It was quiet on the streets, which was strange especially after a race. Normally they were packed with fans, who wanted to see a glimpse from their hero's. But for some reason he didn't know not today. Maybe because some nobody, A.K.A. him, had won the race. Or there was something else going on, all what he knew was that he was going to meet Dina's father. He was not at all surprised that she wanted to visit him after the race, but that she was alright with taking him along. And specially after he had called her his girlfriend, he didn't know why he had called her that. Especially in front of that jerk Abamil and his wife, who was Dina's own mother. But then again, it felt good calling her that. And when he heard her voice over the radio, it calmed in some kind of way. It also did help that she got some solid advice, which when he looked back at it was even better than the advice Prentum had given him. She even went against Prentum, what was fun to hear. But he could hear that she knew what she was saying, and even Prentum confirmed this. When they walked back from the podium, he hadn't seen that Samael Frost was the driver in front of him. A driver who is famous for pushing drivers into the wall, so if he had tried to overtake him he would have ended his race in there. But there was no need to think about it now. The only question he had now is how do they get to her father. He didn't know where she lived before she started living at the school. A reddish car stopped in front of them as they passed the gate of the track.

"Do you need a ride?" Prentum asked, when he lowered the window. "It is otherwise a long walk towards the Slums." Dina gasped.

"How do you know..." She started.

"From your old man, of course. He told me where you two have ended up, the last time we saw each other." Prentum said. "I asked his permission to work for Kezef." Kezef's eyebrows rose up, he had asked Joael 21 for permission? So he already knew about him, maybe this was a good thing or maybe not.

"I think a ride will be a good idea, Dina. And maybe it will be good for your father to see an old friend." Kezef said, and Dina nodded. Only Prentum shook his head.

"Oh no, I will only drive you there. I am not going to leave my car near that place." Prentum replied. "Besides that, you are not going to use me as your shield, young man." He laughed. Kezef looked at him confused, and Prentum started to chuckle. "Come on, I have known you for two years now. And never once I have heard you talk about Dina, not even the last time that I saw you, and that was yesterday. Today, you not only take her to the tracks, you also declare publicly that she is your girlfriend. I know you did at first to protect her, and for some reason you stuck with it. She even went along with it, I even have to admit that I saw sparks of affection between the two of you. But do not think that I am stupid." Kezef nodded, he should have known that Prentum would have noticed it. Maybe others of the team did as well, but now he didn't want to call Dina anything else than his girlfriend. Kezef opened the door of the passenger's seat, for Dina so that she could step in the car. Which she did, he closed the door and took place behind her.

"Thank you, Prentum." She said. "Not only for driving use, but also for playing along." Prentum sighed. As he drove off, he looked at her for a brief moment. Before focussed at the road.

"Dina, I have known you since you were a little girl. Before today, when I spoke about you, I always envisioned the little girl on the hand of my best friend. I never want to see you get hurt, but you know better than anybody else how hard this world is. So I really do not understand why you still want to be part of it, not even after I saw your passion for it. But I do not need to understand it, you do. But I got off-topic here, and I do not even remember where I was going with it. Know this, I will do my best to protect you, like you are my own daughter." Prentum replied, she nodded. "I only hope he is worth your heart." What was this, did Prentum forget that he was even here. Or was he fishing for a reaction, well he was fishing with good beat.

"You know I can hear you, right?" Kezef said. He moved slightly.

"Really?" Prentum replied, while he winked at Dina. Alright, he was looking for his reaction. Good to know that.

"I will protect her as well, if she is willing to let me." He said, she nodded with a smile. "I will even support her if she wants to race." Prentum pushed on the brakes, hard. Kezef slammed against Dina's chair and also she was launched forward.

"What, did you say?" Prentum said.

"I mean it, Prentum. It is not uncommon for children of racers to enter this world, why would she be any different? She is already keeping notes, understands cars and knows the tracks. So if she wants to race, I will support her." Kezef said, looking straight into Prentum's amber eyes. Dina looked also at him, confused.

"Are you serious?" She asked, he nodded. Prentum still looked at him with a death glare.

"Then I will pray to which ever God is willing to listen, that she will not find a car. Do not get me wrong, Dina, I am not saying this because you are a girl. But..." Someone's horn interrupted him. "Yeah, yeah. I am going." And he started to drive again.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

*******

Prentum stopped in front of a gate, well it was a gate at some point in time. But Kezef already saw why he didn't want to leave his car out here. The road beyond the gate was chipped and in some places not even there, the buildings were packed at each other. He hadn't even set foot outside the car but he already could smell the scent of illnesses and decay. Was this the place Dina and her father had ended up, he couldn't phantom that this was the case. Joael 21 was a racer that could reach the top, this couldn't be the place he was currently living after he was blamed for the incident. Dina thanked Prentum one more time before getting out of the car, but he didn't move. Still shocked about the conditions.

