Page 1 of Embers of Love

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EMBER

Today, to Ember Thompson, Phoenix Ridge was the most beautiful city in the world. Not in the way of being the prettiest, the cleanest, or the most advanced. Its beauty went beyond all that. It was its people, the culture, the terrain, the smell of fuel, and the scream of loud combustion engines in themidsummer’sheat surrounded by the vast desert that ensconced the city and hundreds of other car enthusiasts who showed up to the watch the cars compete against each other in the most beautiful sport known to man. Drag racing.

“Whoo-hoo!” some excited spectator screamed nearby.

Ember winced slightly, leaning away from him.Phoenix Ridge wasmaybea little too loud sometimes.Nobody said it was perfect, but that was part of the charm. She sat in her car, chugging down a cold can of Coke to stave off the heat. Everyone was dressed in shorts and t-shirts, except for the few eccentric kids who wore hoodies with the hood up no matter the weather.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!Somebody banged on the trunk of her car with their palm, causing her to wince again. She stuck her head out the window, irritated. Everyone knew not to touch Joan carelessly. The’76Z28 Camaro was a jewel. She stumbled upon the car three years ago and had taken a great risk in buying it from the seller. The carwasn’tin perfect condition, but Ember saw her potential. All Joan needed was a little love. Ember poured her heart and soul into the car, and it turned into a work of art.

“Hey!” she yelled. “Hands off my ride.”

The man grinned at her, showing teeth.“What? This rust bucket? I’m surprised she hasn’t ended up in the junkyard yet! Get your ass to the strip, you’re running next after these guys. Swift Hog’s ready to race ya.”

Ember sat back in her car, shaking her head.She’dseen her opponent working on his car shortly before the races began. He was an older man, probably in his mid-sixties, and allofhis hair had gone grey. Old man Farcy had been racing these deserts longer than Ember had been alive. She would never question his driving skills, but Swift Hog was a terrible name. However, who was she to judge? Actually, she was totally going to judge. Cars were the single most amazing things human beings had ever invented. They deserved to have great names. Not Swift-freaking-Hog. Especially not the legendary American Buick GNX.

All her stray thoughts fledthe momentJoan’sengine came alive with a healthy rumble. The sound got everyone’s attention right away. Folks turned to stare at her ride. Shecouldn’thelp smiling and waving at the few of them she recognized.Yeah, Phoenix Ridge wasabsolutelythe best city in the world because it was home toall ofher favorite people.

If her mother saw her right now, she would be livid. The daughter of Becky Thompson, the chief of Phoenix Ridge Fire Department engaging in drag races of all things. Anybody whodidn’tknow her would be surprised to even see her at events like these, let alone have her own drag racer, but Ember didn’t see the issue. These races were perfectly legal, after all.

Farcy pulled into the track next to her, his modified Buick screeching loudly even thoughhe’dbarely touched the throttle.

Thatengine’sgonna explode before we hit the finish line.

The judges ran final checks to ensure they both followed safety protocols. She was decked out in a full protective suit, complete with a fire jacket, pants, and a helmet. Most of itwasn’trequired for the“domestic class”she was racing in, but she took safety very seriously.

The track official made sure they were both ready. He raisedhis hands in the air, signaling to both racers that it was almost time to go. He brought them down dramatically. Ember was off like a bullet. Joan jumped slightly from the starting line. She wobbled a bit on the launch, but Ember predicted it and corrected her course in time. As soon as the Camaro was stable, she focused all of her attention on the road ahead.

This was it. This was the timeshetrulycame alive. When there was nothing but her, Joan, and the road in front of them. All of her worries faded away. Her mind became rejuvenated from the experience. Ember felt like she was ready to take on the world from thedriver’sseat of her car. She felt protected and safe. Nobody else could catch her here, not even the wind. It was a dream that had fallen right into her grasp.

As she approached the finish, she looked in the rearview mirror to see how big of a lead she had on her opponent. Farcy had barely gotten halfway down the track. There was a large plume of smoke coming off his hood that sparked into flames as she watched. Instincts took over. She slammed on the brakes hard, slowing the car down significantly. She spun the wheel rapidly, sending thecarinto an oversteer as she made a quick U-turn, crossing the track to the next lane and sped back the way she came.

“Oh God, please no,” she prayed.

Someof thespectators had jumped over the borders and made their way onto the drag strip, attempting to crowd around the car. Nobody knew what the hell they were doing.Some tried to get the hood open toput outthe fire, and others tried to get the old man out of the car, but noneof themsucceeded.

She pulled the car to a stopin front ofthe burning Buick and jumped out in a blink, her fire extinguisher ready in one hand and a crowbar in the other.

“Get out of the way! Step away from the car!”she yelled authoritatively over the din. That got a reaction. Most of these people here were townsfolk. Almost all of them knew who she was. She was the closest firefighter. She took in the situation quickly. As always, with emergencies and accidents, there were far too many people gathered around. There needed to be no more than two individuals helping; everyone else was simply getting in the way.

“Cut the seatbelts! Use a pocketknife! I have one in my pigeonhole! Be careful not to cut him!”she instructed the men helping Farcy.

She dumped the extinguisher on the ground and pried the hood open with her crowbar.She braced it against the hood to keep it open beforeshe picked up the extinguisher once more.Thick smoke and heat slammed into her, blinding her momentarily. Ember was trained for this, though. She already knew where to aim the extinguisher.She let it loose on the burning engine whileshe assessedthe rest of the car tomake surethe firehadn’tspread anywhere else.

“Holy shit!” Farcy swore.

Apparently,he’dfinally managed to get himself out of the car. Hedidn’tlike the look of his engine bay, but at least he was alive. Embermade surethe fire had completely died down before she let up on the extinguisher. She waited still and watched. Fires were trickythings to handle, and one could never be too cautious.One thing her mother always said was,“It’s easier to recover from being too cautious. If you’re not cautious enough, you won’t live long enough to learn your lesson,”and Ember held on to that principle.Somewhat.

“Thanks, kiddo,”Farcy said, grimacing at his car.“Glad you were here to take a hold of things. Those guys were choking me in there until you told ‘em to cut the seatbelts.”

Ember merely nodded. She was still on high alert.This was work mode, and there wasnoroom for chit-chatuntilshe wascertaineveryone was safe.The chances of cars exploding, like in the movies, were actuallyvery low, but itwasn’tzero.

With the situation handled, more and more people started to gather around. That was her cue to hightail it out of there. She returned to her car and drove off the drag strip. They were alreadymaking plansto move thecaroff the strip and clear it for the next batch of racers. Incidents like these happened all the time when it came to drag racing.

“That was so cool!”a teenage boy flashed her a bright smile

“Hey, Mandy.”Ember offered the girl a tired smile.

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