ALICE Ch 350

For Alice, a lot of the places she visits with F1 are objectively better than where she comes from. Singapore might be the most striking of them all, and she feels unironically that she has stepped into the future. The cleanliness, modernity, and civility of the people astound her. She keeps expecting another shoe to drop.

When she was younger, Alice had a poster of a certain busty Swedish footballer who participated in FUTA’s pilot season. Having that same footballer now as part of her pit crew is a little awkward, given the number of tissues used in that poster’s presence. Alice had been such a fan that she’d gotten this idea in her head about Sweden, sort of like some of her classmates were about Japan when they got big into anime. And just as the anime kids learned that being a woman in Japan was absolutely horrible, Alice had learned that Sweden has a major Nazi problem. She’s not throwing stones; America does too. The point is that she knows that the grass isn’t always greener.

But man, it looks pretty green in Singapore.

It’s the best hotel yet, but that doesn’t help. Alice knows what she’s in for. The temperature is a record high, and she’s heard the stories and had the coaching from other drivers. She’s watched the races and the Netflix series. She’s had a couple of tough races in heat, but in Singapore, she will be boiled alive on a circuit with two of the toughest corners in Formula One.

Things are going well. She’s buzzing on social media, Faye is traveling with the team and almost back to normal, and Alice has a feel for the car. That’s a big deal. It’s not the fastest car out there by a long shot, but it’s stable now, and Alice knows how to handle it. She won’t be taking any podiums without serious luck involved, but points are in play. Being popular on Instagram is good, but points are more important.

It's been a full day. Training with Kylie, listening to stern warnings from Glynda, and studying the circuit. Alice sinks into an armchair by her suite’s pool table and gazes at the bay and the night skyline.

Faye’s already fast asleep; her phone lies beside her, still playing whatever she was watching. One of her earbuds has fallen out, and whatever she’s trying to crochet rests on her chest in disarray as she snores. An empty dessert tray sits on the bedside table, and Faye really should brush her teeth. Alice doesn’t want to wake her, but she also doesn’t want Faye to get cavities.

Alice snorts. Faye doesn’t need anyone mothering her except for her actual mother, but Glynda’s been so strange lately. It’s bizarre.