How's a going guys?
You all are well today? I hope so
Onto the chapter now
Enjoy Reading And Review If You Feel Like It!
Previously on Chasing You,
"How much is the prize?"
"A hundred million dollars," the teens dropped their jaws. "But you need ten million dollars to enter the tournament"
"That's a lot of money," muttered Hiccup. He wasn't really that rich and his father was retired from his job few days ago because he was getting old. He doesn't even have that kind of money.
"I tell you all more when you meet me at my home. You three can come," RJ said and walked away. The teens looked at each other for a moment, the food soon forgotten.
Chapter 12
"THE PRIZE WAS HOW MANY MILLION!?" yelled Toothless when Hiccup and Astrid told him about the tournament next month at their abandoned garage.
"He said a hundred million dollars but in order to enter the race, you need to pay ten million dollars"
"That's a lot of money to pay," Toothless began to pace around the garage.
"RJ also said he'll tell us more at his house"
"There's more?"
"Yes," answered Hiccup. "We'll bring Fishlegs and the twins too"
"They can come?"
"RJ gave his permission," answered Astrid this time. "They're waiting at the school parking lot. Hiccup, we'll be going now," Knowing Hiccup, she knew that he'll race to RJ house within seconds. So, she and Toothless had a very early head start and they need to bring the other three too.
Hiccup wasn't even approaching his Stingray when the black Skyline and the Blue 370Z drove away in high speed, probably picking up the twins and Fishlegs. But he knew that he'll be at RJ's home before they do.
Astrid and Toothless had to drive slower than usual because they were guiding the jeep that held the twins and Fishlegs to RJ's home. Upon arriving at the house, the Stingray was there, unsurprisingly, with Hiccup leaning against the sleeping Stingray. Hiccup smiled when they arrived.
"Took you all long enough"
"Well excuse us for trying to guide these slowpokes," Toothless gestured the jeep. The door opened and stepped out Fishlegs and the twins. Fishlegs looked like he was about to puke while the twins were enthusiastically high-five each other.
"That was awesome!" said Tuffnut excitedly.
"We should do that again next time!" replied his sister.
"Next time, guys. Remember, the tournament?" Toothless said. "Let's go," they were talking to each other, after the twins and Fishlegs gawping over the sleeping Stingray. They were approaching the door when suddenly they heard a music soon followed by a singing in foreign language.
Þú vissir af mér
Ég vissi af þér
Við vissum alltaf
Myndi enda
That made them stopped on their tracks and looked at each other. The singing came from inside the house, so they put their ear on the front door, trying to hear more.
Þú missir af mér
Ég missi af þér
Missum báða
fætur undan
okkur
Nú liggjum við á
Öll ísköld og blá
Skjálfandi á beinum
Hálfdauðir úr
kulda
Their eyes widened. They didn't know that their teacher can sing, let alone in foreign language. They also heard a sound like a guitar.
Ísjaki
Þú segir aldrei neitt
Þú ert ísjaki
Þú ert isilagður
Þú þegir þunnu hljóði
Og felur þig
Bakvið
Ísjaka
Þú segir aldrei neitt
Þú ert ísjaki
Þú ert isilagður
Þú þegir þunnu hljóði
Og felur þig
Bakvið
The song was so uplifting and upbeat it made the gang softly stomped their feet in rhythms while still had their ears pressing against the door.
Þú kveikir í mér
Ég kveiki í þér
Nú kveikjum við bál
Brennisteinna
Logá
Það neistar af mér
Það neistar af þér
Neistar af okkur
Brennum upp til
Ösku
During in a small dance, Hiccup hand subconsciously went to the doorknob and accidently twisted it. The door swung opened and they all fell on the ground with heavy Fishlegs squished them all together. They all looked up, expecting RJ looking at them with confusion and Yuki with her head tilted in curiosity.
Ísjaki
Þú segir aldrei neitt
Þú ert ísjaki
Þú ert isilagður
Þú þegir þunnu hljóði
Og felur þig
Bakvið
But instead, with his back facing them, RJ kept singing while playing a white Les Paul guitar with Yuki happily hopping around his legs as he swayed side to side, feeling the beats.
Ísjaka
Þú segir aldrei neitt
Þú ert ísjaki
Þú ert isilagður
Þú þegir þunnu hljóði
Og felur þig
Bakvið
Þú segir aldrei neitt
Þú ert ísjaki
Þú ert isilagður
Þú þegir þunnu hljóði
Og kvelur mig
Aftur
RJ stopped singing but kept on playing the guitar for a moment, making the grand ending. After the song finished, there was a silence as the gang silently and awkwardly stared at his back. The first noise was made by Yuki, who meowed at RJ while looking at the gang. He turned around and finally noticed the squished gang.
