In 2107, Sonny and Tabitha live in Corinth where everything is advanced. Most teens have a hoverboard, which follows a metal grid underneath the city. The hoverboards work with magnets that make them hover above the ground. Both girls have owned one since their third birthday. The hoverboards are made of orbital alloy which is the same material used to make aircrafts. It is just about impossible to break a board unless you are going over 80 HUPH (hover units per hour).   

Sonny and Tabitha share the same birthday and long jet black hair. Sonny’s hazel eyes contrasts with her friend’s dark blue eyes. Both have been best friends since first grade. They each pretend there is nothing wrong between the two of them. However, secretly they each know something is definitely wrong.   

Tabitha thinks silently to herself as she approaches the A-L registration line. I wish my ex-friend Sonny was never born. She is always trying to be all that and she never thinks about anyone but herself. Her selfcenteredness makes me understand why she has no friends   

Sonny walks toward the M-Z registration line thinking silently. I wonder if she really has any friends besides me. She is always trying to be all that and she never thinks about anyone but herself. I wish my ex-friend Tabitha was never born. She is so self-centered. As the two girls stood in their appropriate lines which happened to be next to each other, they noticed each other then quickly turned away. Sonny and Tabitha both decided not to think about their weakening friendship. Instead they focused their attention on the one thousand hover units race for ages ten and up they were about to enter.   

Tabitha started to think about what items she would receive for the race. Anyone who participats always receivs a board so that all who enter the competition will have the same things to compete. The coordinator did not want participants to cheat before the race even starts. Tabitha also thought long and hard about the other items they will receive. As she advances farther into the line she overhears what will be used in the race. Everyone would be using a long journey hoverboard, water purifier, food packets in a waterproof bag, and a position finder.   

The long journey board is perfect for the race for it can go faster for a longer amount of time. Now unlike most boards that could be easily stolen, these boards require an eye scan to operate them. The racer wears a bracelet that the racer can scan his or her eye on it so that the board will work for them. These boards also run on solar power instead of electric power like most city boards do. That way they can sleep during the day and charge the board. Then, at night the board has a large amount of power to get them to their next checkpoint.   

The water purifier and food packets are the most essential pieces of this race. Since the contest will take about a week, each person shall be given twenty-five food packets. Therefore, any rider in the race may eat three meals a day leaving four extra food packets to be used if the participant is extra hungry or becomes stranded. The water purifier automatically filters the water. Participants can scoop water out of a river or stream that may be murky and the purifier will make it drinkable. The purifier is needed in the food preparation. When racers are ready to eat, they open the packet and drop the pea sized food in the water that is boiling in the purifier. When the food is done cooking, the machine will ping to indicate the food is ready to eat.   

The position finder is a little nifty tool the racers use to find their way on the journey through the wilderness. Each finder shows the layout of how to reach the checkpoints. The racer must choose which path will get them there the quickest. The finders only show where the next checkpoint is located, not where to go to finish the race.   

As Tabitha nears the front of the line, she quickly fills out the papers and hands them to the lady at the registration desk. As she was about to turn to leave, the lady said,” Are you the famous Tabitha who has won the one thousand HU race for three years in a row? “   

“Yes, I am,” replies Tabitha, as she glances over at Sonny filling out her papers.   

Sonny, who overhears the conversation, turns to Tabitha and says, “Well we will see about that this year! I am going to win even if it kills me.” And with that she quickly stalks off in the opposite direction.   

After the boards were charged for a day, the racers were ready to start. All of the racers put on their backpacks with all of their equipment. The racers are standing next to their boards. The boards are ready to go. The timer is counting down. Three... two... one... BANG. All of the racers jump on their boards and ride forward full blast towards their first check point. Sonny pulls into third place with Tabitha in forth. Sonny thinks she is doing well.   

After trying to rest while the hoverboards recharge in the sunlight, both girls start the second day with winning on their minds. As they approach the second days check point, Tabitha and Sonny are now neck and neck. They are both going about 102 HUPH for they both want to win the race. Sonny advances forward a little. Then Tabitha advances enough to tie them again. In the process of their little advancing war neither of them sees the tree in the middle of the path.   

CLING! CLANG! BOOM! A safety ambulance follows behind the riders so medical help is available in case an accident occurs. Oh my gosh, the ambulance driver, Phil thought. I hope the people up ahead are okay. As Phil walks up to the scene of the accident he pulls out his finger reader. He quickly scans their fingers and finds out that the injured are Sonny and the one and only three year winner, Tabitha.   

Phil knelt down by Tabitha and assesses her newly acquired cuts and bruises. The board had tipped forward hitting a branch of a tree and caused it to be lodged into her left side. Phil grabs his Medspray and braces himself to remove the board. He called his partner, Steve over and on the count of three Steve pulls the board and simultaneously Phil sprays the wound. This instantly seals up her left side with pressurized skin particles. Medspray also minimizes any and all pain because it has a numbing agent. Tabitha only loses a few drops of blood during the entire rescuing process. When Phil and Steve are finished they put Tabitha into the ambulance. Then they move on to Sonny.   

