Not to be found

Chapter 9 - Family

The drive to Noah's house takes only twenty minutes and during that twenty minutes I spend most of my time wondering; battling with my mind. I'm going to get caught if I get close, if I form an attachment with this guy he and his family will surely find out about me. What am I doing? I've only known him for what? an hour tops. What were you thinking Lacey? Oh wait, yeah its Gracie now. God, I'm an idiot.

As my racing thoughts continue we drive past countless fields, all lush with greenery and growing crops, does he live on a farm or something? He didn't seem to be the farming type, him or Mike. Noah was smart looking - university graduate looking, not driving an old rusty tractor looking. Still, people surprise you. Maybe, I was stupid to say yes to going back to his house, stupid for even speaking to him in the first place, people like me don't get people like him. Then again we're not all that different I suppose.

My thoughts continue down this path until we reach a large house which is guarded by heavy wooden gates. I sit behind the wheel of my car with a look of shock plastered across my face, I've never seen a nicer looking house; all white, all modern with a humungous drive way. Mike reaches out the window of the car and punches in what I could only believe to be a security number to open up the gates to the large house. I watch in awe as the large gates reveal a beautiful house; white walled, black front door, shiny windows and garages.

I switch my car's engine off and get out, walking over to Noah with my satchel over my shoulder, "Wow." is all I think to say.

He looks at me eyes glistening, smile bright, "Its not bad I guess."

I timidly follow both Mike and Noah through the shiny black door into their home, if this is what the outside looks like the inside must be magnificent. Noah takes off his shoes and I follow, as I look up from untying my laces, I see a bright white hall way; a mirror the length of the wall that its sitting on is to the right and to the left there is an array of paintings and below them is a white leather couch. What have I walked into? I feel so underdressed. I don't dare sit on that couch.

"This way," Noah says as he guides me through to the kitchen.

Sitting on one of the bar stools gazing up at the plasma TV that is mounted on the wall is a woman who I can only presume to be Noah's mum. Her appearance screams glamour; she's wearing a flowing black dress that is knee length, it is accompanied with a thin red belt that sits just on her stomach and has shiny red high heels to match. She has her hands out in front of her, a sight familiar to me as I remember Monica doing the exact same thing after she has painted her nails.

Mike makes his way over to her, leading her attention to him, her son and the strange girl in her kitchen; me.

"Oh, now who is this Noah?" she asks, her smile just as bright as her sons was.

Up close you can definitely tell that Noah's mothers genes were the more dominant ones; she's blonde and has his deep hazel eyes.

"I'm Gracie," I manage to force the words from my mouth as dry as the Sahara, barely just remembering my new name.

She looks at me up and down, her eyes are soft but I can tell that she's judging me by my appearance; jeans and a hoodie, my socks odd. I'm a mess.

"Hello Gracie, my name is Julie. Its a pleasure to meet you," she says her smile growing, "I'd hug you but I'm preoccupied at the moment." she says raising her hands before me.

Julie seems nice, but a hug on first meeting? That's not something I would usually do, maybe just a friendly smile but no hugging. Its far too early, does she think I'm a secret girlfriend of Noah's or something? Is he a player? Oh gosh, what am I doing?

"Gracie?" I hear Noah calling my name breaking me from my thoughts, both Mike and Julie looking at me, "do you want to come to the stables with me?"

Stables? I don't know how to ride a horse, the last time I was in the saddle was at the age of seven maybe. "Yeah sure," I reply nervously.

Noah leads me out the back door of the kitchen and I feel Mike and Julie's eyes on me, or is it just my anxiety? Another thing about me is that I've always battled anxiety, its always been at the back of my mind stopping me from doing things that I've wanted to do so badly. So as I'm walking at the side of Noah towards a rather large barn which is situated in a field I can't help but feel sick.

The barn is painted red and with the sun shining on it, it looks like something from a movie scene. It is in a field with what I know as a paddock around it for the horses to roam in. Inside the barn the floor is just brown dust and there are small hay bales that line the way, on either side of the walkway there are stables, from what I can see there are three horses in here but four stables. The ceiling is high and there is a ladder that you can climb to get to a platform at the top of the barn, seems cosy enough.

"Do you ride?" Noah asks as I watch the black horse in the stable next to me.

"No, I don't. Last time I was on a horse was the age of seven and I was very nervous." I say, with my hands still buried deep in my pockets, my palms clammy.

I take a closer look at the horse, its a male and he has a white marking on his chest, quite beautiful really. I take out one of my hands and reach out to touch the horse on the head, it leans in towards me makes a soft whiney noise.

"That's Majesty," Noah says as he lifts one of the hay bales up and off the floor and takes it into another horses stable, "he doesn't like many people, there must be something about you." He smiles.

I take a step closer and Majesty kicks the door trying to break free, maybe he does like me. I take my other hand out from my pocket and start to stroke his back, he nuzzles his face under my elbow as if he's trying to hug me. Noah looks up from the hay bale and grins.

He closes the stable door behind him as he exits it and walks across to me and Majesty, every step he takes towards me makes me nervous, forcing my heart rate to double. He's still wearing his white shirt with the coffee stain on it, the stain I caused.

"Okay Majesty, you want to see Gracie?" he asks the horse walking past me and opening the stable door backing into it. He puts a lead rope around Majesty's head collar and brings him out.

"Good boy," Noah praises the horse as he allows me to stroke him, "I could help you up if you want?" Noah asks looking at Majesty's back.

I take a moment to consider my choice, if I say yes I could break something if the horse doesn't react well to me, I'll end up in hospital and it'll be game over for me. But on the other hand if I say yes it will be an experience to remember and Noah will think of me as brave and not a coward.

"Okay," I say eventually.

Noah ties Majesty up onto a post and comes around to my side sending a shiver down my spine, what am I afraid of? Him? I lift my leg up and place it in his cupped hands, with one swift movement I find myself on top of Majesty looking down at Noah who has a wide smile across his face.

"You're a natural," Noah says, "are you ready?" he asks.

"Ready for what?" I ask, fear evident in my voice and eyes.

Before I can protest and attempt to get down, Noah is guiding Majesty out of the stables and into the paddock, why would he do this? As we enter the paddock Noah's pace begins to pick up and he breaks into a jog making Majesty trot and me hang on for dear life.

"You okay up there?" Noah calls up to me, running around the paddock in his white shirt and black formal trousers.

"Yeah I'm good," my worry soon diminishes and a smile spreads across my face.

We must have been going around that paddock for at least an hour because the sun had set, Julie calls from the kitchen,

"Its getting late now you two."

And we take that as our queue to come in.

I've never felt so free.