Unbridled Beginnings

Chapter 3: First impressions

My eyelids flutter open. At first everything is a blur, then my vision becomes clear. I realise where I am, and shut them again, wanting to be back in my old bedroom. I hear a soft knocking on the door and convince myself to pull the warm covers off my body. The freezing cold air attacks my uncovered arms and legs, but I still manage to twist open the doorknob.

"We need you downstairs immediately for breakfast," Alison says, surprising me with her sudden rudeness.

"Um ok sure," I reply.

I quickly pull on a fresh pair of baggy jeans and an old farm t-shirt. As I cautiously merge down the creaky wooden steps I can hear Alison and Jack murmuring angrily about something, and I stop and listen for moment.

"I know she's only been here one day, but we have to tell her sooner rather than later," I hear Alison whisper.

"Yes but on the other hand, we shouldn't take away what could mean most to her right now!" Jack says, his voice rising a little over a whisper.

But as I slowly step down, and the stairs continue to create noise, my foster parents suddenly realise that I've been listening.

"Hayley! Hurry up! Immediately means NOW, doesn't it?"Alison says, again being rude.

I quicken my pace as I can tell there is tension in the air, and let my hand slide off the smooth banister. I walk into the kitchen where I am greeted by two deadly stares. I advance towards my seat in the chair that is the furthest away from them. We sit in silence until I make the first move.

"Do you mind if I get some breakfast?" I warily ask the accomplices.

"No thanks, but help yourself," Jack replies, while Alison still stares, her mind seeming to be lost in thoughts.

As I open a white coloured cupboard to get my cereal, Alison leaves the room and shuts her bedroom door behind her. But as soon as Jack realises, he stands up and follows her in.

I quickly finish my meal and put my bowl and spoon into the sink, before putting on my dirty gumboots, and going outside to a small, old sheltered shed where I left some of Sharki's supplies last night. Grabbing a bruised apple, I head over towards the wooden paddock gate where Sharki is waiting.

"Hey boy," I coo, holding the apple with my hand flat just like my Mother had taught me.

My mind starts to swirl with questions about what had just happened. Were Alison and Jack talking about taking Sharki away? Or was it something else? Either way I had to find out, and if it was Sharki, then I definatley need to find a way to protect him before they could harm him.

I rub my sticky hand against my jeans before opening the gate and letting myself inside his paddock. I then run my hand along Sharki's neck, to his back, and finally over around his rump, checking for any damage that he could have got over the night. Luckily there are no wounds or anything that I need to treat, so I walk along the edge of the paddock fence and climb over the rickety railing, walking over to the shed again. Next grabbing a green feed bucket, I mix an unmeasured amount of pellets and chaff into it, and squirt some water in to combine the mixture. I go and place the bucket over the fence where he hungrily chomps it down.

I head inside and squeeze my boots off, again being greeted by cold stares. 

"Uh oh," I think, as Alison gestures me to a chair.

"We have something to talk about Hayley, and I'm not so sure you're going to like it," Jack says seriously.