Test Run
Kai
My heart was still racing from the thought of flying, increasing each second from actually doing it. Aerrow knew. He knew I could do it, that much I could sense. But of course, doubt is the first thing that comes to mind if you've never flown yourself.
On the way to the Condor, my thoughts were more focused on who I would meet. Would the rest of the Storm Hawks be aboard? It would be interesting to meet them. The rest of them, from what I've heard, weren't Sky Knights themselves. Having Aerrow as their leader, a registered Sky Knight, allowed them to call themselves a squadron, or in this case, bring alive an old squadron.
As much as I had detested Sky Knights, being alone meant having a ton of free time. When I wasn't fixing up the Switchblade or helping out around town to keep the fridge stocked, I was at the library. I was able to educate myself on the local squadrons, Storm Hawks coming up the most. Unfortunately, none of them carried pictures. If it had, I would've prevented the small embarrassment yesterday and knew who Aerrow was on the spot.
Even still, there were few records of the new Storm Hawks, the bulk of them being on events that carried news of the older squadron.
Suddenly, Aerrow turned back. "Do you know how to land?"
My eyes widened. I was just as scared of landing as I had been of flying. Though fears of flying had almost escaped my system, landing was the task at hand. Was it the same as flying? In trying to keep steady while driving, I had to keep the bike upright. While flying, the same idea applied though a different process was applied. My entire body was a part of the Switchblade when flying, more so now than when driving. Any slight movement I made, the bike felt and responded.
Being allowed to move on the bike was a nice feeling, and not moving felt like I had a stick up my ass. Of course, that meant rolling in the skies was an easier trick (not that recovering from a roll was just as easy).
"Just… just follow my lead!" he shouted back, facing the Condor landing strip.
That meant I was supposed to do what he did… including timing. Once he was in position for the landing strip, Aerrow kept a steady lead. Turning back once more, I knew that was the signal to watch carefully.
He faced forward, waited for the perfect timing, grabbed a lever above the one that released the wings, and retracted the wheels. He let his hands move from the lever to the steering and gripped for impact, releasing the acceleration before entering the Condor. The rest was easy—it was just driving.
I held a breath and followed his timing as best as I could. Problem was, I couldn't find the lever he used. Of course! It was a Switchblade… I know this! Uhh…Oh yeah. Left of the… There! Only a moment too late, I retracted the wings and quickly lost altitude. Though it felt like I was freefalling, I assumed it was natural and waited to hit the landing strip.
When the wheels hit, it was hard to regain control, but I knew I was safe now. I let out my held breath and relaxed. I'd just safely flown a long distance and landed with a bit of effort. I skidded to a stop and cringed, hoping my tires didn't leave marks on what looked like a neurotically clean floor.
Aerrow, already off of his bike, smiled, proud of a job well done. I let out a heavy sigh and quickly stepped off and away from my bike. Still fearing for my life, I had to clear the shock out of my system.
"You all right?" he laughed, resting a hand on my shoulder.
I nodded slowly. "Yeahh… Sorry. It's kind of a shocking experience."
"You'll get used to it. I'm just surprised you actually pulled it off flawlessly."
"You thought I couldn't do it?!" I gasped.
"No, I knew you could do it. I just…" Laughing nervously, I rubbed my neck. "…I didn't think you could do it so well."
I sighed. "Forget it. I'm alive, that's all that matters." I smiled, stumbling onto him. For a moment, I closed my eyes and began to calm down, human contact bringing me back to reality. A moment later, Aerrow stood me back on my feet and I blinked, tearing myself away from that warm, happy… safe place.
Though it didn't last long, that contact helped. And it sparked an idea.
"…You wouldn't mind if I asked for… a hug, would you?" I asked shyly. Still in shock, and having that one moment of feeling safe, it was the only option I thought I had.
And Aerrow saw the difference immediately. Stepping forward, Aerrow wrapped his arms around me. When his hands hit my skin, he tensed up. "Why didn't you tell me you were freezing?"
"I was more worried about crashing."
He nodded, understanding the circumstance.
"Um… Who is this?" A feminine voice asked.
I tensed up. I quickly escaped his grasp and spotted a girl entering the room. I knew there was a girl in the squadron—only one—and being alone in a group of guys can make you feel a bit lonely. No doubt she was with one of the boys in the squadron, and by the tone of her voice…
"Look, I swear I—I didn't mean…" I continued to step backward until I hit my Switchblade.
