Author's Note: A big thank you to everyone reading my work. Please comment because I'd love to know your thoughts. This is one of my favourite stories i have written and I want to know how to make it better. Any help is appriciated!

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By the time Shai got home it was almost Curfew. She couldn’t stay in the lobby of that apartment building long before she became suspicious, and she didn’t know if Riley would stay out on the corner. It seemed unlikely, but she didn’t want to take any risks.

            She pushed her way into the elevator when it was full of people. She waited for everyone else to get off and then went up onto the next floor. She crept down the hallway, trying not to let the floor creak under her feet. At the end of the hallway she opened the door to the stairwell.

            Prying the window open with her fingers, she slipped out onto the metal staircase that was on the back of every building. She climbed down the ladder quickly and dropped to the ground with the last step. She was hidden by the narrow space between the two buildings.

            She peered around the corner to check and see if she could see Riley. The coast was clear and she walked behind another group of girls about her age. She followed them before taking a sharp turn down another alley. She was far enough away from Riley’s booth that being caught by him was no longer a fear. The Officer standing in front of the alley was the only thing that stopped her from walking straight across the Market street.

            Walking with the crowd of people she noticed that Officers were blocking off more and more alleys. A slight fear rose in Shai as she wondered if every alley was being blocked off.

            Finally, she discovered one that’s not and slipped down it. She feared that an Officer would chase he down and question her, but she knew she was sly enough for no one to catch her.

            Hearing voices made her take a longer route home then she would like. But the people on the street in the Slums would kill her, especially with that bracelet on her wrist.

            She climbed up the stairs at the back of her apartment and opened the window and pushed the cardboard out, expecting Todd to still be with whatever girl he was meeting. But she was wrong and he was lying down on the couch flipping the blade in and out of his pocketknife.

            “How’d it go?” he asked her.

            She closed the window and put the cardboard back in place. He sat up on the couch and put his knife down on the table.

            “Well, I got this,” she said displaying her wrist in front of Todd. His eyes light up and he grabbed her hand and pulled it right in front of his eyes.

            “You got this on a first date?” he asked astonished.

            “Yeah, Brighties are so odd. He even asked me to marry him today,” she said.

            “Make sure it’s a big diamond.”

            “I’m not marrying him, Todd!”

            Todd laughed and shook his hair out of his eyes. Shai went into her room and threw her bag down on her bed. She took off her dress and remembered Riley’s comment about the sand as the grainy substance was stuck to her skin. She wiped it off quickly and put one of Todd’s old shirts with the hem all torn and a pair of black sweatpants. She pulled her hair out of the elastic and she fiddled with the clasp on the bracelet.

            It took only a few failed attempts before she left her room. As she walked out of her room she heard the faint sound of the bell ringing for Curfew.

            “I can’t take it off,” she said holding her wrist out to Todd.

            “The princess can’t take off her jewellery?” he asked wryly.

            “I went out with a Brighty not a Archy. Just teach me how to take it off.”

            He turned the bracelet around and she watched as he pulled back on the metal clasp and took it out of the small metal ring.

            “Now was that so hard?” he asked.

            Shai didn’t respond and turned around to her bedroom. She slid the bracelet under her pillow among her most valuable items. They were the most secure there.

            “He invited me to the derby,” she told Todd.

            “The derby? Wow, you’re going to get some Brighty privileges, Shai.”

            “I’ve already gotten privileges. He took me to the beach.”

            Shai laughed at the shocked expression on Todd’s face. He rolled his eyes at her and put his feet up on the table.

            “You’re not serious?” he asked.

            “I sure as hell am. A Rat got onto the beach and lived to tell the tale,” she informed him proudly.

            “Well, bravo for you. But I think you need to thank me.”

            “Why?”

            Todd crossed his arms under his chest.

            “Because it was my idea for you to go out with that Brighty,” he said.

            “Then congrats for the idea. I should be thanked for executin’ your idea.”

