Storybook

[Kaider Mirasri]

Here's the beggining of a book I'm writing. Feedback is welcome!
The applause came through the curtains. I quickly sneaked a peek through the heavy material. The announcer was walking off. I moved, my Egyptian dress dragging on the wood floor. The next act came on as I left the stage. I walked around the barn, then in through a doorway. I climbed up the hay bales, arriving on the top level of seats. No one noticed me; this row was reserved for the actors. Above the stage was a red and gold banner, stating what this was. The seventh annual Sky High Farm Play festival, held at Sky High farm. Middle- and high-schoolers came from over at least two counties to make and put on their own skits. I heard a rustling behind me and turned, my half-sister Cate was climbing up the bales. She was dressed in a tunic and leggings, with a wooden sword strapped to her back. I helped her up- being raised in different families just seemed to make us better friends.
“So, how did it go?” Cate had been putting on a Robina Hood play. She was the main character, Robina. They would have done Robin Hood, but there were no boys in their group.
“Good. I was watching yours, but had to look after Hawk.” Hawk was her horse, a paint horse gelding.
“Ah. So, what do you think of this one?” The skit was a spin-off of Romeo and Juliet.
“It’s alright. I’ve seen better.”
“Of course you have. Everyone has.” It was only true. The group kept forgetting their lines.
Soon the skit was finished, and Cate and I slipped off of the hay and went to the house. My grandma was in their, trying to keep track of everything.
“Hey Grandma. Can I go on the computer?” The computer was slow, but it was the only source of entertainment besides the cats.
“Sure you can. But first, go feed the cats. Hello Cate.”
“Hello.” Cate was friendly to my family, but we both knew that she didn’t fit in.
I took the bowl of milk and bad cheese, and then went outside. Cate stayed inside and went on the computer, traitor that she was. Once outside, I was alone. I went around the house to the woodshed and observed the cats before feeding them. The cats all crowded around me, waiting for the bowl to be put down. There was Rattlesnake, with her snake like tail, Hoody, the little black poof ball, Shilo, the skinny one, and a few others. I set the bowl down, and then sat down myself. My white dress would be a little dusty, but it was August. There was no mud to sit in. The cats growled and fought each other over the food. Again and again I had to separate Hoody from his younger tabby sister Tia. Finally the cats were done, and they dispersed. I managed to grab Tia before she went too far, and held her close to me. She started to play with my hair, which hurt. She must have thought it looked like a worm. I did not see how it looked like one, because my hair was a silver-blonde color. I let Tia go back to freedom and stood up. The bowl was left on the rocks as I went back around the house. I crossed the dirt road, my sandals a poor protection against the stones. I heard applause come from the barn, but did not enter. I went down the driveway to the fence, where a couple of horses were watching me. I situated myself between two barbs, and reached out for a horse. The palomino gelding, Malone, came over. I stroked his head, waiting for the little pony to come over. Lucky did not want to be left out. The spotted pony came over and bit at me. I pet him, then walked away. I had my own horse to look after. I stopped by Hawk’s stall, after entering the barn. Grandpa’s workshop had been turned into a stable, with the hay bales and elevated stage overhead. The paint lipped up his treat, looking at me with his blue eye. I walked past him and received a look by his brown eye. That was what had given him his name. Cate had gotten him unnamed, and called him after his hawk eye. I strode past the few other stalls between me and my horse, stopping to give a pat or a treat to the occupant of each one. I came to the stall that my horse was occupying. The blue roan mare was eating, contentedly chewing some hay. I entered the stall and brought her out.
After a brief grooming, I saddled her up. Diamond was skittish, but I handled her well. Soon I was cantering through the fields, horses pausing from their grass to look at me. I had not bothered to change, and now regretted it. Riding with two feet of extra cloth was hard.
Diamond broke out into a gallop in the last field. I directed her over the stone wall, then up the slight hill. Over another wall, then back on to the trail. Soon the gallop slowed to a canter, then a trot. A slowed her to a walk as the barn came into view. As I neared the fence line, I noticed a commotion. Someone was riding a horse in the paddock, spooking the other equines. I clicked to Diamond, who broke into a trot. I stopped her by the barbed wire, and then shouted to the rider.
“What are you doing in there? You’ll scare them, and they’ll hurt themselves!” The horses were getting dangerously close to the barbed fence.
At my voice, the rider and horse turned. The horse was a Friesian, bred for warhorses and workhorses. The rider was in some sort of black cloak. The horse started towards us. I turned Diamond away from the fence. She spooked as the horse got closer, throwing me off balance. The horse and rider were at the fence now. They didn’t stop, just went over it. The thump that came from their landing made Diamond break into a canter. I, amazingly, managed to stay on her. She was going back down the slope.
The horse and rider pursued us. Diamond broke out into a gallop, making me lose me reins. The leather straps whipped around her front legs, making her go even faster. She jumped a wall and sent me flying from the saddle. I hung in the air, just long enough for me to think that I was flying. Then I landed, and darkness took over my vision.

