Free Ash by Shani Petroff Page B

any racer to not keep both feet planted on their board. Lemad switched his body so his left foot was now leading the way and he was able pull out in front of Tred, but his momentary victory didn’t last long. Reiner surged forward, his board knocking into Lemad’s, then with a shove, Reiner sent the “flamingo” over the side of the track. Lemad braced himself, ricocheting off the magnetized floor of the track with nothing more serious than a scowl on his face.
    “Man down,” Theron called.
    Aldan was just about to go down the third loop but came to a halt right before the decline. I’d stopped asking how Aldan did the tricks he did. He’d made me try a bunny coaster once, and I never went back. Those loops are freaky. Racers are attached to their boards through magnets and that same tech work keeps the boards in line with the track. The magnets pull the board along, so stopping is anything but easy. It’s a skill, and if you don’t have it, you either crash, fall over the side, or miraculously get pulled to the end of the track. But my brother’s gifted. He’s always been able to stop on a hair. And this time as he did it, he saluted Lemad and then dove down the incline of the loop.
    “A classy move by Aldan Harris,” Theron said, “even if it did cost him five seconds. But a good attempt by Lemad Loring. And we’re down to seven.”
    Reiner had pulled ahead of Tred for the second loop, but by this point they were three loops behind Aldan. Still, none of them were about to give up. Second place was a big deal—especially when you already knew who was guaranteed to take first. And these guys were taking it seriously.
    Theron kept everyone up on the play by play. “Aldan is on his sixth loop. While Tred and Reiner are pulling out of their third. And what about Wybalt Morley, Analise Chorter, Zuma Pipin, and Nelo Hebert? No, they didn’t fall over the side. They’re chugging along about to take the second loop. But the real action is going on with our second place frontrunners. Reiner is still in the lead, but Tred is getting ready for a move. Look at the way he’s rocking his body. That can only mean one thing. He’s going for the leap!”
    And just as Theron said it, Tred jumped into the air, over Reiner’s head, and landed directly in front of him. The crowd broke out in applause.
    Theron let out a whistle. “Impressive move by Tred! Hear that crowd, Aldan? They’re cheering, clapping, yelling, and it’s not for you. I say you need to do something about it!”
    Aldan gave a thumbs-up to the hovercam following his every move. He had that glint in his eye. The one that meant he was going to do something stupid. Or what he and Theron called an ultra rush. I gripped my arm, squeezing the purple cuff under my sleeve hard.
    My brother, not to be outdone by Tred Nier, waved at the crowd, then jumped off the side of the track. A gasp went out through the stadium, and my heart almost stopped. Was he crazy? If the fall didn’t kill him, the Removers would. You couldn’t fail at your destiny. Not in today’s society. But it was just one of his tricks. Aldan’s hands caught onto the track in the nick of time, he swung his legs, and flipped back to his starting position. Then without missing a beat, he back flipped his way through the whole seventh loop. It cost him some time, and almost gave me a mini-stroke, but Aldan was sure to get extra points for a successful trick.
    The crowd was going insane. Even Laira was yelling Aldan’s name, and Laira never yelled.
    “Look at him go,” Theron said. “Alright, you can stop trying to impress the ladies, Aldan. We’ve all heard the rumors that you’re off the market. But don’t worry, while Aldan may be taken, I would be more than happy to fill in for him.” A screen above the track made a quick cut to show Theron giving us all a jaunty grin.
    Just what I needed. More competition.
    As Aldan continued on to the last loop, Tred and Reiner headed for number