            “I could have put on a dress and impressed that Brighty just as well as you.”

            Shai opened up her mouth to protest but was cut off by a loud bang coming from the street below. Shai and Todd ran into Shai’s room. She pulled back the sheet on her window enough so that her and Todd could see out but whatever Officer was on the street couldn’t see in. They knew it was Officers because they were the only ones allowed to carry guns. The Slums were full of knives and blades but the government didn’t care, but be caught with a gun and you were shot dead at sight.

            The street was barley visible as the sun had set almost an hour ago. An Officer stood across from a crumpled body lying on the street. Shai couldn’t make out any details on the person to decipher their age, let alone gender. They were just one more victim of the Curfew.

It was just another way for the government to keep the streets “safe”. Most crime happens after night, so if no one were out in the dark then no one would get hurt. In Bright if someone were found after Curfew they’d be escorted home with a warning. But in the Slums they don’t care. That Officer who had just shot the rat will have a story prepared about how the Rat ran towards him with a knife trying to rob him.

The Officer yelled out for another one. The Officer who came up running to his side was much younger. The older Officer gave his orders to the younger one. The younger one shook his head and ran over to the body. He picked up the Rat under his arms and began dragging him down the street.

This wasn’t anything new to Shai. She usually could hear the gun, but it was rare if she saw the Officer.

“Some people can be idiots,” Todd muttered.

She didn’t even argue with him because she believed what he said. There had been many times that she hadn’t gotten home before Curfew. She managed to hide in one of the abandoned buildings throughout the night or ran as fast as she could to Jasper’s.

“I have a question,” Shai told Todd.

“What?” he asked still looking over her shoulder out to the street.

“How many days are in December?”

“Thirty-one.”

“Damn it. I was so close.”

Shai woke up before it was bright outside. She had to get back to Riley’s booth before her left for that apartment building to pick her up.

She put on one of the new skirts Todd had stolen for her. The soft red material ended just above her knees and she wore a black shirt that kept sliding down her shoulder. Her new bracelet was around her wrist and she snuck out of the window in her apartment.

While crouching, Shai scanned the street below for Officers. She couldn’t see any and climbed down from the staircase. Quickly she crept her way out of the Slums; avoiding the streets she’d here voices coming from.

After she got into the Market she looked for Riley’s booth. It was positioned in its usual spot. Only a few people were strolling down the cobblestone and Shai had difficulty trying to blend in.

When she got to the booth the Grey boy with the wire-rimmed glasses was behind the counter. He was arranging the colourful display of fruit. He looked up as Shai walked towards him. He snapped his head back down to the fruit.

“Is Riley here?” she asked him.

“No,” he said keeping his eyes down. “He’s not here yet, but he should be soon.”

The boy turned around and started working in the back of the booth. Shai looked behind her to see no Officers behind her. She slipped a few pieces of fruit into her bag.

She ran her fingers quickly through her hair. The boy looked quickly over his shoulder and looked back to whatever he was doing.

“Jessica!” she heard Riley yell.

She turned around to see Riley walking towards her with a box in his arms. It looked like the boxes they use at the Drop Off, but it was a pale blue colour. He dropped it on the counter and kissed Shai. He wrapped his arms tightly around her back. Large black glasses covered his eyes to protect them from the sun. It was something she usually only saw Brighties wear. Shai stole a pair once, but she couldn’t see through the tainted glass.

“I was going to pick you up at your apartment,” he told her.

“I didn’t want to risk having my grandparents see us,” she said.

“Okay. Now that you’re here early, how about we get something to eat?”

Shai’s face light up when he said that.

“That sounds great,” she said.

“Good,” he said leaning down and kissing her again. He looked over at the boy behind the counter. “Larson, put those away.” He gestured to the light blue box. “And don’t tell my father where I’ve gone.”

