The race track stretched beneath a sky lit with the harsh brightness of early afternoon. A low rumble echoed in the distance, faint at first. But with each passing second, the sound grew louder, turning into a deep, thunderous growl.
Tiny grains of sand along the race track began to tremble and scatter, reacting to something powerful approaching. The crowd began to cheer louder, their voices mixing with the rising roar of engines.
The race track shook as the first cars sped by, flashing like streaks of color. The wind from their speed swept through the stands, making people grab their hats and lean back to steady themselves.
The loud sound of engines and wind filled the air, the kind you only hear at a Formula 1 race.
In the middle of it all, one car moved so smoothly it looked like art. It handled every turn with ease. Noel was behind the wheel, completely in sync with every bump and shift of the track.
To Noel, the crowd's noise faded, replaced by the roar of the engine and the steady beat of his heart. The finish line was close. He tightened his grip on the wheel as every turn and straight stretch felt like he and the car were one.
In the background, the commentators' voices cut through the noise from the loudspeakers. "And Heikkinen is holding his lead as usual! The crowd is going wild for the true legend in the making!"
Another voice added enthusiastically, "At 37 years old, Noel Heikkinen is pushing the limits of what's possible in racing. He's been unstoppable this season. If he finishes first today, it'll be his tenth win in a row. Not only will that make history, but it'll also break the world record for the most wins in a single season!"
Just seconds behind him, Noel's teammate was holding the line, blocking anyone from closing the gap.
"Watch his teammate," one commentator said. "His positioning is key. He's keeping the others at bay so Noel can stay ahead."
But in Formula 1, even the smallest mistake can change everything.
As they reached a fast corner, it all fell apart in a split second.
Trying to close the gap, Noel's teammate misjudged the braking point by just a little. He should've slowed down smoothly, but instead, the tires locked.
Panic showed in his quick, jerky movements as he tried to regain control.
"Oh no! Heikkinen's teammate lost control; this could be bad!!" the commentator's voice rang out.
The car veered off line and clipped the back of Noel's car.
The world turned upside down as Noel's car flipped and went crashing and tumbling all over.
Along with the screech of metal against asphalt, the last thing Noel heard before everything went dark were the commentators' words.
"A tragic turn of events for Noel Heikkinen, just moments away from making history."
Noel jolted awake, drenched in sweat. His breathing was heavy as he looked around the room. It took a moment for reality to sink in before he realized he had relived the same painful memory again.
Five years had passed since the crash, yet those bitter memories still clung to him. Noel's hand hovered over the sheets, brushing against the emptiness where his legs used to be.
With a quiet sigh, he pushed himself upright and slid into the wheelchair. It felt more like a part of him now than his own legs ever did.
As he passed the dresser, his reflection caught his eye. The man staring back wasn't the same unstoppable force he once was, but traces of that man still remained.
His face was clearly Finnish; fair skin, sharp blue eyes, and sandy blonde hair streaked with grey streaks.
The freckles that once faded in his youth had become more noticeable, standing out against the deeper lines on his forehead and around his mouth. Time had taken its toll, but not entirely. His jawline remained sharp beneath the short beard, now speckled with grey.
Noel stared at his reflection for a moment longer before turning away. It faded into the background, just like the trophies on the wall. All reminders of the man he used to be and the struggle it took to accept the one he had become.
He rolled into the kitchen, where the smell of pancakes and fresh coffee lingered. For a brief moment, it brought him a sense of peace.
His wife was humming softly as she stood by the stove, making pancakes..
"Morning, Eevi," Noel said, trying to hide the discomfort from the nightmare he had just woken up from.
Eevi looked over her shoulder and gave him a warm smile. Her eyes stayed on him just a little longer, checking whether he was okay or slipping back into old thoughts.
She had a simple, natural beauty, with high cheekbones, ash-blonde hair in loose waves, and calm green eyes. At forty, time had left faint lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth, but it only added to her charm. It wasn't the kind that turned heads, but the kind that stayed with you.
"Morning, love. How did you sleep?" she asked, her voice gentle and full of care.
She turned back to the stove and flipped a pancake as the sizzle of batter meeting the hot pan echoed gently, easing the slight tension still hanging in the air.
Noel shrugged, "Same as always," he said in a low voice. The crash still played in his mind, broken pieces of a memory too sharp to ignore, too painful to say out loud.
Eevi's expression dimmed. She could tell from his tone that the nightmare had returned. The past never seemed to leave him.
To break the silence that followed, Noel cleared his throat, trying to shift the mood. "Where's Leon?"
Eevi knew what Noel was trying to do, but she didn't bring up the past. Instead, she simply nodded and flipped another pancake.
"Ever since he got that new VR game a few weeks ago, it's like he barely comes out anymore." She tried to sound casual, but the worry in her voice was clear.
"Cut him some slack, Eevi," Noel said gently. "He can't go out much, and it's only going to get worse with summer coming. That game's his escape. You remember what happened last year when he tried staying outside too long."
Eevi's chest tightened. She still remembered Leon collapsing after spending too much time in the sun. If they had reached him any later, they could have lost him that day.
Their son's rare condition, Porphyria, made sunlight dangerous. Life outside was never an option for him, especially during the long summer days in Rovaniemi, a town in northern Finland where the sun hardly set.
They had renovated the house for him. Every window was fitted with UV-blocking glass. The curtains stayed closed, and the rooms were made sunlight-proof and safe for him.
Eevi sighed. "I know, but it still worries me. He's so lost in that game lately. What if it affects his studies? He's barely paying attention to his online classes."
Noel nodded, his thoughts matching hers, but before he could say anything more, footsteps creaked down the stairs.
They both turned, already knowing it was Leon.
≿━━━━━━༺❀༻━━━━━━≾
Author Note:
The revamped version of EAP Volume 1, 2 & 3 are now live on Kindle. You can find them on Amazon by simply searching the book title. Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy the new edition!
≿━━━━━━༺❀༻━━━━━━≾
Exclusive artwork for every free chapter is now available on my PATRE0N page! You can find the link in my Discord server.
╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮
Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :
https://discord.gg/P6cWGg2G
╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