A/N: Wow, guy! Thanks for all of the great reviews! I wasn't sure how the idea would play out, really. Anyway, sorry to keep you waiting, but your reviews sure helped! OK, so my next chapter is kind of long, 5 pages! But I like it. It gives you a certain perspective about things ;) Anyway R&R please! Let me know if you think my chapters should be shorter! As usual, criticism is welcomed as long as it's done in a polite manner! I'm always looking for suggestions to help my writing!
Doxeh: Niccee :3 I am so happy you reviewed! Ilu Hayley!
Tails-Coyote-Carnivore: Actually, I completely forgot about pairings! (sweatdrop) But It'll become clearer and clearer who the pairings are later on. Until then, you'll just have to guess ;)
amberwindhamsbcglobal.net: Ha, I suppose a lot of people will be looking for pairings, then. All the more fun!
OSR4ever: Thanks! I'm not too sure about the length of my chapters, but I'll try really hard to update consistently! I hope you like the next chapter!
Nightfall2525: Wow, I'm getting a lot of Eva/Aikka vibes here. It might be, and it might not be. Keep reading to find out!
-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: Thanks! I wasn't too sure about the style, actually. I'm still getting used to writing a lot in one day. In fact, this chapter took me like three days to prefect, and I'm still not sure I did it right!
Jordan's Gal: Yea, I'm a cliffhanger type of person I kind of like it when you put the pieces together yourself in a story, so expect that a lot from me.
Well, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
The Invitation is received: Eva is back on track!
Back on Earth, Eva Wei was just waking up from a dream that she couldn't really remember, not being able to pinpoint what was different about today. She sat up in her bed, the purple covers falling down to her sides as she did so. Glancing over at her clock, she saw that it was 7:30 a.m. She groaned; she had overslept by half an hour. Somebody must have turned off her alarm. Of course, there was also the possibility that she just slept through it—it wasn't the first time she hadn't woken up to the rather annoying slur of her alarm clock. If Eva still wasn't half asleep, she might have assessed the situation better. But, of course, she was half asleep, so she didn't really care why she was missing school at that point. Instead, sighed and stretched her arms up, allowing a yawn to break out of her mouth. Slowly, she frowned slightly at the distant memory that was her dream. She hated it when she had a dream and then forgot about it when she woke up. Especially since she could felt that she was so close to remembering it. Still, that was not what was different about today. She couldn't exactly describe the feeling. It was a swelling in her chest that gave her an immense amount of energy. It was as if she had woken up on a sugar rush, although she was still able to refrain from any energetic movement. Still, it was a elevating feeling, if not happy, and she didn't mind it at all. She figured it was because in two days it was going to be the 1-year anniversary, when her and her father, Don Wei, had reunited. With that happy thought in her head, Eva had no problem getting up and dressed, which usually took her forever.
She slipped on a blue jacket as well, since it was autumn and a little windy outside. Eva fished her characteristically fitting goggles out of a random pile of clothing and placed them on her head. She cast one last look in the mirror. Perfect. She glanced around her room, thinking not for the first time that it was a tad bit messy. She ought to clean it up sometime. Maybe she would, later. For the time being, she hurried downstairs. The giddy feeling stayed with her all along, but she wasn't really that bothered by it. She entered the kitchen, and wasn't that surprising to find her father, Don Wei, sitting on the counter with a cup of coffee in his hands. Eva gave him a quick peck on the cheek before opening the refrigerator door and pulling out a box of orange juice. "Eva." He said, in a surprised greeting. "You're up late today." She took out a glass from a nearby cabinet the shook the box. "Yea, I kind of slept through my alarm this morning. But, hey, you didn't wake me up." She added, giving him a side look. If any argument was going to work, it was going to be this one. However, Don cracked a smile and waved the matter aside. "No matter," he said "I was thinking that we could go to the diner today anyway for breakfast. Your school won't mind if you miss first period." Eva grinned. Undoubtedly her father was anticipating their 1st anniversary with just as much enthusiasm as she as. "Awesome." She said, pouring herself a glass of orange juice and downing it before putting the carton back., and followed her father to the garage, where the car was parked outside. All the way to the diner, they broke into a small conversation. Eva's old friend and racing mentor, Rick Thunderbolt, was arriving tomorrow from Braunswick, where he had taken up a career as a racing coach. "..anyway, he wanted to know if you can get out of school early tomorrow." Don said as they exited the car. "And?" quipped Eva hopefully, pushing the door to the diner open and going inside. There was nothing she would love more than to leave school early—especially if it were to be with Rick. Unfortunately, Don shook his head. "I told him what I'll tell you; absolutely not! You're about to go on your break, anyway. There'll be plenty of time for fun and games after school." He emphasized the last two words. Eva rolled her eyes. A pretty waitress with black hair seated them. Eva accepted the menu with a smile and looked it over. "I think…I'm in the mood for chocolate-chip pancakes. What about you?" She asked her father. Don shook his head. "Just coffee for me. You know that." Eva pouted "Yea, but too much coffee isn't a very good breakfast. At least have an omelet or something." He nodded, if reluctantly.
