Faith and Freedom

Chapter Twenty

My head hurts. Why does my head hurt? I groaned as I sat up and the light hit my eyes. Alec was asleep on the floor, a small purple blanket over him, and Melody was asleep next to me. The blanket on Alec was Melody's but I'm assuming she gave it to him, along with her pillow which made sense as to why she was using Sephira like a pillow.

A small smile crept across my face as I looked at my little sister, sleeping soundly with my dog. Taking a sip of the water next to me, I grimaced as I heard a loud clang from downstairs. My head throbbed and I didn't remember much from the night before, just bits and pieces from it all. One thing was clear; I had the hangover to end all hangovers. I remember crying and drinking so much I vomited on Hayley's boots. There was another loud clang like someone had dropped a pan and my head throbbed again. I felt like I was about to be sick.

Jumping to my feet, I bolted into the bathroom like my feet were on fire and threw up. Note to self, don't ever drink again. When my stomach was empty, I stood, grabbing my toothbrush to brush away the nasty taste in my mouth. The bitter bite of bile was still on my tongue even after I brushed my teeth. Just as I was walking out of the bathroom, a loud pounding sounded from the other side of my bedroom door. My head pounded along with the knocking of whoever decided to pound on the door at seven in the morning. Grumbling a string of curses I swung open the door. Connor stood there looking worried.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked, the level of irritation in my voice rising with each syllable.

"It's Renegade. He's gone." He said, his voice barely above a whisper.

My anger dissipated and shock took over.

"What?"

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Redemption quivered beneath me in anticipation as I sat impatiently on her back, waiting for Alec to tack up his horse, River. Alec came out just a few minutes later and I quickly spurred Red into a western jog. Her steps were slow and even as we went down the trail I'd been on last night when I'd made myself sick by drinking so much. I had Renegade's halter with me in the hope that we would find him. My heart raced with the thought of losing him and I scoffed at that thought. Why did I care? He was still just a stupid animal that I'd have to leave here anyway. I shouldn't get attached.

I was so lost in thought that I hadn't heard the neigh from far off the trail, leading to the place where Connor and I had our falling out. I turned Red off the main trail and onto the hidden one and nudged her into a gallop. She raced down the trail, Alec and River hot on our trail. We burst through the clearing and I pulled Red up, marveling at the sight before me. Renegade stood in the middle of the clearing in the mid-morning sun and looked in my direction. His ears were forward as he let out a snort, his breath visible in the cold morning air. The question was, how had he managed to get all the way out here? There was no way he had jumped the round pen and he wasn't in his stall the night before so he couldn't have opened the stall door. Plus, he didn't know how to open his stall door. The only logic was that someone Hadn't shut the gate to his round pen but Hayley had triple checked to make sure it was secure.

My head hurt from the hangover and attempting to figure out how my horse had managed to wind up way out here. I slipped off of Red's back and hid his halter behind my back. Taking slow, cautious steps, I watched as he turned toward me, ears still perked towards me. He too took slow steps toward me, meeting me in the middle. I stroked his face and slid the halter on, talking to him in a quiet and gentle voice. He followed me back to red and I tied his lead to the horn of the western saddle on Red's back. He waited patiently for me to climb in the saddle and Alec and I headed back to the ranch with Renegade in tow.

"Hey, Alec?" He looked back at me.

"Yeah?"

"How do you think he ended up clear out here? It doesn't make sense because his round pen was latched shut when I you carried me up to bed last night." I asked, my head still holding a dull ache.

"I don't know. It doesn't make sense."

"Yeah that's what I thought too. And hey, thanks for coming with me to find him. It means a lot." a smile made its way across his face.

"Of course, Shasta. Its what friends do."

We made it back to the barn and an upset looking Melody stood with Domino in his round pen. Confused, I rode over to her and slipped out of the saddle.

"Hey, little bear. What's wrong?"

Her small frame clung to Domino as he stood looking at me.

"Connor is mean." Her voice broke as she choked out her reply through tears.

My anger bubbled over as I helped Alec put Renegade in his round pen and I left Red in the cross ties of the barn. My hair swayed in the slight wind that was there and my steely gaze scanned the property. No Connor. Irritation filled me as I walked in a rather swift manner to the pool, where I found Connor skimming the water to get the bugs and things out.

"What the hell did you do?!" I lashed out at him and he jumped in surprise.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He shrugged.

"What the hell did you do to make my little sister cry? Is it funny to you to make children cry?!" I shoved him backwards.

"I simply stated the facts, she said she missed you parents and I told her to get used to it." Again, he shrugged.

"You asshole! She's a child! You don't think she knows it won't go away? Screw you! Stay the hell away from us!" I shoved him again and he tripped, splashing into the deep end of the pool.

"What the hell!" He shouted as he re-surfaced. "Now I need a new phone!"

"Oh boo-hoo! You can get a new phone, we can't get new parents! You're an ass!"

I stormed away, leaving him in the pool. Jackie, who was watching the whole altercation, sighed and called me over.

"Listen, I'm sorry, but he had no right to say that to my little sister and I refuse to not protect her. She's all I've got so if you're gonna punish me, fine." I rushed, my anger still hot in my veins.

"No, you were right. He is an ass. And I wanted to apologize for his behavior towards you and your sister."

"Thanks, Jackie. I'm sorry for the trouble." I sighed, walking back towards my little sister.

My irritation subsided into numbness as I sauntered over to where Alec was with Melody.

"Hey, what happened over there? We heard a lot of shouting." Alec asked.

"I called him out on his crap and shoved him in the pool." I shrugged.

"You what?" Melody asked

"Shoved him in the pool." I half smiled.

Melody cracked up laughing, her giggles contagious as we sat together.

"No one messes with my little sister and gets away with it."

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My head swam in the usual dark thoughts that clouded my mind at this time of night. My legs moved in sync with Renegade's walk as we went around the arena. I let his body relax mine, all my tension falling away as I let my mind wander through the events of the day I'd had. When I felt relaxed enough to sleep, I slipped off of Renegade's back and walked him to his stall, pulling his bridle over his head to hang on the hook beside his stall. He nudged my shoulder and I gave him a carrot before walking out of the barn and into the house to my room. I'd need sleep if I was gonna have to put up with Connor and his attitude tomorrow.

Word Count: 1429