If I have one chance before the Titan Derby to prove myself capable of winning, this is the race to do it. A long race. Thirty-two furlongs. Four miles of track stretching deep into the forest, looping through the trees, and returning. I can spot the finish line from my place inside the gate, but it’s what lies between here and there that has me worried. My confrontation with Dani and Zara zips through my head over and over, like a circuit board, lighting up different areas of my brain: frustration, sadness, understanding. But most of all—determination. I’ve never wanted a win so badly, after seeing Zara’s sense of abandonment, Dani’s desperate need for stability. Our family car is gone. We don’t know anyone who can afford to take us in. And my father still hasn’t found work. I am our last hope of staying off the streets. I must win. But before I do that, I have to prove myself capable. The light flashes outside the gate, turning from the safety of red to stomach-churning yellow.
