The next morning, she stood waiting at the bus stop in the freezing cold. The sun hadn’t even risen yet, and she had to stand around waiting for a trip she didn’t care to take. A puff of steam rose from her nostrils as her muscles tightened from the chilly air. It felt oddly comforting, like opening a fridge in the middle of a heat wave. As much as she complained about getting up this early, she felt she could get used to the quietness of her street at dawn.
The massive bus arrived at last, and she clamored in to find a seat. She had to squeeze past a group of gum-chewing pony fillies to tuck into the back. It smelled faintly of sun-faded carpet and motor oil. She stared out the window to distract herself. The unfamiliar sight of West Norfolk was interesting, at the very least. There were a few ritzy neighborhoods sprinkled here and there like her own, but there were also plenty of hillbilly shacks and a couple of trailers. The bus screeched to a halt to let on a group of young draft horses, and just behind them she noticed him.
He was tall, dappled, and relatively fit, with a face carved by Epona herself. He had tiny ears that made him look quite endearing. To her surprise, he strode into the back of the bus and sat down right next to her.
“That’s usually my seat,” he said, pointing to her.
She started to gather her belongings. “Oh, sorry, I-”
“No, no, I don’t mind. You must be new. I’ve never seen you before.”
His eyes were like black night skies filled with little constellations. She felt herself getting stupider by the minute as she studied him closer. His sweater had the Rosewood emblem on it-a preppy school. She had no chance with this stallion if he figured out what she’d done. His own mother probably still tucked him in and kissed him good night. She glanced out the window again to watch the sunrise. Shortly, her musing was interrupted by the stallion rummaging through his bag next to her. He was visibly worried, obviously looking for something he must have forgotten.
“You okay?” Laci asked.
“Yea, I just can’t find my braiding bands. I’m supposed to have my hair up for the park walk I’m on today,” he explained.
“I’ve got some you could borrow.” She pulled the case out of her bag.
“You don’t need them?” He looked surprised.
“I definitely do-I have something important to do too. But you can borrow half,” she fibbed. Of course, she didn’t need to braid her hair for a training session at that falling-down school, but this horse didn’t need to know that.
“Thank you so much. You just saved my hide. I’m Marshall, by the way.” He took the braiding bands from her and shoved them in his backpack.
“Laci. It’s no trouble.” She smiled at him, and immediately wished she hadn’t. What was wrong with her? The whole situation was hopeless.
He smiled back politely. “I hope I’ll see you tomorrow morning!” he chirped. The bus slid to a stop, and he bounced off the bus to Rosewood, cheery as a newborn foal. Laci felt sick. He truly had no idea.
Laci’s stop was the last one of the route, and the horses that got off with her were what she expected them to be: ratty ponies and muddy cobs with the personalities of green colts. They shoved each other crudely and called each other foul names as they walked toward the school in no particular hurry. She ducked around them, remembering her mother’s advice. Knock it out of the park today, so she didn’t have to come back tomorrow. When she walked in the front door, she was overwhelmed by the commotion in the hall. The corridors were hot and narrow, everyone was crammed shoulder-to-shoulder loitering rather than going to training, and she had no sense of direction in the maze of a building. She walked up to a group of cobs trading paper bags to ask for help.
“Do you know where I can find the main office? It’s my first day.”
The bay mare rolled her eyes and pointed to the left. “First door. Can’t miss it.”
She turned back to her friends and opened one of their bags. “You think I’m making it through the week with this?” She swung her head in dominance.
Laci hurried off before things got any more western.
It felt like an eternity passed before someone came to answer the office door when Laci knocked. A palomino stock horse came to greet her, wearing a pair of oversized pink glasses that took up her whole face.
“Sorry for the wait, duckie! What can I do for you?” she asked brightly.
“I just came to pick up my schedule. I’m Laci, the new transfer student,” she explained. “Also, I’m pretty sure those cobs in the hall are trading something illegal. Just a guess.”
The little golden mare didn’t even look up from her paperwork. “The bay mare? I’m sure she is. She gets suspended all the time. I’d stay out of her way.” She gave Laci a handwritten note for a schedule. “Sorry I couldn’t print you something formal, sweet pea. Computer system’s down. Let me know if you have any trouble finding your class!” She smiled so wide Laci could tell she needed a float that she could never quite afford.
Laci was at least five minutes late to Principles of Dressage, but so was the other half of the class. Her ears drooped as she silently sunk into one of the seats in the middle, trying not to be noticed by the other students. The teacher, a hulking black stallion with a permanently unamused expression, didn’t even take attendance before starting.
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He drew a simple diagram on the board that Laci recognized as an extended trot. “We’re going to start where we left off, with the basics of extension. It is not just trotting faster-I’m looking at you, Finn. Anyone want to define it for me?”
The class was absolutely silent. A red Thoroughbred who Laci assumed must be Finn looked embarrassed. She let a moment pass before raising a cautious hoof.
“Yes, you, bay pinto in the back?”
Nervously, she sat up in her chair. “It’s lengthening the frame by reaching under with your hind legs and stretching out your front legs in a longer stride.” She realized she forgot to breathe while explaining, and let out a little gasp.
“Well, someone really knows their dressage. That’s exactly right,” the teacher said proudly.
The entire class was staring at her. Laci shrunk back into her seat, wanting to disappear altogether. She resolved to not answer any more questions for the rest of the day.
