Rivals

Crazy Summer

This whole summer had been so crazy, Zoe thought as she watched the whole Bright Fields team celebrate their victory at the County Show Competition. It was supposed to be a quiet summer vacation on a remote British island at her grandpas. But things hadn't exactly gone as planned.

On her first day she had nearly been trampled by a giant black horse named Raven. Back then she didn't know, that he would change her life forever. But as she thought back, she was more than grateful for their encounter. Raven had escaped his stall, and jumped the gate, before running to the beach, where Zoe met him. The big horse had immediately stolen her heart. It was weird though, she had never liked horses, or actually no, she had never given them much thought. LA wasn't really the place, where you went horse riding in the weekends.

In just the short month she had been on the island, Raven and her had gotten an incredible bond. It hadn't been easy. Raven was severely damaged mentally, and Zoe's heart broke for him. He had been through so much, and didn't trust anyone at the stables. Except her.

Becky and Jade had helped her the best, they could, but Raven was often a mouthful, and the girls were scared of him. Marcus then had stepped in, having more strength than the girls. But Raven didn't trust him, so Zoe was often on her own.

After discovering things about Ravens past, it had really helped their friendship. Jade had found a picture of Raven as a foal together with a guy called Edward Hawthorne. Jade had told Zoe who Ted was, and that he lived on the Island with his son. Zoe had been nervous at first, but for Ravens sake, she would go and talk with this Ted guy and ask what he knew about Raven.

Luckily Ted was willing to share what he knew. He had found Raven as a foal at the beach, after a storm. Poor little Raven had been stuck inside a crate and been out on open water, upon arriving at the island. Ted had taken him home and looked out for him together with his son Peter, who had named the black colt. The journey had taken its toll on Raven, and he had a hard time adjusting. He was always scared and impulse, not trusting anybody. Zoe almost cried hearing his fate. No wonder he was so wild.

In the end, desperately needing money Ted had to sell Raven, even though he didn't want to. So Mia's dad, Elliot, ended up buying the dark horse for his spoiled daughter.

Zoe was shocked but also happy to learn about Ravens past. Finally she knew why he reacted the way he did, and they could work out the issues... together. What surprised Zoe even more, was when Ted revealed that he actually knew her mother, and that they were friends when they were kids. Zoe learned that her mom had been an equestrian, when she was younger. And not just that, she had even had her own horse named Emerald.

It felt like everything she knew about her mother, had been turned upside down. Her mom was a rider. Or she had been. It all made sense. Maggie had lost Emerald in an accident, which is why she at first forbade Zoe to ride and being near horses. Her mom was scared that she too would get attached to Raven, and it would cause her heartache, just like she had experienced. In a weird way Zoe actually understood her mother. But riding was just too tempting. So she defied her mother's words. Luckily they talked it out and Zoe got permission to hang out at the stables and to ride again.

Everything had worked out so well, but then there was the whole incident with the horse thieves. What a scary experience! Zoe never believed she would be part of something so huge and dangerous. But she had been caught in the web of lies, mysteries and crime.

Luckily she had found some amazing new friends at Bright Fields. Becky andJade were just awesome, or as Becky would say horsesome. They were sweet and funny, and Zoe had quickly become good friends with them.

Mia on the other hand, well that was a different story. The snobby rich girl, who disliked everyone and everything, that didn't have wealth or popularity. Susie, Mia's best friend, didn't even have her own personality. She just followed Mia around, copying everything the tall blonde said and did.

Then there was Marcus, or Hot Marcus as all the girls called him. Seriously the guy should be on Britain's Next Top Model. He was incredibly good looking, but not arrogant in any way, as Zoe had feared. He was kind and good hearted, and he had really helped her a lot. He was an excellent rider, and had given Zoe and Raven tons of lessons. He was also the one who taught them how to jump, which had been a thrilling learning experience. Zoe had to admit that she and Marcus had become quite close, but she didn't know if she wanted more from him. He was just a very good friend, and she didn't want to ruin that.

The whole horse thief incident had been both thrilling and heartbreaking. First Mias horse, Firefly had been stolen, and then Raven. It had crushed Zoe, and she was devastated, but she refused to give up on him. With Jade and Becky's help, they had found out who the horse thieves were, and she had rescued Raven just hours ago. Unfortunately the mastermind behind it all, turned out to be Sam, the owner of Bright Fields stables. Zoe had been so shocked and devastated. She really liked Sam, who had also helped her with Raven. Never in a million years did she believe that Sam could do such a thing. But all the evidence pointed towards her, and in the end she had confessed. Finally the nightmare was over, and the horses were safe again.

So here they were. Sam and the other thieves had just been picked up by the police, and Bright Fields had been declared the winner of the County Show Competition. Zoe was disappointed that she didn't get to ride, but Raven was much more important than any show, and Mia had taken her place, securing a first place for the team.

Smiling she caressed Ravens muzzle, and looked at him. "The most important thing is that you're home boy", she told him, and the black horse threw his head in the air and neighed. She laughed at him, and her heart melted, as he searched her pocket for mints. He was all she needed.

Becky and Jade came running out of the arena with the golden trophy. "We won Zoe, isn't it amazing", they almost screamed, and she couldn't help but grin. "Yes and you all deserved it", she told them and gave both the girls a hug.

"Finally we crushed Holloway. Now we just have to do it again at Nationals", Becky muttered nervously biting her lip. Jade looked at her, her smile fading. "Yeah that has never happened", she mumbled, and Zoe looked back and forth between them."Um why the long faces guys? You have just won. Why can't you do it again at Nationals?" she asked not understanding why they were so disencouraged.

"Holloway has several riders. This wasn't their first team", Becky told her,and she nodded slowly, everything falling into place. "Oh, so they didn't send their best team today?" she asked and both of the other girls nodded. Zoe scoffed, "You can take them down anyway", she told them, trying to boost their egos. "There isn't a rider at Holloway, who can mess with Team Bright Fields", she cheered and finally made the other girls smile.

Everything happened so fast, that Zoe didn't manage to react. A bunch of balloons had broken loose from one of the stands, and it flew centimeters past Raven, who reared in shock. Zoe tried to keep a hold of the reins, but as the black gelding panicked, she was thrown through the air, landing on her back, all of the air knocked out of her.

Her head was spinning, and she thanked herself for keeping on her helmet. The sun was flickering above her and all the noises were muffled. A shadow crouched down beside her, taking a gentle hold of her arm. "Are you okay?" a voice asked, and her brows furrowed in pain. "I think so", she murmured trying to sit up, but a hand held her down. "Keep still, you took a nasty fall". Finally the world stopped spiraling out of control, and she put a hand in front of the sun, shadowing her face. A pair of unfamiliar blue eyes were looking down at her, and she noticed a guy sitting next to her.