An obtrusive thump coupled with Vin's unconscious, damp forehead. Unperceived amounts of time had lapsed since he extinguished, but evidently not long because he still felt like a washed-up whale.

It was odd, but being awake felt incorrect, like a fish taken from the sea. At the time, Vin just wanted to return to his rightful, thriving condition. Asleep and dreaming.

He drew a soft breath and gradually parted his eyes. His movement was zombie-like, and he'd been heavy and cloudy. His legs felt weighed down by weights, like in those gangster films where the victim has cinderblocks attached to their feet before being dumped in the ocean.

A mild breeze scuffled his hair, and with squinted, light-colored eyes, he peeked at the person above. Crow was standing behind the bench, listlessly staring down at Vin.

The student clearly wanted his attention, but sleeping beauty slothfully closed their eyes again. He seized oxygen through his nose, then mumbled. "Hey..."

"Don't hey me," withered Crow. "What the hell was that thing you summoned. How were you able to control more than one nanosphere?"

"I don't," breathed Vin. To that, the boy snarled and flicked the butt of Vin's head. Crow stumbled on his words, searching for the right line of question to pursue, but ultimately lamented and cursed Vin. He blamed them for botching his plan to kill Fray, which seemed to be their overarching goal.

Still, despite Vin sparing them, two more of the Lion racers were zeroed before the race ended, and only Mickey and Fray escaped.

Vin's face unlocked when he heard this, and he looked disappointedly at the perturbed individual. He wasn't sore about the man's usage of him, but he had qualms elsewhere. "They were good skaters; why did you eliminate them?"

"Why?" Crow mocked. "Cause they're competition, opponents, enemies, a pain in the ass. Do I need more reason?"

"But," retorted Vin. "A school without challenge would be boring, right?"

Tony popped out of the woodwork and plopped next to Vin while dumping several tic-tac's into his mouth. "Friend, love you to death for saving me back there, but that shit is cringy."

Crow slammed his hands on the bench, one on each side of Vin's rested head. Then, he leaned downward with malicious blood-red irises and said with his cigarette breath, "yea, he sounds a lot more like a Lion than a Dragon."

The student with hoop earrings also closed in inquisitive about t predicament. Anxious, Vin thought of a proper response to remain in their good graces. They were, after all, the only students he'd met.

He peered back at Crow, who'd lowered his face mere inches away from his own, then shook his head. "Nah. A strong predator simply needs strong prey to keep their claws sharp."

"Oww," applauded Tony. "Well said, friend, well said. You may actually be cut out for this."

Crow's mug reflected skepticism. He smacked the bench twice, smirked, then withdrew, "whatever."

Things seemed decent, so Vin rose and glanced meaninglessly at his phone before proceeding. "Race is over; should we grab dinner to celebrate?"

"Dinner?" Repeated Crow. His face raised in humor, and he snorted before cackling. "For real? You are a lot friendlier than you look, Dance."

"Did you think we'd be buddy-buddy because you made a good- sorry, credit where credit is due, an EXCELLENT pawn?"

Vin was laughed at. To his face, by the only, unfortunately, asshole he'd met at the university. Even after his impressive display during the race, he was rejected.

Disowned.

While he wore an unfazed scowl, his appetite for companionship was being folded into a paper airplane and thrown from a skyscraper.

"No, no, dear boy," continued Crow, laughing even harder. "This isn't that kind of jamboree. True Dragons prioritize themselves first, no friends, no attachments."

"You eventually learn the hard way," boiled Tony, who'd remembered something crucial about his associate.

Crow chortled and shrugged the man's criticism off. "By gones be by gones. You passed the initiation, so welcome to Graveyard Keepers."

Tony and the girl with earrings looked skeptically at each other. Their gapes showed slight hesitation, but they ultimately pardoned the history of the race.

"Whatever man," brooded Tony. He hoisted his pinky finger up toward Vin, then inquired. "What about our new fellow? Are you going to invite him to Grave Keepers too?"

Vin had regarded Tony as he spoke but eagerly pivoted toward the ring leader when the issue of his inclusiveness was mentioned.

At the same time, Crow was observing their phone and deviously snickering. "Dowey just reported in. Fray's little militia is on their way."

Three people were killed during one race; of course they pursued revenge. There'd be no surprise if the entire faction found out and sought retribution.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The girl with warm-colored hair checked her device, then griped. "This crazy bastard has us all looped into his mess."

Crow giggled and began texting. Meanwhile, Vin anxiously awaited the verdict on his enrollment to their so-called crew. He wanted to speak up but worried he'd appear too eager or lame in the face of the athletes.

Chime after chime sounded from the man's phone, and his face looked more and more uneasy with each.

"Bloody hell," outburst Crow, storing his device and alerting his gang that they'd be clearing out of the area immediately.

Before that, Adele wanted release from whatever contract she was bound by. Luckily Crow had lost interest in her and settled for her race earnings.

