Chapter 80 80. Tropical Thunder Circuit
Tabitha’s POV
Days pass by and before I know it, it’s already Saturday. Mom is the only one that greets me as soon as I head down for a late breakfast, well, brunch because it’s practically noon already.
Unsurprisingly, all of my stepbrothers are nowhere to be found. Huh. They probably went out early to get ready for the qualifying race and stuff. Although I wonder why Evren and Jace might have gone considering that they’re not even participants like the other two.
“Oh hey, sweetheart, thought you’d never come down,” My mom says, glancing at me through the fashion magazine she’s reading.
I chuckle. “Yeah, I forgot to set an alarm. Good thing I still have enough time to get ready.”
She frowns. “Get ready? Ah… are you going to attend the Tropical Thunder Circuit?”
“Yes! Well, I have nothing else to do today, anyway. So I thought I’d come with Evelyn to see what the deal is about.”
“That’s good. There’s been a lot of fuss about this event lately, so it’s nice that you’ll get to see it yourself.” She nods at the staff and instructs them to serve some food. “I’ve had my breakfast already, but let me join you for a while. I haven’t had my morning tea, anyway.”
The staff promptly serves a fresh plate of bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and a five layer of pancakes with a generous side of maple syrup just the way I like it.
“Thank you.” I smile at the staff before she bows and walks back to the kitchen. “So… are you also coming to the circuit later?”
“No.” She sips on her tea and flicks her eyes back to the magazine. “Not today, at least. Maybe tomorrow. I bet the main race would be a fun watch.”
“Yeah, Evelyn did say that it gets exciting the second day.”
“Should I inform Gerald so he can drive you to there?”
“No need.” I grin while stabbing a thick slice of bacon. “Evelyn says that she’s going to pick me up. We’ll go there together.”
“That’s good! I’m happy that you’re finally making good friends in the island.”
Right, five years ago I can’t even befriend a seagul even if I try. But now, I’m chummies with one of the rich kids of Kaelara.
“By the way, where’s Alpha Emery? I didn’t see him around.”
“Oh you know he’s quite a busy man, especially in such an eventful season as this.” Mom shrugs. “He is with his men back at the naval base, trying to strengthen the security and monitor maritime activities near the island.”
I nod and attack the rest of the food on my plate.
Around one in the afternoon, Evelyn picks me up as promised. Mom blows a kiss at me throught he veranda as I hop in my friend’s car.
“You girls have a great day!”
“Thank you, Mrs. Aldair. We will!” Evelyn winks and waves at my mom before pulling down the car windows.
The driver is in the driver’s seat while Evelyn and me are seated in the backseat. She seems very excited about the circuit as she enthusiastically shares last year’s experience all throughout the car ride.
“We’re actually a bit early since the qualifying rounds usually start later in the afternoon, around 3pm. But no worries! It just means that we’ll have more time to do some shopping and stuff.”
“Shopping?”
“Yes! There will be a lot of market stalls and food stalls at the event. All sorts of things, you know,” Evelyn says as she snaps her compact shut and beams at me. “So before the race starts, we have enough time to shop for interesting products. Most of them are locally made, but I heard some entrepreneurs from the mainland managed to grab spots too. I am excited for the food though. That is always the best part.”
I smile at her enthusiasm. “You make it sound like we are going to a feast instead of a race.”
“We kind of are. It’s actually like a festival,” she says with a playful shrug. “You will see once we get there. The track looks wild, the stalls look lively, and people actually dress up for this event. It is a whole thing.”
“Now I’m excited.” I grin.
For the first time, I have other motivations for coming there aside from my goal to watch my stepbrothers race.
The drive continues until the houses thin out. The road curves toward the coast and the sound of engines starts to rise in the distance. When we turn the last corner, the view opens up and my lips part at the view.
A dedicated race track stretches across the open field, carved in a long loop with sharp bends and wide straight paths. Wow. The ground looks scorched from previous races and tall barricades line the outer edges. The outermost area is also dotted with dozens and dozens of stalls, each one bursting with color. The whole thing looks like a festival. People wander between them with phones raised. A lot of them are unfamiliar. Some wear floral shirts that scream tourist. Others pose near the track while someone else films them.
So Evelyn was right. There are tourists everywhere. A lot of them.
