Maria, in her guise as Twister, raced through the night on her motorcycle. The wheels skidded across the wet ground, the drizzling rain streaking the glass of her helmet.
Normally Maria wouldn't drive so recklessly, but she needed to clear her head. Stephanie's words still echoed in her mind. "Don't think about it," she muttered to herself.
Her hand cranked the throttle and the engine gave a satisfying roar. She whizzed around a gray car that was only moderately speeding.
Part of Maria wanted to crash. It would be a distraction at least, not that it would hurt her rubber body. She could withstand all kinds of injuries, but words, words could cut her deeply.
"Oh wow, I didn't know you thought of me that way," Stephanie said in her memory.
Don't think about it.
It still hurt. All the speed in the world wouldn't outrun her own memories. Sam and Allison had just been so close lately. Maria wanted that for herself. She wanted it enough to work up her courage and talk to the girl she liked, the girl she had rescued.
"I'll always be grateful to you for saving me. But I just don't think of you that way."
Don't think about it.
Maria knew she shouldn't be taking it so hard. She couldn't blame Stephanie for being who she was. It was just that Stephanie knew her secret identity. She was one of the only people who could date Maria and Twister. So losing her meant being alone.
"I hope we can still be friends."
So alone.
A stubborn rain drop wouldn't roll off her visor. She shook her head. Then she realized it was inside the glass.
"So are you running towards something or away from something?" A voice shouted.
The words shook Maria out of her reverie. Who could have said that? She looked to one side and saw no one. Then she looked to the other side and saw a woman running, running alongside a speeding motorbike. "Away," she yelled back.
"I thought so," the woman responded. She didn't even sound winded. "You should try running towards something."
"Like what?" Maria answered.
"Like me. Catch me if you can," the stranger said gleefully. She sped up, easily outpacing the bike. Her long-sleeve, green shirt became a blur as she zipped into the night. She was hard to see beyond that.
"What a weirdo. I'm not just gonna chase her for no reason," Twister mumbled. Then she considered further and decided it beat feeling sorry for herself. She leaned down, hugging her body to the cold metal of her bike as she let the throttle all the way out. The wind roared around her.
"That's more like it," the stranger's voice carried back to Maria. "Now try to keep up." She veered sharply around a corner, briefly disappearing from view. Twister's tires screeched in protest as she matched the turn.
They dashed along a straight section of road after that. Twister started to gain, until they reached the train tracks. The arms were already lowering as they approached. The train's horn blared over the engine. Every instinct in Maria's mind told her to stop and turn around, but the green streak didn't slow down so Maria didn't either.
The stranger deftly leapt over the arms and the tracks. Twister didn't have it so easy. She veered around the arm. The light of the oncoming train sliced the darkness like a knife, a knife that Twister narrowly avoided. The bike kicked off the iron of the tracks and shot into the air. It wobbled on the landing, barely staying upright. "That was crazy. You're crazy!" Twister shouted ahead at the blurred figure.
"I'm crazy? I had plenty of time. You're the crazy one," she said.
"Well I'm not going to just let you win," Twister answered, laughing. Her heart still pounded.
The chase continued. The stranger tried to lose her in a tight series of turns, cutting down one street after another. But Maria had lived in San Angeles her whole life. She knew these streets better than anyone. That was why she smiled when the stranger turned down a dead end. The building's shadow loomed over the end of the alleyway. "Looks like I win," she goaded as they sped towards the end of the alley.
"Funny, I was about to say the same thing," the stranger yelled back. Then the green blur turned and raced straight up the wall of the building.
Maria slammed on the brakes and skidded to a halt. She watched in amazement as the mysterious figure shot up the brick wall and disappeared over the roof.
But Maria wouldn't give up yet. She dismounted the bike, and doffed the helmet. She would need to see well for this. Then her arms stretched into the air, straining to reach the building's parapet. Her fingertips wrapped onto the wall's coping. She tensed her legs and rocketed into the air like a slingshot. Her arms pulled back to her body as she spun in the air. For a moment she could look down onto the rooftops. It was like she had left all her troubles down on the ground. For that brief instant she was just flying. Maria grinned, reveling in the freedom and the adrenaline. The street lights shone through the mist in a hazy glow. The rain rushed past her as gravity pulled her body back to the earth.
The other woman had stopped on the opposite side of the building. Twister could vaguely make out her form, bent over catching her breath. She angled her descent towards the stranger. Her rubber legs absorbed the tremendous impact. "9.0" she rated herself, hitting the slick ground with poise. As Maria landed she placed a hand on the stranger's shoulder and instinctively yelled, "Tag!"
The woman straightened up, stunned. Maria finally got a good look at the stranger. She had light tan skin and a pixie hair cut, shaved on one side. A row of piercings ran down the opposite ear. A pair of goggles covered her eyes. She wore a bright green, long sleeve shirt, fingerless gloves and black pants. "Oh wow... No one's ever... Caught me before... Call me Bolt," she panted.
"I'm Twister. You were right. I needed that. I forgot all about..." Stephanie, she thought but didn't say. A touch of sadness crept through the rush of the chase. "So how come I've never seen you before?"
Bolt grinned. "I mostly keep moving and... enjoy the rush of the wind and the freedom."