Where am I? I jerked up, whacking my head on something wooden, letting out a short stream of curses. I turned over and fell off of the bunk. I managed to hit my head on the floor, resulting in more curses. I sat up and looked around. I was in a room, decorated in brilliant shades of brown. There were two bunk beds to a wall, with the exception of the one with a window and the one with the door. By the light coming through the window, it seemed to be late morning. I stood up, noticing that I was still in my costume. Great. I would prefer to be in jeans and a t-shirt. I dusted the cotton dress off and looked for any type of container. There was a chest at the end of each bed set. I walked over to the one by the bed I had been in. It had two letters engraved on it, intertwining each other. Z and E. I lifted the lid, finding two smaller chests inside. One had an E engraved on it; the other a Z. I opened the Z chest. Inside were some clothes. I dug through them, finding nothing more interesting. I closed both chests and turned around. The door was closed, and made of solid wood. Some graffiti was drawn, painted, or chiseled on, as is the case with all walls and fixtures with a group of people near them. Not much was safe from the hands of somebody with a Sharpie. I turned back to the bed, leaning on the bedpost. A couple of birds flitted around outside. The door was opened and someone came in before I could turn. They hit me and were pinned to the ground in a matter of seconds before I realized they were no threat. I was paranoid and had the reflexes and senses of a cat. That was not a good thing for many of those who had tried to sneak up on me. They all got bruises.
I noticed some more people in the doorway. The boy I had pinned was up on his feet now, looking at me warily. I stood to the side and let him pass. The rest of the people filed in, standing in a semi-circle around me. I waited for the barrage of questions, and they came.
“What’s your name?”
“Where ya from?”
“Why did you do that to Erin?”
I sighed and rolled my eyes.
“My name is Zodiac. Where I come from is of no concern to you. And I am paranoid and hate people touching me. Now leave me alone.”
I turned away from them and sat on the bunk, pulling myself into a ball. The kids soon dispersed, their fun gone. I knew that by noon there would be all sorts of rumors about me. This was obviously some type of school or academy, and rumors were the equivalent of wildfires in June in these environments. I heard someone walk over to where I sat.
“ ’Sall right. You can stop not liking us now.”
I turned my head. It was the boy I had pinned down, whose name was Erin. He had dark hair that fell into his eyes and light skin. His eyes were a dark blue. His clothes were dark. Put him in with a bunch of gothic or emo kids and he would be right at home.
“I don’t hate you. You’re annoying and I prefer to be alone.” I turned my head back, hoping he would go away.
“Well, I have to show you around. We drew straws and I lost. So you better come.” He turned and strode away. I gave a resigned sigh and followed him. We entered a hallway, lined with doors and a few mirrors. A few doors were open, and inside I could see duplicates of the room I had just left. Four bunks, a window and a door. Chests. Not very imaginative.
“So, you’re new here.”
Wow. He had good observation skills. I let him continue on about what I was supposed to do, how to keep care of my clothes, and so on.
“Were you from? I’m from Ireland.”
“America. I’m not getting any more specific than that, so don’t ask.”
“What’s America? What world is it on?” This kid could win an award for one of the dumbest people in existence. Who came from Ireland and didn’t know what America was? I went into teacher mode.
“It is a landmass west of England. There are fifty states composing the country of America. Or, its formal name, which is the United States of America. And it is on Earth.” I resisted the urge to add anybody with half a brain cell knows that. He seemed confused enough already, and I did not like to explain bodily functions.
“It is?” I nodded slowly to this remark.
“Oh.” He sounded surprised. I wondered what year he came from, but kept the question to myself.
“Well,” he had regained his mask of joy, “Welcome to the Rider’s Academy. You’re just in time for a Choosing. Follow me!”
He ran off, with me in close pursuit. I was still wearing my Egyptian costume, which didn’t help things much. He led me through a labyrinth of halls and rooms. I would never be able to find my way back. After about ten minutes of this, he stopped and let me catch my breath.
“What…is…a choosing?” I managed to gasp out the sentence. I hadn’t run that far that fast since track in the spring.
“It’s were a rider chooses his or her horse.” He seemed annoyed that I did not know this.
“Can you be any more specific? That didn’t really help.” I still was catching my breath, but could talk normally now.
“There’s a bunch of horses. You go up, and if the horse likes you, it will leave a mark on you. It depends on the horse. Sometimes it is a really intricate design, sometimes just a blob.” Erin started to move away from me. His two minute speech wasn’t really helpful. I followed.
“A Choosing happens once every month, except for in winter. Then it is prolonged until the horses can come. Some people never get horses in the four years at the Academy. They mainly become trainers or teachers here. I already have a horse, but you need to get one. Come on!”
