Chapter 67: An Anomaly Called Evie

He picked up his green card from the table and pulled his hoodie over his head, covering his luminous blue hair.

BEEP!

The door gave a soft beep as he stepped outside, only to find a figure already waiting by his door, holding two riding helmets in her hands.

"W...Who are you?"

It was the first thing Evie said as she watched Declan, her smirk fading while her body unconsciously stepped backward in surprise.

The person standing before her was nothing like the one she had expected to see.

’A twin?’ Evie thought.

’No. He looks older. A friend, maybe? But why does he look so similar?’

"It’s me. Declan."

Declan replied, but she simply stared at him in disbelief.

The voice was undoubtedly the same Declan she knew, yet everything else about him conflicted with that familiarity.

"How... how did you...You grew older?"

Declan could only shrug helplessly as he stepped out of his room and shut the door behind him.

"Just some side effects of my core fusion..."

He replied.

Evie’s brows furrowed, but then her eyes widened as she looked toward his chest, sensing the faint resonance coming from within him.

"Oh, you finally fused with a Core. Congrats..."

She said before handing him one of the helmets.

"So...a ride around the academy?" Declan asked taking the helmet as they both headed toward the elevator.

"No..."

Evie smiled.

"I’ve got a special place."

_____________

VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The roar of a blazing engine echoed across the snowy landscape as a Tron powerbike tore through the snow at incredible speed, carrying two figures whose features were hidden beneath their helmets.

"Hey, you okay?"

Evie’s voice rang out through Declan’s helmet, the built-in communication system allowing them to speak while riding.

Declan looked at the snow weaving past them and the storm raging behind them before replying.

"Surprisingly, I am."

He heard her giggle in response.

The last time Declan had ridden the bike, he had felt nauseous from how blurry the world had become, with everything around him seeming to fly past far too quickly.

But in this snowy terrain, there was nothing but snow, and despite their speed, everything remained crystal clear to his eyes.

"Well then, let’s take things up a notch..."

Evie said as her hand flipped open a cap near the center of the bike before pressing a button.

A crimson light blinked on the dashboard.

She tightened her grip on the handlebars once, twice, then a third time.

THROOOOM!

The bike suddenly sputtered, slowing down for a brief moment before,

BLIIITZZZZZZZZ!

It shot forward at incredible speed.

They hadn’t been riding for even ten seconds when the tires struck a snow-covered ramp.

WHOOSH!

The bike launched high into the air and for a moment, Declan watched Evie sit upright and spread her arms wide as if embracing the sky, her face tilted upward.

For Evie, this was relief.

Riding.

Everything about it.

The roar of the engine was a sound she had fallen in love with ever since she was little, but more than that, it was the breeze, the freedom, and the sensation of everything slowing down despite moving at incredible speed.

It almost felt as if she were moving faster than the world could catch up, giving her all the time in existence.

’The sky is so beautiful too...’

She stared at the blinking stars scattered across the dark sky as a couple of shooting stars flashed past, leaving streaks of light behind them, and for a moment, she was completely lost in the sight.

Then her attention snapped back.

The bike was already approaching the ground, so her hands quickly returned to the handlebars.

When the tires slammed into the snow.

SKRRRRRRT!

The bike slipped, and in the next instant, the Tron bike took a sudden, dangerous turn, the resulting force sending both of them flying off.

’I lost focus!?’

The realization hit Evie as she was violently thrown through the air, but just before she slammed into the snow, another thought struck her, causing her face beneath the helmet to turn pale.

’No, Declan!’

A shadow suddenly passed over her.

Then,

BOOOOM!

Both of them crashed into the snow, tumbling wildly for several moments before finally coming to a screeching halt.

Silence descended.

The only thing Evie could hear was her own heartbeat pounding furiously as she realized she was wrapped in something warm, something strangely comforting.

She remained for a moment, sinking into that bizarre yet oddly comfortable feeling only for her eyes to widen as she realized she was being held tightly against Declan’s chest.

"Hey, are you—"

She hurriedly sat up and removed her helmet, while Declan reached for his own and pulled it off, an exhale of smoky white air escaping his lips.

"I... I’m so sorry. I—"

"Now that was fun..."

Declan said with a grin, and Evie paused before laughter suddenly burst from her, and she fell backward onto the snow, laughing.

When they had crashed, her heart had nearly jumped out of her chest, yet when she had expected pain, it never came; there had only been peace.

