Chapter 1
The moonlight shimmered white across the dark blue lake. Soft waves lapped at the pure, light sand. A content sigh escaped from my lungs, the scene leaving me speechless. After a long day at work on a cold December day, this was the perfect way to unwind. I tilted my head back, soaking in the beauty of the vast, deep indigo sky filled with billions of bright, twinkling stars.
I was sitting in the perfect seat. Atop my horse’s back. A rare colored, almost pure white light gray thoroughbred mare, Luna was my heart and soul. My best friend. She had only her halter on, and I my jeans and a sweatshirt. My long, pin straight blond hair was cascading down my back and around my shoulders that resembled a messy waterfall.
I heard my twin sister—fraternal, mind you— gallop up on her horse, a flighty, tall ex-racehorse that she’d of course trained improperly. My eyes closed and I groaned before she could hear me. To say the least, my sister was a pain in the ass. We were always best friends until about middle school- she blended with the popular kids, while I stayed true to my loving friends.
“Hey nerd,” my sister snickered, her horse huffing, catching his breath.
“Nicole, what do you want? It’s after midnight, shouldn’t you be sneaking out to a party by now?” She looked surprised at my sudden retort. She had it coming; I’d nearly had it up to my shoulders with all her rudeness and teasing.
“It’s Wednesday night, idiot. You should know that I usually go out on Friday nights, Rachel.” Nicole rolled her eyes and kicked her horse into the lake.
“How’d you know I was here?”
“You always come here. I was bored, so I decided to keep you company. Aren’t I a great sister?” Yeah. Real great. Thanks.
I didn’t respond after that. Luna voluntarily waded into the lake up to her knees, letting out a long breath and shutting her own eyes. I didn’t even notice that my sister had left; I was exceptionally good at tuning people out.
I was grateful when I was alone again. Life at home was extremely hectic. Between my twin and I, my parents, and my 3 younger siblings, I barely got any time alone. My younger siblings were six, nine and twelve. We were all 3 years apart- making Nicole and I fifteen. Our parents were already retired—they made it big many years ago in real estate, making them multi-millionaires over a few years. We lived in a 10,000 square foot Tuscan style masterpiece mansion on a vineyard with a 12-horse barn and a nearby lake, surrounded by hundreds of acres of trails.
I’d always liked growing up without having to worry how I would pay for school or anything else I ever needed. I didn’t like having people trying to befriend me for my family’s money. I wouldn’t have minded growing up middle class, and I got wrongly thought of as snobby because of my sister. I wasn’t like her at all. What she wanted was short term; popularity. What I wanted was long term and more fulfilling; happiness and success.
Luna whipping her head up made me snap back into reality. She took a guarding stance, her ears forward, looking towards the redwoods on the other side of the lake.
"What is it, Luna?" I whispered, trying to find what on Earth she was so interested with. That was when I saw him.
Chapter 2
He was caked in mud and brush, with burrs in his mane and tail. I could barely even see him in the dim light. Luckily, it was a full moon and I could barely make out his features. His ribs were more than prominent, sticking out to the point where I was extremely concerned for his health. The only way I could get to him would be to circle around through the redwood forest and try and track him.
