like that. So what changed?