He laced his fingers through Shai’s and guided her out of the Market and back into Bright. He lead her through the iron gates, and she kept her eyes on their hands, not wanting to look at any of the Officers.

“Have you ever been to a derby before?” Riley asked her.

“No,” she lied. Shai had gone to the derby every year for as long as she could remember.

“They take some of the old cars no one uses anymore and put them into an arena. They fight until only one is left.”

“Fight?”

“Yes, like run into each other.”

Riley turned and pulled Shai through the doors into a restaurant. It was a different one than the one Shai and Todd went to yesterday and that surprised her. In the Slums the only restaurant was Ziggy’s, a small dinner that was used for more social purposes than for food.

A Gray woman smiled at them and then showed them to a table. The large plush seats hid them from the rest of the restaurant. The woman each handed them one of those little books and Shai bit down on her lip. She couldn’t read it and she had never been to a Brighty restaurant without Todd.

She tried to look like she was reading the book and watched Riley in the corner of her eye. He folded the book and put it down on the table.

“What are you having?” she asked.

He named a dish that she had never heard of before.

“Sounds good. I’ll have that too,” she said.

“I like the menu at this place,” he told her.

“The what?”

He put his finger on the little book and tapped his finger on it quickly.

“The menu,” he said again.

Shai took a quick note in her head the name of the little book.

The woman came back and Riley told them their order. She nodded her head took the menus and left.

“Who’s that boy always at your booth?” Shai asked to fill the pause in their conversation.

“Larson,” Riley said. “He’s just another weak common wealth. They’re one step up from Rats but not by much. They’re basically just Rats that they let past the gates.”

“He looks afraid of you,” she told him.

“Fear is sometimes good. It helps them remember who’s in charge. Who’s superior. Who’s important.”

“They need to be reminded?” she asked to amuse herself.

“All the time. Those Rats are idiots. Most haven’t even been to school. How do you suspect them to do anything if they can’t even spell their own name?”

Shai threw her head back in a laugh. She knew most Brighties hated Rats, but she hadn’t met one so open to telling her about it. It was even funnier to her now that one was cheating him.

“They won’t last long anyways,” he continued to tell her. “The population of Bright is expanding rapidly and the city will have to expand its territory. We’ll have to take over the Slums and those Rats will scurry away and this city will be great again.”

“How do you know this will happen?” she asked. She could already see the Officers storming into the Slums and kicking everyone out of their homes. The bodies of those too stubborn to move would litter the street. She knew her and Todd were most likely going to join them.

“Zimmer promises it,” he told her.

Shai knew nothing about Brighty politics, but even she knew the name of the man on the Pangella flag they burn regularly in the Slums. The Governor of Pangella was the one who made sure everything ran smoothly and in his eyes whenever something went wrong it was the Rats fault.

“They won’t put up a fight?” she asked.

“That’s nothing that a few guns won’t fix.”

The Grey came back to the table and set a plate of food down in front of them. A colourful ring of fruit in the centre of the plate surrounded the smae yellow fluffy food.

“Enjoy,” the woman said before leaving.

Shai picked up her knife and fork and tried to eat with a Brighty manner. Eating with Riley was much different than eating with Todd. Her and Todd were always too hungry to stop. Riley had never missed a meal and kept questioning her as she ate. Shai did her best to keep the answers short and vague.

“What does your father do?”

“Owns a factory.”

“And your brother?”

“He’s an Officer.”

“How old is he?”

“Twenty.”

“Married?”

“For almost a year.”

His pointless questions didn’t stop until she was done eating. The woman came back and took their empty plates away. Riley quickly paid her and then got up from his seat. He extended his arm down to her and she laced her fingers through his and they left the restaurant together.

Outside in Bright, more Officers had filled the street than Shai had ever seen. They stood almost shoulder-to-shoulder down the street, their line leading to the Stadium. The Stadium was in the beginning of the Slums and no Brighty would venture out their without an escort with a gun.

