Hidden Rings of Strength

Chapter 2: hide and seek

He felt the gritty texture of his curtains in his tire, feeling the thin tinny tiny squares in the knitted fabric. It was course, that plastic feel of polyester. He believed at one time, his mother described it as being blue in hue… but… could never comprehend hues of anything. I mean, what's the purpose of color anyway? It doesn't make things function any less. and yet folk will fight over and over about hues. Colors are pointless.

He dropped his tire down to his concrete flooring. The flooring was so smooth, with random little holes every now and then from air bubbles in the liquid concrete. He's spent times just feeling this floor, plotting every inch of this room in his subconscious.

… Probably the only 'safe' place he has was his room…

He didn't even need to feel around his room, because he knew it inside and out. How many grooves where in the walls, how many holes were in the floor, where the end tables are located, his book being over 800 pages long…. Apparently the original book is about 300 pages. But it takes a lot of space to put it into Braille. He didn't get remotely close to finishing the book, the Braille was rather frustrating to him…

"Xander?"

He could hear her mother's voice bounce off the walls from outside of his room. Knowing which room was a little trickier, since it was slightly muffled, he's say it was in the living room than the kitchen. The kitchen tends to reflect more sound waves since the tiled floors acted like little bouncers. He found himself tugging his lips upward in what was known as a smile. 'The other folk would think I'm a super hero if they can read my thoughts just now.' He thought to himself.

He moved about 3 feet forward, and took a slight 40 degree angle to the left moving about a foot more, finding the door frame.

"Yes mom?" He spoke awfully loud to his sensitive ears.

He could hear tires rubbing on a soft turf coming from his right, the living room. "Hey Sweet Pea, we're going to go over to Flo's for breakfast. Is that alright?"

He felt his eye frames, his brows, come together in confusion… "It's not going to rain again, is it?" he said, still a little loud.

For the past few days it has been pouring. For most cars that's no problem, but for Xander, it's… a little more difficult.

His sense of direction is based on scents and sounds. But the rain, to him is like sensory overload. Every rain drop was like a gunshot to his hide. His airways would be filled a damp sent, his tires would feel more water than ground, and depending on how heavy the rain is, he's couldn't hear a thing.

For the past few days, he's been cooped up in his house, the sound of actually going outside made him, rather excited.

"Oh no, not at all." His mother rolled over to him, resting a tire on his side, letting him know that she's there, and placing a kiss on his fender. "The storm has passed on, and it's all sunny skies in the desert."

He clung on to her side, her comforting scent of vanilla washed over his hood. He loved his mother, the softness of her sides, her sent, her musical voice….

As both of them moved towards the door, his grip tightened on her, from this point on, He became dependent.

She looked down at her son as she made their way over to Flo's, His orange paint shining in the bright sun as his sightless Ice hazel looked around aimlessly. Oh how she wished he could find a way of getting around better on his own instead of gripping onto someone's side to get from place to place. It wasn't that she hated the fact that he was blind, she just hated how trapped he really was.

"Hey Alice!" Flo's voice sounded from the café ahead, "Long time no see!"

"Yeah." Alice said weakly, "You know how the weather can bother Xander…" She looked down at her son to find him trying to shy away behind her. "Xander, it's Flo, you should know Flo by now."

The little fall leaf Mustang peaked out from his hiding spot at her side, and looked in the general direction of Flo's voice with his sightless eyes. "Hi." He whispered extremely softly.

Flo's eyes softened, "Awww poor thing. He's still just as shy."

Alice smiled warmly as she stroked his side affectionately "He is rather shy."

Xander started feeling around, as he gripped onto the side of the fuel pumps… trying to explore…

The sandiness of the rough concrete along the pump lines…. The smell of fuel feeling his senses…

As he let go of his anchor…. He had no idea where he was going… Did his mother bring him on the left side? Or the right side? He always got confused from the two sides, It's either he's going to the other side of the fuel pumps or going to run into the clinic wall…again.

5 feet away…. 8 feet away…. As his fear build up, his speed slowed down…. Maybe he was heading towards the clinic…. Oh my…

He turned around to head back to the café .. but, did he turn all the way around?... Was he facing the right direction? He had no idea…

Where was he?

He felt the sun beating on him from the left… so left was east…. But did he COME from the east? Why couldn't he figure out where he was?

"M-Mom?" he called… hoping she could hear him…

Why were they so quiet today? Usually he'd just follow voices… but it seemed like no one was talking today…. Ugh! How it infuriated him! Don't they realize how much he depended on their mindless chitchat?

"Mom!?" He called out louder… with no response…

Was it 8 feet? Or 8 yards?

He found himself backing up rather quickly into the unknown, when his bumper hit the side of something alive.

Xander leaped out of his paint, his oil pump POUNDING from the state of shock. Why didn't he notice someone was there…. and again, why where they so quiet?

"I'm sorry!" He found himself shouting, still full of panic, "I'm sorry I didn't know you were there!"

He stood there, listening with his sharp hearing…. Nothing…

"Hello?" he asked, Reaching around him, trying to feel….. Nothing….

