It was morning and Saphira woke up at seven like she did everyday and got up to brush her hair. It was a long routine given its length and thickness, but she enjoyed taking care of it everyday and putting it into nice hairstyles. Although, for school, she often stuck to a French braid, it was the easiest thing to do and less likely to get her hair targeted by unwanted bullies. Although, physical stuff has not happened for a while, she was still verbally taunted. Once her hair was finished with the braid, she changed into a casual outfit with a pair of jeans and a pink, V neck sweater, it was simple and pretty at the same time. At least, that is what she felt. She gathered all the Witwicky items into her bag and walked downstairs, finding her father, Michael Dawn, still seated at the counter.

"Dad? Aren't you usually at work by now?" Saphira questioned curiously, walking over to the fridge to get out some eggs to cook for herself. "I don't remember seeing you this early at all."

He smiled at her, he had grey hair and he was a little overweight. Her father's job was working in a distribution center that supplied major companies in the city and country. "I just wanted to remind you about today. After all, we are getting you a car today."

She turned away from her father, rolling her eyes and cracking the eggs into a fry pan after spraying oil into it. She turned on the gas stove before getting out some bread. "So you skipped going to work to remind me to get an A right? You know I always get A+'s right?"

"Yeah, I know, but I just want this to be a motivation thing." She felt real motivated. "I hope you don't mind that the car you get isn't going to be a spick and span brand-new car. Once you get a job, you will understand how expensive new cars are."

"Not at all dad, an old car isn't bad so long as the engine is working fine. But I can tweak it if I need to." Saphira was not sure what to expect when she goes to the car yard today to get a car, but she did only need a car to get to and from her garage and school.

"Hmm, at least you won't need to pay for a mechanic…" Michael was still salty that she expected to be paid for working on her parent's cars. "Anyway…" He stood up and looked at her with a smile. "I will pick you up this afternoon after history class. You'd better show me your grade before we get your car."

Whatever

Saphira heard him grab his keys and looked over her shoulder. "Have a good day."

"You too sweetheart, love ya!"

And the door closes as he finally leaves the house. Saphira sighed with relief, he was finally gone! She did wish he would hug her goodbye sometimes, but as both parents never really did that, Saphira had gotten used to not having hugs or kisses on the cheek most of her life. She cooked her breakfast and ate it before needing to run to catch the bus to school. She ignored the other teenagers who were on the bus already and took a seat by herself, looking out the window with a smile. This was the last time she would ever need to right the bus to school. It will be a lot more peaceful at the very least. The rumble of the engine was more than enough company for her.

When she arrived at the high school, she went through her day like she did normally, starting with Math class that almost made her sleep. It was revision day and Saphira had completed her assignments already regarding Maths, so it was an easy, boring lesson for her, but she had to get through and she was handed back her assignments with A+. She ignored the jabs from the other students, there were other students who received good grades too, it was just due to her track record people picked on her. She ignored them as best as she anyway, and made it through to Grammar and Music without a hitch. Thankfully today was also a Friday, so she could think about the racemeet tonight. There actually were four racemeets, and Saphira had to figure out which one to go to depending on location, number of races and prize money. So she used time during class to figure that out. Teachers barely bothered her anyway, so she could get away with secret scribbles like that in her private book.

And finally, she made it to history class where she would present Captain Archibald Witwicky as her chosen historic figure. She had to wait for the other students though, most people chose Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and George Washington, it was unsurprisingly given these were well known people. So Witwicky was going to be out of the blue for her teather and students. She didn't mind though, she sat silently and listened…well, she half listened until Mr Hosney called her name.

"Saphira, you are the lucky last to present your chosen historic figure," Mr Hosney said, smiling politely at her and watched Saphira stand and walked up to the front. "I trust you have put in the research for this person."

"Yes I have. And believe it or not…" Saphira pulled out the files, glasses and ship equipment, placing them on the desk in front of her. "Sorry, I know I have a lot of stuff. But…my grandfather actually got his hands on these about him. Not many of you may know, but Captain Archibald Witwicky is the historic figure who I will be representing today."

Her teacher frowns hearing the name. "Who is that exactly?"

"Good question…" Saphira grabbed a file and held it up, it was a very old article about the captain taking good men to the Arctic. "Captain Witwicky was a very well-respected sailor many years ago. He was a famous explorer of his time, and he was actually one of the first men to explore the Arctic Circle, which is a very big deal. He helped to map out the Arctic and he did attempt to get to the center of the Arctic Circle. This was in 1897 where he took fourty-one brave sailers straight into the Arctic Shelf in his first and only attempt to get to the center." She smiled slightly and placed the file down before holding up another article about him going crazy and speaking an unknown language. "Reason being, there was an accident on the way and Archibald's crew were forced to return to warmer waters. And whatever happened on that journey, Captain Witwicky became delusional, he spoke weird words no one heard before and he even drew symbols in the dirt. He had to be put away in an asylum for it. Which is kind of sad honestly."

"How did you grandfather get ahold of this?" Mr Hosney asked her curiously, resting his fingers on his chin.

