Eva walked through the fields, trying hard not to think about the blade that had been placed against her neck. She could remember Aikka's eyes, the image burned into her mind. His eyes had been conflicted, but unyielding. He would do anything for his planet. But Eva never thought that the prince would raise a weapon against her like that.
"Princess?" Eva gasped and turned around quickly. Aikka stood before her, but his features were younger, softer.
"Aikka, you scared me." Eva sighed.
"And you scared me after the race, what happened?" Aikka asked in concern. He approached her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh, it was nothing, you were just better than me." Eva smiled sadly. "Guess I should really be able to back up my talk, huh?"
"No." Aikka shook his head. "You won the race, but yet, you let me take the victory. Why?"
"Huh? I didn't let you win," Eva said. "I needed that victory just as much as you did."
"Then why did you let yourself lose?" Aikka asked. He stepped closer making Eva take a small step back. Aikka's eyes widened as he saw fear flash through her eyes. "Are you…afraid of me?" His ears drooped and he looked hurt at the possibility.
"No!" Eva said hastily. "Sorry, I just, something happened at the end of the race. It was nothing, I'm fine. I promise."
Aikka frowned, not really believing her. "Alright." But he would have to. "Can you just tell me why you are scared?"
"It's…" Eva trailed off. Would it really be a good idea to tell the prince what she knew? She could help him, and his planet, if she told him what would happen. And maybe he could return the favor.
"There you are, Little Mouse." Rick walked up to them, hands on his hips.
"Rick? What are you doing here?" Eva asked nervously. He couldn't be there for what she thought he was. Sure, she may have disobeyed orders, but Don wouldn't put Eva through something like this after her little episode, would he?
"I came to find you," Rick answered. "Prince Aikka." He spared a glance at the prince.
"Rick." Aikka bowed politely to him.
"Looks like your finally getting your wish Little Mouse." Rick grinned widely at her.
"What wish?" Eva took a step back.
"Pilot training from yours truly." Eva turned tail and ran.
"Not happening!" She shouted. Sure, she may have just embarrassed herself in front of Aikka, but Rick's training was hell! She managed to turn a corner when an arm wrapped around her waist and hoisted her up. Eva screamed as she was swung over Rick's shoulder. "No! Put me down! I don't wanna train with you! This so isn't fair!"
"You disobeyed orders in the last race," Rick told her. "And what's more, you lost."
"It's not like a I lost on purpose, let me go!" Eva growled and started hitting his back.
"You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that Little Mouse." Eva screamed as he strolled through the city, ignoring the strange looks they got.
Eva panted as she ran behind Rick. While this wasn't anything new to her, it had been a long time since she had trained beside Rick. A whole lifetime. Needless to say, she probably should have kept in better shape for what she knew was coming. But hey, a girl gets busy. Between school, Molly, and building her rocket seat, which Rick was currently using to torture her with, who had time to train?
"So what's the deal with refusing to race?" Rick asked.
"None of your business!" Eva shouted. "Come on! I did this all the time when we went back to Earth! Just pick up the pace!"
"How do you expect me to help you when you won't tell me what's wrong?" Rick asked.
"Same reason why you raced when I told you not to!" Eva snapped. "There's no trust on this team! Not even between family."
Rick turned back to look at her. Eva became determined and pushed herself harder. She reached out a hand, trying to grab the seat or Rick. She stumbled but got her balance back and reached out. Her gloved fingers brushed against Rick's shoulder. The pilot smirked and sped up, chuckling under his breath. Eva let out a short scream of frustration as she ran faster again.
"Hurry up slowpoke," Rick called.
"Don't underestimate me!" Eva shouted at him. "You know better than that!" She pushed herself, ignoring the burn and protest in her legs. She reached out and grabbed the back of Rick's shirt, tugging it. "Now give me back my rocket seat!" Rick looked at her and smirked. Eva blinked and looked at him nervously as he revved the engine and sped up. Eva tripped over her feet and fell to the ground, rolling forward. She pushed herself up and glared at him.