They walked down the path of Officers and Shai avoided looking at them. Their statue like stance sent a shiver down her spine. They stood with one hand behind their back and the other was at a salute at the brim of their hat covering most of their mandatory baldhead. The thick brown strap to their rifles was across their chest.

As the Stadium came into view, Shai felt better as she recognized her surroundings. The large circle arena separated the Brighties from the Rats and this was the first time she got to view it from the Brighty side.

Riley led her up the stairs to the wooden bleachers. It was already half full with waiting spectators. They walked up the steps and took a seat on an empty bench near the back. A large canvas was draped across the stands providing them with a cool shade.

Shai looked across to the Rat side. The bleachers were only half the size and didn’t have a roof like the Brighties, so they were left in the sweltering heat. However, most had to stand as the bleachers were already full. People were already pushing their way through the crowd to get a good view in the front.

“When is it suppose to start?” Shai asked Riley.

He flipped his wrist and looked at his watch peeking out from his white shirt.

“A little under an hour,” he said.

She nodded her head and stared out at the white tents behind the Rat bleachers. She could only see the large one that held food and that a couple of sellers set up tables in. A smaller tent was behind it that all of the drivers were in. Shai wanted to see Jasper before it started.

“Can I get something to drink?” she asked gesturing out to the tent.

“Okay,” he said reaching into his pocket.

He handed her a bill and she thanked him. After going down the steps she was back into another path of Officers.  Because they were so close to the Rat bleachers, all of the Officers had their backs turned to her with a large plastic shield out in front of them. Shai kept her head down so no one would recognize her.

She followed the path into the first tent. A few Officers were in there but not many. She slipped her way through the back of the tent undetected.

No Officer was near the drivers’ tent as only Rats ever drove in the Derby. It was too dangerous to risk the life of a Grey, let alone a Brighty.

Peeling back the door, she saw six Rats in there. They were all male and a little bit older than her. A table in the middle of the tent was littered with plates that had been scraped clean of food. They always feed the drivers before the Derby. The drivers were already dressed in their gear and were standing around the table talking.

Marco, an ass who Todd had gotten into many fights with, was the first to notice her.

“Hey, Shai,” he said snickering.

Jasper turned quickly and his dark eyes grew when he saw what she was wearing. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the back corner of the tent. He pushed her up against one of the metal poles holding up the tent, his fingers were digging into her skin. He was towering over her, blocking their conversation from the rest of the drivers. She couldn’t see any of them, but she knew that Marco must have been continuing to snicker at them.

“Shai, what the hell are you doing here dressed like that?” he asked her, his voice coming out as a harsh whisper. “If any Officer sees you trying to be a Brighty they’ll shoot you. You know they’re everywhere at the Derby. And-“

“S’okay,” she cut him off. “I’m not here alone.”

“Todd isn’t good enough to make this plan safe.”

“It’s not Todd. It’s a real Brighty.”

Jasper’s fingers tightened into her arms. He closed his eyes and turned his head away.

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“I met some Brighty at the Market the other day,” she started to explain. “He thinks he’s in love with me and he’s already bought me this.”

She lifted her wrist up and showed him the bracelet. With one hand Jasper let go of her arm and touched it.

“Once he buys me a few more things we’ll have enough money for a long time,” she told him.

“I’ve got money for entering and I’m going to get more if I win.”

“And I’m making my own money.”

“I still don’t like it. You’ll get caught. So stop it now.”

His lack of confidence in her was frustrating to Shai. She pulled her wrist away from him.

“I’m still going to do it,” she said.

“Shai-“

“Jasper, don’t. You’re not telling me what to do. I’m gonna meet this Brighty a few more times and that’s it.”

Jasper’s lips curled into a smile, revealing his chipped front tooth. When he was fourteen he got into a fight at Ziggy’s and ended up getting hit in the face with a bottle. It was one of the only reasons Shai never asked him to go with her to the Market. Unlike her tooth, there was no way of hiding his. She wasn’t going to have them risk being caught over something so obvious. As soon as he would open his mouth to talk he’d give them away.