With that he was away again. After a short game of chase, we ended up outside. The weather was warm for autumn, and there was a slight breeze. We joined a group of people by a podium. There was a picket line where the horses were tethered. From a warhorse standing around nineteen hands to a little pony that was barely fourteen. They were in a variety of colors, and were well groomed. I looked to see if Diamond was there. She was not. I felt someone tap me on my back and whirled around, hitting them in the stomach. Erin fell to his knees, laughing. We walked away from the kid I had hit, a boy of about fourteen. Erin finished laughing when we sat down, about three rows from the stage and podium.
“I bet that kid he couldn’t get away with touching you. He owes me lunch now.” Erin managed to say between breaths. I glared at him, trying not to laugh. The look on the kids face had gone from bravery to surprise to pain in about three seconds, the overall effect quite funny. I opened my mouth to reply when someone started to talk up on stage. I turned around and zoned out, giving the impression of listening.
The crowd had fallen silent. Everyone was listening to the man on the stage, whom I took to be some sort of headmaster. I turned my attention to the horses, looking for one in particular.
There he was, the rebel of the group. There was always one. In most cases, it was me. In the group of horses, it was him. He was as far away from the others as he could get, his leather tethers straining. His head was down, and his body was at a slant. His pelt was the same color as a sky after the storm. His mane and tail were slightly darker, giving the effect of being wet.
A loud sound jerked me back from my observations. The group was standing up, the wooden chairs hitting each other and making the noise. I stood up and followed the group over to the horses. Erin nudged me, resulting in him getting elbowed in the stomach. He decided it was best to leave me alone, and went off in search of someone else. I dodged through the crowd, weaving and ducking a pattern through the living bodies. I managed to get halfway down the line before I was stopped. A boy dressed in clashing shades of pink and blue stood in my way, staring at me. His weight and height made him have an advantage over me, but I knew I was quicker. I dashed to the side, dodging the hand he extended towards me. He had a circle around him with no people in it, and I skirted just inside of it. He lunged towards me and kept going while I continued on my way. A couple of kids stared at me as I darted past them, but looked away instead of meeting my gaze. I finally reached the end of the line, were the rebel was surrounded by a group of girls. They all looked like they had makeup on and should be inside, instead of out here were the sun could ruin their complexion. They were the sort of kids that had made my life miserable back home. I waited for them to disperse, which didn’t happen. They had decided to torture the poor horse and make him look ‘pretty’, which meant braiding his mane and tail and making him look like a horse with a bad hairstylist. I moved around the circle of girls towards the rear end of the horse. A wicked smile must have crossed my face, because one of the girls looked at me and sneered. I shuffled closer to the horse. When it was apparent their attention was back on the horse, I made my move.
I smacked the horse.
He lunged forwards, spilling the girls on the ground. He acted like Diamond did when a dog barked-he went berserk. He hadn’t expected it, which made his surprise last longer. By the time he was kicking with his back feet I was a safe distance away, pretending to look at a different horse.
The girls got up and walked away, complaining about their ruined clothes. They walked past me without a glance in my direction, despite the fact of my odd clothing. I took the chance to take the braids out of the grey horse’s mane. He shot me a grateful look and went back to trying to escape. I patted his flank and untied him. He must have realized that, because he started backwards. He ended up falling, his tethers still wound around the picket. I smiled. The horses back home had fallen for that trick hundreds of times. I managed to dig a carrot out of my pants, which I was wearing under my costume. I turned my back and started to eat it very loudly.
The grey horse pricked his ears. He knew he was missing out on something good. He took a few steps towards me and nudged my back, no doubt leaving some horse slobber on my dress. His nose came over my shoulder, looking for the carrot. I turned away from him. A few minutes later he was happily munching on the last bit of carrot and I was mounting him. I got up on his back, my hands holding the tethers. I turned him around and asked for him to walk. He moved, but set of at a gallop. This resulted in a brief tug-of-war for control, which I won. I got him back to the line of horses and dismounted. I looked around, wondering what to do now. Erin came running over to me, yelling at the top of his lungs. I was lucky I had tired out the horse, or else he would have spooked. As it was he just stood there as Erin’s shouting became legible.
“What the heck were you doing? You’re not supposed to ride the horses! You could have gotten yourself killed! Or expelled!”
He continued on like this for several minutes. I ignored him, concentrating on the horse. I walked over to a group of kids with horses, the stallion in tow. Erin followed in our wake. I stopped off to the side of the other horses. I looked around, mainly for something to do. I noticed a young man of about eighteen watching me. He turned away and disappeared once he saw I was watching me. I thought it was odd, but was distracted by someone beginning to speak.
“Now,” the man started, coming up to the podium, “All those who have chosen a horse and have been chosen, we congratulate you. For all those who did not, there is always next time.”
He continued on about the honor, responsibility, and respect gained from being a Rider and having a horse. I stroked the rebel’s neck, a calming, rhythmic action for both me and him.

