NAY - Wedge

Nay waited behind a tree.

Half in the dark — it always had room for her.

The other half, Mel just spotted.

’Aha!’

’20:03 Yo’r late.’

Nay kicked off before Mel could answer. Her skateboard struck the top of the bench and locked into the edge, hissing its full length before she landed cleanly on the other side.

Mel rolled her eyes.

She looked like a butterfly wing, delicate, fragile and beautiful. Yet the board moved beneath her with the easy of something attached to the body, answering weight before thought.

The girls knew the park by damage. Every loose stone, every raised slab, every fresh crack capable of catching a careless wheel.

Beyond the green fence, Sao Paulo was already grinding through the night. Cars packed the streets. Motorcycles split the traffic in sharp bursts and brake lights bled red across the asphalt.

They bursted through the gate without slowing.

Heat lifted from the avenue and the engines growled.

The sidewalk opened beside them.

Nay took it.

Mel laughed and followed.

They shot between pedestrians, jumped broken pavement, cutaround a newspaper stand and dropped back into traffic. A gap appeared.

A bus dragged itself through the congestion.

Nay accelerated.

Don’t even think about it.’ Mel called.

Too late.

Nay caught the rear of the bus and gripped the bumper. Mel joined her seconds later.

The engine trembled through Nay’s palms. Hot wind shoved against her clothes while the city slipped past in streaks of light and steel.

For a few seconds, neither girls had to push.

They looked at each other and smiled.

Mel raised her wrist between them.

’20:16’

‘Not even close to good.’

’All right. Watch carefully. I’m about to show you how to actually nail this route and fix that tragic time you just pulled.

Nay released the bus.

‘Show me, then!’

Mel let go too.

Unexpectedly, she came out faster.

She slipped between two moving cars and gained distance.

Nay rose slightly to read the road ahead.

The hill dropped sharp, long and deep enough to push hesitation.

Mel carved through it first, shifting smoothly from toe to heel, her board drawing graceful curves downhill.

The lane on Nay’s right opened.

She straightened for one breath, arms spreading high as she took in the spicy perfume of the city. A toxic, high-octane cocktail.

Alive.

Her lungs burned with a dirty joy that definitely fried a million cells, and she like it.

She dropped into a tuck and went after gravity.

The board surged forward.

Wind tore at her clothes and pushed the hair back from her face. Her wheels rattled over the asphalt as she shot past Mel and kept gaining speed.

The traffic light ahead turned yellow.

Nay mesure the distance.

Enough.

She lowered herself and pushed harder.

A black cat shot into the road.

‘Shit!’

The phantom weight of impact on heavy steel sent a shiver through her — she knew the metallic tang of disaster firsthand.

She threw her weight sideways. The wheels screamed across the asphalt, the board fishtailing beneath her as she fought it back under control. One foot hit the ground.

For a thin second, the light went wrong.

The yellow signal light split in two. Brake lights stretched into vertical red lines across her sight.

A man’s body hit the road without hitting it.

She stopped hard at the curb.

The cat sat directly in front of her.

Black from ears to tail. Too calm for the horns, the buses, the engines and the grinding metal surrounding it.

Nay glared at the animal.

‘You again, seriously. Have you been waiting for me?’

The cat blinked.

A few seconds later, Mel reached her and stopped at her side, bending forward with both hands in her thighs as she tried to drag air back into her lungs.

She looked at the cat.

Then at nay,

‘You’re a black cat magnet. A witch— bitch.’

The light turned red.

For a moment she stared at it.

The old images came.

A squared blue car.

The 720 Spider.

The double bus.

The guy on the bike.

Mel noticed her expression and immediately began laughing.

Nay looked at her.

‘Don’t’

‘You know exactly what I’m thinking.’

’Mel.’

‘Bike guy.’

Nay groaned.

Mel was already losing control. ‘You hit him, flew halfway across the road, landed all over him, then finally looked up and he was stupidly hot.’

‘He was injured.’

‘He smile at you.’

‘Stop.’

‘And two teeth were missing.’

She folded over laughing, tears coming to her eyes.

‘That was not funny. It was my fault.’

Nay tried to stay serious.

Failed.

The light turned green.

Mel slapped her shoulder.

‘Nice ride, crazy bitch.’

‘That cut was insane.’

‘Everything was under control.’

‘Liar.’

They pushed off together and disappeared into the city.

For as long as it lasted, speed, noise and Mel’s laughter were enough.

...

⚠️ Note: The following section is an earlier version of the material you have just read. It is included for reference and may be skipped.