The color from his face drained, he ran into something, he was sure of it! And there it was… gone.

"H-Hello!?" he half shouted, spooked.

Then the feeling of his nerves on end, that horrible feeling of being watched washed from his right side.

"BOO!"

His instincts kicked into flight mode as he just sprinted forward all over the place…

"Xander! Xander!"

His hearing picked up a comforting sound, as he sprinted towards his safety blanket…

He collided with the cars side, trembling into him, seeking comfort. The Familiar scent of the woods washed over him as he just clung on to him…. letting his fear be known as tears pooled in his eyes….

"Xander, what were you doing racing around like that?" his father's voice was thick with worry and concern as he quickly embraced his son, "You know that can very dangerous!" he nuzzled him, trying to comfort and ease his beloved child.. "What happened?"

"I d-don't know, " he voice shook… "I thought I hit someone a-and then it wasn't there, and I got scared… Daddy it's scary…" he coward into his father.

He hated feeling weak, but he couldn't help it sometimes…. This world really is scary.

"Nikki?" his father questioned, "Nikki! Get over here now!"

His father's body tensed up as Xander heard a mumbled "crap" under the young girls voice.

Xander closed his eyes… wishing he could see like his father….

Quinn clung onto his son, that gripped onto him with fright as his sugar brown eyes became stern at the little Ferrari Scaglietti that slowly rolled towards him…. "Nikki…" he started his voice low and stern, "Why were you scaring him…?"

She rolled her eyes, "I wasn't scaring him, I'm not the baby here…"

"Excuse me?" His voice was rather harsh suddenly, "The only one that was acting childish would be you. You should be ashamed of yourself! Picking on my son like that. You know he can't see… How would you like it if I put you in a dark room full of animals and spiders… would you be laughing at that?"

Nikki cringed… "N-No…" she said very weakly…."But…"

"No buts, you would be terrified if you have to live your life sightless!"

"Dad…"Xander weakly said, as he clung onto his side… "I'm not a weak, helpless pansy either … can you please stop…." He whispered rather weakly at his over protective Dad….

"Xander, I know you wanna sound like your invincible, but you're not... no one really is Xander. It's okay to admit you struggle…." His father eyed the young Scaglietti….. "Though it doesn't help that someone takes advantage of that…."

"What's going on Quinn…?" A hotshot Rookie pulled up alongside the Dodge and quickly caught eyes with the familiar red-violet Ferrari….. causing his eyes to narrow… "What did my daughter do this time….?"

Nikki gave a shameful grin seeing the 95 on the side of her fathers side…. "Hi Dad…"

The Dodge looked at the Racer, then at his offspring… "Your daughter was harassing my son, taking advantage of his blindness again…"

McQueen felt his sternness show in his sharp eyes….. "Nikki…." he lowly called her name…..

Nikki lowered herself…. "It was just a game…." She mumbled… "I didn't hurt him…"

"Nik, You KNOW better than this. How many times do we have to go through this?" McQueen huffed… "Do you really want me to get your mother involved with this?"

"No!" she randomly shouted.

McQueen slowly shook his hood…. "I'm sorry about this Quinn… "

"No problem," Quinn sighed to him… "Just want Xander to feel safe…"

Xander found himself giving a frustrated sigh… mumbling under his breath at his side….

"Hon?"

Quinn looked over at his wife… and found himself sighing again…. "Alice… why did you let Xander wander off again…?"

The Mustang looked at him puzzled…. "Hon, he's blind, not 2."

McQueen and Nikki found themselves quickly removing themselves from the situation before they found themselves more involved…

"I know he's not 2, but he could easily get himself hurt if he doesn't know where he's going…" The Dodge breathed under his breath….

"Quinn… Honey… You need to realize that Xander has to learn to branch off and figure things out on his own…" Alice looked at her Husband with weak eyes…. " We are not always going to be here to help him…"

Quinn found himself struggling with what was being said… "I.. I know… it's just…." He sighed heavily…. "It's a dangerous world already…. And he can't see it coming…" He said as he went to hold his son closer to him…..

…. He blinked…

Looking down, he found his side completely exposed with no little mustang alongside him…. "Xander?... Xander?!"

His fear grew in his gut tenfold, knowing that his son disappeared without him knowing….

"Stupid Dad! Stupid people! Stupid stupid stupid! UGH!" Xander found himself going down the asphalt, in a direction away from his parents, away from everyone else…..

"I'm SICK of it! I'm SICK of being just a child to them!" He snarled to whatever, if there was, someone around him… "They will NEVER listen to me! I can handle myself!"

His anger flared in his gut, causing him to drive a little faster to nothing.. at this point if he found a wall, he's gunna smash himself through it… or so he thought.

"He's blind, he's going to get hurt…. So what if I'm blind! Folk that ain't blind end up getting hurt anyway!"

Suddenly a pungent sent hit him, but before he can recognize the sent, his front ended got pushed back by a living being…

His sightless eyes widened in shock, and his heart jumped at his low gravelly voice, "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm sorry!" He randomly shouted at whomever, the scent of clove…. He reached forward, touching the smooth sides…. Feeling something that felt like a hornet emblem….

