Page 20 of Vawn
I nudged Utahn. “Yeah, he is. So, don’t you go smacking him. Besides, don’t you have your own space racer to worry about?”
He winked at me. “Which one?”
I leaned back. “Oh, you’ve gotten over my brother already?”
“Not really.” He fumbled with his fingers in his lap. “But I don’t think he’ll ever see me as more than his baby brother’s best friend.”
I swatted him. He knew I hated to be called their baby brother. I was only a year younger than Genj and three years younger than Ret. “Whatever. Just have fun, okay?”
Enif suddenly jumped into my lap. “Daddy, two waps to go!”
We all stared at the screen more intensely and watched as the jets flew over one last time before they’d return to finish the race. The teams were all spread out, and any one of them could win, according to the commentator. Laup was in the lead now, but Ojo was pushing right behind him. He tried to pass him many times, but Laup would bank left or right to block his way.
All at once, the rest of ORIXA pulled up beside Ojo. Interception time. In the blink of an eye, they were on either side of Laup. The center from Team Storm continued to push forward, but, with the way clear, the rest met his speed. Close to the finish line, Ojo dropped in elevation, catching Laup unaware, and gave one final push before darting underneath him. We were on the edge of our seats as they all zoomed over us to end the race.
It was extremely close! Everyone held their breath as we waited for the results. The image captured at the finish line showed Laup in sixth place. Ojo had, amazingly, managed to get first. And, catching everyone by surprise, the rest of ORIXA had come in second. Together. The commentator said he’d never seen anything like that before. Usually teams were more spread out; the judges relied on a tally of points to determine the winning team. But ORIXA had pulled this off.
The three of us jumped up with excitement while a loud roar of cheers erupted from the stadium around us.
They had done it. Ojo told me after their race on Sodoya that they’d started practicing a new maneuver. Was that it? They’d all spent hours studying how the other teams raced and the course they’d be racing. It had paid off. I was glad I got to see it live. Most of the race had been boring, but that finish had been worth the wait.
Stars.I really looked forward to seeing the team and congratulating them, sure they’d all be filled with adrenaline from that win.
The locked door behind us suddenly clicked open. We all turned to see who it was. A woman stepped through the doorway. “Hello.” She smiled and nodded. “I’m Helena, and since you’re guests of Ojokun, you can visit him with his team in the winner’s lounge.”
The three of us jumped up then followed her through an empty part of the stadium. It was eerily quiet compared to the excitement we heard on the other side of the walls. All the way, Enif held my hand and skipped along beside me, not complaining once. I think she was as eager as I was.
When we reached a second building, the woman opened a door and gestured for us to enter.
Inside, each of the members of ORIXA were being interviewed and photographed by various media outlets from all over the universe.
I held Enif’s hand tight, not wanting her to run to her uncles and interrupt. Once they’d finished with the media, I released her. Only, it wasn’t either of my brothers she ran to. Nope, she raced straight for Ojokun. Right when he was being photographed with the trophy.
The Otavian with the camera jumped back. “Oh, who’s this?”
I rushed toward them to get my daughter out of the way, but Ojo brushed me off.
“It’s okay.” He lifted Enif up and held her in his arms. “She’s a fan of mine. A very special fan.”
Enif suddenly became shy and buried her face in his neck.
“I see I’ve been replaced.” Ret came up to me and gave me a hug. “Like father, like daughter, I guess.”
I chuckled as I returned his hug. “It’s not my fault he talks to her more than you do.”
“Oh, but it is.” He patted my arm. “Because it’s you Ojo calls to talk to in the first place. You seem to have cast some magical spell over him.”
Ret moved to give Utahn a hug, too. “It’s good to see you again. How have you been? I heard you opened a bakery?”
“Yeah.” My best friend gave my brother a friendly smile. “I like to bake, so it really is my dream come true.”
Ret crossed his arms. “If only we had you here to bake some of the traditional foods of Orez. I miss it a lot.”
Utahn shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to come home more often, then.”
I laughed before turning to check on my daughter. She and Ojo were making funny faces at the photographer then giggling at the pictures when they showed on-screen in front of them.
Genj finally finished and headed our way. The moment he spotted Utahn, he stumbled. Predictable. I chuckled to myself as my brother got closer.
