Chapter 1: Prologue
For the first time in my life, I didn't feel over-shadowed by my brothers. True, I still wasn't good at most sports, my motivation was still almost non-existent, and I still wasn't "popular" or "cool", but I was fine with that. But when my mom allowed me to take up fencing, I had become very excited. And here I was, five months later, winning championships all over the state, fully paid for by my fencing club, and making loads of friends with my same interests. And tomorrow was my fourteenth birthday. I was certain my mother had something special planned, but I couldn't figure out what it was.
The Morning arrived. I felt…different somehow. I could have sworn I sensed something was going to happen, something exciting. I got up and dressed as always, and went downstairs to eat. My mom came in and announced "I have a very special surprise for you!" I sat there, waiting for her to tell me what it was. I sat there some more because she was silent.
"What?" I asked finally.
"You're going to live with your father for a few years. At his ranch."
I was speechless. My father, I knew, had a ranch in Arizona, where he bred horses. I love horses. "How long?" was all I was able to get out.
"As long as you want. I was thinking something like three or four years. Your father agrees."
"Dad agrees? With you?"
"It's for you, Hun. You know you'll love it there. You love the heat so much; you're so odd. Not that that's a bad thing," she added reassuringly. "You're just different. Different is good sometimes. I know you won't do things just because everyone else is."
'That is a good thing.' I thought. 'A very good thing.'
That's how I ended up on a ranch in Arizona, which is how I ended up—well, you'll see.
A few weeks after being there, my dad showed me an interesting thing. It was a lake, but oddly enough, it hadn't dried up in the heat like the rest of the lakes and ponds. I knew immediately I must investigate it. The next day, I went swimming in it, with all my clothes on (I don't like peeping toms, who does?). As soon as I jumped in, I knew something was wrong. I say "wrong" because that's what I thought at the time. Looking back—well, you'll see…