FOUR DAYS PASSED SINCE his encounter with the old man and the Russian woman. Every day after school, he practiced with Kimberly.
Well worth his time, he managed to pick up the basic movements and eventually fix his posture. The training ended early for the day after Kimberly noticed his Dyna Blades were making weird noises. As such, he wasn't allowed to practice anymore until he got the issue fixed, so she sent him to Victoria for help.
"You broke your DBs already?" Victoria asked.
The two were sitting down in her room with his Dyna Blades resting on her desk.
"Anyways, let's see what the problem is."
Taking apart the wheels with different-sized Allen keys and a flat-head screwdriver, she examined his skates. He looked closely over her shoulder to see how many screws were in place to keep a Dyna Blade intact.
"Looks like sand got in the main stem and rusted it," she said. "It's broken. Needs replacing with parts from a shop."
"Why don't we just use parts in that other room?" he asked.
Victoria got angry at that suggestion. The sisters were still mad at him for having taken their gear without permission. Fortunately for him, they decided not to tell Allison. And since he was so reluctant to ride, Victoria couldn't help but pity him.
"I don't have too much time, so get your jacket on, and let's go already," she said, putting on a coat. "After today, you'll be looking for parts on your own. That way, I don't have to be annoyed with this kind of stuff again."
Being the tomboy that she was, Victoria only said those words out of care. Stephen couldn't help but smile lightly.
Their journey on foot to the Latino Mall hadn't taken long. It was in West Valley City, only a few miles from Salt Lake City. Inside the mall, they found a store called "Champs Sports."
They were strictly a sneaker and apparel company for the trendiest clothes in America. After the release of Dyna Blades, they switched their line of products to meet customer supply and demand.
Stephen looked around, impressed by the collection of Dyna Blades on display. They all looked sleeker than the training ones he wore. Victoria noticed him staring and said, "This kind of general stuff is usually sold all over these sports shops."
Spotting a display case by the counter, he gazed at the vast number of wheels. Victoria noticed how entranced he was, so she got by his side to tell him more.
"DBs aren't used like you think they are. It's something you have to tune yourself to in accordance with your style of riding. You've gotta upgrade one part at a time to make your DBs original. Real riders don't just buy DBs; they build them up one part at a time."
Victoria picked up a Dyna Blade from the shelf to show him the different components. A Dyna Blade had an array of parts to allow it to function properly. There was the battery, the brake, the main bolt, the inner coil (or auxiliary motor), the air cushion, the bearings, the gearbox, the driver unit, and the main motor coil. These were things Kimberly hadn't taught him.
"When you get a little better, I'll take you to this shop that has these unbelievable parts," Victoria finished.
He had an idea of which shop she was likely referring to. The bright smile on her face indicated that she hadn't known he had already visited that place and picked up a pair of wheels.
As the two browsed around separately for the screws they needed, the door of the store opened, and they heard a man panicking. Turning to see what the commotion was all about, Stephen noticed the Steller's Jay enter the store after passing that man. Like a pet, the bird flew around the store until it finally rested on his shoulders. It had been days since he had last seen it.
"Birds aren't allowed inside the store, sir," a soft voice said. "Oh! I didn't recognize you."
Turning around, Stephen was met by a girl wearing what looked like a manager's outfit. Her eyes were as blue as the sky, and she had the face of an Australian supermodel. What made her stand out the most was her very long pink hair.
"Do I know you?" he asked.
"Eh… Ha-ha," she chuckled. "Can't say that we've ever met before. What's your pet's name?"
Stephen looked at the Steller's Jay, completely unaware of what gender it even was. He had never considered it his pet, so he didn't bother naming it.
"It's a male Steller's Jay," she said. "You can tell because its crown is a lot shorter than its female counterpart. I'll let you off the hook this time since he looks so cute on your shoulders."
After that exchange, the girl left, leaving him a bit confused by her strange demeanor. Before he could think about the matter, Victoria came by, stating that she had found the part they were looking for. She asked what the earlier issue was about, and he answered. He therefore left the store with the Steller's Jay, waiting for her to make the purchase.
Sitting down on the bench outside the front, he held two fingers out for the bird to rest on. Bringing him up close, he then softly said the name "Chappy." The bird danced around his finger as if he understood its name. It was short for "chaperone" because it always helped guide him.
A few minutes then passed. As Victoria was walking out with two large bags in her hands, a couple of men wearing black jackets with numbers on the back bumped into her while trying to enter the store. They apologized before she could get upset.
"Ready to go?" she asked Stephen after fully exiting.
"Yeah…"
Dyna Blades by themselves were expensive, but their parts were heavily overpriced. All they bought were a few screws, one pair of wheels, and some paint for customization. The total rounded up to approximately twelve hundred dollars, which Victoria had used Stephen's money to pay!
At home, Stephen was seen tinkering by himself in the living room.