We managed to go inside after another hour or so. All those who had chosen horses had to be instructed how to take care of them and their equipment. I had managed to get in favor of the instructor for already knowing how to do these things. I had also earned the nicknames ‘teachers pet’, ‘demon girl’, and ‘lunatic’. It was almost like home.
All the students returned to their rooms and therefore their beds. It turned out that Erin slept on the bunk above me. This made quite a rumor. I played around with the junk in my pocket for a little while, then opened the chest at the end of the bed. I opened my portion of it, and stared at the contents for a moment. Instead of the clothes I had expected, there was a laptop. I took it out and brought it over to my bed. I turned it on. Instantly everyone came over to see what this new toy was. I got on the internet and checked my e-mail, then all the role playing sites I was a part of.
After replying to my threads, I started a game. I soon bored of Blockout and went on my IM. The kids I shared the room with had dispersed, deciding I wasn’t worth the trouble. I noticed that Cate was on, along with our friend Mike and my cousin Hannah.

*Zodiacgirl*: Hey, what’s been happening?

Horselander: Not much. Were r u?

*Zodiacgirl* Sitting on a bed. U?

Horselander: Ur g-mas. Where r u on a bed?

*Zodiacgirl: In a school. Don’t ask me were, don’t no.

Horselander: Uve been gone for two hours. Evryones looking 4 u!

*Zodiacgirl*: They wont find me. I don’t know were I am.

Horselander: o, here comes ur mom. G2g!

Cate logged out. I wondered why everyone bothered looking for me. Diamond probably had made it back by now, and that would have gotten everyone confused.

*Zodiacgirl* hey mike, wats up?

Redsoxrule: nm. Evry1 looking 4 u.

*Zodiacgirl* I no. wont find me.

Redsoxrule: y not?

*Zodiacgirl* cause. Im in a weird place, with a bunch of people who act like im a freak. They don’t even no what a laptop is.

Redsoxrule: wow. Well, I g2g. bye!