"Xander…" His voice dropped at the realization of him… "What are you doing out here…?"

His mind flashed back to the audio recording of his father treating him like a child, rekindling the frustration he had….

"Something's got you all riled up boy." He spoke evenly.

"It's my stupid dad…" He ended up blurting out… "My father always treats me like a baby! He thinks I can't do anything without someone holding me…. Goodness… He thinks I would drown if I got a carwash so I have to get a sponge bath. I have to eat everything luke warm because he's afraid that since I can't see the steam I won't know it's hot!"

He found himself huffing, growling in frustration…..

He suddenly felt a tire on his shoulder causing him to jump.

"Your father and mother have been through a lot..." The Hornet gently said to him… "They want to prevent you from going through anything that they had to go through…."

Xander paused for a long time, then moved himself so that his side was facing the voice… "They had crazy parents too?"

He felt tension in the air, that and the Hornets breathing that caught in his throat.. "What?..." Xander asked….

"Xander… what have they told you about their family?"

The child felt himself shrug… "I know Nana … and Papa C…. .. Uncle Sky… You too, Poppy "

He can sense that he was smiling, since his tone of voice became warmer…. "Well, how can you remember me? Just a old… old… Ancient car…?"

Xander felt himself smiling, "You're not ancient! "

"Ohhh yes I am…" he lowly chuckled… "Maybe blindness is a good thing for you… You would of lost your sight by the sight of me!"

Xander felt himself being tugged slightly, the sign to move with them, as he matched his pace. He could feel that they were making their way back the way he came…. "No!" Xander said… "Poppy you're just crazy…"

"Well that too."

"Poppy!"

"What? YOU said it" he chuckled nudging him playfully.

"Well! You know what I mean! You're like the good crazy." Xander found himself smiling and chuckling… He always got along with his grandpa. He seemed, real.

"Just so you know, "The Hornet whispered at his side, "We're just about in town. Do you want to go to your parents?"

Xander sighed.. when his Poppy stopped in mid tracks…

"Well, lil' Missy. Where's your dad?"

"I… Wanted to talk to Xander…." Xander felt himself perk up at the sound of her voice…. Nikki.

"Xander eh…?" He felt seriousness in his face. "I don't know if he's up for that sort of thing as of this moment in time…"

Xander moved a few wheel turns forward, "It's alright…" He said to the side of him, then faced forward, "What going on…?" he asked….

With that, the air shifted around him, giving a light sent of clove… ' Poppy must be giving us time to ourselves…' … that was one advantage of that ol' hornet… he never stuck around too long for things to be awkward.

"Xander, I didn't know I was scaring you…" She weakly said… "I'm sorry that I did…"

He felt his lip curl, the same reaction he feels his mother gets when she doesn't like something… "You're full of it.."

"Huh?" She protested, "I'm not faking it!"

"Yeah? Well someone must of talked to you into saying sorry to me." He felt himself snarl a little in frustration "That's all everyone does is 'feel sorry'… it's not sorry, it's pity." He pushed passed her , feeling the road paint with his tire, "Just leave me alone…"

"Xander!"

Suddenly the sound of tires whipped around him, forcing the air over his side…. "Xander stop! You don't have to be such a jerk!"

"I'm not a jerk! You're the fake one you faker! I ain't falling for that!"

"I. am not. Faking!" she practically yelled at him. "Xander, listen to me. I'm sorry, ok? Geez!"

"Yeah… whatever…" he huffed….

"Listen, you are my friend."

"Well maybe we're not friends anymore…" He shut his sightless eyes… "Look at me I'm Xander I can't see, lets just go a scare the crap out of him since he can't SEE me!" He opened his eyes, staring at a random point. "YEAH some friend you are…"

"No! that wasn't what I was doing!"

"Oh yeah? Then what were you doing….? "

"I was… Ah…."

There was a long pause…. He heard her breathing kind of shorten for a short time, her body shifting left to right. Why on earth was she uncomfortable…? "Well what? Just spit it out…"

"You know how Daddy is going to go on another racing trip right?" She said, on a not so deep breath..

"…. Yeah….?"

"I was… a… wondering if you wanted to come and watch the race with me…" She paused again.. "Oh no! I ah! I meant just go to the race! SORRY! You're blind!"

He felt his frustration boil… giving a heavy sigh…

"I want you to come with us.." she said again…

"Oh yeah?... so I can become totally deaf too from the sound of engines? Wow thanks for that…"

"Xander…. I didn't mean it like that…." She breathed….

"… I should get back into town…" he sighed… slowly going around her…. "I guess I'll go with you…"

She shifted oddly, "Oh, the town is like another 500 feet away… you should be able to find it yourself…"

"No…. I meant I will go with you to the race…" he felt his face kind of mellow out… "I gotta tell my parents about what's going on though… ok?"

"Oh!" her voice brightened, "Ok! Yeah! Sure!"

"Sure…" He felt a little excited about this, the thought of her and him, two goofballs just hanging out…. they haven't done that in a while… just had some time to hang out. He really liked hanging out with her…. when she wasn't teasing his blindness….

He really liked her.