At first, the man kept his speed low, cruising leisurely behind Juniper. He was a professional racer, after all; there was no honor in bullying a little girl on a scooter. But soon, he noticed something was wrong. The gap between them was widening, so much so that he could barely make out her silhouette.


    What the-? How was her little e-scooter so fast? It defied thews of physics. He twisted the throttle, pushing his bike faster to close the distance.


    Still too slow.


    "What''s wrong with my bike?" he muttered, flooring it again.


    Two minutester, the distance hadn''t shrunk; it had grown. The entire time, all he''d seen was the back of her helmet.


    How was this possible? He was now pushing speeds he''d normally only hit on a racetrack. Forget a scooter, most race cars couldn''t keep up with his bike at this pace.


    Refusing to ept defeat, he pushed the throttle to its limit, the motorcycle screaming down the suburban highway. He was getting closer, inch by inch... and then, in the next second, the girl executed a wless turn into a bend and vanishedpletely.


    By the time he rounded the corner, the road was empty, save for the faint whisper of wind left in her wake. He slowed to a stop, pulling off his helmet and gasping for breath, his heart pounding. He had risked his life, pushing his bike to its absolute maximum, and he still hadn''t caught her. Was she riding an e-scooter or a fighter jet?


    Interesting. He had to find out who that girl was!


    Just as he wasposing himself, his phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, his demeanor instantly shifted to one of respect. "Shanley!"


    "Where are you?" Shanley''s voice was cold andmanding,ing from the top floor of the manor as he gazed toward the Cloudscape Community.


    "Ten minutes out," Kurt Schwartz reported dutifully. "Don''t worry, Shanley, I won''t bete for Grandma''s party."


    "Good," Shanley said, idly fiddling


    al


    with a piece of candy. "I hear Grandma is introducing you to a girl today. Don''t defy her. Just meet the Our


    "But Shanley, you don''t even have a..."...girlfriend, so why is the marriage pressure on me?* Kur dared not finish the sentence His passion was racing, not romance.


    "Grandma speaks very highly of her," Shanley said, his voice a low,zy drawl. "Just meet her. Fulfill Grandma''s wish. That''s all."


    Of course, if they hit it off, that would be even better.


    "Okay," Kurt mumbled, feeling wronged but powerless to object.


    "That bike you had your eye on is avable," Shanley added, a sly smile ying on


    his lips. "Pick out the specs and color, then contact Flint."


    "Really, Shanley?" Kurt, who had been sulking, instantly perked up. "Thank you, Shanley!"


    His parents had frozen his ounts


    to stop him from racing, but his


    cousin, Shanley, had always


    supported him. He''d been wanting this new


    model for


    but at his


    prize money was tied up in preparing


    for his F1 career.


    "Just perform well," Shanley said, his voice soft but carrying immense weight. "Keep Grandma happy, and you''ll be rewarded."


    "Mission epted!" Kurt dered with gusto, nearly bowing to the phone.