She shrugs, making the students laugh. "To be honest, my grandfather never really told me. Apparently it is a big secret. That is what he used to tell me all the time. Um, he also managed to get ahold of other things, such as the equipment that was used on that ship such as a quadrant, which is used to navigate the ocean without the modern radars like ships have now. I also have the sextant here…" She ignored the laughter of the teenagers when they heard the word. "It also helped sailors to navigate the ocean. Even this compass…" She smiled, holding up a slightly worn, black compass that had real gold inside it. "It still works somehow. And…" She picked up the glasses with a shrug. "This is the weirdest part…Archibald's glasses. I have no idea how my grandfather got them, but these are the same glasses that saw what he saw when he attempted to get to the North Pole." She placed the glasses down and looked at the students and her teacher. "Now I know he's not famous or anything, but he is a historic figure. There are more stories of his adventures into the Atlantic as well, so he was a great explorer, just up until he became a raging lunatic."

The bell rings suddenly, and Saphira was surprised by the time. She glanced at the clock and frowned a little, this meant she ran out of time. She sighed, gathering the tools as the other teens pile out of the room while sending stupid remarks towards her about the items she had, and Witwicky too. She puts them in her bag and turned to face Mr Hosney.

"So…uhh…how'd I do?" She asked, gritting her teeth a little as she worried that she would not get an A this time.

"Well…it was probably the most interesting story I've heard today…" Hosney responded with a smile, writing on a piece of paper and not looking up at Saphira. "It definitely was better than hearing another repeat story of George Washington. It's good, but I like to see different. Which is why I was pretty impressed about it. I have to look up this Witwicky guy myself."

She smiled a little, not knowing if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "I know it was kind of weird too…especially since my grandfather had these files. I sometimes think he knew the guy."

"I doubt it. But it is strange." Hosney sighed deeply and looked up at her with a smile. "Well…you get an A+, thinking outside the box like that really was a good idea Saphira. I highly doubt no one else will ever do that like you did. Being a teacher can get so repetitive…" He rubbed his forehead and leaned back in his chair. "You can go Ms Dawn."

She nodded with a smile. "Thank you so much Mr Hosney."

She turned and walked briskly out of the door. She hoped her father was waiting out there, he has pulled stuff where he would say he would be there and then he would not be. But when she walked out of the building and looked around, she spotted the silver KIA SUV waiting for her. She sighed deeply with a smile, it was now or never. She ran over to the car and opened the passenger side door, getting inside.

"Let me guess, A+ right?" Michael asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes." She looked at him and saw he had sunglasses on, she could see herself in the reflection. "Alright, we had an agreement. Time to go car shopping, right?"

He nodded and drove away from the parking spot. "I guess I am not surprised, you are a bright kid after all. You'll get rich after college; I hope for that."

She said nothing as she technically was richer than he is at the moment, but she knew her own bank was none of his concern. And while she had kept her races as a secret, she did pretend to have a part time job so her parents did think she was working somewhere. They never bothered to check properly, so it was easy to fake working. It will be easier once she received her car. However, she looked out the window in silence and felt the car turn, she glanced up and widened her eyes when she saw a Porsche dealership.

"What…hey!" Saphira exclaimed, looking around in shock with wide eyes. "You are kidding right? We agreed on four thousand, not four hundred thousand." She honestly did not want to spend that kind of money on a brand-new car. Not right now.

But she heard her father laughing and she looked at him with a frown. "Of course I'm kidding! What, did you think I was going to get you a Porsche?!"

"Of course not, that would be unnecessary," Saphira responded, surprising her father a little at her response. He had expected a bigger reaction out of her. "I am happy with a rusty, old car dad. Playing with me like that nearly gave me a heart attack because I know we don't have the money for a car like that."

"Ah well, I had my fun with ya." He chuckled, driving away from the dealership and points ahead to a secondhand dealership. "That is where we are actually going, so you better be right when you say you're happy with a rusty, old car."

Of course she was! Saphira said nothing more as they approach the dealership. She looked at the sign and read the name of Bolivia's Finest Used Cars, she smiled as they approach it, this was more up her alley. Older cars were often gold, so she did not mind as Michael pulled the KIA into the lot and parked it.

"Welp, here we are. Rusty old cars." Michael opened the door and stepped out, glancing over to Saphira and saw she was smiling as she gazed at the cars. "At least I know you will be lifting a few hoods today."

She nodded and walked through the lot, glancing at a few old Toyotas, Mazdas and Fords, they were not catching her eye just yet. But it was a start of course. She hummed to herself for a moment before she saw a man approaching with a smile. He was wearing a small, yellow hat, a black suit with gold fern patterns and a white pants, which she was surprised were not dusty from the dust in the place.

"Afternoon sir, young lady…" He extended his hand and Saphira took his hand to shake it. "Bobby Bolivia, like the country, but without the runs." She raises an eyebrow at him with a smirk and Bobby shakes her father's hand next. "How can I help you?"

"Well, my daughter here is looking to buy her first car," Michael responded, patting her shoulder gently with a smile. "She is quite thrilled about it."

