Okay Bellaria here. This is my new story Tenderfoot, I am telling you now, this story has OC's, if you do not like, tolerate, etc OC's don't read the story, that simple. Also this story is AU so yes it will be different and so on. Read above line and rinse and repeat as nessecary...

Tenderfoot: Sam is your regular, sixteen almost seventeen year old. She lives in San Francisco, with her mom, step-dad, two younger brothers and her step sister who is the same age. A strong competitior in the Eventing world she helps run the family stable with her parents. She's happy and content with herlife and is just about to get a big shock. Her dad in Nevada, who she occassionally hears from has asked her to come and live with him and his family. Now sam finds herself in an alien state, with an unknown family, new people and a school that isn't quite sure what to do with the new girl that's just shown up.

Chapter One

WTF?

Soft hoofbeats muffled by sand echoed about the indoor arena with its wood paneling interior, fluorescent lights hung over the floor from the high ceiling, but were unlit thanks to the light coming from the hall walled short side that showed off the nice day outside. Clear plastic was rolled up to the ceiling and strapped up by white nylon strips. Seen in the bright speck of clear blue sky was a solid dark arm of clouds rolling slowly closer. Colorful striped poles were set up in their jump wings at a fair height.

A horse and rider circled the arena. The large stallion looked to be derived partly from a heavy horse. Tall and grey he shone with dapples so light they were almost gone, silver strands mixed with white and black made up his banner of a tail and shortly cut mane. His long forelock curtained brilliant brown eyes. A black bonnet was over his ears, open front boots were on his legs and his small jumping saddle was draped over a blue saddle pad.

His rider sat up slightly in two point position. Auburn hair fell in a long plait down her back streaked with gold and black, brown mocha eyes focused on a red and white striped oxer from beneath her black helmet. She wore jodhpurs and black boots with gaiters. A loose blue jersey with the sleeves scrunched up about her elbows, and black gloves.

The crop in her hand didn't move as she squeezed her lower calves on the horse's large sides encouraging him slightly as she murmured to him. Voice low and soft she didn't pay attention to the empty bleachers outside of the arena, or to the small crowd of one that watched her.

Six strides before the jump she focused on a point high behind the jump, tilting her weight back slightly as she encouraged with her legs. The last three strides closed with a rush and she sat forward, weight up and reins going up the stallion's neck. The two sailed over effortlessly to land with a soft thunk on the other side. The girl eventually tipped her weight back and settled the horse back into a slow collected canter as his breath snorted out in rapid bursts. Silver coated muscles bunched and he stepped high like a Lipizzaner horse. Before coming into a high kneed trot.

Prancing about the arena the girl encouraged him further and further down into accepting the bit. It took some convincing and a lot of patience but eventually the choppy trot changed to a fast paced walk and she kept the reins in contact until he calmed enough for her to ease them through her fingers, eventually his breath sighed and he accepted the bit, still snorting as he moved forward in frame.

"Good Sam, a lot better. Heels down though, that oxer's a meter ten which means you need to balance properly. Better in keeping your eyes up though but you need to look for the jump earlier. In the jump off you won't have time to get him back under you before you look, you need to multitask and get him calm while looking at the next jump."

Sam looked up at the voice letting go of the breastplate martingale she'd been adjusting to look at the speaker.

He was tall and broad shouldered. His black hair was a mop on his head shadowing bright green eyes. He wore well worn faded jeans with beaten up dark brown chaps and scuffed dark brown boots, a loose light blue polo top emblazoned with black embroidery on the right side of the chest, a horse jumping over the name Silverthorne Stables went with it. This was her step-dad Victor.

He was a well known instructor and was getting her ready for a competition that was coming up next week. It was a small time one, just showjumping and equitation. He'd entered her in the championship class of a meter to go up to one meter thirty if she made it all the way through. She was looking forward to it even though it wasn't eventing which was her specialty.

He was a great coach and a great father to her. He'd been her riding instructor since she could walk and had always been the one to pick her up when she cried when her mother couldn't. Which wasn't very often, her mother Louise was the ever caring and loving mother with her sheet of auburn hair and warm cinnamon eyes, she was there for a hug whenever Sam needed one even though she was almost seventeen years old now.

Sam's step sister Grace agreed with her that they had one of the best step mixed family ever as they all got along great. She and Grace were the same age and often argued like sisters but got along better than most. They both doted on their two younger brothers Oliver and Max who were respectively twelve and thirteen this year.