“You do look pretty when you dress like that,” he said bringing his hands up to her face.  He leaned down and kissed her. Marco whistled and Shai shot him the finger, causing the rest of the drivers to laugh.

“Just make sure you don’t marry this Brighty,” he said.

“He already offered,” she said turning around and walking away.

“Wait! What?” she heard him yell out.

When Shai returned back to the Brighty bleachers, Zooey was sitting beside Riley. A younger boy and girl with the same black hair as her were running around the bench.

A bottle of water was in Shai’s hand. She had taken it from the drivers’ tent and kept the money Riley gave her. The bleachers were almost full as a wave of Brighties entered.

“Hello, Jessica,” Zooey said friendly; Riley must have had a talk with her.

“Hello, Zooey,” she said back.

Shai sat down beside Riley and Zooey turned around to the boy and girl.

“Anderson! Erin!” she yelled at them. They came running from the back of the stands. Anderson sat down beside Zooey, while Erin settled herself in Zooey’s lap. She rolled her eyes and looked up at Shai. “Younger siblings can be so annoying sometimes.”

Riley slipped his arm around Shai. She tilted her head up and kissed him quickly.

The last few Brighties got up onto the bleachers and filled in the empty spaces on the bleachers. The Rats were piled around the arena on the opposite side.

A red car splattered with dirt drove into the middle of the arena. Everyone from all sides of the arena cheered loudly. A man slid out from the passenger’s side window and stood up on the roof of the car. He held his hand up over his head and the crowd cheered even louder.

His hair was spiked out from his head. He had on a dark red shirt and you could see the assortment of black bands run up his left arm. A microphone was in his right hand.

“Hello, Pangella!” his voice boomed through the microphone. “I am your host Pascal Monroe.”

Another burst of cheers came from the crowd. A green car with a white one painted across it drove into the arena.

“In car number one we have Samuel Baldwin,” Pascal announced as the green car circled him.

Next was a blue car with a two painted across it entered.

“Marco Rodriguez,” he said as Marco circled him.

The pattern continued for three more cars. With the cars parked around Pascal’s the final one entered. A black car with the number six on it entered the arena.

“And last but not least we have Jasper Nicholby,” Pascal told the crowd.

Shai cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. She had seen a couple Brighties do it and assumed it was all right to do so. Riley looked down at her oddly.

“What’s that for?” he asked her.

“I think he’s going to win,” she said.

“Really? If gambling were legal I’d put my money on Marco. He’s won the last two years.”

She shook her head and turned her attention back to the arena.

“Now remember boys,” Pascal said. “There are no rules. Once you can no longer run you are out of the game. Last car to run wins.”

Pascal jumped off the roof of his car as all the cars revved their engines. Only the Rat side cheered this time, Shai kept a sharp eye out to know when it was all right to cheer. Pascal ran across the arena and pulled himself up onto the ledge of the arena with the microphone still in his hand.

“The Derby may begin!” he shouted.

Marco’s car was the first to move. Dirt flew up into the air as his tires spun. He shot across the arena and rammed his car straight into car number five. His hood first hit Five’s car and spun it up against the wall. It was smashed and then Marco pulled away. The front of Marco’s car was a little dented, but the door of five was curved in towards the driver. Five revved on its engine hard, but the car didn’t go anywhere.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, car number five is already out,” Pascal told everyone.

A mixture of cheers and boos came from the Rats. The ones who bet on Five just lost their money.

Riley leaned down towards Shai, “Told you.”

“Keep watching. He’s going to lose,” she told him.

The Five driver slid out of his window. A man came running out into the arena holding orange flags above his head, warning all of the drivers to take caution. The driver threw his arm around the flag man’s neck and limped out of the arena as the man pulled him out.

