ALICE Epilogue Part 2

Bright lights shine on the simple chair.

Annette’s impression of calm is far from perfect.

“It goes without saying that this isn’t what any of us wanted,” she says.

“Are you sure? After all, FUTA Racing has had consistent car trouble this year. For a second, the team was a possible leader in the cup, that’s gone now. Bringing on a rally driver. Bringing on an atypical pit crew. Two of them. Alice Wilde’s antics. These past few weeks have just taken all of that sensationalism to a new level. All of that helps FUTA Racing establish its brand. From a certain perspective, we could almost say that this season couldn’t have gone better for a new team. You didn’t have the most success in racing, but everyone is talking about FUTA. Aston Martin would kill for that kind of relevancy.”

Annette is blunt. “Let’s hope they don’t. I liked it better when this was a sport for rich people and that was the end of it. I had no idea what I was getting into.”

“Can you comment on the rumor about you meeting with Amazon about a possible screen dramatization of what happened at the Shigeno?”

Annette twitches. “No.”

FF1

Outside Gurlberg, Florida

12 Years Ago

“Oh gosh!” Alice shouts, throwing her hands up. The smell of rubber and oil is nauseating, especially after all that greasy pizza. The straps are too tight, and the cockpit is too small for her lanky frame.

Her heart thuds from the way the Go-Kart leapt forward at the slightest tap of the accelerator. This is nothing like the pink Power Wheels Jeep that she drove at her cousin’s house once.

Coach Adella hurries over and kneels. “What is wrong?” she asks in her fancy accent.

“It just went!”

Coach Adella looks around at the other kids. Coach Riley’s helping Val with her straps.

“That is what it does,” Adella says.

“Yeah, but it was sudden.”

“That is the idea.”

“I can’t do this.”

“Why not?”

“Cuz I’m gonna hit something,” Alice says truthfully, squinting. It’s dark, and the big lights over the track hurt her eyes.

“So?”

“So, you’re not supposed to hit stuff.” Alice looks at Coach Adella as though she’s crazy. Coach Adella isn’t American; that’s probably why she’s so weird.

She points at the tires lining the course. “The tires are there because it is expected that you will hit them.”

“What if it hurts?”

“What if it does?”

“I don’t like being hurt.”

Coach Adella sighs and gets comfortable. “Alice, it hurts when the football hits you. You still try to stop it.”

“Because I gotta. It’s my job. And it’s a soccer ball.”

“Are you afraid to hit the tires? Or of people seeing you hit the tires?”

Alice stiffens, then she shrinks under Adella’s gaze. Her eyes flick to Val. She hesitates. “Both?”

FF1

Abu Dhabi

Now

Alice doesn’t sit up dramatically, but her body does give a little jerk as she comes awake.

Faye is beside her, snoring outrageously. Alice rubs her sweaty face and sighs. She checks the time, then lifts her head to look at the huge windows; their hotel room is on the fortieth floor of this gleaming hotel. The sun is rising over the city. It’s the morning of the last race of the year.