Friday 21 September 2007, Luna Nova
"I continued to help the girls, they were making a lot of progress in a few days, I already felt that their magicwas coming back and that gave me some relief, which was also getting closer to the day of the broom relayand that for me was the important event of the school year, where I was going to give my all to get mysecond title, I was focused on helping the girls to see if they were recovering the stolen magic, but I was alsohearing some threats from the girls saying that they would break the faces of anyone who did this, and I wasalways nervous, because I was involved in this."
Classes finished early today, since it's a special day, I'm finally going to do the broomstick race, I know I can win this one, the girls are also much more trained, even Daniella came in much faster, this will be good to see how my second title turns out, I'm sure that if I do well I'll win.
As I left the classroom I could already see the girls stretching in preparation for the race, I was also warming up with my trio and even the girls I help with magic came to take part, they're really confident.
"Are you really going to go all out in this race?" Brooke asks.
"I really want to win this second title, at least finish Luna Nova with a second title, after performing my other talent is flying on a broomstick, so I definitely want to take part, I want to make my mum proud" I say excitedly and hope I don't end up revealing too much.
"Oh I want to win too, to show the McLarens that I'm the most agile, I want to beat Laura McLaren's record of three consecutive titles, she's going to lose a lot to me" said the confident Patricia talking about my mum, she has no idea.
"And you, recovering like this, will be able to beat the fastest witch in history? You Patricia?" Tsugumi said, teasing.
"I have to win, I won't beat the record time, but I can win anyway, next year I'll beat her record, I'm sure the thief must have been a McLaren who came to steal my magic for fear that I'd beat the previous records" She has no idea how much further these records go than she thinks.
"Good luck with that Patricia and all of you too, I'll be wishing you all the best" I say to them and they smile.
I'm warming up again for the race, so that I'm ready, I'm going to take the last sector as usual, since I'm the fastest I can catch up if I fall too far behind, or open up a huge lead, if possible I think I'll try to beat Mum's record, it's going to be a bit difficult to beat, but it's what she said was the easiest to beat because it was the last sector when she was slowest, or at least I can get close to the record of my ancestor Louise who is a bit slower than Mum, let's see how far I get.
[...]
We've already gone to our sectors, I'm in the last one watching the whole race, the girls have split up into theirs, with Daniella in the middle sector and me strategically leaving Becca to start because she's the second fastest of our trio, while the girls are each in a different position, Williams has decided to stay in the second sector because it's the one she's studied the most.
"Welcome witches and magical creatures to another Luna Nova broomstick relay, and it's going to be a fierce one! Issue 1322 will feature new students trying to win for the first time, as well as the veterans, and the favourites for the title are the beige team made up of leader Chariot Du Nord, the 2006 champion who had everything it took to match Laura McLaren's dominance in the 80s! Will she be a dominant force in this race? Let's see how these witches fare in this race" said the commentator who was showing images of the race, including me, I'm the favourite for the title, the pressure is really going to be intense.
"Look, everyone's on to you today, Chariot, it's a big egg on your face, just because you're famous" said one of the girls.
"You're a rookie, aren't you? I raced against her all three years and we were completely swept, she even almost won in the first edition she competed in, I wouldn't underestimate Chariot if I were you" Said another who has been with me since the first year.
"That's nonsense, you're just talking like that to cause panic and make me give up running, you older people who have no idea how I'm the cream of my generation, I'm going to win this broom relay" She's really confident.
We see the opening ceremony starting, the balloons showing the surroundings of the track where the commentator is teleporting so she can better observe each point of the race and comment on each part, where we're going to have more difficulty and I've kind of studied a lot of the track, I've had it memorised since I was a child with the help of Mum Laura showing me everything I have to learn to do well on this track. The girls in the first sector are already getting ready for the start, I'm starting to see in my crystal ball, I just want to see if we're really going to make it, I'm rooting for you Becca, open up as much of a lead as you can at the start of this race
"And now it's one, two, three... Go! The lights go out and away they go! Rebecca Leyland has already made a marvellous start! Spectacular shooting from the girl from the beige team, they're going to come out with a really good lead! Woah and we're also seeing that first-year Heather Blake is keeping pace! That's incredible!" Said the commentator and I'm already getting confident.
