The Fire Horse (On Hold)

Chapter•1 3/9•

"Cass!" Mothers angry shriek travels through the house, falling into my sleep deprived ears. I had managed to stumble into my bedroom and throw on a tank top and shorts before she saw me on the coach. Claud, or Clay as he's affectionaly known, tips his head back in my soft black desk chair, grumbling erupting from his throat. I thwack him in the chest. He jumps up abruptly.
"Coffee!" I moan. He reluctantly turns the doorknob and strides out toward the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. Being my best friend and all he's used to it. I change into a black T-shirt and a red flannel. Dark skinny jeans and killer black riding boots. I slowly bring my phone up to my face. Pleading for no drunk texts, even though i didnt drink that much at the bonfire last night. My head blares with another pang of regret for letting Clay convince me to go. I let out a big sigh of relief. It hit zero percent before my witless self had the chance. I put the device down, purposely ignoring texts from my mother and brother Jason. All they'll be is worried messages about where I am and when I'm coming home. Its not sad if your younger brother has a girlfriend and you don't if your only older by two minutes right?
"My lady" Clay bows in front of me, two ceramic mugs in hand. I greedily snatch one, bringing it to my lips. The warm mixture of cream and coffee fills into my mouth. Giving me a rare instant of bliss that only lattes made by Clay can achieve.
"Good peasent. You can go away now" I say in a joking rush. He stiffles a laugh and jabs me in the side. His chocolate coloured skin vibrant in the light casted from the open window.
"Hey Clay, what time is it?" I coo so he'll check for me. He reaches into his baggy jeans pocket.
"Uhhhh 6:54" He recietes. I immediately jump up, spilling coffee all over my white shag rug. I whimper slightly at the loss. I take a firm hold of my best friends wrist and sprint through the glistening wood hallway and out the front door, Clay in tow. I slip on my short black leather jacket. Clay senses the urgency and turns the keys into my brothers pick up truck. I know we shouldn't be driving, we being heavily hungover and all. I tap my fingers impatiently on the dashboard. The tires give that recognized earsplitting groan as we pull out of the driveway and onto the dirt road. I snatch up his phone and turn it on.
6:56
That gives us four minutes to drive across Skarsmouth. I let my eyes close and my blonde whispy hair be streamed out of the open window. The air is cool on my heated skin. It shouldn't take to long to drive across the Fire horse side of the island. There's barely two thousand people, I think there's roughly the same amount on the other half, where the Water horses are. I guess its smart to keep them separated.
He deosnt have to speak for me to know that I am to follow him. With a swish of his feiry red tail. The ends sizzling with flames. A sudden feeling overwhelms me. Exitment. Pride. The trees are towering black things. With scorched looking bark and intertwining branches that curl up like a predators talon. He leads me through. Elegantly twisting through the branches. Every hoof landing exactly where it should. I stagger sideways to avoid pummeling into a trunk. My feet not letting me stop walking at a brisk pace. His head swivels around. Concern sweeping across me from his pearly eye. I gently graze my fingertips up the faint dorsal stripe. He blinks slowly. Fire blazes in his eyes. Untamed and wild. Free and careless. Frozen in time. I bring my other arm around and tighten my grip around his neck. I press my face against his scarlet fur. Our hearts beat in in unison. I cherish these rare moments with the Fire horse. With my Fire horse.
"Cass. Cass wake up. Cass we're here!" A familiar voice summons. I flutter open my eyelids with a wide yawn. Clay is leaning on the window, prodding me awake.
"What time is it?!? Did we make it" I persist for answers.
"7:04, sorry Cass" Clay gives a finalizing tap to the car door and trudges out toward the open farming fields. I force myself out of the tall vehicle. My throat aches and my head throbs. The horses nicker at me from the paddock. I gently brush my hands along their scorched grey muzzles. I can see the tamed fire still alit in them. I have a wonderous passion for the flaming beasts, the freedom they show when the wild herds gallop across the crop fields. So wild...These are not, they are tamed and controled. Monitored with hardly enough free will. I promtly shake the thoughts away, my boots clicking on the cement barn floor. Two Collie's come to greet me. Wagging tails and wet noses. I usher them away after a satisfying pat. The next two hours will consist of feeding the regular horses their grain and the Fire horses their raw meat. Dark sunglasses cover my baggy eyes.
"Somebody had fun last night" A voice comments smartly. I flash him a look and heave another hay bale into a stall, the strands stabbing lightly at my skin.
"We're going down to the rocks tonight, gonna catch some new colts for the festival" His voice flirtatious. He leans over onto the side of the fence, his dark hair tussled. He knows he's more then averagely good looking and this is what make him so undesirable.
"We were wondering if you could come out and join us, we could use a pretty thing like you"
Irritation hits me hard.
"Why don't you go find another 'pretty thing' cause this ones got some self respect" I snarl, my voice like venom as I push his chest with my hand.  He blinks a few times and stands straighter before walking off. Grant Russel isn't used to be shot down by teenage girls, He flaunts being one of the top jumpers for the Fire team and practicially prys them off of him. Makes me want to punch him right in his pretty face. My knuckles twitch with longing. I angrily chuck another bale. I'm distracted by a familiar whinny. I whip my head around. Rage pours into me and I relish in the feeling. My feet can't take me fast enough. His light chestnut ears perk towards me and his ivory white flaxen mane and tail swish with his hoofsteps. He's being led by one of the stable hands, Bryan I think is his name. I violently snatch away his reins. The leather feeling comfortingly familiar in my grasp. The young mans face is temporarily frozen in a stunned expression.
"What do you think your doing!" I hiss.
"I...umm...er...boss" He stammers. I grunt in annoyance.