"All right, one omelet." The rest of breakfast went uneventful. So was the drive to school.
"I'll see you at home," Don said in farewell, before driving off. Eva sighed, grabbed her backpack out of the car, and entered the building. School went by as usual after that. She managed to get through all of her classes, with nobody but her best friends Marissa and Trent keeping her sane and up with math. It was during 4th period—French, as it were, that things started getting weird. The phone in the classroom rang, and Ms. Dulache, the French teacher, went to answer it. She picked it up with curiosity, and as she held it to her ear, her pale face scrunched into that of confusion and she put it down very slowly after the conversation was over, as if she didn't know whether to believe it or not. "Eva Wei," She said finally, her shrill voice lowered a couple of notes. She was a stout woman, with rather large front teeth and grey-black hair tied tightly back in a bun. Her piercing brown eyes and dark red lips made her face even paler than it already was, and her thin-rimmed glasses did her no flattery, either. "Your father is here to pick you up." She finished. Eva stared; her father had dropped her off from school not even three hours ago. Now he wanted to pick her up? Was something wrong? Marissa, who sat behind her, leaned forward "Is everything OK?" She whispered. Eva shrugged in response. She had no idea what was going on. She collecting her things from her locker, and went down to the front office to notify them she was leaving; they already knew. Stepping out into the sunlight, Eva couldn't help but stare. The car in front of her was most defiantly not her father's. The white limousine was almost twice the size that they had, and it had the unmistakable imprint of the President's insignia. But what did the President want with her? A tall man that seemed to appear out of nowhere greeted her. "Eva Wei?" He asked, his voice holding no emotion at all. He was much taller than her, with sandy brown hair and an even tan. You couldn't see anything behind his dark glasses, and he was wearing a black suit. "Yes…" She said uncertainly, still not sure what was going on. The man was all business. He seemed very…sour, in her opinion. "Ms. Wei," he started, with a very official and serious air to his words. "My name is Agent Warren. You were excused today from school under the pretense that your father had come to collect you. Now, if you want…" His voice trailed off momentarily, but he quickly resumed "If you choose to go, the President has requested an audience with you." Eva blinked in response. She was expecting the answer, but that didn't make anything any less confusing. "He wants to see me?" She echoed, more curious than concerned. "Why?" She couldn't understand what was so bad about him wanting to see her. Obviously, it had to do with the Great Race of Oban. "Yes." The man said, not answering her as to what the meeting was pertaining to. He opened the door to the limousine for her, and she reluctantly climbed inside, hoping that she was doing the right thing. Before she went in, though, she asked Agent Warren. "Does my father know where I am?" He didn't answer her, but shut the door instead. Eva examined her surroundings. The President's limo wasn't a bad place to be. It had a minibar and really comfortable seats. Still, all of these positive attributes didn't help calm the nervous chortling of her stomach. The intense silence didn't help either. After what seemed like an eternity, she felt the car slow to a stop. The door was opened for her, and she climbed out. She couldn't help but marvel at the building before her; a large, white structure with brick on it's sides. It had many, many windows, but you couldn't see through any of them. She was led through the front door, and, with a nod from Agent Warren, another agent punched in a bunch of numbers on a screen, and the door to the main building opened.
