Chapter 1 - Hera Mark-IX

“Well, are you ready?” Her mom asked. She reached out and grabbed Georgina’s shoulders, looking her over. She looked great.

Her orange hair was tied up with a green ribbon. Her black sundress with the little red polkadots contrasting her pale skin and her brown eyes.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” George said with a shrug of her shoulders. She felt that weird mixture of nerves and excitement spinning around in her tummy.

“Come on, honey, you’re gonna make her miss the train,” Dad said with a grin. He scooped her up with one arm into a tight hug, before stepping back. “Before you go through,” he whispered. “Your grandpa’s got a little something for yah.”

George looked past her parents, and there was her grandfather. He drove his wheelchair into the living room, a big smile on his face. His skin was wrinkled and covered in spots. The few white hairs he had were combed over. His eyes, magnified behind the thick lens of his glasses, were so full of life. In his lap was a wrapped present.

“Here, Georgie,” he said with his raspy voice, a chuckle on his lips. He seemed almost impatient as he tried to give it to her. “Go on now, open it.”

“Grandpa…” George smiled, “you know you didn’t have to.” His eyes were eager, so she took the present. It was surprisingly heavy, so she set it down on the ground, and set about tearing off the paper.

“Wait…” George frowned, blinking. She couldn’t quite believe what she was looking at. She looked up at her parents who gave her an encouraging nod, then to her grandpa who’s eyes were gleaming with mischief. “There’s no way…”

“Oh yes way,” Grandpa rubbed his hands together. He was so excited. “Figured since you were headed off to the big city that you might need a lil’ something to get around.”

Before her was a brand new scooter. A Hera Mark - IX, sleek and black, with dual battery support and three gem slots. It came with a brown leather strap, a matching leather pouch for the front, and batteries, charged and ready to go. For added flare, it even came with a couple sticker sheets.

“I don’t…” Tears glistened George’s eyes. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything.” Grandpa adjusted his glasses. “We know.”

George jumped up, giving him a tight hug. Then she turned and gave her parents a big hug too. As she pulled away, her mom held out her hands, and in them were three hexagonal gemstones.

“They’re nothing fancy,” she said, “but they’ll get you around the campus, and around the city just fine.”

George took them gingerly, as if they were pure gold. One of them was a green speed gem, as noted by fiery tire icon, meant to give her a boost when she needed it. The second was a gray gem, with an umbrella icon. A gem shield. Perfect for if it happened to rain.

“And this one I picked out,” Dad said, gesturing to the last one. It was a blue gemstone, meaning it’s rarity was greater than both the gray gem, and the green one. The icon appeared to be a big puddle of slime.

“For self-defense,” Dad clarified, “just in case.”

“Guys, thank you!” She squealed as she knelt down, unfolding the scooter and placing her gems in the slots. They were situated towards the front of the deck where she had easy access but wouldn’t step on them accidentally. The gems clicked into place, almost like they were magnetized. Then, George took the batteries, and loaded them in.

The Mark-IX began to hum with power.

“Wow…” She breathed. “It’s perfect… it’s… amazing.”

“Glad you like it kiddo,” Grandpa said, leaning back with a satisfied look on his face. “Better get going, trains about to leave the station.”

George checked her watch. Oh shoot.

“Okay. Bye. Thank you. Love you.” She gave them all a final hug and a hasty kiss on the cheek before scooping her duffle bag over one shoulder and hopping on the scooter. She turned the handlebar accelerator and with a jolt, she went out the open front door.

“Don’t forget to call us when you get there!” Her mom called after her.

“Don’t crash!” Her dad’s voice faded as Georgina raced down the sidewalk. The wind blowing her hair back.

It was fast. George had ridden some of her friends scooters, but they were children’s toys compared to a Hera. This was smooth, barely registering any bumps. The only sound a soft electric buzz.

Her small neighborhood turned into the town, and she zoomed across town to the small train station. She screeched to a halt outside, almost tipping over, and folded her scooter up. Clipping it to her leather strap, she shouldered it next to her duffle bag and ran into the station.

Ducking through the crowd of people, George was one of the last people on the train before the doors hissed shut.

“Ha…” she breathed out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her brow. “That was close, too close.”

After taking a moment, George waddled awkwardly towards a seat, trying not to bump anyone with her luggage, then she plopped into a seat, relieved to no longer carry the weight. She slumped down, relaxing, and let herself lean over to the window, her forehead bumping into the cool glass as she watched the train station begin to pass by. Crowds of people watching on as they left the station.

Then all at once, in a blur, George was looking out over the countryside. The blue sky extending towards infinity. However there, in the horizon line. Just a speck in the distance was her destination.

Cerulean City.