"Talk!" I bellow, some anger escaping through my voice.
"Boss told me to tack him up and bring him to the paddock! He's says your not riding Drix anymore so he could be used for lessons" He explains with a weak scared voice.
"He can't be a lesson horse, he'll buck if he's not being ridden with a firm hand" I say coldly, mostly to myself. Bryan raises his hands in defence.
I roll my eyes and swing into the saddle. Its smaller then my usual one but it'll have to do for a gallop to boss's office. I tighten the reins and give Drix a click with my tongue. His eyes spark and his ears perk. His hooves get excited and take off before I tell them to. I hunch forward in jockey position. My hair streaming out behind me in a wave of dirty blonde. My eyes flicker between the three foot fence and the partly open gate. He's feeling adventurous and swerves right. I land the jump awkwardly. Flailing out the reins and losing my position. I've never been a fan of jumping. I nearly end up clutching the cantel for dear life trying to hual myself back up into the black leather seat.
In a few glorious minutes im forced to dismount. We find ourselves in front of a tall white glass building. Its out of place in the trees and fields of the farmland surrounding it. Two stories at least, if you don't count the wine cellar. I tie Drax's reins to a tree branch and storm up the patio and into the structure.
My heels give satisfying clicks on the white marble. My stomach turns with nerves as I see him behind the sleek white desk. I open another set of glass doors. He gestures toward a simple black office chair in front of his desk. I look for emotion in his expression but am disappointed to find traces of nothing. His head is square. His jaw clenched like it always is. Short black hair that crawls up his neck, with matching bushy eyebrows. A cold dark man with a bitter past. And he must reflect his miserable hood onto his peers. Lucky me, I'm one of them. Aggrivation pulls at me light a tight bit as his mouth opens to speak. I slump down in the chair because I know he hates when I do.
"I'm glad you came in Cass. I wanted to have a word with you" He says in his gentle deep voice that I can see right through, reveling a hurtful void of a center.
'I wanted to talk to you too you ass' I bite my tongue to refrain myself from saying the thoughts aloud.
"Yeah so what's the deal with my horse?" I ask in a hostile tone.
"Oh yes Drix. I told you three years ago when you started here that I don't take to troublemakers" His voice becoming stern.
"Troublemaker! What do I ever do wrong!" I slam my palm onto the desk. It stings and pangs of pain make me pull it back to my side. But he got the message.
"You've been late four times in two weeks Cass. That is unacceptable. Next time you screw up your fired. Take this as a warning and get the hell outa my office!" His voice rises in a holler.
"First of all, my dads will just came in from the mainland! I had to take a day to be with my widow of a mother! And secondly, what about the competition! You need me for the racing Rob" I scream back at him, emphasizing his name in a mocking tone. He now stands with both hands on the desk, his narrow eyes fixed on mine. Pondering my words and choosing his carefully.
"You come here on training day with a Fire horse you'll keep your job and a spot in the competition. The real competition. Not the phoney festival races" He challenges. Just a clear excuse to fire me. The look he gives me tells me its time to go. I push over the chair and strut out.
Training starts Tuesday and its Friday now. My head screams from the yelling. The hangover has gotten better since this morning but a mere two hours of sleep didn't help. When I emerge onto the driveway Drix is gone. Figures. I'll probably never ride him again. He was a good horse, I had loved him and it seems everything I love is being ripped from me. I shove my hands into my jacket pocket. The hazel orbs that are my eyes scan the cobble road ahead of me. Three days. Three days to capture a Fire horse. I shake my head slowly and start to walk. Rob won't take kindly to seeing my face until then and its a long walk home. I let out a ragged sigh and pull out my phone. I quickly jam in Aaron's number. I hesitate, hovering my finger over the call button then decide to text him instead.
'TELL GRANT IM IN FOR TONIGHT' I slide it back into the pocket of my jean, the screen pressing against my skin. It let's out a notifying buzz and I scramble for it in a rushed frenzy.
'COOL. IM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE :)'
I roll my eyes. Aaron's a nice boy, a year younger then myself. He's tall for being 16. Sandy blonde hair and a fistful of freckles. A smile pulls at the corners of my mouth as I walk. I stare at the cottages and houses lining the sides of the cobble road. Shops and bakeries. I hear a familiar motor and reckless tires to match the driver.
"Need a ride?" He smirks, his elbow leaning on the open window. I do a wide roll of my eyes and crawl over him to get into the plush navy coloured passenger seat. He slowly starts to drive off.
"So what's up? Where were you last night?" He asks in a concerned coating making no effort to hide it. His green eyes flickering towards me. His hair is almost black, much darker then my bronze ombre strands with hints of ginger from my dad. Jason's hair covers his eyes slightly, like a curtain of umber.
"I went to a bonfire on the cliff with Clay and some other guys. I walked home with him" I put my hand on the side of my head and rest my elbow on the window frame, averting my eyes from his.
"You walked? From the cliff?"
"Yes Jason. I walked from the cliffs! That's what I just said" my tone becoming bitter. He's used to this, having been stuck with me since conception.
"You coulda called me you know" He grumbles.
"I know" I sigh. Shouldn't teenage boys be awkward and ignorant? Or did I just get a stuck with a good one?
"Stacie's lucky you know" I point out obviously.
"You should date Cass, give a guy a chance for once" He flashes me a grin. I sit back in the seat.
"If they weren't all royal arses"
He laughs to this and soon I'm laughing too because his is so magical it sends people into blissful hysterics. I watch his smile dim slightly. Dad's death hit him the hardest. I put a hand on his shoulder. I let my mind wander after minutes of silence. Mom won't like me riding a Fire horse. She doesn't like me to even go near them, I guess she's worried that what happened to dad will happen to me.