The building wasn't quite as Eva had imagined it. In fact, it looked just like an ordinary workplace, with offices and cubicles and many hallways. She was led to an elevator, where another man was waiting. Agent Warren gave him a nod, and the man pressed the elevator button. It came immediately. After they were in, Warren pressed yet another button—Eva thought it was the "7" button—and they were zooming through the air. Eva hadn't said one word since they had left school. She was in a sort of daze, still contemplating what was happenening. She was roused from her thoughts by the buzzing noise the elevator made when it stopped. Eva exited, and looked back at Agent Warren, who was still inside the elevator. Before she had a chance to ask him whether he was coming with her to see the President or not, the doors closed and he disappeared, surly face and all. Eva couldn't really count it was a drawback. She looked around. There was only one door at the end of the long corridor that she was standing in. One guess what that was. Feeling a little nervous, she made her way through the corridor and knocked on the door. It opened automatically, and she walked inside the room. It was a cozy cream color, the kind that reminded her of a hotel room. He had a couple of paintings on the wall, although Eva didn't pay them much attention. The room was carpeted, although it was not the soft, plush carpet that she had in her own room. It had more of a hard, stubby texture. The carpet was a dark navy blue, with green and red plaid lines going across it. There was a couple of bookshelves to the left of her, and to the right the wall was completely bare. In the middle, there was a huge desk. The desk was made out of what Eva guessed was black marble. He had a few pens and picture frames on it, but other than that and paperwork, it was bare The President was seating in a tall brown chair, scribbling away at a sheet of paper. At the same time, Eva was immensely relieved to see that he was having a conversation with her father, on the other side of the desk.. Well, at least he knew where she was.
They both looked up as she entered, and their conversation died down. "Miss Wei!" The President greeted her jovially. Her father nodded at her, although his expression was more serious. Eva took a seat besides her father and couldn't suppress a smile. She couldn't help but feel a little important. "What's all this about?" She asked curiously. The President's expression melted instantly into a solemn look. "Yes, well, you see…" His voice trailed off, and he seemed to re-think his approach. Instead, he asked "I trust you have kept the Great Race of Oban a secret?" Don Wei nodded immediately "Of course, Mr. President. We understand the importance of such a secret." Eva, however, could not say the same for herself. Keeping Oban a secret had lasted about…half a day. After that, she would tell anyone who would listen about how she had raced in the intergalactic races. She had conveniently forgotten to mention the whole "Kanaletto" ordeal, but other than that, her secret was out. Some people believed her, while others didn't. Most kids just figured she had participated in an interplanetary tournament, and was just exaggerating about it. Marissa believed her completely, but Trent was more skeptic. The President nodded. "Good, good. Well…another, matter, shall we say, has come up. And, I was hoping that since young Eva already has experience with other worldly interactions, she would be the volunteer to represent Earth." Don Wei looked startled, to say the least, but Eva cocked her head to one side, thinking it over. "What is the, um, matter?" She asked finally. Don Wei opened his mouth and was about to say something when the President spoke quickly. "Instead of telling you, it would be much easier just to show you." He clicked a button under his desk, and a huge television screen that took up the whole side wall of the office appeared to a slit in the ceiling where the bare wall had been. The President cleared his throat "This message arrived last night." He took a remote out of one of the drawers of his desk, and clicked a button on it somewhere. The TV's light flickered and skidded on and off for a moment, but then said transmission easily became apparent. In fact, the President was impressed with how clear it was. Usually transmissions to other planets were messy deals, with much miscommunication. However, this transmission was as clear as if it were being sent from one place on Earth to another, as opposed to lightyears away. On the screen, an old robotic face had appeared and began to tell Don and Eva Wei what he had told the President last night. "Hello, friends! You may not recognize us, but we are inhabitants of the planet Wheel. You may have purchased our goods at one time or another, we're very well known." The creature cleared his throat and continued. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Llew the Wise, Leader of the Congregation of Wheel. It is with the utmost pleasure that I invite Earth to join a tournament that is to be held here on Wheel. This is a racing tournament, and the winner will receive our full alliance and support. Anything you need or do, we will provide anything we can. Ah, there is one more thing," The robot paused, before continuing "Because of…certain circumstances, we request that the racers that you choose to represent your planet—should you decide to participate, of course—be within the ages of thirteen years of age to twenty-one. Thank you, and have a pleasant day!" The transmission once again flickered, and the television then promptly shut of. There was a long silence after the transmission had died down, with each person in the room absorbing it in. "So," Eva started, even more confused then she was when she had come "We're racing, for…their support? That doesn't seem like a very good prize." The President's eyes seemed to come alive at that point. "Not a good prize?" He repeated, as if Eva was a lunatic. "The Wheel are responsible for eighty-five percent of all of Earth's technology and trading. They are the single largest trading community in the Galaxy! Not a good prize? Why, anyone who knows them would give anything to be allied with them! Think about it! Being able to control all of the trading routes, having the best technologies…" A strange glint appeared in his eye, but it went away as fast as it had come. Eva was momentarily stunned by the President's reaction. So these…Wheel were that important? Wheel? What kind of name was that for a planet, anyway? Still, Eva had missed racing. After all, she was only sixteen, and according to law you can't enter the Big Leagues until you were seventeen. And no way was she going to even insult herself by trying the Minor Leagues—she was way past that. The President cleared his throat. "Anyway," he said, addressing Don Wei. "Because of the…odd age demand, I was hoping that your daughter might be able to participate in this tournament. For the good of Earth." Don Wei was frowning. He wasn't too fond of the idea of letting Eva enter another race away from Earth—not after what happened on the last one. As if reading his mind, Eva gave him a small smile. "It's okay, Dad. It's not like Oban." The President nodded "That's right. This race is purely economical, and if I say so myself, it's quite important." Don still didn't look bought, but instead he asked. "Will I be able to come with her?" Here the President's face faltered "Ah—well, here's the thing. Eva won't…well, she won't be going as Eva." At this, both Eva and Don gave the President a stumped expression. "Wait…what?" she asked. He played with the collar of his shirt for a moment before replying. "Well, it would be…unflattering, we'll say, for Earth to send just anyone. So, it would be more appropriate if Eva were thought be…I don't know…somebody more…important."