Becca is managing to go a little faster than the first year girl, who isn't bad at all, she's really very agile, while the others in the back are just being left behind, one of whom is Eun who I helped, she was really going very slowly, you could see that the lack of magic has really affected her, she's in last place right at the back.
As the crystal ball image changes to the first place race, it seems that the dark-haired girl is not bad at all, she's actually touching Becca, how can that be possible? It's bizarre.
"I told you, my team came prepared, don't think it's just me who's fast, the three of us are trained little witches and it won't be the little witch who dances on stage who wins, this podium already has an owner" said the confident girl.
"Well, we'll see about that, it just makes things more interesting, if you're as fast as you say you are, then I'll think it's marvellous to have someone to compete against and beat" I say excitedly.
"You don't even show that you're afraid, you're too weird, if I were you I'd start praying, you have no reason to get excited about something like this, it's going to be a humiliation" I shrug and continue watching the race.
It looks like Becca has been passed over by this first year girl, which isn't a bad thing, she's really trying to show that she's not going to take it so easy, it's just what I wanted, we're going to have some really tough competition, it's a shame that the girls I helped are way behind, but I'm still going to do my best, I want them to know that I'm not just a teacher.
The first sector ends, we're in second position and with that the bracelet is passed to Daniella, come on Parker, I know you can go faster, we're very motivated to do it, meanwhile the other one is already going faster in front.
"And the winner of the first sector was the red team with Heather Blake! What speed we're seeing from these newcomers, they've really come on strong! The lead is in Julia Carlucci's hands, that's impressive!" They're doing their best, I'm going to have the race this year, I hope Mum's watching.
I'm watching and the Italian is really fast, she's making good time, while behind Parker she's doing her best, I know she'll be able to get to me with a good time, she may not be that far ahead, but victory only counts in the end, that's what I have to think, but the red team is doing really well, it's impressive.
Daniella is soon passed by one of the girls, dropping down to third place, but it's not for nothing, she's like one of the fastest girls in the third year, she's got a really strong run, it's not that bad, especially as Parker's speed is good, poor Patricia can't go that fast, She even matched the girls' speed without having her magic stolen, but you can see the frustration on her face, while also in the same sector the rest of the girls were dropping positions in their teams, Tsugumi, Brooke, Ryoko, the only one not to drop positions was Williams who is managing to keep up with the others.
"It seems that some teams have had a good slowdown, with these three flying at a turtle's pace and look at this! Look at the incredible competition, Daniella Parker won't give up her position for anything!" Said the commentator, impressed, and so was I.
Daniella is picking up more speed, it's impressive, she's stuck to Janice, just against one of the fastest third-years, I trust you Daniella, I know you can do it, go and win this race for second place, since first place is such a domination, the girl next to me is more confident than ever, so much so that the race at the back is more interesting.
"Woah, it looks like that second place is on fire because Daniella Parker is giving her all to get at least a little further ahead, look how much more she's taking risks on the bends, really throwing herself at the broom!" That's impressive, she's learnt a lot from me, I'm so proud of her.
"It looks like they're really trying to show off the losers' first place, how pathetic, your colleague really wants to draw attention to everything, doesn't she?" Said the girl giving me a hard time.
"I trust Daniella, she'll win this one and I'll be in a good position" I say confidently.
"Only in your dreams am I still ahead, you have no idea how fast I am!" You're the master of speed, I just want to see it in the race.
The competition for second place is fierce, the first is with the first year girl, which I'm already taking deep breaths to prepare for my turn to fly, I take out my glasses that I had saved for this moment, they used to be my ancestor's when she ran with her broom, when I put them on I see that my vision is simply very clear, more than I imagined, you can see everything from a very different point of view, the surroundings, it's as if my eyes are even bigger.
"Those glasses won't do any good, do you think they'll take away potential by seeing more? Or protecting your face?" She has no idea what I look like yet.
I could see them coming, the crowd was cheering, Daniella was side by side with the other, the first one arrived and passed to the one who was teasing me who shot into the lead, it wasn't the start that I would say was impressive, until I saw explosions, many of them happening in one place, which almost hit Daniella, but caught Janice who was next to her and fell off the broom, so Parker handed me the bracelet and everyone was in shock.