After a long day of sitting silently in the back of various white-walled classrooms, Laci was almost relieved to be awaiting her next ride. She joined the line in the ring where the other students stood waiting, looking quite sporty and out of place in her custom saddle and sleek black headstall. The pony next to her had on a secondhand roping saddle that looked like it had never tasted oil. It was certainly not the setting she was used to-the grassy outdoor ring was far removed from the manicured footing at her old school. The first trainer entered and pulled a spotted horse out of the line, to the amusement of the other horses in the ring.
The roping pony leaned over to Finn and whispered, “My money’s on Juniper. I taught her the Dirty Pony Special yesterday.”
Finn looked alarmed. Laci shifted backwards slightly, observing the scene. The spotted mare seemed docile at first, gladly stepping up to the mounting block and standing patiently. But as soon as her rider reached the top of the block, she sidestepped away intentionally. The rabbit tapped her with his crop to correct her position, then swung a leg over. Immediately, she trotted off and pinned her ears in irritation. The pulls on the rein were useless as Juniper ducked her head and crow-hopped repeatedly, sending her rider to the dirt. The other horses whinnied and tossed their heads in support, and she confidently strode away, satisfied with her work. Her trainer brushed the dirt off his breeches and stormed after her, waving his stick in annoyance.
A callous-looking Rex rabbit sporting a red show coat swaggered in, cueing a ring-wide hush. Even Juniper stood politely for her rider to catch her. The only thing Laci could hear for the next few moments was the shuffling of feet into proper square halts. Every horse he glanced at avoided eye contact, hoping they weren’t the one. He kept walking until he reached Laci, and her heart skipped a beat.
“Oh, perfect. You made it here on time. That’s rare,” he said darkly.
He ran his hand down her neck, feeling her musculature, reaching down her shoulder blade and estimating its angle. He was sizing her up. She felt like a plaything, nothing more than horseflesh to be bought and sold at will.
“A Lebanon in these walls? I never thought I’d see the day.”
His words sparked the attention of everyone in the arena. The pony’s jaw dropped, and the other horses stared at her in fascination. Laci couldn’t stand it. He led her away to the other end of the ring, snapping a lunge line onto her bridle as they walked. For a short rabbit, he walked fast-Laci had to stride out to keep up. Using his whip, he directed her into a circle around him, commanding her to trot by snapping the lash. Laci made the transition flawlessly, dancing around him with the gait of a wild deer. Her black and white tail flagged behind her, ribbons of hair catching the wind and captivating the Rex. He seemed impressed.
“As I thought, she doesn’t belong here,” he complained to Juniper’s trainer.
“It’s like that Warmblood they sent us last month. There wasn’t anything wrong with him,” the other rabbit said.
“Whatever. I’ll back her, nothing will happen, and she’ll go back. Don’t they know we’re understaffed?” he griped. He pushed her out on the lunge for a few more minutes, then stepped up to mount her. Laci shifted nervously, but remained still enough until he was on.
She jumped in the air and burst like a firework. The pony nearly spooked at the sight. She grabbed the bit and tried to pull the reins out of his hands. He thrashed her side with his whip agonizingly, and punished her severely with his spurs. Her sides heaved from desperation, and she spun him to the left to try to loosen his grip. Over and over, he sharply corrected her with the reins, trying to stop her tantrum.
“That’s quite enough,” he barked, jabbing her again with the spurs.
All at once, she forgot everything she knew. She forgot how to play nice, forgot everything that was on the line. She screamed like she never knew she could, piercing the air with her terrified voice. Pinning her ears, she swung around and darted backward, forcing the rabbit out of place. He was losing strength, and he knew it. Desperately, he tried to recover, but it was too late. She dumped him into the grass where he lay like a soiled stuffed toy. Everyone stared at Laci in absolute shock. She inched away from the rabbit and watched nervously for his reaction. He stood abruptly, grabbed her by the reins, and put the lunge line back on.
“I stand corrected,” he said, “but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed.”
He lunged her for the next twenty minutes at a grueling pace, until she was soaked in sweat and her legs stung. He climbed aboard again, only to be tossed once more. He repeated the lunge session, harsher still, and Laci felt faint with exhaustion. She fought to keep herself afloat with strength she didn’t know she had. The spark of vigilance never left her eyes.
The rabbit stood at her side, preparing to mount. He even leaned across her back a few times, testing her. She was visibly shaking with apprehension and liveliness all at once. His right foot never even made it in the stirrup. She threw him to the ground and shrieked uncontrollably, and a thirst for bloodshed filled her mind. Her vision sharpened, and all she could see was the rabbit, lying on the ground pitifully. He was sweaty, breathing hard, and Laci could tell he couldn’t get up fast enough to escape. Out of nowhere, she was getting a second wind. An irrepressible force gripped her body and mind. Fear, anger, streams of quiet tears every night, and for what? All because the world would never listen.
She grabbed both his ears with her teeth and flung him aside like a ragdoll. The cartilage split, and he howled with agony, curling on the ground as if to die. Horrified, the other trainer immediately dialed emergency services. The ring fell to chaos as the horses ran for the door. Laci managed to follow them back through the school, her mind exploding with thoughts, each less pleasant than the last. The loud echo of draft hooves striking tiles filled the halls. The horses around her scattered as officers adorned with Eastern Feral Horse Services badges galloped in, tranquilizer guns in hand. Laci raced for the door, but she was too late. One of the officers darted her expertly on her croup, and she only made it to the top of the front staircase before her legs gave out. Her shoulder hit the stone step and broke open, spilling blood all over the scene. She rolled down to the bottom of the staircase, feeling everything, but helpless to stop it.
She stared straight up, the only place she could, and looking down at her was none other than a very surprised Marshall. Before she could react, her eyelids drooped uncontrollably, and she lost sight of him.
