The New Girl

Chapter Four

The other animals stared at Bella in disbelief. "You're 1,495 years old?" Calypso exclaimed. Bella flicked her tail nonchalantly. "Yes, I suppose so. Technically I am and will always be three years old, but you are correct," she said. Calypso looked embarrassed by her outburst. At that moment, Ella walked into the barn laughing. "Don't worry, Calypso. Most are surprised when they find out Bella's true age. I can't really blame them," she said. When Ella reached Bella's stall, she patted the mare's nose affectionately. "Careful, Epona. You wouldn't want them to find out your true age," Bella teased. The girl rolled her eyes and glared playfully at the horse. "Nice try, Belladonna. Even you don't know how old I am," she said. With that, Ella set about feeding and grooming the mare. When it came to her mane, Ella carefully removed the flowers before brushing every tangle out. Then she meticulously braided the flowers back in, making sure each was secure. As she secured the last flower, Will and Bailey walked into the barn. Spotting her, Will said," Morning, Ella. We're going on a trail ride later today. Care to join us?" Ella smiled at the blonde boy. "Good morning, you two. I would love to come with you. Thanks," she responded. Will blushed as he went to Jimber's stall. Bella shared a look with Jimber. It was clear to the horses that the boy was smitten. The three teens went about their work in silence until the others began to show up. "Hey, guys! We still going on that trail ride later?" Molly greeted. Bailey answered,"Sure are. We're heading out right after practice." Sure enough, once they had finished their lesson, which consisted of learning a new dressage movement, the group set out on their ride. The trail led them through the woods and into a meadow that overlooked the forest. "Sort of reminds me of where we met, doesn't it, Bella?" Ella mused. Belladonna snorted in agreement. "What do you mean, Ella?" Alma asked, confused. Ella smiled at the girl. "Oh, just that I met Bella in a clearing similar to this one. She was born wild, and lived near the Gap of Dunloe, a mountain pass in Ireland. I found her and some others after a group of men attacked her herd. She and the ones I found were the only survivors," she explained carefully, knowing that Belladonna would sometimes get upset at the mention of that night. Thankfully, this didn't seem to be one of those times. Alma gasped in horror, and the others wore equally horrified expressions. "Why would someone do that to them?" Sarah asked, unable to imagine any reason that would justify killing the majority of a herd. "Because they couldn't accept the fact that the horses refused to give up their freedom," Ella snarled. "Because they would have rather destroyed an entire herd of horses than admit defeat." Noticing her mistress's temper rising, Bella turned her head and rubbed her nose against Ella's leg. The girl took a few breaths to calm down and smiled thankfully at the mare. The last thing they needed was for her to get upset and lose control of her powers. Last time that happened, every equine within a hundred miles went berserk. Mindful of the tension in the air, Will suggested heading back to Horseland, to which everyone agreed would be best. For the entire ride back, Will wondered what had happened that made Ella react so strongly to a simple memory. While he could understand her being upset, she had looked like she wanted to kill the men that hurt Bella's herd. And it sounded like this had happened a long time ago, yet the mare couldn't be more than a few years old. And Ella herself looked to only be about 16 or 17. Yet she seemed much wiser and more mature than most adults. Just who was the new girl?