"Well, that's one way to knock the door," stated RJ as he put the guitar aside and approached them with Yuki at his ankles as the gang began to stand up. "You all okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine"
"Nothing happened"
"I got scrawnier, now"
"I'm not okay"
"I'm okay"
They all rambled at the same time, making it hard for RJ to understand them.
"I'm going to take that as a yes," RJ said and walked to the kitchen to prepare some drinks. Before they all could sighed in relief, RJ suddenly added. "So tell me, why did you all eavesdropping?" their faces suddenly paled but RJ just chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't kill you," now they sighed in relief.
"We heard some singing," Hiccup first answered followed by Toothless.
"It came from inside the house," then Astrid added.
"And we're curious," Fishlegs added.
"We eavesdropped so we don't want to disturb your singing"
"And that's why the underpants didn't wash for over three days," the twins suddenly went into a fight that led to outside after that statement.
"What's the song anyway?" asked Astrid curiously as she took the ice lemonade.
"It's Ísjaki by Sigur Rós"
"Anyway, you said there's more to this tournament," Toothless said as he took the ice lemonade provided by RJ and thanked him. RJ sat down on his armchair, picking up Yuki at the same time.
"This tournament is called 'The Run'. There are different stages that need to go through and it involved every terrain you know. From mountain sides to the cliff side, from the green forest to the freezing road, from the crowded cities to the country sides, there are a lot of them"
"How long will it be in this tournament?"
"It depends on how many racers are going to join. They said that each stage is equal to one racer," that made the teens gasped in shock.
"So, that means if thirty racers are joining, there will be thirty stages?"
"Yes and the last person will be eliminated from the race. The reason that this race will be crossing the countries is because they said that they do not want to use the same road over and over again. They want to test out your skills on different terrains"
"This will be huge," muttered Hiccup as he sipped up his lemonade.
"I know this sound ridiculous, Henry but I suggest you get more people to get a higher possibility to win the tournament"
"It's ten million dollar each and there's only three people here if I include Astrid. Is that enough?"
"I would suggest five people"
"Why don't you join?" that question came from Astrid and it made RJ froze. "You're a great driver since your students are taught to be great drivers by you. So why don't you join them?"
"I already put my racing life behind me"
"Why?" she pressed again. It was a risky move but since the word came out, there was no turning back.
"Astrid," Hiccup warned. RJ looked at her blankly as he softly stroke Yuki's fur, making her purr. His blank look turned cold.
"Have you caused any death when you drive?" that question threw her off-guard. "Have you ever killed a person when you drive?"
"N-no-"
"That's what happened to me long time ago. When I was still race years ago, I always drove my car everywhere at high speed. I was proud of my creation but one day everything crumbled. One night when I was driving home at high speed I accidentally hit a cat. Of course, to you it's not a big deal. But what happened when that cat turned out to be a mother?" her eyes widened along with the brothers as no words could formed from her lips.
"I…" her eyes trailed down to Yuki. She was sleeping as RJ's hand was trembling on her fur.
"Especially her mother," Astrid's eyes went back to his noticing that they are now glassy but his voice was still cold. "You don't know how regretful I was that night when I saw her mewing loudly at her dead mother. You don't know how many tears I had shred that night over the sorrowful scene I witness that I caused"
"It-"
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY 'IT'S JUST A MERE CAT'!" that woke Yuki up and stopped the twins from fighting. He gave Astrid the look. "My family treated cats as one of our family and it has been passed down since the day of Vikings. My brother died upon saving a full litter of kittens from a burning house. My father adopted a cripple cat and both he and his cat died peacefully on the same day, at the same time. I'm the last of the bloodline for having these traits in me," he stated coldly.
"So when I hit her mother, it felt like I hit my own mother," he told her very sternly. "I buried her at the exact same place where she died and I took Yuki in," Yuki balance a paw on his shoulder and licked his teary cheek in comfort but he wasn't finish.
"I used all of my money I had just to give her happiness she deserve and not grieving over her mother. When I got home, that night was the last night I am going to put my hands on the steering wheel ever again. So, I locked my vehicle in the garage so no one could access it, even me," Astrid's lips were trembling as her eyes were wide in shock.
"Everywhere I go, I walk even if it's miles away, and Yuki comes along with me since I don't want her to be end up like her mother. I don't want the history to repeat itself and I don't want to feel the pain ever again. Go home you all, it's late," he stood up, carrying Yuki close and made his way to his bedroom. "Hank, Henry, be here tomorrow. I think found some people that might help you"
"I'm-" the bedroom door quickly and angrily slammed shut before the word could finish from her lips. She regretted on bringing up the personal subject. She looked around and noticed that everyone was glaring at her. Toothless slapped the back of her head.
"I told you to not bring up the subject!" he hissed through his teeth, clearly furious with her. She stood guilty as she took all the blame and bowed her head in shame.
She didn't sleep at all that night.
Sigur Rós Forever