The Well Children

Prologues

Kaylie

I didn't want him to leave. But, he found someone else. Leaving her heart broken was only a small fee he was willing to pay, with the money he took from us. I'm getting too carried away, let me start from the top.

When I was 9, my Dad owned this big company that earned heaps of money, to keep track of his money he had an assistant: Cassidy, that was where the trouble began. My dad was married to my Mum: Gloria, for 14 years when they had me, Zoe, Jack and Harry. Zoe was 12, Jack was 13, Harry was 5, and I was 9, making our average 9.75, way too young for this to happen to us.

Dad had to stay late at work, and he said he had "work" to do with his assistant. I've met Cassidy and she is nothing but a gold digger, I saw what was happening before it even had.

I asked if I could come too, "just to look around." If only I could have seen their faces when I showed mum the video of them kissing, but my mum was heartbroken, she never trusted any man ever since.

When it was bedtime, my mum was on the phone to someone, she was crying and she kept saying "I know, I know but please." I asked who she was calling and she said "It's Clay, Mara's dad. They offered us to live with them on their farm." Finally, Mum trusts a man enough to live with them. I'm happy for her.

We were getting ready to move when Storm (my border collie) looked at me, staring into my brown green flecked eyes. She knew what was happening, so we grabbed our bags and headed to the car "C'mere Storm, c'mere". She sat on my lap the whole ride, her head resting on my knee in our seven seater.

She was panting like crazy by the time we arrived at Clay's farm and we got out of the car as Clay and my Bestfriend Mara met us at the gate.

The next day when we woke up, Clay said he had a surprise for me. He led me to the backyard where they kept all of their horses, but there was a new one, a Gray. Clay said that she was for me. As soon as I looked into her light brown golden flecked eyes, I knew we would be very close. "Buttercup" I said randomly, "Butter cup?" Clay asked, "her name; Buttercup." I answered plainly, but inside it truly felt like the best thing in the world.

Mara

I was 7 when it happened. It started off as a great sunny day. My brothers and I walked down to the stadium where she was performing on Blackjack, our prized horse. We sat down and she was doing great. She was first place and was sure going to win. That was until Venessa Ledger walked in on her horse Snake. Snake was known for his reckless behaviour and I was surprised she was allowed to perform on him. She was finishing her last jump when it happened,

Snake jumped at Blackjack and he got spooked. He bucked up and she fell off. I closed my eyes in fear for the rider when I heard a sickening sound. CRACK!. I opened my eyes and saw a frightening sight. The rider was sprawled on the ground, neck completely snapped. The light was gone from their eyes and their breath was gone. I ran to her with my brothers close behind. Father knelt next to her and gently placed her head on his lap. He hugged her and whispered words that saddened my heart. She was gone and everyone knew it. My mother was gone.

My brothers and I cried in each other's arms. Dad was trying to stay strong for us but I knew he was broken inside. My elder brother Jay pulled my little brother Jamie from our dead mother so professionals could take her body away. I looked one last time into her lifeless emerald green eyes like mine trying to remember them filled with life and joy.

We left the rodeo and reserved sad looks from everyone around us. The only one who didn't look sad was Mrs Ledger. Her horse had been the one to cause my mother's early death. I knew right then and there that I would always do anything in my path to ruin the Ledgers.

Two years later my best friend Kaylie and her family moved into the other farmhouse on the property we owned. It was a big orchard with a horse rodeo in the back. My family owned a farm called 'Blackberry Road Farm' which was once run by my parents but after my mothers passing my father was about to give up on it when Gloria, Kaylie's mum stepped in and saved it. She had a lot of business experience from her ex-husband's company.

Life became a new normal, Gloria became a new kind of mother to me and my brothers, and Kaylie practically became my sister. Life was good. Well, that was until life threw its next great curveball at us.