*Zodiacgirl*: Bye!

Mike logged out. Everyone was hating me.



*Zodiacgirl*:Hey, waz up?

Hannibal: nm. Evry1 looking 4 you! You bad girl! Were r u?

*Zodiacgirl* Ask cate or mike. I don’t feel like explaining.

Hannibal: party pooper.

*Zodiacgirl*:that’s me. I g2g, someones coming.

I logged off and slid the laptop under my pillows. Someone entered the room and started ringing a bell. Everyone got up and went out. I followed Erin.
“What’s happening?”
“Dinner.”
“Oh.”
We proceeded down the halls until we came into a huge room. A line was forming at one end, with students scattered around tables. A fire burned in a huge fireplace, giving off all the light and heat. Everyone was dressed in the I-don’t-really-care-this-was-clean way. I let Erin lead me over to the line, which was giving out food. I was expecting the normal cafeteria stock-barely edible pieces of stuff, which was most often potatoes and cheese. Sometimes you got something good. Instead, I got a piece of beef, some stew, and something that looked and smelled like alcohol. I claimed a seat at a table with no other people at it, and started to eat. Erin was rounding up some friends of his to come over and be social. I was halfway though the stew when they sat down. Erin did a quick run through of their names. James, Andrew, Mikayle, Mika, and Shianne. Shianne was the only other girl here. They all started to talk, about the Choosing. I heard someone say that someone else had heard from their friend’s brother that someone had ridden a horse. I smiled into my stew, hiding the grin. They went on to talk about who had been Chosen. I finished my meal, gave the drink to Erin, and slipped back to the room. I opened the chest and found some clothes, which I changed into. I glanced at the window, which was letting in the last few rays of sunlight. I managed to find my way out of the building. I stood for a moment in the chilled air, then set off in a direction. I circled the building, finding the stables. Everyone was inside; I was alone. I slipped inside and paused. A mouse skittered in the hay. I crept forward, looking for the grey horse. I had been trying to find a name for him. Nothing seemed to fit. I had dug up names from the crevices of my mind, yet he did not fit them. I knew from the dinner conversation that there would be a Naming tomorrow. I did not want to wait until then. The horse needed a name now. I entered the stall, careful not to let the latch or door slam. The last thing I needed was someone to find out. I gave him a pat on the neck and led him into the open. Out in the autumn air, he shivered. I managed to hop unto his back on the third try. He had no tack on; this was very dangerous. He could bolt, throw me, and never come back. I was already listed as Chosen. I would probably not get another chance. I tapped his sides lightly and he went into a walk. My hands wound around his mane, the rough strands chafing them. His body was warm beneath me, the only sort of heat in the night. I asked for a canter. He went faster, then faster. He seemed to be moving in slow motion, the stardust gathering around him, the dulled autumn colors flashed around us. I leaned down, his mane whipping my face. Our hair intertwined, it would be annoying to disentangle later. I closed my eyes. I could feel music, a song that was perfect for the moment. I whispered the words under my breath.

Hurry, I’m falling.
I’m falling.
Show me what, it’s like,
To be the last one standing.
Show me wrong from right…


The words slipped from my mind. The grey’s ears flicked back, trying to catch my words. I sat up, slowing him to a walk. We turned and headed back. My mind was full and blank at the same time. The moon had risen and the stars were out, someone must know I was gone by know. If they looked in the stables, the grey’s presence would be missing. I asked for a trot. We had to get back quickly.
I noticed an echo, a second step. Someone was following us on horseback. I asked him for a canter. The steps faltered, and then became an echo once again. Someone was close. I tried not to panic, slowing the horse back down to a walk. I could see the lights of the academy; they were too close to the ground to be stars. We made it back as the moon began its descent. We were late. The horse behind us slowed its pace, becoming a spooky syncopated beat. I dismounted and we entered the stables. A quick rub down with a cloth was all that I dared to give him before putting him back in the stall. I heard the clatter of hooves on stone, and I quickly hid in the shadows. The bales of hay behind me pricked through the tunic I was wearing. I held my breath for as long as I could. The horse was inside, the stables were the only place around with a stone floor. I caught a glimpse of black before it went to the back of its stall. I let my breath out and quickly drew in another gulp of air. I heard the soft patter of footsteps, barely audible
“You can come out of hiding now.” The voice scared the living daylights out of me. I walked into the light from the lanterns.
“I wasn’t hiding.” I was, but I still needed to argue about something today.
“Then you have a nasty habit of fading into the background.” The speaker kept his face in shadows. He was dressed in black, his hair was black, and he seemed to like the shadows. He was like an older version of Erin.
“You do know that newly Chosen aren’t supposed to ride their horses until the Ceremony of the First Ride?”
“Of course I do. But I don’t want to wait until some stupid ceremony to ride.”
He nodded. “Well, you better get back before someone notices you are missing.”
I didn’t question his act of kindness, he could just as easily turned me in. I walked past him and back into the night air. After five minutes of searching for the door and another five of looking for my room, I finally got to crawl into bed. I was soon fast asleep.

