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Soundtrack
Wonderland - Taylor Swift
You searched the world for something else
To make you feel like what we had
And in the end in wonderland
We both went mad
***
"So when you say a horse got loose-" I pause, allowing for him to complete the sentence.
Caught at a red light, he glances over at me and says, "One of our newer horses. Normally it wouldn't be a big deal, but this one is a bit unpredictable. Not to mention too massive for her own good. She likes to throw her weight around, and I guess she spooked my mother when she was switching her water bucket."
"Is your mom all right?" I ask, remembering the time Trig threw me into the side of his stall. I stop the memory there though, not allowing myself to relive Avery carrying me out.
"Oh yeah, my mom is fine. The mare, on the other hand, is nowhere to be seen."
Despite myself, I feel a surge of concern for the horse. "You said she's massive- what breed is she?"
"Alice? She's a Percheron," he tells me, taking a right turn down a
"That's an odd name for a horse, don't you think?"
He chuckles. "I suppose. She came to us with it- Alice in Wonderland."
I quirk my head to the side.
"That's her show name," he clarifies.
"Has she shown a lot?"
"Yeah, she did. She was this amazing show jumper. Brought in all the blue ribbons. She's absolutely gorgeous, Alice is. But her old owner had a bad fall. Ruined his career. After that, he couldn't stand to be around her anymore. He kept her boarded up for a while, but she went stir-crazy sitting alone in that stall. By the time he made up his mind to sell her, she was so messed up that she wouldn't go for what she was really worth. My grandfather took her off his hands- he saw something in her I guess. But now that he's gone-"
I place my hand on his forearm, saddened by the story and the look of loss on his face. I know that look. I've worn it often.
Before I have the chance to say anything in response, we pull into the ranch.
The only words I can think of to describe it are massive and beautiful. There's a gorgeous wooden barn in the center of the property, with a loft situated on top. Then there's a massive sand arena with a jumps course currently set up, and a round ring for lunging. A ranch style house sits a couple hundred yards away from the barn, and I can spot a screened pool peeking out from behind their house.
But the buildings are just a speck on the property, as there are fields and forests surrounding the place. I bet that there are trails for miles. Part of me yearns to explore them.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I shake the thoughts out of my head when Tyler starts to get out of the car. The moment the door opens, I'm hit with a familiar wave of horse smells, and my mind is taken back to summer. I close my eyes, almost feeling my hands tangled in Trigger's mane.
"Grace?"
I snap my eyes open, flashing them up to meet Tyler's concerned gaze.
"Are you getting out?"
"Do you mind if I stay in the car?" I ask. "I don't think I'll be much help finding your mare."
He smiles softly at me. "Whatever makes you comfortable. Feel free to go look around if the urge strikes you."
He closes the door and heads over to a pinto Saddlebred mare whose in the crossties, already tacked with a western saddle. His mother's doing, I assume. I watch him slip a bridle over her head before mounting and taking off to search for Alice.
I lean my head against the window, closing my eyes and trying to pretend I'm anywhere but here. I haven't even seen a horse since Virginia, and now I'm on a property where every bit of scenery screams equinity.
Minutes pass before I find the courage to open my eyes and glance around. I can see a few horses poking their heads out of their stalls in the aisle way, and a couple others scattered in a pasture opposite the arena.
If things continue with Tyler, I'll have to face them sometime.
Part of me wants to run, even if that means leaving behind whatever possibility lies with Tyler. Anything to try and forget.
But despite my flighty tendencies, I find myself slowly climbing out of the passenger seat, taking a few cautious steps towards the barn.
The sound of tentative hoof beats has me snapping my head towards the tall, grassy field that separates me from the forest. A flash of white weaves in and out of the grass.
"Alice," I say, more a question than anything else.
Squinting, I focus my gaze on the far-off animal, and notice the mare has a definite limp. Considering Tyler made no mention of lameness in the mare, I assume the injury is recent.
Concern flushes through my body, and I find myself walking purposefully into the barn.
I peek into the first few stalls, not sure what exactly I'm looking for till my eyes land on a dapple grey Quarter Horse. The gelding has a thick barrel and soft, doe eyes that peer inquisitively at me.
My eyes fall to his nameplate. Galileo.
"I've loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night," I say fondly, quoting his namesake.
Without much thought, I pick up the bitless rope bridle hanging on his stall, and slide in through the door. I slip it over the gentle boy's face, and lead him out of the barn after grabbing a random halter and lead rope, in case I manage to get close enough to the mare.
Hoping my assumption that he's the most laid back of his barn mates is correct, I take a deep breath before swinging myself onto his broad back. His ear flickers backwards as if waiting for me to say something.
"Good boy," I say, pressing him into a trot towards where I last saw the mare. His trot is a lazy, comfortable bounce that's easy to sit, despite the long period of time I spent out of the saddle. I keep my mind focused on locating Alice, refusing to let it wander anywhere else.
As soon as I spot the white mare, I slow Galileo to a walk, not wanting to spook her off. As I get closer, I notice the red staining her pristine coat on her right foreleg.
"Alice," I coo softly. "Are you okay sweetie?"
She snorts before she takes off in the opposite direction, the pain in her step obvious.
"I don't want to hurt you," I say in my most comforting voice, following after her. As soon as I get close, she moves farther away.
This game of cat and mouse continues for a long while.
As I begin to consider giving up, the mare suddenly stops, her nostrils flaring. Out of either pain or sheer exhaustion, or maybe a combination of both, she lays down in the grass.
When I'm sure she's not moving, I dismount Galileo, who happily begins to munch on the tall grass surrounding us.