Sonny is in worse condition because her board instantly snapped in half when it collided with the tree. One half shattered into a thousand pieces and two implanted themselves into her eyes. The other half landed in her right side. Phil could not decide which piece to remove first. Since he had no Medspray or equipment for eyes, he chose to remove the piece in Sonny’s right side first. Phil and Steve prepare for another quick pull. After Phil and Steve remove the board half from her side, Sonny is placed in the ambulance next to Tabitha.   

As Phil drives to the hospital 50 HU above everyone’s head, he tells Steve to check on the patients. Steve quickly boots up the tiny hand held device that is used to scan the entire body. It beeps over Tabitha’s scar on her left side. It also beeps over Sonny’s scar on her right side and over both of her eyes. The results of the scan showed that there were no other major injuries for the doctors to restore.   

As the ambulance is speeding towards the hospital, Steve looks at the ring on his middle finger and asks Phil a question. He said, “Boss, do I stick them with my knock-out gases so that they are ready to go under the knife when they get to the hospital?”   

“Yes, please do, so that it is easier for the staff,” Phil said. So Steve flicked out his stinger and stuck the underside of both of their left big toes. The ambulance reaches the hospital a few moments later. Tabitha and Sonny are not aware that they are at the hospital. Phil pushes the green remote control button and the stretchers Tabitha and Sonny are laying on detach from the ambulance wall. Then, Phil opens the back doors of the ambulance by pressing the open button on the remote. The stretchers follow the magnetic path to the entrance of the hospital. Once inside the hospital, the head nurse directed the hover stretchers to the operating room where the surgeons quickly hook Tabitha and Sonny up to the many various machines.   

The first thing the surgeons do is take X-rays of her side. The results show that this was the only injury she sustained. Then they proceed to operate on the damaged muscle. The muscle needs to be replaced. So they cut open the skin with lasers and add some mono-fiber muscle. The mono fiber muscles make individuals stronger than normal muscles. The muscles don’t ripe or tear as easily, but they still can break.   

In the meantime surgeons in the adjacent operating room began patching up Sonny. They quickly remove the two pieces of orbital alloy from her eyes. The surgeons spray her eyes with a foamy liquid that will help speed up the healing and keep them protected from infections. After fixing Sonny’s eyes, the surgeons check her side for any damaged muscles. The doctor found no injured muscles that would be of a later hazard to Sonny’s life. They moved her to a room across the hall from Tabitha.   

Three days after the accident, Tabitha was well enough to go home. After a week of no hoverboarding and no friends, she decides to walk to the hospital, so she could visit Sonny. When Tabitha arrived at Sonny’s room she discovered her ex-friend had not been doing so well since the accident. The combination of Medspray and the stingers knock-out gases had adversely affected her immune system. Tabitha spoke to Sonny’s nurse and was told she could visit for ten minutes.   

As she enters the room, Tabitha wanders over to Sonny’s bed. She peers at her friends face which look as if she is dead. A tear runs down Tabitha’s face as she recalls how she expected their friendship to last forever. However, forever might end soon.   

Tabitha sat in the chair next to Sonny’s bed for about ten minutes then she leans over and hugs her friend carefully avoiding all of the wires. She can’t stand to see Sonny in a coma so she decides to leave. As she turns and walks out the door, she hears a shallow low sound from behind her. For a second, she thinks the nurse has left a window open and the wind is blowing something around in the room. But, she realizes the room is located in the middle of the building, and that there are no windows.   

Tabitha spins around with lightening speed to see Sonny sitting up. She runs to her friend and embraces her with a shower of hugs. Tabitha is in such high spirits that no amount of words can explain her happiness. While the two girls are hugging, the nurse comes in to tell Tabitha that it is time for her to go. “Leaping lizards! Sonny you’re awake! It is a miracle! I shall get the doctor at once!”   

As the nurse leaves, Tabitha looks at her friend and almost burst into tears. She realizes that her thoughts before the race almost came true. She had actually wanted her to die. And now because of the accident, her feelings had changed. There was no stopping the tears from pouring out of her eyes like a waterfall. As she leaned over and hugged her friend once more, she heard a faint whisper coming from behind her. The doctor had arrived to examine Sonny.   

“Well, it seems like our sick patient is doing okay. Sonny you will be free to go home soon,” the doctor said in a stern voice. With that he walked off.   

The next day, Tabitha visited Sonny again. Sonny was walking around her bed when Tabitha arrived. Tabitha and Sonny decide to walk around the hospital. Sonny’s doctor sees them and tells Sonny she is well enough to go home in the morning.   

The next morning, Tabitha arrives at the hospital very early. Sonny is waiting to be discharged. Sonny welcomes Tabitha with a hug. Tabitha asks, “Does this mean you have forgiven me?”   

Sonny replies, “There is nothing to forgive. We both thought we were more important than we really are. Let’s put it behind us.” With that they both walked out of the hospital together. They stride over to the hoverboard parking lot where Tabitha had parked two boards. Tabitha asks, “Do you feel healthy enough to finish the race?”   

Sonny answers, “Only if we stay together so we cross the finish line at the same time. Oh, and by the way, let’s avoid the trees this time.” Tabitha laughs as the two girls begin to travel to where they had left the race. They had finally realized they can get in fights, but the difference of opinions should never make them think bad thoughts about each other. As they ride towards the horizon, they each look at each other as if to say I accept you just the way