[Kaider Mirasri]

Here's the rest of what I have so far. Also, the song she sings is Savin' Me by Nickelback. I'm continuesly working on this, so I'll add more later.

I was awakened by the ringing of the bell. I hit my head on the top bunk again, bruising it more. I could hear a few people snickering at me, but they soon stopped. I was one of the first ones out of the door, not having bothered to change before crawling into bed. The rest of my wonderful roommates followed me out the door and back into the cafeteria. There we repeated last night, except we got pancakes. And bacon, which is always a bonus. I ditched my tablemates and hurried to the stables. People were already milling about. I saw no sign of my ride last night, nor any sign of the follower. I managed to get to the grey’s stall. The group of girls was surrounding him. They talked a mile a minute, and all I could catch was that they were jealous. I pushed through them and got into his stall. I picked the bigger strands of hay from his mane and tail, and then led him into the aisle. I located some grooming tools and set to work. It wasn’t the best job in the world, but it kept me occupied for more than ten minutes. The only thing I was aware of that did that was the computer. Soon the girls dispersed, some going to their own horses and following my example. Soon the stables were crowded with horses and riders, all trying to get their horse groomed first. I was the first one done, so I was the first one outside. The day was only slightly warmer then the night. I stood there, with the grey cropping at the grass. A group of people was gathering over by the podium, I decided to walk over. I caught the last of what the speaker on the stage was saying-that today there would be the ceremonies of Naming and First Ride. For me it would be Third Ride, but nobody seemed to care. I wrapped the cloak I had on closer around me, the coarse fabric not much of a help. It was still warm, but the breeze made you think twice. Soon everyone with a horse from yesterday was lining up. They all stood to the left of me, so I was the last or first person in line. I couldn’t tell. Then the speaker came down off his stage and walked over to us. He stood by me, and started to say something. He was older, and kept forgetting his words. I zoned out, hoping that I would have a name for the grey before he finished. Then the perfect one came to mind, and I started to pay attention. I had to stop myself from laughing. Why hadn’t I thought of it sooner?
“…And so, I ask this Rider, what shall you call your horse?”
“I shall call him Zicara.” I waited for him to speak, but he just moved on to the next person in line.
It seemed that I was the only one who had to listen to the speech. He just asked people what they would call their horses. After twenty minutes, he finally finished. Mine was probably the most original. But I had no intention of calling him by his given name, at least not when somebody was around. To me, he would be known as Arget.
We were told to mount up. That was when I realized that I hadn’t bothered to put a saddle on him. He only had a bridle on. Well, I had ridden him bareback before. I could do it again. After mounting, we had to listen to another speech. Then we were told we could ride for as long as we wanted to, as long as we stayed on the grounds. I had no idea were the boundary was, so I was most likely gong to go outside of it. Then we were let free.
I broke away from the group and headed towards the trees. We managed to get into the covering shadows. There we picked up the pace. Arget was going so fast everything was a blur. The autumn colors blended together, watercolors on wet paper. I closed my eyes for a moment, caught up in the moment. Arget slowed, and I opened my eyes. The trees were thinning, melting into a meadow. We stopped at the edge of the field, just within the shadows. My eyes widened.
We were back at the farm.
Ahead was the barn. In the middle of the field were three riders, standing a little outside of the wire fence. They were obviously discussing something. I looked closely at them, resisting the urge to move forwards. One horse was a brown and white paint. Another was a small appaloosa, whose base color was palomino. And the third horse was a black one, blocky and tall. I could recognize who it was by the horses. It was Cate, Hannah, and my cousin Tom. They set off in different directions, Tom and Cate headed straight for me. I wheeled Arget around and moved deeper into the trees. I urged him faster, hoping we could get back. I turned my head, Cate was accelerating towards me. She yelled something, but I could not hear the words. The world started to blur again. I felt something tug at my cloak, but I didn’t have time to look back. I wouldn’t have seen anything if I did. My eyes were watering too much to see much of anything. I leaned down, out of the wind, and got my bearings straight. We were headed towards the last field, soon I would be off Grandpa’s land. We would have to jump a stone wall, and I wasn’t balanced or ready for that.
The colors snapped back into place. The world was normal again, at least as normal as it was going to get. I sat up and slowed Arget down. Then I felt the tug on the end of my cloak-whatever had grabbed me was still hanging on. I looked back.
Cate and Hawk were behind me.
Cate let go of the cloak, it settled around Arget’s hindquarters. She urged Hawk into a trot. I pushed Arget into a canter; I did not want to talk right now. She shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be here. I urged Arget faster. I needed to get away from everything, get away from everyone. I needed space. Everything had been happening to fast, I needed to think things over. No one had ever asked me what I wanted. Did I want to be kidnapped and trapped at this place? Did I want Cate to get involved as well? Did I? I pushed Arget faster. What did I want? Did I want this? I had to get away. Nothing made sense around here.