The cars began to move around the arena. Two and Three spun around in a circle with the edge of their hoods touching, trying not to fall behind which would make them easy bait to be smashed. Shai kept her eye on Jasper’s car as it was running beside Marco’s. Sam’s came up from the side and ran into the corner of Marco’s already smashed hood. Marco pulled away from Jasper’s car and spun quickly to his right. The left side of his car rose into the air and gave back down to the ground when he had turned around.

Jasper reversed his car quickly and ran straight into Three’s hood. He continued to reverse his car as Three tried to go foreword. Smoke rose from hood of Three’s car and more shouts came from the Rat’s. Jasper pulled his car away from Three’s and turned his car around quickly, the back of his car was now dented in. Three continued to drive away and with the amount of smoke coming out from the hood, the car was no longer visible under the cloud of smoke and dust.

Shai turned her head and nudged Riley in the shoulder to get his attention.

“I told you,” she said pointing out to Jasper driving away.

“Lucky shot, but he is going to lose.”

Knowing he wasn’t going to win, Three continued to drive his car at Marco’s. Shai couldn’t stop herself from snickering. Most people hated Marco in the Slums and Three was taking a chance to wreck Marco’s car.

Marco’s car was already occupied as it was pinning One to the wall by its trunk. Three came towards him and rammed his car into the back of Marco’s car. The crowd burst into cheers as the three cars disappeared into the smoke. One pulled out of the cloud with the back corner of his car wrecked. Marco’s followed with the back of his car pushed up, exposing most of the back wheels.

The smoke slowly died down around Three. The driver had gotten out of his car and stood on the roof. He was waving his arms up in the air as the smoke was clearing.

“Our second car to be out of the Derby is car number Three,” Pascal told the crowd.

The man with the flags came running back onto the arena. The boos from the crowd were easily heard all the way from the Brighty side. The driver quickly hurried out of the arena so that the rest of the Derby could continue.

Four raced across the dirt for Jasper’s car. Jasper quickly backed his car up and Four made a sharp turn so he didn’t run into the wall. The side of his car scraping across the metal causing sparks to fly up in the air. The Rats in the front row screamed as they held their arms up above their heads to stop any of the sparks from hitting them.

Jasper continued to back up away from Four. Four took off after Jasper across the arena and Four didn’t pay attention as One speed across the arena and hit the front corner of his car. Four began to spin. Marco took this opportunity to ram his car into Four’s trunk in the opposite direction. Smoke was coming out from Four’s car as he tried to drive away. The back wheel was destroyed and made a terrible popping noise as he tried to move his car foreword. One ran back into Four’s car and pinned it up against the wall. One pulled away as Four revved hard on it’s engine. The car didn’t move.

“Car number four is out!” Pascal shouted to the crowd. “That leaves only three more cars.”

The driver was barely visible to Shai as he jumped out of the window cradling his wrist to his chest. He ran out of the arena with the man with the flags.

Jasper and Marco drove side by side to each other. Shai craned her neck to get a better look. It confused her why they were driving slower than they normally do.

They split up and Marco turned his car around and stayed in the spot. Jasper drove his car around the arena to the other end. One came towards Marco’s car. Marco drove right towards One’s car as Jasper came up behind One. One didn’t have time to turn his car out of the way before he was caught in between their two cars.

Cheers came from everyone on both sides of the arena. Jasper and Marco pulled their cars away from One. Their hoods were dented but One’s car was completely destroyed. More smoke drifted out of the arena.

“That is the end of car one,” Pascal said, pointing out the obvious.

Everyone waited for the driver, Samuel, to get out of his car. Almost a minute passed and no one had seen Samuel yet. The man with the flags ran up to his car. After having a quick look into the car, the man brought a whistle up to his lips and shot off three short high pitched blasts.

Shai remembered what that meant. There had been a life threatening injury. A few men have probably already broken bones, but there was a doctor in the back to fix those up quickly. But Rat’s weren’t allowed in hospitals, so if there were no quick fix they’d die.

