Free Rein P.H

*33*

I quickly mounted Joey and started racing down the path towards the beach, knowing Pin wouldn't be too far behind.
As I neared the sand dunes I expected to hear either elated cheers or dejected pleadings from Zoe. Yet there was nothing. The only sound was the roaring of the waves as they crashed against the shore.
"Zoe?" I called. "Zoe!" My cries became more frantic. I was the only person who knew where she was but now she wasn't here no one had any clue. How could she be so reckless? What if she got hurt somewhere?
My mind flickered to a dark forest, rainfall and hooves echoing in my ears.
"No..." I whispered, my grip on Joey's reins loosening as the blood pounded in my ears. I didn't want to remember. My leg started aching, a reminder of that night and soon the grey sky above me darkened into a sea as black as night. I wasn't aware of the faint bickering of two people on the beach behind me.

*.         *.          *. 

"They were here."
"Well what do you want? Some kind of medal or something?" Marcus bickered with Pin.
Both boys had dismounted and were peering at the hoof tracks left behind by Raven.
"This isn't a competition." He replied. "We both want the same thing. To find the girls. Where would they have gone next?" Pin pondered.
"You tell me, you're the expert." Marcus rolled his eyes.
"There are worse things than getting kicked out of the academy, you know." Pin sighed, turning to Marcus.
"Well done, you figured out my big secret." Marcus scoffed, consoling his horse who was fretting in the cold sea breeze.
"Except I wasn't thrown out. I quit."
Pin stalled.
"Why...?"
"I didn't make the first team, barely made the second. They called me... Island boy." Marcus has a rueful smile on his lips and Pin chuckled, ducking his head as the rain got heavier.
"Maybe we're more alike than you think."
"Maybe." Marcus agreed. "We both made Zoe run away."
"It wasn't just about us." Pin contradicted, mind returning to Phoebe's earlier rage. "This is about Raven too."
With that the two boys continued on their way down the beach.

*. *. *.

"Riding for Holloway, Callum Elphick."
The lady announced over the tannoy. Marcus and Pin had regretfully returned to the friendlies after not finding Zoe. At least the two boys would be able to ride for their own teams.

Susie and Jade were sitting at one of the small garden tables, watching the display when a rather stern looking lady appeared next to them.
"I've been waiting over an hour for this display. Will someone tell me where my horse is?"
"Yes of course. Zoe's umm..."
"Warming him up!"
"Rubbing him down!"
The two girls winced.
"I'm leaving." She sighed.
Gaby was observing the group with a raised eyebrow when Alex walked over to take a seat next to her, having ridden just before Callum.
"Where's Phoebe?" He asked.
Gaby looked up to him, opening her mouth to speak before scanning the area.
"She should be here. She went to find Zoe only a couple of minutes ahead of Marcus and Pin." The worry was starting to show on her face.
"She'll be with Zoe."
Alex turned to face the boy beside him. Pin pulled out a chair and sat next to Alex. They were more or less the same height so he straightened his shoulders and stared him in the eye. Gaby watched the stand off with an unimpressed glare.
"Well she needs to be here."
Suddenly Jade's voice carried across the field.
"She's here! Meredith, Zoe's here!"
The stern lady stopped in her tracks and turned, crossing her arms as Zoe and Raven headed straight for the jumps.
Zoe was Bright Fields best rider and it showed. Gaby and Callum both leant forwards in their seats. The same look of dread shone in both their eyes.
"If only she hadn't broken her leg Phoebe would be the best rider hands down." Gaby muttered.
"It wasn't exactly her fault." Alex countered. "Speaking of, where is she? I thought you said she'd be with Zoe."
He turned to Pin accusingly. By this point everyone was cheering proudly for Zoe and Raven who had cleared all the jumps pretty much perfectly.
"I'll ask Zoe." Pin said and Alex chuckled, shaking his head.
"You've got a problem?"
"Stop pretending like you care about Phoebe when you clearly don't."
"Who says I don't." Pin countered.
"If you did you wouldn't have hurt her as much as you have done. I wouldn't have comforted her as many times as I have."
"We'll both go and ask then." Pin gritted his teeth as the other boy stood, marching across the yard. Gaby started chewing her lip worriedly.

*. *. *.

Alex ran into Marcus as he approached Raven's stable. He managed to swerve to the left at the last second.
"Sorry." He called and Marcus shook his head before continuing across the stables.
"Zoe."
She looked up expectantly. Her eyes widened as she saw the two Holloway boys.
"Is everything okay?" She asked, still petting Raven.
"Not really. Phoebe's missing." Alex responded.
"What?"
"She went to the beach to look for you." Pin explained. "But when Marcus and I got there she wasn't there."
"But she didn't find me. And I came back the way I went so I would have met her on the path." Zoe fretted worriedly. Suddenly her jaw clenched. "We have to find her. Let's start at the beach."

*. *. *.

Three horses were racing down the forest track to the beach. Zoe in front followed closely by Alex and Pin.
"She can't have gone too far!" She cried over her shoulder, the wind was picking up and the tide was starting to come in on the beach.
"She might have hurt herself." Alex called back.
"Then we need to find her before the tide comes in. I would have seen her on the path to the hills so she's definitely on the beach somewhere."
Zoe dismounted Raven quickly, walking him alongside her as she started calling for her best friend.
"Phoebe?"
"Phoebe!"
"Where are you?"
Both Pin and Alex joined in.
The beach was a vast expanse of sand except the one rising disruption of the broken pier. It was right on the shore line, the place where the tide was already lapping at.
"Over here!" Alex cried, sprinting across the beach to said pier.
Curled up around one of the beams, laying on her back was Phoebe. The sea water was lapping at her head; Her hair was already soaking as it floated around her head like seaweed.
"Oh Phoebe." Zoe gasped, falling to her knees beside her. Alex had already lifted her shoulders and was checking her breathing.
"She's ok, just unconscious."
Pin stood behind the two, eyes wide.
Suddenly the girl in Alex's arms started shrieking, thrashing her arms around.
Her screams were piercing and filled with anguish.
"No please! Stop I'm sorry! Please!" They were halfway between screams and sobs and her whole body started shaking violently as Zoe grabbed her arms to stop her hitting her or Alex again. Alex had already sustained a nasty scratch on his cheek.
"Move." Pin had knelt on the sand beside Alex.
"What? No!" Alex protested.
"Give her to me. Just let me do this. Trust me." He aimed these words at Zoe who looked at him with a frown. However she couldn't find herself saying no.
"Help her."
Alex reluctantly transferred the girl into Pin's arms and he rested her back on his knees, wrapping his arm around her so that he was slightly hovering over her and she couldn't move her arms.
"Hey Phoebe. It's me. It's okay. He's not going to hurt you. No one's going to hurt you. You're safe now. I promise." His voice was soothing and gentle, Zoe had taken initiative and started stroking the frown on the girls forehead, whispering softly to her too.
Eventually the screaming stopped and she fell limply asleep in Pin's arms.
"We have to take her home. She might have hurt her leg if she fell off Joey. Where is Joey?" Zoe asked.
"He must have run off." Pin explained.
"I'll go find her horse. You get her home safely." Alex glared at Pin.
As much as he disliked him he had managed to calm down Phoebe. However that made him resent him even more.
Pin nodded and motioned for Zoe to follow him. For once the two didn't share any secretive glances, they were both too focused on helping the poor girl cradled in Pin's arms.