"Yes this those not look pretty, but not enough people do care about what happens to this place." Prentum said. "A lot of them even think that this is what those people deserve. Which is bull in my opinion. Nobody deserves to live inside such circumstances." Kezef nodded he agreed with Prentum, this was in so many ways wrong and inhuman. "O, the race organization announced that they are going to change the track, this will most likely take a week. Because it becomes a routine." He nodded again, the organization already stated that they would change the track regularly, to change things up. So this was indeed nothing surprising. Kezef sighed, he really needed to get out of this car.

"Thank you Prentum, I will see you when the track is done." Kezef said and he left the car. Dina was already through the gate, and on the road, if you can call that a road. "Dina, wait a sec." He rushed to her side, not because he was afraid that something would happen to her. She has grown up in here, but he was not sure about himself. She gave him a smile and took his hand.

"Do not worry, I will protect you." She said, he knew that it was meant as a joke. But in so many cases it might be the truth. As they walked through the Slums, he walked into one surprise after another. Never in his life he thought that people were able to live like this, and this was proving him wrong. There were children running between the close packed buildings, making engine sounds with their mouths. But once they saw them they stopped, looking at him in shock. "Smile at them, they have never seen a racer up close before." He did and waved at them.

"Next time I should bring some toys with me." He said, softly. It was a mental note, to himself and if there was a next time. The children rushed over to them, and formed a circle around them.

"Mister are you really, Kezef Coarse?" One of them asked and he nodded. They all started to talk, and he lowered himself. So that he wasn't towering over them.

"It is very nice to meet you all." He said, which silenced the children. One even run away, he was worried he had said something wrong. And if so what? But the child came back with his mother.

"Mommy, mommy look. It is Kezef Coarse." The child pointed to him and the woman smiled at him.

"I see, but sweetheart I need the marker for other stuff." She said and that is when he saw the black marker in her hand. So they wanted his signature, he smiled at the children.

"You know what, I will be back here next week." He said.

"Please do not make promises, mister Coarse." The woman said hastily. He nodded, understanding where she was coming from. She was of course worried about the hearts of those children.

"Madam, my mother raised me well. She taught me that I shouldn't make promises with a light heart. So when I make a promise, I intend to keep it. I will be back next week." He said. The woman still looked at him wary. "I am here to visit my girlfriend's father." He pointed at Dina. The woman looked at Dina, and gasped.

"Dina, I am sorry didn't see you there. It is good that you are here to visit your old man." The woman said.

"Mom, I heard the Jersey boys say something about teaching him a lesson." The little boy said.

"What?" Both the woman and Dina said. But the child didn't have time to repeat his question, as Dina already ran away. Kezef jumped up, and ran after her. It didn't take long before he caught up to her.

"What is going on?" He asked.

"The Jersey boys, is the name of a gang." She said, looking at him. "Teaching him a lesson means that they are going to beat him up." Kezef nodded, be the sound of it, this had happened before. Both of them rushed through, he didn't know where. But she knew the way. "Dad?" She screamed at one point, she was already at the corner of the street. As he had fallen behind, he should train more often. But that was a concern for later, they had found her father. Who was laying on the ground with a whole group of five men surrounding him. One of them was about to kick him, but Dina pulled him back. "Leave him alone!" She was either brave or stupid. She herself had being beaten up not that long ago, and compaired with those boys at school. These men were bigger, and stronger. All of the men looked at her and started laughing.

"Look who has crawled back. Are you tired from pretending you are better then the rest of use?" The men that was about to kick her father said. Kezef was now standing next to her, but none of them paid attention to him.

"I never pretended." She snapped. "I just moved away for my education, and why am I even defending myself to you. You promised me that you would leave him alone, Sorath." The man named Sorath, with clearly bleached hair, amber eyes and golden brown skin started to smirk.

"Did I?" He asked. Dina folled her arms, and looked at Sorath. And he nodded.

"Alright, alright. I indeed promised that, sorry. It will not happen again." Sorath said.

"How can we believe that you are keeping your word this time." Kezef said. He didn't know their history, but that didn't matter. All the men now looked at him, and one of them whispered his name. "You have broken it before." Sorath chuckled.

"Well, you just have to wait and see. Racer boy." Sorath said. So he had reconized him. "We are leaving." The men started to move away. Dina rushed to her father's side, and he did the same thing. Together they pulled him up.

"Our house is not far from here." She said, nodding her head in the direction they needed to go. Kezef nodded and they started moving.