Sang's ears were bombarded with nickering and stomping hooves the moment she pulled the barn doors open. She breathed in the old, musty air, and instead of grimacing, she let her teeth bare in an excited smile.
She looked through the stalls in hope that she'd find a familiar looking horse she received as a gift from her mother, but all she came across were horses she'd never seen before. Sang came to the conclusion that despite all of her insight and advice, her grandfather still continued to board.
Heaving a sigh, she wandered over to the nearest stall and got a quick peek at a spunky white stallion. Dancing on his hooves, Sang figured that he wanted to be let out to the pasture, but she gave the giddy stallion a sad smile and left the task to the ranch hands. She knew nothing of the horse's history so she figured it would be safer that way. Strolling down the concrete walkway between stalls, she opened the barn doors at the far end and revealed a fenced pasture full of healthy green grass. She let her eyes travel as far as they could without causing too much strain and finally caught site of a powerful black mare grazing right beside a tree.
Sang's excitement bubbled enough to make her giddy. Whistling loudly, Sang hollered, "Asraaa!" The mare hesitantly strolled forward, cautious of the voice calling out to her. Asra probably couldn't make out her face from so far, so Sang walked further into the pasture until she felt it was close enough.
Tears soon glistened in her eyes when the black horse took off at a full dash in her direction. Opening her arms up wide, Sang steeled her stance and welcomed the semi-harsh impact of Asra colliding with her. The mare neighed in content as Sang stuck her face in the horse's mane, giving it a soft hello tug. "Hey there, girl," Sang cooed, determined to keep the happy tears at bay. "I missed you so so much."
Nickering was heard after her words, and Sang imagined it as an intelligent statement of agreement. She could still remember the day she received and named her. Asra: travel at night. The name had been in one of the storybooks her mother used to read her before bed, so when little Sang saw the mare's smooth and dark coat, she knew it would fit her perfectly.
The two spent hours in the pasture catching up on lost time, and even though Sang wanted to stay out there forever, it was about time to start on lunch. She led the horse into the barn and went in search for her favorite treat: apple slices dipped in honey. Pa used to raise hell when Sang would sneak the sugary concoction to the horses, so she was pleasantly surprised when she found the fridge still stocked with the two ingredients.
Sang gave Asra a quick kiss on the nose and went to exit the barn, but something caught her attention—the ladder leading up to her old sanctuary. There was only a few seconds of hesitation before her feet hit the wooden rungs that led to the loft platform. Memories started to whisper and sing near the edges of her mind, trying to tease and seduce their way in, so throat tight, Sang braved the incoming storm and continued upward.
As soon as she reached the top, she inhaled a shaky breath and took a look around. Nothing had changed. A sole twin bed sat at the center of the room, covered in a dusty thrift store quilt. A shaded lamp sat crookedly upon a dresser at the corner of the room, and a shoddy black rug laid flat against the wooden planks that made up the crickety floor. Sang took a shuddering breath before she sat on the edge of the bed, a memory hitting her with full force.
Sang didn't believe in true love, but she did believe that if you wished on a shooting star, the wish would come true as long as you were able to pass a small test: rub your belly and pat the top of your head at the same time for two consecutive minutes and your wish will come true.
Pa insisted that it was a myth, but she told him it was true, and that it was also science. It even worked for her that same night when she wished for ice cream. After she told him about her success, he said that it was only because she was in his good graces, not because of that ridiculous subject they teached kids in school. Sang had rolled her eyes and stomped out of the room, not knowing where she was going. Mom decided to go out with Dad for lunch, so Sang decided to escape to her happy place.
The loft.
The quilt on the bed was always so soft, and that was where she stored her telescope and journals. North always called them diaries, and she always told him to shut up. She giggled as she thought about it but she would never let him know she found it funny. Sang was surprised when she found the dark eyed boy already up there playing around with a kid-sized acoustic guitar Mom bought him for Christmas. Sang was admittedly a little jealous until she found a pretty black horse hidden inside the barn. She named her Asra because of her pretty hair.
"What are you doing here?" Sang asked after catching her breath.
North kept his face hidden beneath the hood of his sweatshirt as he continued to lazily strum on the guitar strings. It's the nicest gift I've ever been gifted, was what he said. "Dad dropped me off earlier. He had plans with some red haired lady."
