Opposites Attract

Chapter One

My eyes slowly open as I feel the warm sunlight brush against my cheeks. I lift my arms and stretch just as I find myself doing most mornings. I've always loved living here, it is beautiful just about any time of the day, but mornings have proven themselves to be the most stunning in my eyes. Living on a ranch to most people may not be the most desirable, but this place is just home. With my mother and father, and my brother, although he is stationed overseas, I wouldn't want to have any other family.

I grab my boots from the corner of my white walled room and slide them onto my feet, making my way down the long hallway, I exit the house and follow the path that leads directly to the familiar stables that I've grown up with. Greeted by Grace and Spirit's loud neighing, I cannot help but smile as I chuck two flakes of hay and grin as I grab two apples from the tree line and slip them into their separate buckets.

"Well good morning to you too!" I say, as I watch them both devoir the apples. Soon after, I find the brushes that are laid out on the wooden bench and I begin the slow process of brushing them both out.

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After I finish, I stand to my feet and make my way back to the house. I smell the air as I walk through the damp grass that is almost always frosted over this early in the morning. I stare at the big, blue and white house as I make my way to the dark blue front door, I sometimes feel myself becoming surprised when I remember how lucky I really am.

As I enter the house, I notice that the doors are still shut tightly. My mom must still be fast asleep in there, it would be nice to make her some breakfast, for all the times she's woken up this early to make me some.

I grab the mix from the cupboard and start to get to work, humming tunes aloud as I mix everything together.

"Hey Max." I greet him over the phone as I place the ready pancakes on a plate.

"Hey Ashley." He happily mimics my good mood, I smirk as I sit at the table.

"You're still driving me to school, right?" I ask him. Max is one of my best friends, but he does have a tendency of dipping out of situations and plans.

"Yes, I will be there in like half an hour..." My eyes get wide as I realise I haven't even begun to get ready. After we hang up, I run into my mother's room, and as I scan the room, she was sleeping, just as I had expected. My father works a lot, and is gone most of the time, and his job is challenging to explain. He assists people who are in danger, who have gotten themselves too deep in problems to escape, and then he along with his team relocates them to a place where no one could ever dream of finding. I've always admired my father for his selflessness, but I couldn't work in that type of environment, I would never be cut out for that job.

"Mom, I made you some pancakes this morning! They are sitting on the kitchen table, I would let you sleep some more, but I wouldn't want them to get cold." I watch as my mother stirs in bed and peaks her head out from under the covers.

"Thank you sweetheart..." She says low, with a warm soft morning voice. I leave her room and go straight to the bathroom where I begin to make myself look presentable for school. I look at my long, dark brown hair, and brush it out with the pink and white brush that I got for my birthday a few years back. Hearing a horn outside, I skip the makeup process and just push two diamond studs into my ears, hoping that it would allow me to look a bit more girly than what I normally do. I rush into my room next and grab the clothes I laid out the night before, and get changed.

As I leave the house and walk down the stairs, and see Max behind the wheel of his red ford truck, something that I have always been jealous of. As I walk towards the huge dirt entryway, I send a wave with a smile in his direction, and I watch as he holds up his hand and points to his wrist, I only shake my head, in hopes that we would get the message that he should relax.