Chapter 13

As I walk into the main part of the school, Misty calls it the lobby; I’m a ball of nerves. Misty smiles and waves me over. She is sitting on a plush black leather couch beside James. They look to be in deep discussion their heads bent slightly forward.
“Hey, we need to go shopping for the dance next Friday,” Misty gushes as I take a seat. She Waves her hands in the air as she speaks with excitement.
“I don’t think I am going to go.” The dance sounds like a bad idea. I cannot make it through a lesson without something going wrong.
“You have to come; it will be great. Please,” she gives me her puppy dog eyes and pulls at my heart strings until I relent.
“OK, fine, maybe just for half hour or so.” I inwardly kick myself for yet again letting Misty persuade me. I can be a push over at times.
“Thank you, we are going to have so much fun.” She hugs me, bouncing up and down, I can’t help but laugh, my anxiety disappearing.
“Have you got a date, Misty?” James asks. I never thought of that, and I don’t want to be the third wheel.
“Yes, Ethan has asked me.” Her cheeks blush slightly.
“You told Chris.” James lifts his eyebrows in amusement.
“No, and you’re not going too. All my dates after Chris find out, suddenly they can’t make it, and walk the other way in the halls when they see me.” She makes quotation marks when using Chris’s name.
James burst out laughing. “You know he loves you and is just looking out for you.” She rolls her eyes; Misty is every bit a teenager.
The day goes by fine, no incidents of any kind, but the other students avoid me like the plague.
Once school is over, I take a walk to the meadow which holds the beautiful horses. As I approach the wooden fence, Faraway strolls over. He bows his head over the fence. I gently pat and stroke his head. He lets out a snort.
My bravery, or my stupidity, gets the better of me. I open the gate and enter the horse’s home. Holding onto Faraway’s mane, I pull myself up. Gently, I tap my heel against him, and he sets off in a steady walk.
We walk past beautiful rivers where the water sparkles from the sun’s rays. Exotic flowers in full bloom give off their sweet scent. Lush green hill tops stand out against the magical countryside. I feel like a fairy, floating on air, lost in a magical world.
Suddenly Faraway stands on his hind legs, snorting. With all my strength I grip on as tight as I can. We shoot forward. The sound of his hoof’s pounding on the ground match my heart, strong and wild. Branches whip at my skin. Clouds of dust follow us. The horse runs out of control. We weave down a narrow dirt lane. My heart leaps as I struggle to control the horse. A huge drop appears to my left, inches away from the horse’s feet.
I scream, showing the world my terror. Faraway skids to the side his back leg just misses going over the cliff. Another scream rises from the depth of my stomach. The land narrows, a drop is meters before us. Faraway shows no signs of stopping. He speeds up. Out of fear and desperation I cover my eyes as he leaps high into the air. I am sure this horse is going to kill us both.
We come crashing back down to solid land. I thank my lucky stars. He doesn’t stop there. Before I can even push air into my lungs, he sets of again.
In the distance a black shadow rushes towards us. My panic rises. That is either a twister or Shadow.
The black shadow draws closer, taking the shape of a horse with a man atop. I let out a breath. I did not realize I was holding in.
Once Shadow becomes level with Faraway, Chris whips me off the horse, quicker than I can blink.
He places me in front of him. Faraway continues to run.
I sit taking short deep breaths. My body shakes from the adrenaline.
Chris stops the horse beside a clear lake. He jumps off. He grips my waist hard, and I wince. He places me on the ground. His arms are crossed and a look of anger flashes in his eyes.
Shadow walks away slowly to a nearby field. Shaking his head and baring his teeth while looking back.
I am sure that horse is laughing at me.
I put on my best innocent face, waiting for him to yell or give me a lecture.
“What the hell is wrong with you? First, you use your powers on Sarah. Then you get on a wild horse. Not any wild horse, but one of the most dangerous horses here. Faraway refuses to be tamed. He will not allow anyone to ride him.” He steps closer pointing his finger at me. I let out a shaky breath.
“Do you want to get yourself killed because you are going the right way about it. Not only are you irresponsible, but you are stupid,” he rants.
“I don’t expect you to understand what happened with Sarah. And I am not stupid!” I yell back at him.
“What do you call this little adventure of yours, smart?” He shakes his head and runs his hands through his hair. I walk away, sitting at the lake’s edge.
Water ripples slightly as it flows, the lake is calm, the opposite of how I feel right now. A tear lands on my hand. I quickly wipe it away before he can see. I don’t want him to think he has got to me.
He sits beside me, staring blanking at the water.
“I never asked to come here. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be a part of this world. I just want to go home.” My tears flow freely with each word I utter.
“No one gets to choose the family; they are born into. That is just life. You must make the most of what you have been given. Right now, you are not doing yourself any favours.” He looks at me with sadness in his eyes. “Your mom once told me that. She was right though. We cannot change who we are,”
“You knew my mom?” My eyes begin to brim with more tears, blurring my vision.
“Yes,” he whispers as he gently wipes away my tears. His fingers tingle my skin. An involuntary shiver runs down my back, betraying me.
His eyes become darker, taking on a clouded look. His hand rests on my cheek as his face moves closer. A feeling I cannot places swells in my stomach, my skin grows hot in anticipation.
You hate him remember; I say to myself. He is always yelling at me or looking at me like a bug he would love to squash. Yet I find myself wanting him to kiss me. A howl fills the air. Birds leap from nearby trees. Pounding on the hard dirt which vibrates the ground. A large pack of wild dogs run freely across the nearby field.
He jumps to his feet. “I better get you back.” Shadow darts towards us. The feeling of disappointment floods me as I settle in front of him on his beast of a horse. Shadow shoots forward, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.