Sang frowned, not knowing what lady he spoke of. Last week, it was a brown haired one, but as soon as she started to think about it, she became distracted. The sounds filling the room were so pretty. "You're getting pretty good at that."
"I know," he said.
Sang rolled her eyes. Boys.
"How long are you here for?" Sang asked while taking her hair out of her braid.
"Dad said I'll be spending the night again." He paused his strumming and pointed at the duffle bag sitting on the floor. Excitement bubbled up in her chest.
"That means you'll stargaze with me tonight?"
North only shrugged, causing her to frown. She wanted him to be as excited as her, but she played it off with a shrug and asked, "Hey, why aren't you taking your hood off?"
Alarm bells rang in her head when she seen his shoulders tense up. "It's none of your business," he quickly replied.
His statement set fire to her feet, and before he could react, Sang lunged forward and tugged the hood off. What she seen on his face changed everything for them. Black and blue bruises adorned his cheek bones, and his eyes were wide open with terror. She had her suspicions before, but to have them confirmed...
Her face crumbled and she broke down into big, ugly sobs. North hurried to comfort her by embracing her tiny frame in his arms. He stuck his face into her hair and choked down his own cries, rocking them back and forth. "Shhh," he whispered. "I'm going to be alright."
She named him her North Star that night, because that star would always be her guiding light back home.
A loud curse had the memory exploding into a cloud of mist, and she felt a single tear travelling down the side of her face. Quickly wiping it away, Sang rushed to the entrance of the loft and looked down into the barn. A man with red hair and prominent muscles struggled to catch a chicken that had obviously escaped from its coupe. The chicken urgently clucked as it skillfully dodged his lunging attempts.
Feeling bad for the stranger, Sang called down, "Do you need some help down there?"
"Shit!" Startled, the man looked up with wide eyes, and lost his footing. With a surprised grunt, he let gravity take control and landed on his backside with a wince.
Sang grimaced and started rushing down the ladder. "Oh, Lord, I am so so sorry."
Nathan gawked at the adorable female before pushing himself up to his feet, willing the redness in his cheeks to wash away. The chicken was halfway to Memphis by now, but it wasn't like he gave a shit when he had this petite blonde fussing over him. "Actually, my name is Nathan, but you can call me whatever you'd like," he said with a wink.
"Are you okay? You're not injured are you?" She rushed out. Her cheeks were stained red, and her green doe eyes blinked up at him. Trying to not let the aching show, Nathan put on a smirk and answered, "I'm quite alright, but I can't say the same for my ego."
As she giggled, he couldn't help but grin at the wondrous sound. It sounded like bird singing and angels calling. "Well, I can't forget my manners," she said. "My name's Sang."
Nathan's eyebrows rose up his forehead. Well, shit, it all made sense now. He'd be an asshole, too, if he lost a girl like that. "Old man Richie's granddaughter, right? I've heard a lot about you."
"You and everyone else," she said with an amused snort. When Nathan's face resembled a big, flashing question mark, she clarified, "A few others have said the same thing since I got back."
Noted. "And when was that?"
"Last night. I decided to drive over and stay for the summer. God knows Pa needs help keeping himself sane." Despite the humor she tried to cover it up with, her voice wobbled. Nathan felt a lot of sympathy for her but didn't let it show on his face. He was fully aware of what Richie was going through, and he knew it had to be hard on Sang. Losing family was like losing a limb.
"That he does. I wonder if he'll be less of a slave driver now that you're here?" He let a teasing grin settle on his lips to lighten the mood.
Sang snorted again. "When pigs fly."
The conversation flowed easily between them. She asked about his work on the ranch, as well as his other work in the city, so he was more than happy to keep her entertained a while longer. The chicken long ago arrived in Memphis, and Nathan couldn't help but think good riddance. After a promise to get together some time, Sang took off to the house to start on lunch while Nathan went to finish his chores as a ranch hand, her pretty face clouding his mind the whole time.
He was giddy after meeting such an interesting and beautiful girl, but Nathan knew there was about to be a storm coming, and he wasn't quite sure if his curiosity was worth the pain North would no doubt dish out for even thinking of Sang that way. Only time would tell.