Kimberly had just arrived shortly after he did. Interested to know why he was so joyful, Victoria explained to her that it was because they went shopping to fix his Dyna Blades. Jealous that they went without her, Victoria further added that a girl was flirting with him. This caused Kimberly's face to grow red.
The two bickered back and forth without Stephen paying any attention. A tad frustrated at how Victoria was teasing her just now, Victoria neglected to mention how familiar that girl looked.
Night fell, and Stephen couldn't help but desire to ride after fixing his Dyna Blades. He knew the girls would let him, so he laced them up and told them he'd be heading to the park to train. After leaving through the front door, he remembered what day it was. This was the same day that the pink-haired girl practiced.
When he remembered that, he immediately made the connection that the pink-haired girl he saw today was one and the same!
Having reached the park in record time, he waited by his usual spot. And exactly as he expected, the girl came soaring through the sky. Stephen smirked, thinking about challenging her to a race. But when he noticed she wasn't showing her usual smile, he knew something was off.
Just a few seconds after she passed, two guys wearing black jackets and Pitbull masks soared behind her. He recognized those jackets; they were the same numbers as those guys who passed Victoria while exiting the store today. And from the way the scene looked, they were clearly trying to harass her. Stephen's wheels skidded against the ground as he launched after them.
"Wait up, girl! We're not done with ya yet!" one of the men yelled.
This was more than enough evidence to know that they were causing her trouble. As the girl and the men landed on a rooftop, Stephen came from the front, racing right past her. The face she made was one of surprise as she turned her head back to see what he was doing. Stephen came to an abrupt stop and delivered a monstrous clothesline to one of the men!
The impact shattered his mask, causing him to continuously flip off the roof.
"What the heck?" the other man said. "I'll beat you down for that, punk!"
Getting into a running position, the rider then dashed forward. Eyes locked on the man's riding course, Stephen used one Dyna Blade to perform an extremely fast front tuck.
Bang!
Stephen's lower right wheel had landed directly on the man's head, shattering both his mask and the ceiling tiles. He then straightened himself after confirming the man was unconscious. Turning to face the woman, he asked, "You okay?"
"Ah…"
She was speechless. All she could do was nod.
He was planning on challenging her, but he didn't think she'd accept after what she had just been through. So he turned to leave until he heard her yell, "Wait!"
Looking back at her, she said, "You never told me his name."
Stephen hadn't noticed that the Steller's Jay was resting on his shoulders, so he smirked, answering, "It's Chappy."
The mysterious rider smiled before departing just as Victoria arrived on the scene. Crossing paths, he couldn't help but notice them glaring at one another. Landing on the rooftop with him, she informed him that they never gave him permission to leave. And because of Chappy, she was able to find him quite easily.
He apologized, watching as the pink-haired girl skated off. Seeing him gaze at her caused Victoria to snicker, saying, "I don't like her…"
At home, Stephen was punished for having disobeyed the sisters again. He had asked Victoria about what she said earlier but was ignored. Another secret was being kept from him. All he was told was to stay away from her unless he wanted to get into more trouble.
The whole night, he pondered why his roommates, with whom he'd been living for years, kept so many things hidden from him. He couldn't tell if it was truly for his protection or not. Pestering them for answers was out of the question. So if he needed answers, there was only one place he would go.
The next day, straight after his training, he walked to Champs Sports by himself. As he expected, the pink-haired girl was managing the store today. He didn't bother going inside to talk to her. Instead, he stayed on watch in case members of that recent Road Riders team came back.
"Make sure to clean those DBs in the back, Skyler," one of the employees yelled.
'Looks like her name's Skyler…'
To keep himself from looking like a stalker, he scanned around the store for people wearing those black jackets. Chappy hadn't managed to come inside, so it allowed him to move stealthily. By the time the sun set, he decided it was time to go home. Lord willing, tomorrow he would ask her details about what happened, and her relationship with the Lion's Den.
Walking outside the mall, he was met with a chilling breeze. The nights were cold and dangerous in West Valley City. So the faster he could make it home, the less worried his roommates would be. Before he knew it, a pink blur raced right past him.
Skyler, who was wearing Dyna Blades, used the spin-turn technique to come to a stop. She was standing just a few feet away from him.
"Thanks a bunch for looking out for me today," she said, saluting him.
Leave it to a Road Rider to have keen senses. And he was quite careful not to be spotted. He didn't even enter the store.
"Makes me look like a stalker when you say it like that, you know."
"Ah-ha. Chill! It's not like that. The way I saw it, you were just looking out for my safety. Oh, and by the way, you can call me Skyler, 'Skyler M.'!"
Stephen had already heard her name, but he played it off as if he hadn't. Now wasn't the time to be asking her things about the Lion's Den. If he spent any more time here, he'd be late getting home. So he turned around and walked away, telling Skyler it was no problem.
"Wait!" she yelled. "You're always trying to leave me when we're talking."
"What's the matter?" he asked, turning back.
"My place is in that direction, too, so… Um… Why don't we ride home together?"