"Alice," I sigh, taking slow steps towards her. Her eyes roll, and she begins to snort repeatedly as I get closer. "Alice, calm down. You're okay. No one's going to hurt you. I'm here to help. You're okay."
I talk slowly and soothingly, remaining still until she begins to calm.
When she falls silent, I move towards her massive head, slipping the halter and lead onto her in case she tries to get up.
"I'm going to look at your leg, okay sweetie?"
Her ears flick towards my voice in acknowledgement.
I take a deep breath, and move towards her leg. At this close proximity, I see the real damage.
The gash is deep and jagged. I have no doubt its cut through her muscle, possibly to the bone. And the blood keeps pouring.
"Oh, Alice," I murmur under my breath. "Shit, girl. What did you get into?"
Glancing around to be sure no one else is near, I slip off my jacket for a brief second in order to pull my black shirt over my head, before zipping the jacket back over my bare chest.
I use my teeth to tear a strip of my shirt in order to tie a tourniquet above the wound.
"See, that first aid training paid off," I say softly when she attempts to pull her leg away from me. Anything to distract her.
I crawl over to sit by her head, letting it rest in my lap. Stroking her face, I whisper encouragement to her, waiting for us to be discovered.
"Grace?" I snap my head up at the familiar voice. "Is that you with Galileo?"
At the sound, my head snaps up. As does Alice's.
Suddenly panicked, she attempts to stand, snorting frantically.
"Easy girl, easy," I soothe, pulling her back down to the ground and petting her softly.
"Grace, get away from her. She's dangerous," Tyler warns, quickly dismounting.
"I won't leave her. She's hurt." The words fall from my mouth, almost against my own will.
For the first time, his eyes fall to her leg, and he winces.
"Go call a vet! Get help!" I say, an edge of panic to my voice.
"Grace, her leg-"
"I don't want to hear it," I snap, my voice harsher than I intended. "Just go. Get help."
Shocked by my fervor, he hops back onto his mare and takes off towards the barn. As he rides away, I vaguely hear him call, "Mom! Paul! Levi!"
"It's okay, Alley-Cat. Help will be here soon," I soothe.
After a few minutes, four horse and rider pairs appear through the grass. Atop them, a middle aged blonde woman who I assume to be Tyler's mother, a man near her age, and a guy who can't be older than twenty-two. If I weren't concerned with Alice, I may have noted his excessive good looks. As it is, however...
"Get away from that mare, hun. She'll chew you up," the older man warns as they all dismount.
Ignoring him, I look to Tyler and ask, "Did you call a vet?"
"Yeah, but Grace-"
"Her leg is really bad off. She might need surgery," I say, cutting him off. I stroke Alice's head, trying to calm her evident anxiety. "If nothing else, she'll need stitches. "
"The vet's on his way, but only to put that poor animal out of her misery," the older man says softly.
"Paul," Tyler's mother scolds, elbowing his side for his lack of tact. Her face is one of concern.
"What?' I ask, shock evident in my voice. "You can't be serious! This is a bad injury, but it's not a fatal one."
"It is when you can barely get near the horse to treat her," the young man I assume to be Levi says, his eyes raking over me as if trying to figure me out.
"Grace, she's completely hostile-"
"Most animals lash out when they're injured, and she hasn't made any move to hurt me," I snap. Remembering her history, I add, "She's not hostile. She's grieving. Maybe if you all weren't looking at her like she's going to explode any second, she wouldn't feel the need to lash out."
They all wear shocked expressions on their face, but Tyler's is the most surprised. Baffled by the passion replacing my usual timidity.
"Look, if you don't want her, let me buy her off of you. I'll find a place to board her and pay for her vet bills and-"
"Grace, you've said yourself that you don't know the first thing about horses."
"I know more than you think," I say softly, looking down at the mare.
Just then, a car audibly pulls into the driveway.
"Levi, can you get that," Tyler's mom asks, glancing at who I now think is a stable hand. He nods, stealing another curious glance at me before heading out of the field
With him gone, she turns her eyes on me, a hand planted firmly on her hip.
"Grace, is it?" I nod. "Grace, you're really willing to go through all that trouble for this mare"
I glance down into the horse's fearful eyes, softly stroking her muzzle with my fingertips.
"I'll do anything for her," I say, shocked and confused by my own candor.
"Why?" Tyler asks, despite himself.
I glance up, meeting his studious gaze. "She's worth the effort."
My eyes linger on his for a moment too long before I turn to his mother.
"Please," I say, the word falling from my mouth like a prayer for forgiveness.
She's my chance to make it right.
Levi and the veterinarian return, both of their faces grim.
"I'm ready when you are," the vet says, glancing at Alice.
"There's been a change of plans," Tyler's mother says, her eyes soft and glowing.
I let out the breath I've been holding, moisture springing to my eyes.
"It's going to be okay, girl," I whisper. "You're going to be okay."
A/N
I was so excited to write this chapter, but I've been super busy so haven't really had time. Luckily, I've had some free time the past two days, and was able to whip up this chapter.
Oh, but before you say anything, I'd like to ask that you not comment to tell me Grace was irresponsible/reckless in taking Galileo, or anything else she's done. Grace is a reckless character. Her actions are reckless. She is not a perfect being, and as such, doesn't always follow what is proper. I ask, because there was an incident when I was writing Recovery that totally shattered my confidence as a writer for a while. I published a chapter, one that I had honestly been pretty proud of, only to have Grace and Avery's behavior torn apart bit by bit by a reader within an hour of being posted. I don't remember who it was, and I don't hold grudges, but it really shook me up. I've started to care less what people think, but I still can't read that chapter without feeling an unnecessary sense of shame.
Anyways, I have two minutes till this class ends so I'm going to post now.
Goodnight My Lovelies!