"It seems that the red team is leading comfortably with Kelly Brabham, but an explosion has happened on the track, what a horrible thing, how could this have happened just now? One of the girls fell and was badly hurt, others are being hit by trees, what a disaster, wait a minute, what is Chariot doing? Is she coming back?" I'm not going to leave it like that.
I fly backwards, I could be disqualified, but I don't care, I go to where the fire from the explosion was and quickly use freezing spells, which stops the flames and I also lose a lot of positions, watching the brooms go by, but that's okay, I'll recover, the last sector is very long, the record I'll leave aside, I just want to do the right thing.
I started to support the girls who had fallen, repairing the brooms, and once everyone was okay I made the start of the century and now I'm going to get into a really serious mode, I hope I can get close enough to win the race, I know I have a chance.
"That's very noble of Chariot Du Nord, who simply threw away any chance of a win in the name of saving her friends from something worse, that's a demonstration of sportsmanship, she may not win the broom relay, but she's won our hearts" I still can, I'm going to show that I can.
The goggles really do make it seem as if everything is slower and clearer, taking away the tunnel vision effect of the speed, giving me the confidence to go faster and take risks, I'm going to win this here is now, I pass through the sector at a very high speed and the speed was so strong that I could hear the wind cutting through the whole place as if it were an aeroplane, and I just kept going with all the speed I could use, my concentration is at its best, I bend the broom for better aerodynamics, the wind is very strong, the vision is great.
"That was a rocket going through the sector! Chariot Du Nord already has five positions to make up, but she's still a long way behind, that's another 15 she'll have to climb if she wants to win the race!" I can still hear the shocked commentator.
I feel everything in my body, as if things were going slower, but at the same time with incredible speed, and there's already the first bend and everyone stealing the inside line to overtake, if that's the case I'm going to go round the outside, and I'm going to go all out, this overtaking is mine, there's no slowing down and I'm throwing myself in and by the nine witches the push it gives is strong, my body has never had such a strong jolt and there's another bend coming up forming the S, so I'm already throwing myself at the exit of the bend as I pass on the outside and I'm practically scraping the wall, which has already left me three positions behind, my chance of arriving is greater this way, I can only hear the people applauding.
"Oh for the nine! What was that Chariot went through and she was just full of it, this witch really has nerves of steel, look how close she went through the barriers!" I'm just trying my best to win.
I have memories in my head, when I was younger, when I learnt to fly the broom as a child, doing the competitions with Mum, when I trained with her, the holidays, Mum Bernadette? She's going to see me wherever I am, I'm going to win the race, this part of the straight is mine, I try to make the air come with
everything passing through the broom and I feel the enormous speed, I'm passing one by one, honestly they're standing still, that's my impression, four were left behind on the straight and everyone was impressed by the speed.
"400 km/h on a broom! This puts her side by side with Louise Du Nord and also with the record holder Laura McLaren, this wind that came with everything could be felt here, it's like a jet, this Chariot Du Nord doesn't give up for anything! How impressive!" I won't give up until I see the chequered flag.
The time to slow down is now, they'll be very tight bends and I'll be going full speed into each one of them, even though I'm slowing down I make a point of braking right at the top, which already adds to the many sparks coming out and the barriers are very close to me, I can feel the plastic of them touching my leg and the hairs shivering, the wind that it causes, this is my chance and I'm already moving up two positions, that's it, I can do it! Come on Chariot, six more to go and victory is yours.
"This Chariot is monstrous, it seems that the race is hers alone and the other brooms are just the audience watching, so fast and easy does she make it look, but the technical part of the circuit is coming up, will she be able to repeat the same skill? And woah, look at those times! She's building speed into herself!" Said the commentator.
I kept flying at high speed and it just seems like everyone is standing still, these moving chicanes have only served to get in the way, one, two, three, four, I'm already kissing the podium, there are only two more to go that are further away, but the problem is that the track is running out and it's getting closer and closer to the end, I can already see the third-placed girl after the pirouette session, which I'm getting to and I'm doing them with immense ease, it's a pointless session, and there's already a corner where I'm side by side with the third-placed girl and I just pass her like it's nothing, now all that's left is the girl who's finding herself.
