Borderlines

Chapter Ten

Fawn opened her eyes to sunlight streaming in her room. She heard footsteps on the floor and noticed Violet cleaning her room. Violet froze when she saw Fawn stirring.
"Did I wake you?" She asked, concerned. Fawn sat up and shook her head.
"No, I needed to wake up anyways." Violet nodded and continued dusting off Fawn's desk. Fawn pulled back her covers and set her feet on the carpet. She rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up.
"What's on the agenda today Violet?" She asked, standing up and walking toward the balcony. The sun stood out against the cloudless sky.
"Today Clay has a ball planned for you and the other Overseers, something to lift your spirits." Fawn nodded, it was a good idea. Then she sighed.
"Does this mean I have to wear a gown?" Violet smiled.
"Yes ma'am." Fawn growled.
"Curse you Clay." She muttered before turning to Violet.
"Can you get me some breakfast and prepare my riding clothes, then send someone to get a horse ready?" Fawn asked her servant. Violet nodded, quickly picked up her duster and bustling down the hallway.

~

Fawn ate her food quickly, wanting to get in a good ride before it got too hot outside. She was running down the steps when she saw Willow in one of the side rooms downstairs. Fawn could see the tired look on her face. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. Stepping slowly, Fawn made her way over to her.
"Willow?" Willow jumped, spinning around with wide-eyes that softened when she saw Fawn.
"Oh Fawn!" She exclaimed and rushed forward, hugging Fawn. Fawn hugged her friend back. She pulled away.
"Willow, I'm not going to lie. You look awful." Willow sighed and her shoulders sank.
"I haven't slept in days." Willow confessed.
"Everytime I close my eyes...I was right there. Trent fell right into my lap and blood went everywhere. He didn't make a sound, he just stared at me with wide eyes." Willow swallowed with a cringe. Fawn's heart ached for her friend.
"I'm sorry Willow." Fawn said quietly. Willow grabbed her arm.
"Fawn, they shot him on purpose." She whispered. Fawn looked at her in confusion. Willow looked around to see if anyone else was listening before pulling Fawn close to her.
"Trent knew something, something about a rebellion." Willow whispered. Fawn's eyes grew wide. A rebellion?
"He said something bad was going on in Alaska, but he didn't know what. He told me that right before the parade, now look what happened to him." Fawn frowned, it did sound suspicious, but they couldn't be sure. Willow let go of her as a guard walked by.
"Now go ride before the grooms get tired of holding your horse for you." She said it loud enough for the guard to hear. Fawn cast her friend a somber look before walking away. Willow was scared, Fawn could see it in her eyes. Shaking her head, Fawn walked to the barn quickly. As if she didn't have enough problems, now she had another one. A groom waited with a saddled horse outside the stables. It was a buckskin by the name of Comet. Fawn took the horse from the groom, getting on Comet without the help of someone else. She kicked him forward towards a giant pen. It had barrels and other contesting things in it. Fawn rode Comet around the pen at a slow trot, getting his muscles warmed up. She inhaled the smell around him. Horse musk had always smelled pleasant to her for some reason. After he had worked up a bit of sweat, she faced him towards the barrels and kicked him forward. Comet shot forward and Fawn was surprised by his momentum. She took him to the left running him around the first barrel, before taking him to the second one. She almost lost her balance when he bumped into the barrel, but didn't knock it over. Fawn leaned forward, urging Comet to go faster as they raced toward the third barrel. They rounded it smoothly and Fawn dug her heels into Comet's side, urging him home. Wind grabbed her hair as they flew between the two first barrels and across the invisible line. Fawn pulled on the reins slowly bringing Comet to a stop. She threw her head back and laughed, a genuine happy laugh. Her laugh was brought to a halt though when she heard someone chuckle. Fawn turned Comet towards the gate quickly and glared at Travis. He was on a black mare, watching from the gate with a small smile. There were three long scratches along his left cheek where Fawn had swung at him. Of course Fawn didn't feel the least bit guilty about any of them, he deserved them.
"Travis I don't-"
"Wanna see me? Don't want to talk to me? I figured, that's why I came here." Fawn glared at him from atop of Comet.
"I'm surprised you haven't filed a restraining order against me." Travis gave a small shrug touching his left cheek gingerly.
"I figured I kind of deserved these." Fawn nodded. Travis opened up the gate and began to bring his horse in. Fawn backed Comet up. Travis sighed and stopped his horse.
"Did they not tell you what happened?" He huffed. Fawn looked at him questioningly.
"Tell me what?" She asked. Travis messed with his horse's saddle.
"They caught the shooters, they wouldn't confess who sent them, but they made it clear they weren't sent by Section 8's orders. Section 8 sent the protesters with the tomatoes, but not the shooters." Fawn felt a shiver pass through her. So the shooters weren't from 8? Where could they be from then? Fawn glanced at Travis, suddenly feeling awful for the marks she had put on his face.
"No, they didn't tell me." She said quietly.
"I'm sorry, if I would have known I wouldn't have-" Travis shook his head.
"Fawn I already told you, nothing to be sorry about. Okay?" There was a long silence between them as Travis looked at Fawn, his green eyes didn't seem to give away much emotion. He smiled at her.
"What?" Fawn asked, irritated at his attentions. She would not be another girl tossed under Travis's sweet spell.
"Why don't we go for a ride in the woods. Just you and I." Fawn straightened stiffly.