Evelyn grabs my wrist with a bright grin. “Come on, we have to check everything.”
She drags me toward the first row of stalls. We stop at a booth filled with keychains, tiny plushies, and acrylic charms shaped like helmets or tiny motorcycles. A little girl tries to tug her father toward a pink keychain shaped like a palm tree and the whole thing feels so lively that I cannot help smiling. I end up buying several cute keychains and a pink octopus plushie.
We head to the next stall where they sell shirts with bold prints of the Tropical Thunder Circuit. Some designs show a racer mid-turn which I swear looks like Reed with its red and black color palette. Others have the race logo across the chest with tropical flowers wrapped around it. Evelyn holds up a shirt against me and squints like a stylist. I laugh and shove it back onto the rack. I can’t resist buying the black and red shirt before we move to the next stall.
We wander until the smell of food hits us. My mouth waters at the sight of several food stalls on our right—juicy and smoky grilled meat, fresh lemonade, fried snacks in paper boats, and tanghulu skewers. We buy slices of smoked brisket, chilli fries, three tanghulu skewers, and a delicious pastry that melts on my tongue. I am busy wiping sugar off my lips when something catches my eye.
While we move through the crowd, my eyes drift up toward the track fence near the starting line. A massive tarp hangs there, stretched tight across the metal railings. The thing is huge, like it is trying to shout over the noise of the people and the music. The print says VULTRA ENERGY in bold letters with a logo shaped like a lightning bolt swallowing a sun.
“Wow. They really wanted everyone on the island to know they exist. That banner probably blocks the sun from reaching the next island.”
Evelyn laughs. “Yeah. I heard that it's one of the big sponsors this year. It is a new brand of—uhm, beverage… no, energy drink! But I heard the parent company is supposed to be a big shot enterprise. Dad said they have been popping up everywhere lately.”
We continue exploring until my feet start to ache. I check my phone. I barely notice the time passing but the sun has shifted overhead. Evelyn glances at her watch and jolts.
“The qualifying race should start in half an hour. We should head to the event proper.” She tugs me towards the queue of people in front of the main gate that separates the racing event proper.
Evelyn presents two VIP tickets to the staff and after verifying them, they nod and us to a raised viewing area near the center of the track. The spot gives us a wide view of everything.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding. This is a VIP seat!” I note, impressed.
“Right? You can see everything from here.”
From here, I can see at least two dozen racers gathered near the starting line. Some stretch their arms. Some adjust their suits as engines hum in the background. My gaze drifts on two familiar figures.
Luca stands in a green and white racing suit that fits him perfectly. Reed stands beside him in a red and black one that looks bold against the bright sky. He combs his palm over his buzzcut blonde hair while chatting with Evren and Jace who both look relaxed in casual clothes. So that’s why they left the house early too, they’re out here showing some brotherly support. I am about to laugh when all four of them suddenly snap their heads toward me as if they just simultaneously sniffed my presence.
Oh crap.
There is a decent distance between us but their eyes lock on mine with no effort at all. Reed smirks. He waves and gives me a slow wink. Heat surges up my neck. My face probably looks like a tomato.
How did they even instantly detect that I’m here? Is that part of the whole mate bond thing?
I glance at Evelyn in panic, thinking that she had noticed Reed’s shameless flirting, but she is too busy yelling at her brother who is adjusting his gloves near the starting line.
“Rhett! You better not skid on that first turn again. I am watching you!”
I let out a breath I did not know I was holding.
Once she stops yelling instructions at him, I lean closer. “So… how does the qualifying match work exactly?”
“Oh right.” She nods eagerly. “The qualifying match is divided into two rounds. In the first round, all the riders jump on their bikes and try to set their fastest lap times. After that, the number of participants will be narrowed down to twenty, who will then move to the second round. It gets more challenging from there though because the second round is a few minutes shorter than the first, so they have less time to push for the fastest lap again. At the end of this, the top ten fastest riders qualify for the big championship race on Day two.”
“Simple enough,” I say.
“Very simple. Brutal, but simple.” Evelyn claps her hands with excitement. “This is the fun part.”
I look back at the track. The engines roar louder. The racers take their positions. And my heart thuds like the starting gun is meant for me too.