"You come to see me?" Bobby asked, pointing as his chest with a sarcastic frown. Saphira nodded at him. "Well that practically makes us family. Uncle Bobby B baby." He smirked at her, extending his hand again to have her shake it again, although she chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"Saphira."

"Lovely name!" Bobby comments before gesturing for her to turn around and look at the different cars in front of them. "Saphira, let me talk to you. Saphira, your first enchilada of freedom awaits underneath one of those hoods."

Saphira nodded. "So long as the engine has some promise." The man looked at her in surprise. "I got to be careful with what I buy, engines can get rusty, batteries are not fully charged, an oil leak or the fuel is not being pumped properly. I know my engines sir."

"I see…" Bobby seemed a little worried about that, but he shrugged and smiled. "But you got nothing to worry! You see, we take good care of all the cars here! I can promise you any engine you buy today, will run as clean and clear as water." Saphira knew that was an exaggeration, but she made not comment about that. "Let me tell you something sweetheart, a driver don't pick the car. The car will pick the driver." She understood that one perfectly, especially since the Mustang in her garage was the car she owned the longest. "It's a mystical bond between man and machine, and this case, a woman and machine. I'm a lot of things, a liar's not one of them. Especially not in front of my mammy." She frowned slightly as Bobby turned and gestured to two women sitting in front of a house having a conversation. "That's my mammy." He then began to shout at the woman. "Hey mammy!" She looks at him and throws in the finger, making Saphira giggle a little and Bobby laughed in response. "Aww, don't be like that! If I had a rock, I'd bust your head bitch." He turned to look at Saphira with a chuckle. "I tell you, she's deaf, you know?"

"I think we're getting a little off track sir," Saphira said to him as politely as she could without showing she was irritated at him for wasting time.

"Yes, I apologize. Now…" He claps his hands together and leads Saphira through the lot and she spotted two yellow cars underneath a tin shelter. "Over here, every piece of car a man or woman may want or need."

Saphira looked at the first yellow car. A 1977 Cherolet Camaro Z28 with a custom black stripe paint job, the paint itself was a little worn, but it was a classic muscle. "This ain't bad," She said, reaching to open the door and peering inside.

"What's this?" She heard Bobby asked, not realizing this car was not here before they got there. "What the heck is this? I don't know nothing about this car!"

She ignored him, the interior of the car was very clean for something that was old. She smiled, the seats had leather on them, they were a bit worn too, but nothing a little replacement couldn't fix. She took a seat in the driver's seat, surprised by how comfortable the seat was and ran her hand along the steering wearing. It felt smooth with some rough surfaces of the steering wheel and she wiped away the dust at the center of the wheel, blinking when she saw some strange face symbol on it. It was a custom. This felt really good.

Michael noticed that Saphira seemed to really like the car, he walked over to the door and leaned down. "What do you think? Shall we pop the hood to see what it looks like underneath?"

"Might be a good idea." Saphira reached her hand to the hood latch and pulled it, hearing the hood popping up. Bobby was still yelling at his assistant about the car. "Okay, let's see what you got camaro."

She stood out of the car and walked to the front, lifting the hood up to a very nice surprise. "Woah…those are nice headers…" Saphira muttered, looking at the engine. It looked brand-new, there was now dust, damage or anything that would suggest this engine was old. She noticed her father was not even looking at the engine, he trusted her, and Bobby was still too busy screaming at his assistant about the car. "A high-rise double-pump carburetor…this is really good." She smiled and lowered the hood, slamming it shut and looking at her father. "It's good to go."

Michael nodded and walked over to Bobby. "How much?"

The man sighed and walked back over, placing his hands on the roof and gazing at the car. "Well…considering the semi-classic nature of the vehicle, with the slick wheels and custom paint job…" He looked at the car thoughtfully and looked at Michael. "Five grand."

"No, I'm not paying over four, sorry," Michael said, shaking his head, disappointed he couldn't get the car for Saphira.

"That isn't a problem." He looked at Saphira, surprised she spoke up. "I'll pay three grand, you pay two. It was agreed you only pay two grand."

"Yeah…but as half for the price of the vehicle…" He was confused that Saphira would even throw in an extra grand for this car.

"I know. But I really want this car. It is a done deal as far as I am concerned." She smiled and turned to Bobby. "We will take it."

"I guess you had some extra savings in the bank huh?" Bobby asked with a smirk and nodded. "Okay than! Let's file some paperwork!"

Bobby walks away excitedly and Saphira looked at the car with a smile, she pats the hood and turned to follow Bobby to get the payments and paperwork done. Her father seemed very disappointed he could only pay a part of the car, but he was somewhat impressed Saphira saved money for it. He muttered to himself that she would ditch the car for a Porsche when she gets her inheritance. However, Saphira definitely did not plan on that. This car was a new project. She was glad she won't have to spend an extra ten grand just to repair the engine, which means to her it was actually a fifteen grand car just for the engine. The only thing she would want to do was to give it a good paint job and add some custom parts to it. She didn't know if she would take it to the races, but she might. But for now, she was really happy with her new car. And she liked the paint job, so the yellow and black stripes were staying even after a fresh coat of paint.