Two more men ran up to Samuel’s car. They opened the door and eased him out of the car. Shai was able to hear Samuel’s screams from her seat. She took a quick look at Zooey to see that she had her brother and sister curled into her body, blocking their vision of whatever happened to Samuel. Riley curled Shai into his body trying to block her view too. Shai had seen much worse in the Slums so she peered out into the arena.

Samuel was pulled out of his car. A large jagged piece of his windshield was sticking out of his helmet. Blood was running down his chest as they ran him out of the arena with the piece of glass in his face that Shai guessed was near his eye. His screams died down as he got farther away.

When they finally left the arena, Jasper and Marco revved their engines. Riley loosened his arm around Shai and she sat up. Jasper was so close to winning the Derby. He would win the money and even better yet, he would beat Marco.

Their cars drove around the arena and the Rats were screaming a mixture of Marco and Jasper’s names. They circled the arena, with One’s discarded car in between them.

Marco swerved his car quickly and was beside Jasper’s. The drove side by side as they continued to circle One. The sides of their cars scraped together.

Just run him into the wall, just run him into the wall, Shai kept repeating into her mind. She was careful not to accidentally say it out loud. She told Riley hat she had never been to a Derby before and she didn’t feel like coming up with an excuse for her strategies.

Jasper started to push his car up against Marco’s and slowly get him closer to the wall. Their cars continued to circle. Marco’s car quickly veered towards Jasper’s and pushed his car up into One.

Jasper’s car went up over the hood of One and fell on it’s side. The car rolled a couple times before stopping upside down just short of the wall. The crashing sound of metal and glass came from his car. A thin trail of smoke came up from under the hood.

“Jasper,” Shai gasped clutching at her heart.

Riley didn’t hear her over the gasp of everyone in the audience. The three sharp blows from a whistle came from the side of the arena. The man with the flags and two other men came running up to Jasper’s car.

Shai wanted to stand up and get a better look, but that would make her stand out. Riley also began to curl her back into his body to shield her from whatever happened to him. She pushed herself away from him, needing to see what has happened to Jasper.

“You are not going to want to see this,” Riley told her.

Shai watched the men as the removed the driver’s side door. She noticed that most of the Brighty women had their heads buried into the body of a Brighty man. She looked to Riley’s other side to see that Zooey had her eyes squeezed shut and her forehead was pushed against his shoulder. Her brother and sister were clinging to her body, so they wouldn’t see either.

“I want to see,” Shai told him.

One of the men had a power tool that had a metal blade that spun at rapid speed. Shai watched them intensely as they cut something inside the car. They slowly eased Jasper’s body out of the car.

Shai fought with herself to keep herself on the bench. Jasper was lying on the ground as the three men surrounded him. All she could see was his feet.

After what felt like hours to Shai, she watched as his knees bent and two of the men grabbed his arms and helped him up onto his feet. Shai let out a sigh of relief to know that he wasn’t dead.

Jasper pulled off his helmet and held his arms up to the crowd. All the Bright girls pulled themselves out of the men’s body and cheered knowing he was alive. The boos still came from the Rat side as he lost people money. Jasper walked out of the arena with the other men.

Marco began to spin his car around the arena in a victory lap. The dirt flew up from under his wheels and a section of cheers came from the Rats.

“We should go now,” Riley said to Shai. She turned to see him looking at the watch on his wrist. “I need to beat the crowd and get back to the booth before someone notices I am gone.”

Shai agreed, not wanting to watch Marco bask in the glory of his third Derby win.

They got up and climbed down the steps back down to the ground. Zooey wasn’t following them and most of the Brighties were still in their seats. Riley laced his fingers back through Shai’s and they walked back through the line of Officers.

“I told you Marco was going to win,” Riley said. “I am always right about everything.”

“I’m not sure about everything.”