by Joshua Laack
Chapter 19
The engine revved as Andrew pressed the gas and then released the clutch. The car lurched forward and then killed as he failed to shift fast enough. His lips tightened as he started the engine again and tried for a third time.
He had learned to drive a stick on his dad's little pickup truck, but the shifting was not quite the same on a powerful beast like this car. This time, he managed to get from first to fourth with only minor chugs in between shifts. The car hit fifty and he slipped it into fifth gear so smoothly, he almost thought he hadn't shifted. The car cruised up to about eighty five and he circled the track a few times before gearing back down and bringing the car to a halt in front of Johari's red Aston Martin.
“Want to show me how it's done,” he asked Johari? She grinned at him.
“Are you sure?” He nodded and they switched places.
Johari slid the seat up a bit, and then pressed a button on the console. The words, Racing Mode, flashed up on the instrument panel in bright green. Andrew watched as Johari worked the pedals. The car's RPM's rose, closer and closer to the four thousand mark, but the car didn't move.
It reached the four and the car dropped into gear and jumped forward with a growl. Andrew was thrown back into his seat as the car barreled down the track. The world around them blurred by faster and faster as the car neared the two hundred mile per hour mark.
He was dizzy as the car slowed down and parked in front of Johari's.
“Well, I would agree that is how it is done,” he said after he caught his breath and his heart rate slowed a bit. Johari smiled at him. “How do you make it look so easy?”
“I have a bit of an unfair advantage. My mind processes things just a little bit faster than most. I have time to think about exactly where to shift and how much pressure to use on the pedals and all of that. Not to mention, that I process more information at once so I can think about shifting, pedals, speed and the road in front of me without even thinking that hard.”
“That's amazing! I wish I could do that.” Johari's smile faded a bit.
“I'm afraid that isn't possible. There isn't much chance that the council will approve you being turned and I would never be willing to risk it even if they did. The chance of you not surviving is too great.” The sudden fear in her voice filled Andrew with two separate feelings. The first was the joy at the thought that she cared so much that she was afraid of losing him. The second was a profound sadness at the thought that she would lose him anyway as time did its work and stole him away.
Life looked so long with the demon inside of him. Then, Andrew couldn't wait for the last days of life to escape the darkness, but now life was too short to experience all that he hoped to with her. It was strange how life and the desires in it changed. Life was so different with this bright light in his heart instead of the darkness. That was the final thought and feeling that Andrew settled on. His time on this life was short, but he was going to spend every second of it in her light if she would let him. A slow smile spread its way across his face.
“I know that you can't turn me into what you are. It was just a thought. Let's just enjoy what we have and let tomorrow worry about itself.”
They took turns racing the car throughout the morning. Andrew's skill at shifting and his courage to drive at insane speeds increased in equal measures. He didn't quite get to the two hundred mark and couldn't match the ease at which Johari handled the car, but all in all he was proud of his improvement. Lunchtime came and went without either of them realizing the time. It was Andrew's stomach that announced the late time.
“I hate to stop this now, but I think it's past time for me to find a little food.” Johari was driving at the moment and she pulled the car to a stop in front of her own.
“I'm so sorry. I forgot about you needing to eat. I am not used to regular mealtimes.” Andrew nodded.
“It's fine. I would have said something sooner if I had thought of it. I should check in at home anyway since I didn't tell my parents that I was going anywhere and I am sure that they are home from their own outing this morning.” Almost as he spoke, the phone in his pocket began to buzz.
Andrew pulled it out and spoke to his mom for a bit before promising to be home soon and hung up. They climbed out of the Murcielago and walked to the Aston Martin. Andrew looked back once at the silver beauty, wishing once more for just a moment that he could take it home after all, but he knew that was not possible. This car didn't fit into his life. Could she? Only time would tell.