The clock on my phone flicks to 9:01 on the fifth of March and I look up to see Lily still slaving away at her desk, tackling the rest of her school work. Not going to school and doing it from the comfort of my SEC bedroom is more enjoyable than I thought. I'm quite a bright student and have always handled my school work and riding time well but it was actually staying in sets of old, bricked buildings for long hours of the day that affected me.
I hardly had any friends at school and would just trail along with the biggest group of girls in my grade, that way if I felt like slipping away I wouldn't be missed. Now, doing school at home is a breeze since it only takes up about four hours of my day and I can start whenever I want. Lily knows this too but unlike me who starts school early so I can have extra free time, she tackles it later in the day.
"Ugh! Why did I decide to study chemistry?" groans Lily, slamming her laptop shut.
"Who knows. Being in Year Eleven must be so hard," I joke.
Lily spins around on her desk chair and stares daggers at me. "Hey, you're two years away from this, and when you are struggling just like I am I will laugh in your face."
I start to cackle and roll in my bed, feeling Lily's gaze burn into my neck. "No, I'll be smart unlike you and do everything early, not start after dinner."
"Oh, whatever," Lily growls, turning back to her desk.
My laugh phases out and my body relaxes into my bed. Lily has been so kind and helpful to me these last couple of weeks. Each day we laugh over social media, go on trail rides where the gorgeous, grey, connemara mare Majesty and Virgo snuggle up to each other, or just have long conversations at night when the clubhouse is as quiet as a mouse and it feels like we are lost together.
She's told me a lot about herself but will always casually avoid questions about what she did before coming to SEC. I know she came from Sydney and she has some pretty crazy stories up her sleeves but other than that it's a mystery. I'm ok with it though because even though I've told her bits and pieces about the relationship with my mum and where I grew up, I try and keep as much to myself as possible.
I roll over on my side and look over to the pictures on my bedside table. My hand carefully wraps around the one of Margo and I smiling when we were little with Mum and Dad standing behind us. I can't help but smile. Everything was so easy back then, everything was happy and exciting. I guess that's because it wasn't broken back then.
"How old is your sister anyway?" asks Lily, her back to me, covered in her flowing golden hair.
I drop the picture in a rush and sit upright. "What?"
"Oh, sorry. I always see you looking at that picture and the girl in it looks just like you so I've just always assumed she was your sister."
I look back down at the picture, picking it up again by its oak frame. Twelve-year-old Margo smiles brightly at me, her dark brown hair cut into its usual short bob and her eyes sparkling like a forest with Christmas joy. We did always look alike, but she always made everything her own.
"Right.... yeah, she's eighteen," I murmur, and clench Margo's necklace around my neck.
It wasn't technically a lie. If Margo was still alive she would have turned eighteen back in January. She isn't though and is stuck in time forever as fifteen while I must age each day without her. In a few weeks, I'll be fifteen as well. Why couldn't we have switched places?
A pen drops onto Lily's desk and she swings her head back. "Yes! I did it, all school work for this week is gone."
I give small claps to Lily, trying to get rid of the sad expression on my face, and Lily laughs. Our bedroom door suddenly swings open, startling us both. Mrs. Ramirez stands in the doorway, looking tired.
"Girls, lights out in five, ok? Everyone else is asleep... hopefully," she says.
"Ok," I reply.
"I only let you two stay up later so Lily could get her school work done, naughty child," Mrs. Ramirez sighs.
"Hey!" Lily shouts.
Mrs. Ramirez just rolls her eyes at me before walking away. When I can't hear her footsteps anymore I look at Lily. "Sometimes I think her Spanish accent is thicker than Antonio's Italian accent."
Lily scoffs, getting off her desk chair and walking to her bed. "That's impossible."
I pick my phone up from my bed and look at the picture of Virgo and I swimming together back home set as my wallpaper.
"Has your mum called you yet?" asks Lily.
I groan and roll onto my side. "No. Not a word of well-done daughter or I'm so proud."
Lily laughs smally.
"It's not like I expect it anyway. I would be more surprised if she said congratulations to me at all," I continue.
Lily rolls her eyes and starts to pull her covers off her bed. I gaze out the window that usually lets me see the front of SEC and its long driveway but now it is just the inky black night sky and the shadowy wisps of trees. My eyelids start to close but through the window, a bright light hits my eyes. Through the window, two lights are prowling down the driveway, and as my eyes focus I can see the faint outline of a car with a float hooked onto the back.