Show me what it’s like, to be the last one standing,
Teach me wrong from right,
I’ll show you what I can be.

I couldn’t stop myself. The words slipped out. Arget heard, and he slowed. I cursed and urged him forwards, but Cate had caught up.
“Zodiac! Wait!” The horses were slowing, they couldn’t go much longer.
I mumbled something, even I couldn’t tell what it was. I slowed Arget down. I might as well face it. We were stuck here. Cate stopped Hawk. The horses stood side by side, sides heaving. I avoided Cate’s eyes. I didn’t want to know her feelings-many people could keep their emotions off their face, but not out of their eyes. I turned Arget and made him walk forward.
“Zodiac, where is this place?” Her voice was almost pleading. She hated not knowing things.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, you don’t have to be so…so….” She gave up. I guess I was so bad she didn’t have a word for it. I wheeled Arget around, making her stop.
“You shouldn’t be here! I shouldn’t be here! If someone finds out you’re here….” I didn’t know what they would do to me.
“It’s too late.” I froze. I recognized that voice. It belonged to the person from the stables.
I winced and turned around. He sat on top of a Friesian, but I couldn’t tell anything else. Everything was black. He had on a black cloak, which was covering all but the lower part of his face. I needed to yell at someone. He was perfectly fine for that.
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing got the chance to form. He waved a black-clad arm, and Cate disappeared, taking Hawk with her.
“What the heck did you do? Where are they?” Confusion and surprise fueled my rage. If he could do that to her, he could do that to me.
“They have been sent through a time distortion. They never came here; they think you were a dream.” He paused. “I do not think we were properly introduced. I am-”
“I don’t care who you are.” I knew I was being rude, but I didn’t care. I asked Arget to go, which he did. I ignored the black rider for the rest of the journey back. He did not deserve my company, so I would not give it to him. We arrived back at the Academy with some other riders. They had added to our group, but kept a good distance from the man in black. I guessed he wasn’t very popular.
We made it back, only to be bored by another speech on how to take care of your horse. Wow, that was a big whoop. I’ve known how to take care of a horse since I was five. Everyone acted like it was the most important thing in the world, right now I could not have cared less. Horses were my life. I could not forget how to do anything in the space of a few days.
I scanned the crowd for the black rider. I finally found him, but he wasn’t where I thought he would be. Instead of being in the mob of students, he was with who I guessed to be teachers or something. I turned my attention back to whoever was making the speech. He was concluding his boring talk. Soon we would be set free from this boring world of speeches. We would probably be sent into the boring world of school. After all, this was an academy.
I stood up when the speech was finally over and located Erin. He mumbled something about getting my schedule, then dashed off into the crowd. I shrugged and went to the stables with Arget. For a stallion, he sure acted a lot better the most mares. I rubbed him down and put him in his stall. I managed to locate some grain, which I considered a feat. I could barely find anything most days. I left Arget happily munching in his stall. I found my room, and collapsed on the bed. I pulled out the laptop and started to fiddle around with stuff. I ended up playing Runescape while waiting for Flyff to download. Yep, my life right now was boring. Erin burst in, waving a piece of paper. Dang it. He just had to go and shatter my bubble of boredom.
“I’ve got your schedule! You’re in most of my classes, except for Riding. You have Andro for that.” He made it sound like that was a bad thing. So long as I got a bit of time without Erin, I was fine with it.