"Like?" Don stressed. "Like…say, the President's daughter." Eva stared at him. "You've got to be kidding me." She said flatly. Racing was one thing. Going as somebody else was a whole new issue. She wasn't herself during the Great Race of Oban—this time, she wanted Eva to be the one racing, not somebody else. "You're saying I have to pretend that you're my father?" She found that really weird. Really weird. The President shook his head "No, no, you don't understand. I'm not coming, either, so you won't have to pretend you're my daughter around me. Just say that you are. Nobody will know." Eva frowned "Then I don't understand. Why can't my dad come?" The President met her glare. " The thing is, that if your father does come with you, then he must be your racing manager and that's all. And it would be…difficult, to do so." Eva was getting angry. "So then who's coming with me? Or am I going alone?" The President shrugged "Who comes with you is your choice. But, I strongly suggest it not be your father." Well, Eva knew what that meant. Don Wei had been silent all the while, thinking. Finally, he looked over at Eva. "It's your choice." He said finally. "It's your race." Eva was both delighted and disappointed at his answer. Not even two days ago they were having the whole "I-need-more-freedom" talk. It looks like he was finally letting her make her own decisions. At the same time, didn't he want to come? "Besides," Don added gruffly. "There's a lot to do on the racing track and…" He didn't finish, but rather let out a deep sigh. Eva thought about it for a while longer. The prospect of entering a new race was exciting to her, and she really wanted to do it. Not for the President, or even really for Earth. Ever since Oban, she'd been dreaming of another chance like this; except this time, she would like it without the whole "evil-10,000-year-old-birdman-trying-to-destroy-everything" experience. If she had to pretend to be the President's daughter, so what? It's not as if she ever had to talk about him, or even see him. So what was the big deal? It couldn't be that hard. She nodded solemnly. "OK," she said finally, "I'll do it!" The President nodded thoughtfully. "Wonderful! In that case, the next object on our agenda is to find you a gunner…" Eva's face lit up. She knew just who it should be. "I have one already." She said. The President looked up, surprised. "You have one already?" He repeated, as if not really believing her. "Yea, sure." She nodded "My friend, Trent. From school. He's really great. Like amazing great." Which was true. If Eva had to choose anyone who she would trust to be in a machine with, it would be Trent. "Very…well…" The President said reluctantly. "It you're confident in him…"
"Oh, I am." Eva reassured him, already snickering at Trent's response when she told him what she had volunteered him for. Don Wei, who again had been long silent, asked a question. His voice was quieter, and his tone more mundane. "When does the transport leave?" The President nodded, as if satisfied with the question. "The transport leaves in two day's time, and the race will be approximately one week long." Eva was surprised it was so short. "One week?" The President nodded. "Oh, and, one more thing. You're allowed to bring up to four people, including the gunner." Then, as if the whole conversation had never taken place, he diverted his attention back to his papers. Don took this as their leave cue, and he stood up to leave, motioning for Eva to follow. Once they were outside, Eva turned to him and stopped. "Is it really okay that you're not coming?" She asked honestly. Don cast a hard look at the vast parking lot, but answered her. "It doesn't matter whether I'm all right with it. It's necessary for Earth to participate." He started walking again, and as Eva trailed behind him, she couldn't help but wonder what he and the President were talking about before she came in.
Well, that's the second chapter! Hope you liked it! R&R please! I'm sorry you didn't see very much of Eva's friends, but they'll come in more in the next chapter!