I sit up, this uncertain feeling swimming in my stomach.
"Does Antonio have a new horse coming today?" I ask.
"No, why?"
"A float and car coming down the driveway right now."
I hear the rustle of Lily getting up, and she runs to the window to have a look. "No definitely not, Antonio would never let a horse come this late."
Then who let them in? I find myself asking but I don't. SEC's front gates lock automatically at eight-thirty every night to keep all the horses safe and can only be opened by someone with a key.
The car disappears from our eyesight and Lily lets out a worried grunt. "Who are they?"
I nervously pull at my bedsheets. "Not sure."
Lily's face pulls into a frown. "They're going down to the stables."
"The horses aren't in trouble, right?" I squeak.
Lily turns in a rush and heads to our pile of shoes at the front of the door to start pulling on her boots.
"Where are you going?" I ask, springing up from my bed.
"If they are the thieves and Majesty gets taken, I'll never forgive myself, especially if I saw them knocking at the door," Lily cries.
I think of Virgo, being taken away by mean thieves then being sold on to who knows. I have to breathe and calm myself. Those people can't be the thieves, right? Before I can reason with Lily a boot flies at my face.
"Are you coming or what?"
I nod my head, my hands starting to shake as I pull the boot on. Lily and I scurry to pull on jackets before we rush out the door. We creep quietly and decide it would not be good if we raised the alarm and the people just turned out to be Justin or another groom.
We rush out the red front door and past the rose garden to fly down the hill on the path towards the stables. It's dark and my heart is racing at the thought that Lily and I might be attacked from behind.
"Where do you think they went?" whispers Lily, in the quietest voice possible.
I shrug, hoping she can see me in the darkness.
An engine reves and a loud bang rings out, not from the stables but from the paddocks. Lily and I stop and stare at each other and I can hear our heartbeats pumping in sync. A low level of chatter comes from the close by and the voices sound panicked and angry.
I take out my phone, open the Notes app, and type Lily a message.
Go wake the others. I'll go and investigate.
Lily reads my phone then looks up at me like I'm crazy. I give her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, telling her I'll be alright. Lily looks into my eyes before running back up the hill. I take in a silent breath. I'm all alone and have no idea who I'm dealing with in those paddocks. My heart rings in my ears and my hands start to shake but I have to be brave. I think of Margo and I know she would go and face these strangers. If it meant saving the horses.
I jog down the path until I reach the paddocks and duck under the bushes. I see the silhouettes of two men, shouting at each other.
"Keep him steady!" whisper-shouts the short one.
"I'm trying! He may be worth a lot but he's hard to lead," replies the tall one.
A loud whinny rings out from the paddock and I peer over my bush. Two strangers are leading an agitated horse. I can't tell which one but I know it isn't Majesty or Virgo as they aren't in this paddock tonight. I wish I can let out a sigh of relief but I am only five meters away from horse thieves.
"Are you sure this is Art Thou Romeo?" grunts the short one.
"Of course I'm sure! His halter says his name doesn't it?"
"Well it'd be helpful if we were sent a picture to identify, wouldn't it?"
"We gotta get the right horse he is worth a tonne!"
I continue to watch the thieves lead this precious horse away from its herd. My mind tries to plan when I'll make my appearance but I don't think there will ever be a right moment. The thieves continue to bicker over the skittish horse, leading it closer and closer to the float. I shut my eyes tight and pause for a moment.
Oh, Margo, please help me.
Suddenly I jump up from behind the bush. The thieves turn to face me and I can just make out their shocked expressions.
"What are you doing to that horse?" I yell.
"Let's get out of here," the tall thief shouts, running with the horse behind him.
"Ditch the horse!" shouts the short one and he starts to run to.
I am not letting them get away. I sprint from my bush and straight to the paddock's gate, trying to block the exit. The thief with the horse growls at me angrily and pushes me with no effort out of the way. I reach for his hand but I miss it. My nails sick into his palm however and I can hear him wince while he pulls away from me. My body fills with rage and I can feel this new strength fill it. The second thief tries to run through me as well but I pounce straight onto his back and start to kick and bite with every ounce of strength I have.
"Ah! Drop the horse! This girl's on me," cries the short thief, spinning around trying to get me off.
I continue to use everything I've got to get the thief on the ground but he's strong and tries to move with me on his back.
"Maddie!" an unidentifiable voice calls, from far away.
I don't say anything back, still trying to hurt this thief as much as I can.
"Oscar, get that girl off and come to the car. They're coming!" calls what must be the other thief.
