Night Stalker Pass got its name from a strange and mysterious group of… well no body knows what they are. They only came at night and light seem to hurt them. They come at uneven intervals and take at least one member of the town. The reason the pass was named after them was because that was where it was believed that the first victims were captured.

Aerrow and I sat on our skimmers just outside the pass with the rest of the group. Ray stood on either side of the skimmers; he explained the layout of the race course. Ray was the only one I trusted enough to know that I could win the race and not have Nathaniel cry cheat.

"Do you understand the course and rules," Ray asked, glancing at me then looking at Aerrow. He had been avoiding looking at me for too long.

Aerrow and I nodded. The other's headed up to the ridge and Aerrow and I waited. We would begin once the sun light up the pass.

"You're sure you want to do this," Aerrow asked.

"For the tenth time," I said rolling my eyes, "yes, I'm sure. Aerrow," I said before he could utter another word from his opened mouth, "if I didn't want to do this I would have told my brother to go join his bike at the bottom of the ridge."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. In fact I may have helped him get there."

Aerrow gave me a strange look, "I think you've been spending too much time with the Cyclonians."

I laughed, "No my outlook on my brother has always been this way, the only thing the Cyclonians did was show me how to do things I've always wanted." I paused, looking at the sky, "They gave me the means of making my own path," I said more to myself than Aerrow.

Aerrow looked down for a moment, thinking it seemed, and then looked up at the sky as well. "It's…"

I nodded, "almost time, I know." We mounted out skimmers, and started the engines. We waited, tense, leaning into the crystal converters. The sun was in position and the two skimmers took off into the Night Stalker Pass.

3rd person on the ridge

The Storm Hawks, the Nimbus's and the friends of Nathaniel and Skylar stood on the ridge. They were waiting on the race. The Storm Hawks and Skylar's friends were nervous.

The Storm Hawks didn't know what side to take, Aerrow was their leader and friend but in the short time they had known Skylar she had become their friend too.

Saar and Vic were worried on why Nathaniel wasn't worried. When he wasn't worried then it meant that something bad was going to happen.

"Why so worried, you two," Mrs. Nimbus said snidely. "Don't you think that Skylar can win?"

"Of course Skylar can win," Vic said hotly crossing his arms.

"Yes," a soft female voice from behind the group, "she certainly can."

The group turned to see Master Cyclonis and the Dark Ace walking towards them. The Storm Hawks tensed while the rest stared in shock at the leader of Cyclonia and commander of the Talons.

"What are you doing here," Piper said.

"Calm yourself, Piper," Master Cyclonis said; glancing at her, "we're here because Skylar told us she would be here."

"How could she have told you…?"

The Dark Ace raised the message crystal that Skylar placed in the tree. (A/N return to Chapter 15 if you cannot recall) "She left a message where she knew I'd look," he said simply. He looked over the group. "Where is Skylar? Come to think of it, your leader is missing as well."

No one except Cyclonis heard the biting bitterness in Ace's voice. Skylar's words about him being too old to have a relationship with did not apply to Aerrow. Aerrow was in fact a year younger not older and the fact that neither were there sent Ace's stomach into an upset rage.

"My daughter," Mr. Nimbus snarled, "is racing that boy so she will come home and will stop this foolishness."

Ace and Cyclonis looked at him then at each other and started laughing with uncontrolled mirth. The Storm Hawks jaws dropped at the sudden laughter.

"You believe," Ace said still chuckling, "that Skylar would lose a race? On the Sky-Blade no less?"

"You believe she will," Nathaniel snarled, just only able to find his voice.

"I do not believe, I know. She could beat the Talon Elites, myself included, on a junkyard model." He eyed Nathaniel, his lips quirked in a sly smile, "it was yours I believe."

Nathaniel scowled darkly at Ace.

"As I was saying, Skylar is gifted young woman, her skills excel at anything she does and racing is no exception. As I said she out drove Elite Talons on a piece of junk, once she built the Sky-Blade she only excelled at it. No one can beat her one the Sky-Blade, especially when she knows the terrain she's on."

Nathaniel opened his mouth, looking pissed off, when the sound of engines reached their ears.