That's when the girl noticed something off.
"Aerrow… You brought a Cyclonian here?!"
"What's going on?" a young man asked, stumbling into the room. Upon noticing me, an air of confidence surrounded him. Of course, he also noticed the insignia on the bike I was trying to stand back up.
And he reached for a weapon.
"What the hell is a Cyclonian doing in here?! Aerrow, why are you just standing there?!" Aiming what looked like a crossbow at me, he steadily walked forward, never taking his eyes off of me. "She's too pretty to be a Cyclonian…," he said, still cautious.
Piper leaned against the doorway. "And short." Obviously, a jealous girlfriend would point out flaws.
"For your information, I like being short!" I growled back.
"…Kai, this is Piper and Finn. Piper, Finn—Kai."
"Do you mind explaining why you trusted a Talon long enough to get her name?" Finn asked, still holding his aim firm.
"Put down the bow, Finn, she's not a talon. She lives on Atmosia."
"Then why does she own a Talon's Switchblade?" Piper asked confidently, pushing herself off the doorway and began walking toward us.
Finn dropped his aim. "I knew she was too cute to be a Cyclonian…" That's when Finn suddenly began investigating me for reasons other than safety. "So… Kai, eh? Nice name. I'm uh… Finn," He brushed back his hair before holding a hand out to introduce himself.
"Yeah… just Kai…" I kept reserved, hidden. I was still in a state of panic and introducing in new strangers to a situation almost made it worse.
Piper still didn't trust me, though it seemed like the origins of the distrust had switched from Talon to love interest.
And even if she wasn't his girlfriend, every move or sound she made only convicted her of love-struck that much more.
I smiled. "Aerrow and I were on our way to Terra Saharr but he said he needed supplies," I spoke up, ignoring the subtle hints Finn was imposing.
Piper and I, from square one, were opponents. Though I had no potential interest in Aerrow, I was seen as a threat. I closed my eyes. I never meant to make enemies…
Aerrow rested a hand on my shoulder. "I'll be back."
Afraid of what Piper would do to me while Aerrow had left, I clung to Finn. Being alone never gave me much of a chance to learn social interactions. Of course, free time meant more time to observe, and I was able to watch more than the average person. I learned to be observant. Less action and spoken word, more observation and learning.
Though I wasn't a quiet person, I watched everything closely and learned very quickly.
"Finn, eh?" I smiled, turning toward the blond. "I bet you don't get the chance to meet many girls… being on the ship, and all…" I reached my hand behind my back and twirled the end of my ponytail. Having long hair gave me that advantage. When down, it reached significantly past my waist. It had been quite some time since I'd measured it, but my father mentioned it was out of control, that no one should ever have their hair past their knees.
That was one of the only significant moments I remember. Father hated it that I let my hair grow, so I made sure it was never cut more than a quarter inch at a time. At one point, I gave up on getting it cut and now it's, apparently, past my knees.
I grasped a short end and twirled it, staring into his blue eyes. That was how you showed determination and interest, right?
He smiled and laughed confidently for a moment. "Well, there's Piper, but… she's more trouble than she's worth."
With the girl still standing in the room, this was technically like setting off a bomb, and I was in its immediate line of fire.
Aerrow only took a moment to return, and I quickly stepped away from Finn. Piper, by now, had lost all respect for me. She would've trusted me more if I was a Talon.
I sighed, bringing my hands to my face to hide. I chewed on the skin around my thumbnails, wanting this all to be over.
"I think… we have everything… What the hell happened here? You could cut the tension with a knife!"
Finn, still surprised that I'd shown such interest in him, was too caught up in thought to answer.
Piper stormed off.
"I'm… not sure?" I answered innocently. "Look, Aerrow, I have to talk to you. Can we get going?"
He nodded, inspecting the room for a moment. "Finn, take care of the rest of the chores today, all right?"
"Dude, do you even have to ask?" he retorted, glancing at me with a sly look. "You know I always do the work."
Laughing once in disbelief, Aerrow turned toward his Skimmer. "Ha! If you… say so…" He climbed on and started up his engine.
I slowly walked over to my bike, still hiding behind my hands, and climbed on my Switchblade.