"It looks like Kelly Brabham is going to have a little visit from the fast Chariot Du Nord, which is approaching and reaching the final straight, what speed is that, it has passed the barriers and can already see the finish line, who will win? This is so exciting!" said the commentator.
I see that she's very close, so I bend down a lot to pick up speed, there will be so many sparks of magic behind the broom, I keep concentrating, I see that Kelly is close and her broom is also sparking, she's not slow at all, she must be going at least 300 per hour and almost there, I must be going faster than that, but I still have to get there. I stay very close to the broom, I reduce the drag as much as I can, allowing the speed to increase a little and I can feel the broom itself speeding up a little, but the finish line is very close and I'm getting too close.
All I can see is the finish line and as I pass it I just wonder if I've made it, I stop the broom with everything I've got, using my braking techniques and it was so marvellous that everyone was delighted to see me picking up the broom dragging it along the ground, kicking up a lot of dust everywhere and coming to a stop much more quickly.
"That's spectacular! What a marvellous arrival! Chariot Du Nord simply showed what she was here for! But did she really win? It was a side-by-side finish and from what I saw in the photo... I don't think so! The winner is Kelly Brabham! Brabham's victory was very close, very close indeed!" Said the commentator and well, I lost, but I did what I did.
I don't even get frustrated, I see that everyone is shocked, even Kelly herself when she sees me, I had warned her that I was going without jokes and doing my best to go far, she even came up to me asking for a handshake and smiled, I thought it was bizarre, but I shook her hand.
"I can't believe it! Chariot Du Nord herself competed with me with everything! She almost beat me! I can say I beat her! By the nine witches the legends were real, you're simply a machine!" She becomes friendly out of nowhere.
"Well, you won, I guess I must not have accelerated that much in the end, but congratulations on your victory" I say, scratching the back of my head.
"I was shitting bricks when you started flying off with everything, I even tried to create a distraction with the explosions, but it didn't work, I knew who you were, now I'm even more scared, I'm shaking, how can someone fly so fast and be so calm? It's bizarre" She did what? What a wretch, that could kill someone.
"You knew it could kill someone, didn't you? It was a very strong fire, luckily I managed to control it and give everyone a chance" I say to her, who scratches the back of her head and even shows her tongue.
"I was a bit of a prat, but will you forgive me? I just wanted to get the best out of you to see what it's like to compete against you, I have to admit you were pretty fast, I was cracking up when I heard the commentator, you throwing yourself at the barriers, just going four hundred kilometres an hour on your broom? How? That's like top speed" I've been trained by the best.
"I'll forgive you, I'll just say one thing, the best one who taught me all this" I say, walking out of there and going to my friends.
They were arriving and I was hugging them, I'm happy, I may have lost but I'm still happy, I could see how far I'd come, which soon Becca showed me a stopwatch, she showed me that I'd done a good time, when I analysed it I was simply in second position, I was a few seconds behind Mum, it was almost the third fastest sector of all, how incredible.
"I had to count to see how long it takes you and wow, you've almost got the record" said Leyland.
"Chariot, you may not have won the race, but you've earned everyone's respect" said Daniella.
I heard my name being shouted several times, everyone kept talking about me, I really must have done very well, I saw the photo of the winners being taken and they were very happy, it was a good race, which soon the girls I trained also arrived and they were also amazed to see that I just flew so fast like that, well I think I had an interesting day today.
"Now we know you're a monster Chariot, what kind of fast flight is that? Teach us, we want to be as fast as you" They're really delighted.
"Well, later today we still have some training to do, don't think I've forgotten, now get some rest, you had a great run too, especially Patricia, I'm proud to see that you're managing to regain your magic" I say to them.
"I thought I could have done better, my magic would have made me very fast, but next year I'll be recovered and I'll destroy the competition, I'll be as fast as you, with that speed you could beat Laura McLaren's records and show those witches in Dublin that you're the best, if it wasn't for that fire" Williams said and she has no idea how far behind I'd be.
"Well, in any case, we have to congratulate ourselves on having a good time today, I'm going to go and have a rest, there's a training session in three hours' time" I say to them, who nod their heads in agreement.