"Nice try Little Mouse but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve as well," Rick told her.
"Hello there Eva." Satis appeared in front of Eva, causing her to stumble to a stop.
"Satis? What are you doing here? I'm kinda in the middle of something," Eva said. She panted as she tried to catch her breath.
"Yes, I know," Satis said. "I just wanted to say that things seem to be on track."
"On track for what?" Eva asked. "Wait, are you talking about our race?"
"Of course!" Satis exclaimed.
"Satis, I know that getting to Oban is important, but you can't go easy on me," Eva told him.
"But Eva, you need to get there," Satis told her.
"What if I don't go?" Eva asked angrily. "Someone else wins the prize and becomes Avatar? Why can't I just quit?"
"You know very well why you can't," Satis said.
"And what makes Canaletto think that I'll reject the prize this time?" Eva asked. "I know what's at stake here, and he knows that."
"Canaletto has many tricks up his sleeve, you must be careful," Satis said.
"I know," Eva said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta finish training."
"Good luck Eva, I look forward to our race," Satis said.
"You aren't the only one!" Eva said. She started running again, shaking off the ominous vibe that had crept up on her. She shook her head and pushed her legs, passing Rick. She slowed to a stop as he stood up.
"Good job, you managed to complete that run in under a minute," Rick said. Eva blinked at him in shock.
"Are you sure?" Eva asked.
"Don't be so surprised," Rick said. "You're getting better." Eva nodded and looked at the floor.
"Or the Avatar abused his powers while we talked." Eva thought.
"How's training going?" Maya asked, walking up to them.
"Better than expected," Rick said.
"That's good," Maya said with a smile.
"Yeah, fucking peachy," Eva grumbled.
"Hey, I'm training you the same way Maya trained me," Rick said, pointing at the woman.
"Really?" Eva asked in shock.
"Of course. It was how I was trained," Maya said. "You may just drive a racer but your body still needs to be in good shape. The job can be stressful, especially when you're in the middle of a difficult race."
"Or when one of your opponents gets forceful," Rick muttered, rubbing his side. "Trust me little mouse, you'll thank me for this."
"So, what's next?" Maya asked.
"We need to head into town for one last exercise," Rick said.
"Oh joy," Eva muttered.
"Have fun," Maya said.
"You've gotta be kidding me." Eva looked over at the six poles in the water.
"Nope," Rick said with a small smirk.
"God you suck," Eva huffed. She jumped into the water and swam over to the first pole. She grabbed one of the rungs and began to climb up it. She slowly stood up, balancing on one foot.
"Now jump from pole to pole," Rick shouted at her.
"Okay!" Eva shouted back in annoyance. "I hate my life." She muttered under her breath as she jumped towards the first pole.
"Why would you hate such a gift?" Eva gasped as she heard Canaletto's voice in her ear. She flailed her arms and spun on the pole. She lost her footing and fell to water below. She saw Canaletto floating at the top of the pole, seemingly smirking at her. She felt the water cover her and pull her down for a moment before pushing her head above water.
"What the hell was that?" Rick shouted at her. Eva gasped and looked back at the pole, no longer seeing the alien. She looked around wildly, trying to find where he could have gone. "What's the matter with you?" Rick shouted at her. Eva felt something skim across her leg and she yelped, trying to push herself away. She quickly swam for the dock and grabbed onto it, pulling herself up.
"Are you okay?" Rick asked helping her out. Eva shook her head as she coughed up some water. "Hey, breathe Little Mouse, breathe." Rick knelt next to her and rubbed a hand on her back. Eva took a few deep breaths. She closed her eyes and could only see Canaletto. Her hands flew to her head and she moaned. Rick pulled her close and held her tightly. "Calm down alright?" They sat like that for a few moments until Eva calmed down. She pulled back and rubbed her ankle, still feeling something there.
"What was that?" Rick asked.
"It doesn't matter now, I'm fine," Eva said standing up. She gripped her head for a moment and took a deep breath.