“Give me that.” I took the paper from him. It looked like my schedule back home. A lot of stuff that took forever to decide, but only two minutes to type up. But this one wasn’t typed; it was handwritten in neat, flowing cursive. Nothing interesting. Stuff like reading and math, which I hated, but there was also riding and care of animals. Whatever, I really didn’t care right now. Then a bell rang, making me jump and bruise my head again. It was a wonder I didn’t have amnesia.
“What’s happening?” I rubbed my head as the kids filed past me. Erin stopped and grinned.
“Class. We have riding first.” I wondered if that was the royal ‘we’, or just a ‘we’ to make me angry.
We followed the others out the door. The route we took to get to riding class was straighter than most others that we had taken. I might be able to find my way back without a map.
We got outside, the weather warmer than this morning. The horses were out in a paddock, I don’t know how they fit all of them in there. I couldn’t see Arget, but guessed that he was behind some other equine form. What caught my attention was who I guessed to be the two teachers-Erin did have a different teacher for riding, but it was at the same time. So there would be two teachers here. Perfectly logical, except for one of the teachers.
I guessed the teacher to be female, and continued to examine her. Ever heard of centaurs? Well, picture one of them. Then take the horse away and replace it with the body of a lion. Her human torso was covered with a triangular piece of brightly decorated cloth, small chains held it in place. Her hair was billowing slightly in the breeze; it was the same tawny as her lion fur. I couldn’t tell the color of her eyes from so far away, but they seemed to be either blue or amber. I could be wrong.
The other teacher was Andro, the person Erin thought I was unfortunate to be stuck with. I glanced at him, not expecting much. I had looked away before my mind decided to register anything. I looked back.
It was the black rider.
Great. So not only was he a stalker, but he was a teacher as well. And I was in his class. My life couldn’t get any better.
“Would all those in my class step to the right.” It was the lioness speaking. Her voice was light and joking, as if she knew something we didn’t.
Everyone but me stepped to the right. I wanted to die, or at least kill someone else. Well, at least I wouldn’t be stuck with any idiots who thought they were better than me. That was a plus. And I knew a million ways to annoy a teacher, especially if there were animals involved. Of course, all the times I had an animal with me that animal was usually dead. Well, I could improvise.
I glanced over to the other students. Some where looking at me with jealousy, some pity, and others weren’t even looking at me at all. Erin grimaced as he caught me eye, I sneered at him. If he thought it was bad luck to be stuck with Andro, I would prove him wrong. He was like my brother and I-I always had to prove him wrong. I turned my attention back to my teacher, who was coming towards me. I could actually see his face, that was an improvement.
High cheekbones accented his face; his nose was straight and somewhat hawkish. He had grey-blue eyes that seemed to see what I was thinking, thick black hair was tied back into a ponytail. He was still wearing the black clothes he had been earlier today.
I decided to look at my schedule to see how long I had to survive his class. My eyes widened-nothing else was written on it. I must be stuck with him for the whole day. Alright, so he obviously had some influence, or else I would have other teachers. I wondered how everything that had been on it moments before had been erased, but the only answer I could come up with was magic. Well, that would explain how I got here and how I got back to the farm, how Cate was sent away….
“Ready to ride?” I turned to look at Andro as he spoke.
“Of course, but I believe you have to teach me how.”