Whatever that moment had been... it had been great.

"Is your bike okay, though?" Declan asked, turning toward the distance.

Evie pulled out her device and tapped the screen, causing a light to flash in the distance as the engine whirred softly.

"Not a single scratch."

She replied.

She checked the bike’s diagnostic system, scanning for any errors, but everything appeared perfectly fine.

Silence descended for a while before Evie sat up.

"I’m sorry."

"For what?"

Declan asked, turning toward her.

"For saying I wanted us to come for a ride."

Her voice became quieter.

"This was supposed to be about me apologizing to you, but I ended up making it about myself. I asked you to go on a ride that benefited only me instead of thinking about what you wanted..."

She lowered her head.

"It’s selfish."

Declan’s brows creased slightly as he hummed before shrugging.

"At least I understand something new about you bikers. Something that completely changes what I thought about you."

Evie raised her head.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I’ve always thought bikers were death-courting idiots for as long as I can remember."

Evie paused.

"Why would anyone with a functioning brain be blitzing around at such speeds without anything holding them to the bike?"

"A flying car has seatbelts, airbags, and emergency ejection protocols, and yet you idiots, dressed in ordinary shirts and trousers, will blitz past at three times the speed of those same cars with nothing but a helmet on."

"If that’s not idiocy, what else can it be called?"

Evie smiled wryly.

"But now..."

Declan looked toward her.

"I think it’s more than that."

"Maybe you aren’t all just brainless fools or adrenaline slaves."

He glanced at the bike.

"Though the world was blitzing past at insane speeds, your heart was quiet during the ride, almost like someone taking a soft nap."

"And when we were in the air, you spread your arms apart, I bet you must have felt you had all the freedom in the world..."

Evie stared at him in quite disbelief. a gleam crossing through her eyes.

"Whatever it is, I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t proposed the ride. So...I think it’s fine."

Declan concluded.

"Thank you..."

Evie whispered as she lay back against the snow.

When she had suggested the ride, she hadn’t realized how wrong she had been until they actually got on the bike, and it had been gnawing at her mind ever since.

But after hearing Declan’s words, she finally felt relieved, the guilt weighing on her shoulders finally lifting.

"So... Evie Elvaretta."

"Waaah! You still remember my surname?"

Evie shouted in surprise.

Her first name was simple and easy to remember, which often meant people quickly forgot the more complicated Elvaretta.

She had only mentioned it once, yet he still remembered.

"You seem pretty close to Principal Matilda."

Declan said and Evie’s brows faintly creased before she shrugged.

"She’s my mom."

Declan’s eyes widened.

Her mom!? She was the daughter of X-Guard’s Principal!?

"No wonder..."

Declan muttered and Evie snapped her gaze toward him.

"There’s no way you suspected that before."

She was nothing like her mother. Even their appearances were completely different, with her mother having golden hair and golden eyes while Evie’s were a vivid pink.

Nothing about them screamed that they were related.

"No, I didn’t exactly think you were the principal’s daughter."

Declan shook his head.

"I just knew it was abnormal for a girl on scholarship to be driving a Tron powerbike worth up to 1,000 points less than a week after arriving at the academy."

"Especially since students aren’t allowed to bring belongings from the outside world in here."

"It’s pretty obvious you must have received quite a bit more than the 100 Newcomer Points. That made you quite the anomaly."

He explained.

Evie hummed before grinning.

"I actually got 3,000 points on my arrival. Sounds Unfair?"

Declan took a sharp breath before nodding.

"Yes. It is unfair."

Of course, Declan found it unfair.

They were both registered as scholarship students, yet he had received only 100 points, while Evie had entered through the same scholarship program and somehow received thirty times as much.

What part of that wasn’t unfair!?

"You! So uncourtly!"

Evie said with a huff.

"Wut?"

"You’re supposed to say it wasn’t."

She puffed out her cheeks.

"Or something like, ’You deserve it,’ when a girl asks."

Declan raised an eyebrow.

"But... that would be a lie, though."

SCOFF!

"It’s a good lie."

She replied and Declan rolled his eyes.

"And I didn’t get those points just because I’m the principal’s daughter."

"I attended X-Guard Infantry School and X-Guard High School."

"One of the advantages of doing well in those schools was earning points."

"We were told those points would help us greatly once we reached X-Guard Academy."

"That’s how I got mine. If you look at my ranking, you’ll see I don’t actually have 3,000 points recorded."

"It’s not official."