As they departed, Tony backpedaled to Vin, who never received an answer. In the end, Crow declared that Vin was not a good fit for Graveyard Keepers, which only added salt to his open wounds.

The three departed in haste, leaving Adele and Vin. The girl thanked him and apologized for not making him aware of the set trap.

It was her narrative that she was contracted to Crow and unable to disobey him. A short retelling explained how she lost all her points in a big race and was confronted by Crow to earn them back. It was a 1v1 race in which she'd take three thousand points if she won but become a subordinate if she lost.

After a week of servitude, she was finally released from her keeper. Adele commended Vin a second time for helping her, then fled the area before it became bombarded with more opposition.

Vin skimmed the normalized avenue for a moment. Mindlessly consuming the sceneries of the stadium and the modern city. He caressed Miyo, who rested on his shoulder, then sighed, "Let's go home..."

They took to the sidewalk, defeatedly undertaking the venture back to the campus. Vin withdrew his phone to pull up the directions; that was all, but a notification overlayed his screen.

(Crow has removed you from their contacts)

Name Number 1. 2. 3. 4.

He wasn't angry or sad; he was Disappointed. Peeved that nothing good came after everything he went through.

He was embarrassed that he entered the day with such spirit and high hopes. To relieve his blueness, he told himself that it didn't matter, that his objective wasn't to make friends but to gain his family's attention.

So he reminded himself, but his low face contradicted the message. He sulked and skated sluggishly.

It'd been such a very long time since he felt so heavy-eyed, so exhausted. Physically, psychologically, socially...

The longboard he possessed was built well, and that worked against him. The wheels were hard but slick and hugged the cement sidewalks. It took very little force to move, and Vin would roll for nearly half a minute with a single push.

Because of how hands-off it was, there were plenty of moments when he began to doze while in motion. Miyo performed their utmost best to peck Vin awake whenever his eyes closed.

They really did try.

But even their periodic wake-up calls became inefficient. Like antibodies to a new illness, Vin developed a tolerance for it.

It was only a few seconds, but he was sleep-skating through the populated city.

Blaring, abrupt, and accelerating quickly toward him. A bloodcurdling car horn whipped him awake, and he noticed, far too late, an oncoming vehicle.

A loud screech sounded as tires braked and tugged against the ground. The car swerved onto the driver's side in an effort to redirect, but the vehicle's tail still bashed into Miyo, who tried to shield its owner, then into Vin.

Miyo detonated into flames, which lessened the impact, but Vin's body was still flung and wildly washed across the dark asphalt, where he rolled to a halt. Dormant and, surprisingly, intact.

The car, a new model, ocean blue Porsche, halted, its engine still stirring when the driver stomped their door open.

A drowsy-looking English male with black hair and a white and blue uniform emerged in silent outrage. He was slim, with a nose-length bowl-cut hairstyle that parted in the middle. Their eyebrows were hidden, and only a portion of his irritated, fatigued black eyes could be observed.

Ferocious engines sounded seconds after he exited, and several more racing cars fired past the scene of the accident. The student's phone began to ring, but he ignored it.

While trekking toward Vin, he pulled a lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it, then took an absurd crunch into the center. The hard candy was crushed, and the student began to chew the scattered pieces, which sounded like he was munching on glass.

The young male wore oval glasses that gave a hint of sophistication despite his protruding hair. One would assume his sleepy face was a product of late nights research, not street racing.

At a glance, he determined Vin was alive. So, he kneeled, lifted him by the collar, and shook him to consciousness. When Vin awoke, the male lamely slumped in relief.

The student had a tired yet stable and analytical gaze. One that read Vin's unfortunate situation and revealed their similar exhaustion.

"I'll call someone," the stranger uttered. He lifted, not his phone, but his clenched fist, then slammed his knuckle into Vin's already leaking face. He returned to the world of clouds and flying sheep while the student released him. "Don't think that means I've forgiven you for ruining my race."

<>

Miyo reconstructed before help arrived and woke Vin, who was pulled off to the side of a building. After awakening, he snapped up and immediately brushed his legs to ensure the sensation was still present. Aside from a busted lip, brow, and bruises, he was well enough.

Vin located his longboard, then found his way back to the campus dorm. Once there, he tapped his phone against the door scanner and gained access to the dark bare room. Vin limped inside, closed the door behind himself, then achingly whispered, "I'm home..."

With the curtains shut, it was unlit, but the blackness resonated with his current withered state. He took steady steps to the corner of the dorm, where he curled up.

"We should shower, but..." He slumped, latched his eyes, then licked his dripping lip. "Macy would never let me skip baths. Thinking back, Soap was also mindful of hygiene. Fitting, considering his name."

"Hmph, it hasn't even been one day, and I'm starting to miss him. It's pretty lonely without them."

"Also, kinda cold, I guess."