• “Daddy, Rayden won’t let me play with his hoverboard!” My little sister screamed at our father.
    “Now, now dear, Rayden won’t let you play with it because you’ll get hurt that board isn’t a toy for young girls. It’s for big kids.”
    “But daddy I want to play on it!” She screamed stomping her feet on the ground. Usually, her temper tantrums got her what she wanted, but not today. My father was deadly serious when it came to our protection. Hell, it was a miracle that he even let me ride the damn thing, it took me three hours’ worth of debating with him and feeble attempts at trying to convince him that I wouldn’t get hurt, and that if I didn’t have the new custom XRZ Airboard my social life as we know it would cease to exist. Eventually he broke down and agreed that I could get it under the condition of me wearing safety equipment at all times. After my first dozen rides without incident my father realized that I had talent and that I was ‘responsible’ enough to ride it without the use of everything but a helmet. My father casually strolled through the garden towards my sister leaned down, picked her up, and headed towards the house with her in tow. Unsurprisingly, she had actually quieted down. Dad had this weird calming effect on people, it was hard to stay pissed off when you were around him even if he shot your dog, raped your church, and burned your women.
    “Rayden,” He called out stopping in the doorway to the house. “Clean up back here, the garden’s a mess, pick up your sister’s toys bring them inside then I’ll let you take one of the land cruisers out for your match later.
    “Really?” needless to say I was in total shock. The old man never let me use his cruisers, they meant nearly as much to him as sissy and I did. I decided to test how generous he was feeling today. “Any cruiser,” I asked questioningly. He turned around and grinned, his big grin that nearly always seemed to be glued to his face even when he was angry or sad.
    “Any cruiser,” he replied simply, walking into the house. The automatic door slid shut behind him.