I leave the room and go inside Luna Nova, everyone is clapping at my presence, it only took a quick flight with the broomstick for me to be respected again, it's strange, well at least as a witch no one underestimates me, I enter the room and grab some food, second place was still a good competition, pity we didn't win anything.
"What's up, Chariot? Did I do well?" Parker asks and I nod.
"Of all the people, you were the one I was most proud of" I say smiling at her, who comes to hug me.
"I really appreciate you being so kind to me, Chariot, but I only tried my best and you still didn't win" said Daniella.
"Daniella, it's not about that, especially since I was going to come back to help in any way I could and just showing that I can have fun in a race was enough, now let's take a rest, you deserve it too, I know the effort you've made, a pretty face like that deserves its rest" I say smiling at the beautiful Parker.
"Are you really going to start this romantic thing? I can't even rest on a Friday and they're already thinking about getting it on" We shrug at Becca.
"Nobody told you not to enjoy homosexuality, a school like this full of beautiful girls and you decide to like men" said the brunette teasing her friend and I laughed.
"You like men too Parker, it's unfair to me, I'm at a disadvantage, the only good time I get is when I go out to Luna Nova or when the Appleton students come round once a year, but they never like witches or girls like me with short hair, ahhhh, why does life have to be such a drag" she said and poor thing, it must be boring to like men anyway.
"That's why liking women is the best thing my head could come up with for me, I study at a school full of what I like and on top of that they're all nice to me, more attentive than men, but anyway... Chariot..." She's eaten her fill now that I've given her something to eat.
"You only say that because you're in love with Chariot, I doubt very much that you think that about other women, but you still have a better chance with men than I do, your hair is long, you're all patrician even though you're cheesy - said the frustrated Leyland.
Well, I don't care much for this kind of subject, for me men are not very important, I like women who are much better, the chips are very good, a good rest too, I hope everything is going well with the girls resting too, I want to see if things go well in training today.
[...]
I'm proud, today things have progressed a lot, they're all able to use magic more easily, almost to the point of bringing the girls who haven't had their magic stolen closer together, especially Williams, she has the chance to be the first to get it, in the end the Dream Fuel Spirit is only temporary and that's good to know.
"And then Chariot, see how close I am, I think my magic is back" said an excited Patricia.
"You've still got a long way to go, but I'm proud of you, we're almost there, the magic is recovering and you'll be able to pass the exams that come your way" I say happily to the girls.
"But it's still nothing compared to you Chariot, simply the best broomstick flight I've ever seen, I thought I was doing well, but you had shown me that day how far I still have to go, even when I had magic I wasn't like that and today you've shown the gulf that is in relation to us, I even get a bit silly, a witch like you teaching us is an honour" said Tsugumi.
"You're kind of better than the teachers" Eun's exaggeration.
"It's not that big a deal, I don't have their experience" I say modestly.
"Eun's not exaggerating, I've never seen a teacher fly so fast, if you bet a broom race with Professor Nelson, she'd lose" I wonder if I'd win, she's an experienced teacher.
"Or even champion Laura McLaren herself, we'd love to see a race like that, she's probably older now but I don't doubt that witch is still fast and you could be even faster" Williams' ingenuity, I've tried and tried a lot, I know what my mum can do.
"You're very exaggerated, but for today it's just training, tomorrow I want to see more results, rest well because it's in rest that magic flows better and the body recovers from training, who knows in a few days we'll be able to recover your magic" I say smiling and going to my room.
They're leaving too, well I think I'm getting happy, it's not as bad as I thought, if I keep training hard the magic will come back, apart from that the children should have more time to train and become witches again, that's for sure, I'm really relieved that the Dream Fuel Spirit doesn't cause the damage I thought it might, good that Croix wasn't so cruel, but I'll still have to help these girls, until my last year isn't so bad.
"I didn't win the broomstick relay in 2007, where I could just swim away, but I still showed what a top-levelwitch on a broomstick is and that brought me back to a certain reputation in Luna Nova that until then hadbeen tarnished by the failures of the shows, but by showing that I was a much better witch than everyonethought was enough for respect to quickly return and for me to walk more comfortably in Luna Nova, best ofall I was really getting happy, it was as if the knocks that happened in the summer were forgotten."
See you, broom racers...