Caught in the Moonlight

Chapter Seven

  I lounged out in the clean, fresh hay, the scents whirling around in my nostrils and making me dizzy. Alex was lying next to me and Kylie sat making a crown out of daisies in Moonlight's stall. It was sunset- we'd been in here all day. Alex told me about his race against time to get me back to his house; apparently, when I fell, I had smacked my head against the side of the truck and got a pretty terrible concussion. With the help of Advil I made it through the day with just a remote pain in the back of my head. Josh had gone back inside and Alex was not happy with him- at all. Moonlight was okay, getting healthier, and happy in her new home. Apparently, she'd befriended a dusty gray colt named Coal who was in the stall next to her. I played with Coal for a little while- he was a hyper little fellow and I enjoyed my time with him. The first three horses I'd seen had belonged to the family. The chestnut bay was called Rusty, he was fourteen but still strong and stamatic as ever. The gray and white mare was Silvia, Alex's mom's twelve year old horse and Rusty's half-sister. They were sired by the same stallion. The palomino was Kylie's mare, Emma, and she was seven- Kylie got her when she was three and the two grew up together. They've been best friends for life, but Kylie told me her friend Jasmine had horses too and Jasmine was her other best friend. Kylie's in fourth grade.

  I also learned that Alex's mom not only ran the horse reserve but was also a part-time lawyer for the Family Court, meaning she was called in when necessary and at no other point in time. She mostly dealt with which parent got custody in a divorce and helped comfort the children- she was good with kids, as well as people over all. Alex's dad, on the other hand, worked two jobs- he was a doctor from six in the morning till noon, and then a professor at the college from one to seven. I glanced at my watch- it was half past five now. When I rested my arm back down in hay, Alex reached over and held my hand. I couldn't help a small smile raise the corners of my mouth. "It's so nice out here," I thought aloud, startling Moonlight as my voice interrupted the silence, which had been complete except for the shuffling of horse hooves on wood and hay and the occasional lapping of water or whinny. Moonlight stood up from where she'd been lying next to Kylie and wondered out into her pasture. She went up to the fence and started whinnying at Coal. Coal whinnied back, and I laughed, sitting up without letting go of Alex's hand. 

   "It is nice. When we were younger, Kylie and I came out here every day just to pet Silvia and, when she came along, Emma. We fed them apples and carrots and brushed their coats. One day, when we were old enough, Mom finally let us ride them alone. We went up along this trail in the woods and almost got lost," Alex laughed a little and Kylie picked up after where he trailed off. "We found this old shed and when we looked in there we saw all these axes and chainsaws and stuff and there was a stack of wood outside with a piece of paper on it. Alex was ten and he read the paper and jumped up on his horse and told me we had to go. What did the paper say, Alex?" Kylie asked, looking at her brother. "Nothing, Kylie," Alex muttered. Kylie sighed and got back to her flower-braiding. "He never tells me anything. I didn't even know about Moonlight until he got back with you at two," Kylie complained. I smiled at her. "Some things are best left unknown," I cautioned, remembering the last thing Josh shouted before I passed out last night. I wondered if it had been true. 

   "Some things can really mess you up, Kylie. Don't just go snooping around. Curiosity isn't always good. Also, if you know a secret, don't tell anyone," Alex glanced at me, and know he was thinking the same thing as I was. I'd called Mimaw earlier and told her what happened but I left out the part where I fainted, as well as why. "Hey, kids! It's time to eat!" Aunt V's voice was carried down to us from the house. I stood up, dusting off my now-faded and dusty black jeans and jacket. Alex groaped my left hand and Kylie firmly held on to my right as they led me back to the house. Moonlight was busy neighing with Coal and prancing up and down the fence to even notice our exit. As we walked out, Emma leaned down and licked Kylie's cheek and Rusty pointedly turned his back as we went to walk out. We got inside and washed our hands before walking through the huge, expansive kitchen into the extremely nice dining room, furnished in cedar with a large family picture hanging over the chair at the end of the table. Kylie and her mom sat next to each other and, guessing the seat at the end of the table was reserved for their father, I sat next to Alex.