"Why would I want to do that?" She asked skeptically. "For all I know there could be an ambush waiting for me in those woods." Travis chuckled and directed his horse to walk up beside Fawn's. He pulled his horse beside Fawn's, each horse faced an opposite direction so that Fawn and Travis were looking each other in the eye. Fawn locked her gaze against Travis's, refusing to play whatever game he was trying to drag her into.
"I don't if you've noticed Fawn, but I'm not the type to kill innocent people." Fawn lifted her head.
"And who do you deem innocent then?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Different people, but you...you're something else." Fawn looked at Travis closely.
"I stand with the East." Travis didn't respond at first, but he finally did, very slowly.
"At first I thought you were like every Easterner that's been raised. Stuck up, a liar, a coward." Fawn glared at him as he rattled of the names.
"But during the parade when you stumbled out of your vehicle I saw it. At the funeral I saw it. You were upset, you were angry. You blamed the West at first, but then it seemed like it slowly came to you. You weren't just upset with the West, you were upset with the crown. You wonder what could drive people to these extremes, you wonder how. You know there is something wrong Fawn." Fawn looked down at her horse. She could not meet Travis's eye as the truth bore down on her. He was right and Fawn couldn't believed he had figured her out. The reason she had stayed in her room for days, the reason she had hid her face away from everyone at the funeral. She was angry. Fawn looked up at Travis whose green eyes were trained on her.
"I'm so confused." She said, the statement barely above a whisper. Not wanting Travis to see her vulnerableness, she walked Comet out of the corral.
"If you want to go for a ride in the woods, it's best to do it now!" Fawn shouted back to Travis. She heard the sound of hoofbeats as Travis rode after her. He pulled up beside her,
"Does this count as a date?" He asked. Fawn laughed.
"In your dreams." Fawn smirked and urged Comet into a trot. Travis's horse trotted beside hers as they entered the wooded trail. Shadows fleeted onto the trail while tree branches drifted in the light breeze. Fawn took a deep breath of the fresh air, forgetting that Travis was with her altogether. They didn't talk at all until they reached a pond that was by the trail. Lilies lined the pond at one end and a small fountain was in the middle,
"If only the whole world was as peaceful as this." Travis remarked. Fawn looked over at him. He was looking all around him, the sun shining off his brown, red hair. If Fawn had ever seen Travis relaxed it was definitely now. Fawn wasn't sure whether she liked Travis or not, but right now he didn't seem like such a bad person. Fawn's attention was brought back to Comet because the horse began side-stepping.
"Comet.." Fawn warned quietly. She looked around seeing, if there was anything to upset the horse, but she didn't see anything.
"Everything okay?" Travis asked stopping his horse and looking back at Fawn.
"I'm not sure, Comet is-" Fawn's answer was broke off when Comet reared and sent her tumbling off his back. Fawn's teeth clenched as she hit the ground back first, the air taken from her lungs.
"Fawn?!" Travis said loudly. Fawn tried to answer him, but she couldn't speak. Scrambling,Travis came over to her. He kneeled close to her.
"Fawn, are you okay?" He asked. Fawn coughed when air finally surged back into her lungs.
"Dumb," She coughed again, "horse." She saw Travis smirk as he slowly helped her off of the ground. Fawn cringed, her back ached.
"Where did he go?" Fawn asked, looking around the clearing.
"He took off, probably headed back to the stables." Travis said. Fawn dusted off her backside.
"That's just great." She grumbled. She glared at Travis who was laughing.
"What's so funny?" She demanded.
"You." Travis gave a grin back to her. Fawn shook just her head and yanked her arm out of his. Even though her body protested, she began walking towards the woods.
"Fawn, where are you going?" Travis asked, following her.
"I'm going back to the palace." Fawn said determinedly.
"Not like that you're not." Travis said, stepping in front of her. Fawn glared up at him stubbornly.
"Yes, I am," She tried to walked around him, but he yanked her back with a hand around her waist. Fawn smacked Travis's arm as he dragged her back towards his waiting horse.
"Let me go!" Fawn growled, hitting his arm her fists. The effort was futile though, Travis was much stronger than her. He let go of her as he stopped beside his horse.
"I'm not going to let you walk back on foot, while I ride a horse. Remember? I'm a gentleman. " Fawn crossed her arms, facing him.
"I refuse to be forced to ride-" Travis rolled his eyes.
"Just shut up and get on." He said bluntly. Fawn felt her anger boil up inside, but she knew Travis wasn't going to let her go.
"You, you..." She searched for words while she swung up onto Travis's horse. She could hear Travis laughing as he swing up behind her. Fawn was about to click the horse forward when Travis took the reins out of her hands, and she gasped in surprise when his body pressed against the back of hers.
"I hope this isn't too close." Travis said, his voice in her ears. Fawn tried to scoot away, but there wasn't much room on the saddle.
"It is." She seethed in irritation. Travis clicked the horse forward at a steady canter and wrapped a hand around Fawn's midsection.
"Relax Fawn." He leaned close to her ear.
"Most girls find this...invigorating." He whispered in a low and sweet tone. Fawn stifled another gasp as he tightened his grip, steadying her on the saddle while the horse continued it's fast pace. She didn't like this, it made her feel uncomfortable, too warm. She could feel the heat from Travis's body and she was practically molded into his chest.
"Are you blushing?" Travis asked. One of Fawn's hands involuntarily flew to her cheek, but she took it down quickly.
"N-no" She stuttered, her cheeks growing an even darker shade of red. Travis chuckled, a shaking laugh that gave Fawn the chills as she felt his chest rise and fall. Fawn kicked the horse, surprising Travis. His horse began a choppy gallop.
The quicker we get to the stables the better.. Fawn thought, a hand touching her cheek.