The short thief lets out a grunt and suddenly I'm flying through the air and just as quickly hitting the ground on my back. My head spins for a second while my back feels like it is on fire. The sound of a car tearing up gravel stings my ears as I riggle like a squished slug on the ground.
"Maddie!" Sarah's voice shrieks.
I sit up gingerly and in the darkness see a group of people running towards me, being lead by Alex. I frantically look around, trying to see if the horse the thieves were trying to take in still in SEC. Alex blocks my view and crouches down next to me.
"Madison! What were you doing?" he shouts, grabbing my shoulders and shaking them.
I'm too shocked about what had just happened to answer Alex at first. I look into his eyes, so icy blue I can see them even in the darkness. I try to speak, placing my hands on his, not sure what to say.
"What were you thinking? What if they had been armed, they could have killed you?" continues Alex.
I shove Alex off me. "I guess I wasn't thinking!"
"This isn't Madison versus the horse thieves. It isn't a game," Alex shouts.
"I was just trying to save-"
"-Romeo!"
I look past Alex and see Will stroking the nose of the horse the thieves tried to take. I can barely see in the dark but the chestnut coat of the horse shines and I recognize it's Will's gorgeous gelding Romeo. Will, Katy, and Ella all approach Romeo's side and pat and talk to him, trying to calm him down. I stand up despite the pain running through my spine. Alex is still next to me.
"Maddie, are you ok?" Antonio asks, his voice trembling a fraction.
Two people rush up to me and only when they embrace me with hugs do I know it's Sarah and Lily.
"Yeah, my back hurts a bit, but I'll be fine," I murmur, my lungs hurting from all the air being knocked out of them. "Is Romeo ok?"
Will turn his phone light on and flashes it towards me. "Romeo is fine, I can't thank you enough, Maddie."
Will's voice expresses his anxiousness, a side to him I've never seen before as it isn't his usual joking around tone. Antonio comes closer to me. "I'll get the vet out first thing tomorrow, just in case these people did anything and I'll ring the police now."
"I thought they said that only Warmbloods are being taken, Romeo's pure Irish Sport Horse," Will states, picking up Romeo's lead rope.
Antonio sighs, just as confused as the rest of us.
"I did hear the thieves say that Romeo is worth a lot. Maybe it's not just about breeding but about how much profit they can make," I say.
Everyone turns to look at me and I'm not sure what to say.
"That means the thieves might come back for more horses and I won't let that happen. I'll update the police now," Antonio says, picking up his phone and walking away.
"Hopefully they'll stay away now that Maddie has attacked," Sarah jokes in my ear, but I don't smile.
Thieves are really here and if we aren't careful then more horses might be taken.
"Did you see any part of the thieves that might give us a clue to who they are?" Ella asks her dirty blonde hair a mess.
I shake my head shamefully. "No, but the one that I jumped on was called Oscar. The other one was tall and that's all I could see."
Footsteps come echoing towards us and we turn our head and watch as a tall figure comes running towards us.
"Miss Maddie! Antonio just told me what happened," calls the voice of Justin.
He comes closer to me in the dark, his breathing loud and heavy as he had just run a long way. Justin puts a hand on my shoulder and in the darkness, I can see small amounts of blood trickling from his hand.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm-What happened to your hand?" I ask, warily.
Justin examines the scratches. "Oh, that's nothing, just got stuck on a fence."
Justin pulls away from me and tucks his wounded hand behind his back. Next to me, Lily starts to inform Justin, telling him he should go see if he can catch up to the thieves but I can't talk. My mind is thinking about the thieves. The tall one, I never heard his name but I just gave him a scratch, similar to the one on Justin's hand. That day when Bishop and Sarah took me on my first trail ride and I saw the mysterious van and the figure wearing the blue hoodie Justin is known for wearing.
Justin has access to every horse and is the most trusted person here at SEC, Antonio's right-hand man. Someone would have had to be inside SEC to make the front gates open and why is Justin here anyway? He finishes work at seven but maybe he stayed behind?
No, I'm being stupid, Justin is so kind and loves all the horses here. Why would he ever want to help thieves steal horses?
Then my mind goes to all the evidence, the hoodie, the scratch, how Justin knows every horse, and how much they are worth. Even how out of all of us he showed up to the group last, tired and exhausted. Maybe he drove away with his thief friend then ran back to SEC, so he could pretend to check on me.
I don't want to believe it but could Justin really be the horse thief?