"Okay, then why don't we talk about how you know everything that's going to happen?" Rick asked. Eva flinched and looked away from him. Rick stood up and looked down at her. "This is serious Little Mouse, how did you know about my racer? And my arm?"
"I..." Evan trailed off, not sure what to say. She looked up at Rick, the man she had known for years. Rick, who she could tell everything to, who was her big brother. She sighed and looked at the dock in shame. "It's because I've already done this."
"What are you talking about?" Rick asked.
"My mom's crash, the Great Race, everything!" Eva said. "I said it before, Maya wasn't supposed to survive. Spirit was supposed to fly away and leave her behind! But he didn't! And that screwed everything up! And it's all my fault."
"Calm down, take a deep breath and start from the beginning," Rick said. Eva closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked around the dock and spotted a rock. She picked it up and crouched down, drawing on the wooden dock. Rick watched her carefully.
"It starts 20,000 years ago, with him," Eva says. She stood up and moved aside, revealing her drawing to Rick. Rick gasped and looked at the symbol in shock. He reached towards his pocket and took out a pendant with the same symbol etched in it.
"Eva, how do you know that symbol?" Rick asked. Eva glared down at her drawing and stomped on it, smudging it.
"Because, he's the reason why everything happens. He caused Maya's crash, he caused yours, he damaged my racer when I raced Toros, he's the reason why I'm repeating everything, I know it," Eva growled.
"Eva, who is this?" Rick asked.
"The Timeless One," Eva answered. "Canaletto. The Avatar."
"This guy is the Avatar?" Rick asked in shock.
"Not anymore. He was the last one," Eva said. "That's what this race is all about. The Ultimate Prize, it isn't a wish. Whoever wins the race will gain unimaginable power and will become the next Avatar. Who the hell would want that? Be cursed to live on Oban for 10,000 years never to see your friends or family again? Pass."
"Alright, but what does this have to do with you knowing everything?" Rick asked.
"Because, I'm his greatest creation," Eva said. Rick took a step back in shock. "He wove and unwove the threads of time just so he could create me. The only person with the ability to win the Race but reject the prize. And he was right. I rejected the prize.
"After we returned to Earth, I can't remember, it's all fuzzy," Eva gripped her head and crouched down, curling into a ball. "The only thing I remember clearly is going to sleep while I was seventeen and waking up being five again. It was the day of my mother's race. But I asked Spirit to keep her safe...and he did. After that, everything changed."
"She wasn't supposed to survive," Rick said in realization.
"Unfortunately," Eva muttered with a sad smile. "After she died Don left me at a boarding school and I never saw him again. He couldn't take it, honestly I don't blame him anymore. Who wants to be constantly reminded of how they failed the person they loved the most. I don't blame him for any of it. When I turned sixteen and ran away to find him, then I ended up here. Man were things rough. We barely made it to Oban, and then things just went to hell after that. Somehow we won, and Jordan claimed the Prize to save my life."
"After that's when you woke up on the day of the crash," Rick muttered.
"You got it." Eva stood up and brushed of her pants. She took a deep breath and looked at the pendant still in Rick's hand. Rick held it up and looked at it as well.
"It seems like we're all his puppets," Rick muttered.
"You have no idea," Eva said. She looked at the poles and sighed. "Alright, let's get this over with!"
"Are you sure Eva?" Rick asked.
"Sure I'm sure, if I could do it once, I can do it again!"
Rick and Eva walked into the hangar. They both stopped and looked up at the beat up star racer.
"Okay Little Mouse, read my mind," Rick said with a small smirk.
"I believe your words were, 'what this ship needs is a little tlc'," Eva said.
"Bingo," Rick said. He looked over at the cans of paint on the wall. "And with my guess you're going to do your famous pink bunny head."
"You know it! Wanna help me out?" Eva asked.
"Nah, you'd yell at me saying I wasn't doing it right." Rick said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, you're probably right." She picked up a can of pink spray paint and shook it.