The group turned to the Pass and saw dust being kicked into the air. On the floor Skylar held the lead over Aerrow by the length of their vehicles.

Ace smiled, of course she was in the lead if she could beat him she could beat a Sky-knight. He glanced over at the boy and found him smiling. Why is he smiling?

Skylar

I love the feeling of the Sky-Blade under me and the thrills increased as I raced Aerrow thru the Pass. My heart raced with adrenaline as I held my lead over Aerrow, and it only increased when I saw Wings Cross.

Aerrow wouldn't be able to catch up with me now. I was on top speed and it was far faster than Aerrow's skimmer's top. The Sky-Blade bounced slightly as I hit a rock but it didn't affect my speed. Ahead of me the rock wall exploded.

My eyes jerked upwards at the large falling rocks 20 feet about me. I swore, I knew Nathaniel had something to do with this. My adrenaline spiked higher making my head ache with it. The rocks seemed to move slower as I approached the rock fall, I was going far too fast to stop now. My relaxes took over and as the rocks came closer I maneuvered out of the way.

Rocks hit the ground inches away from me, shockwaves hit me and all the while I could only hear the thumps of my accelerated heart rate. I made it through the rocks somehow unscathed and crossed under Wings Cross.

I pressed the breaks and threw the tail around to face the rock fall and pass. The rocks had stopped falling and I could see Aerrow on the other side. He had been able to stop before reaching the rocks. I could see the whiteness of his face under his flaming hair and above there was a scream in terror.

Ridge Dark Ace POV

I watched the Sky-Blade jostle as Skylar drove. A less gifted or experienced driver would have lost control of the vehicle but not Skylar. A bump like that would do nothing to her driving.

There was an explosion and my eyes jerked up. Rocks fell, their sizes ranging from the pebbles to skimmers. I stared in horror as they fell. My eyes fell to Skylar, her face turned upwards too far to see the expression. She didn't stop, she couldn't.

I watched her move through the falling rocks, falling inches from her. Someone started laughing, yanking me out of my trance on Skylar.

The boy, Skylar's brother, was laughing as he watched the rocks fall all around his sister. Rage filled my chest. I lurched forward and grabbed the adolescent by his throat.

Nathaniel gasped as I lurched him off his feet and over the ledge, holding him there. He looked at my face and screamed.

I ignored the scream, debating how long I should hold him over the ledge before dropping him. I could hear the hum of an engine. I ignored that too, I was too pissed off at this boy.

Then I heard the angel's voice, "Ace."

I twitched my eyes still fixed on the boy.

"Ace," Skylar's voice sounded annoyed.

I looked past the boy and saw Skylar sitting on the Sky-Blade, resting her crossed arms on the crystal converter.

"Glad you could rejoin the land of the living, Ace," she said, smirking.

My face flushed slightly, relief filling my so fast I nearly let the throat in my hand go.

"Put him back on the ledge, Ace," she sighed.

My fingers tightened. "He rigged the wall to blow."

"Yeah, I know that, Ace," she said bitterly. "The only thing that surprises me is that I didn't think that he would really do it."

I stared at her, unable to stop the longing I felt to hold her in my arms.

"You are many things, Ace. But don't bow down to his level," she jerked her chin towards her brother. "You're better than that."

I felt my expression soften. She believed the best of me, she didn't know the extent of my crimes. That I had gone as far as killing the man who took me under his wing. Letting her brother fall out of my hand was nothing in comparison to that…

"Ace?"

I tossed the boy back on the ridge. I heard him grunt in pain as he hit the ground. I didn't look at him. I only had eyes for Skylar.

I heard the hum of another engine and the child sky-knight rose up. I was annoyed by his presence; I remembered my jealous anger from earlier when I thought they were off alone. I didn't like the idea that I became jealous of the boy knight.

Skylar's POV

I notice Ace looking past me at Aerrow. I could tell by the engine noise that it was him. There was a look on his face. I doubted that anyone, but Cyclonis and myself, recognized the look. Anger and annoyance but there was one other look that I didn't recognize. Was it jealousy? Crap, is Ace still in love with me and does he see Aerrow as a threat to his place in my life? Damn, I hope not…