Chapter 1: Life as it is // The Darkness Before the Storm

Hidden behind a tree, was Nay, half face off. She was a poor restless mind that sought to be invisible. Like a sock lying behind the door.

She always wore dark garments, blending well with darkness… The opposite of Mel, who looked like a butterfly wing, delicate, fragile and beautiful. Her look didn’t suit a skateboarder, however she was great at it.

‘Aha!’ She shouted at Nay the moment she noticed her.

’20:03 Yo’re late,’ she yelled back. Nay leapt, her skateboard hit the top of the bench and slid along the full length of it, she landed on the ground smoothly .

The girls were natural, their moves were effortless, their skateboards seemed to be attached to them. From this park, the tiny rocks and new cracks were know backwards and forwards. Ridding was the highlight of their lives.

Nay had a tough life, lost her single mom just four years in the past, she was twelve. Since that her mind became restless. The adventure, rush and danger were her addiction.

Beyond the green fence gate, many lights, cars, motorcycles, buses, cabs. Without slowing down, she turned and got out of the park through an exit.

Trapped in the nightly gridlock, their rising impatience fueled a reckless escape as they gunned their way onto the mined sidewalk.

Further on they reached back at the car lane, where they seized a bus and clung dangerously to its rear bumper. They straitened their bodies and rested their legs for a little while. They faced each other and exchanged smiles.

‘Good one ha!’ Mel put her watch between them and checked the time.

‘20:16, not even close to good,’ Nay said, turning her head a little.

’Alright, watch closely. I’m about to drop in, and show you how to actually nail this route and fix that whack time you just pulled.’

Nay let go of the bus prior than Mel, she crunched a bit then yelled: ‘Show me, Noow!’ But Mel, unexpectedly managed to push herself faster than her friend and made her way between two moving cars.

Adrenaline ran through her, but she was quite confident. Nay, stood high to picture the situation: A long and deep hill lying ahead of her. As Mel gained speed and moved her weight from toes to heels making the skateboard move from side to side, creating a gracefully zigzag course downhill.

The car on the right made a turn and cleared the lane, Nay straightened her knees and spread her arms like a thin moon. She gulped a deep breath, savoring the spicy perfume of the city. It was a toxic, high-octane cocktail, but it tasted very alive. Her lungs burned with a dirty joy that definitely fried a few million cells, yet she didn’t mind. In a fluid motion, she dropped into a streamlined tuck and exploded forward like a rocket on her board. In a straight line, she surged past Mel, rapidly gaining distance.The night was very hot and the breeze on their faces, very satisfying.

The bubble bursted when she caught sight of the fresh yellow light in front of her.

The phantom weight of impact on heavy steel sent a shiver of wariness through her, she knew the metallic tang of disaster firsthand, a bitter memory etched by that very traffic light.

Ichhh... must take the edge off, she told herself, then made a full stop. The effort and strength took on this steep hill, was great.

A few heartbeats later, Mel reached her at the curb, where she stopped right at Nay’s side. She braced her hands on her thighs and struggled to put air into her lungs. The red light came.

Looking at the light, Nay started to see flashes of memories that weren’t pretty-- the old squared blue car, the720s spider the double bus and the guy on a bike. Interrupting her mind, Mel bursted in laugh. ‘You know what I’m thinking…’

'..Don’t…' Nay said in a grave low voice.

‘Memorable, The bike guy, when you ran over him, you flew eight feet away, then you guys landed all over each other.’ She spoke among giggles.

Nay intervened: ‘The guy protected me from the fall, he was very kind, but got scratches and blood all over him, poor thing.’

‘That scene is stuck in my memory, Mel kept laughing and went on narrating: by the time you looked to see what did you hit, you got all surprised to see that was a handsome guy,’ At once Mel was laughing her head off and she kept going: ’He smiled at you and…

…two teeth were missing.

‘Hey - Don’t laugh like that, that wasn’t funny, was all my fault that he got injured.’ Nay said squeezing her lips.

Mel now was drying her tears when she completed: ‘Oh dear, that was not funny, that was hilarious… and at least you found his teeth on the ground and returned them to him. Remember?’

The green light came, Mel’s touch on Nay’s shoulder brought a nod. Side by side, they rode, on their skateboards, across the crosswalk..

’Nice ride! You’re crazy bitch!

‘That cut was insane!’ Nay said, slapping her friend’s shoulder, making her sway.

‘Everything was under control, it was all calculated.’ She replied.

...

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