"Remember that you and Swallow work best as a team think with him all the time and concentrate on that oxer or that parallel or double," she could see the grin on his face as he made his way over to her. "And set him up, he'll do the rest but he wants you behind him, got it?"

She nodded smiling back, "got it."

"Good," Victor nodded seriously to her, and then broke the stern coach image by smiling. "Much better though, now off, cool him out, wash him and put him away. You're taking the boys class today and then I need you to help me give the three newbie's their worming paste and strangles shots."

Sam swung out of the tall horses saddle gave him a cheeky salute, "aye, aye Mon Capitan." She ran up her stirrup and loosed the girth as she slipped the stallions reins over his head.

He bopped her lightly on the helmet in an affectionate gesture, "sassy."

Her only reply was to poke her tongue out as she ducked round the other side and ran up the stirrup on the side.

She could hear his footsteps moving away and when she started to walk out of the ring she would see him lowering the jumps down to the height of forty five centimeters. She'd have to heighten them as she taught the class but at the moment they'd only gotten up to seventy five in that class, only Oliver and Max had gotten up to ninety five so far.

Beside her Swallow sighed out his breath in a long rush and blinked white eyelashes over dark eyes. Up close he had a white star mixed in with the white and light grey coloring, brown speckles called fleabites, not that they actually were it was just a term, were scattered over his face.

Reaching up beneath the bonnet she scratched behind his ear and heard him let out a grateful sigh. He rubbed his nose on her sleeve and gently pushed him away. That kind of stuff could lead to bad behavior, more so from a stallion. He probably hardly even noticed as she cooled him out, stripped him of his saddle and bridle in front of his stall switching the leather work for a well worn blue nylon halter with fluffy sheep skin over the nose strap and headpiece before she then led him into the washbay.

It was large enough for three individual stalls and had originally been that, a stall half door bolted at the end of the large room so if any of the horses broke off they wouldn't be able to go anywhere. Victor and her mother had made it this way though. Six tie up rings were evenly spaced apart on one wall with clip chains hanging from them. A drain rang along the slightly sloped floor. A washing machine in one corner was going in its soft humming noise. A bench ran along the other side of the wall, two tall metal cabinets stood in a corner at the end of the benches, right beside the washing machine. One was locked and the other wasn't. Hoses with hot and cold water switches went around on swinging arms so the horses couldn't tread on them.

Clipping him to a chain and taking the lead rope she set it on the bench as she pulled out a silver chain from beneath her jersey. Keys tinkled and she moved to the locked cabinet. This was the family's personal one and each had a key for it. The other was well kempt as well and was the students' cupboard. But in the family one, each member had their own shelf of stuff to avoid arguments. Sam had the one beneath Grace's, who was beneath their mom who was beneath their dad.

Sam had recently went out to the tack shop and spent her own money on brand new shampoo made specially for grey's with white liquid highlight makeup as well as black highlight makeup. PHP top tails detangler sat amongst the stuff as well, well hidden from the boys who conveniently 'forgot' the rule and often stole it. A few light rugs were on the shelf as well, each one was for showing, with their championship labels where she'd won them from.

That wasn't what she was searching for. Instead she pulled out two soft towels and a red sweat scraper. As she set the saddle blanket she'd carried in by the washing machine. She only had to give the stallion a hose down and then she had just enough time to scrape him down and take him to his stall and hurry to the lesson she was instructing.

Gracie and herself shared the duties of instructing the younger ones to earn money and contribute their part to the stables. Students mucked out their assigned horses stalls and cleaned their gear and that way they cut down on other costs. Money went into things like patching holes in stalls, repairing the engine in the horse truck and other such maintenance things.

Turning on the water she set a finger over the nozzle and started to wash the horse that rolled one eye towards her and snorted out a breath. Swallow hated the washbay and only tolerated it for her and even then it was rare. It had taken a lot of patience to get him to walk in and clip up as quietly as he now did. Thanks to her dad and mom's advice until he now stood while she gathered things together but as soon as the spray went on he picked up his hooves in a mincing way and snorted out his breath.

Victor wasn't her real dad, she knew that. She knew her real dad, his name was Wyatt and he lived in Nevada with his wife, her step mom, Bryanna and their three kids, Cody, Jaxom and Reena. Cody was thirteen, Jaxom twelve and Reena was eleven. But she'd hardly seen them, a photo would be sent to her on birthdays and Christmas's along with small presents from the whole family, though they didn't quite know her as her mother had taken her with her at age two and moved to San Francisco. She talked on the phone to her Dad all the time, and sometimes Gram would too.

Her family life was odd but it was good. Her mother and father, biological ones, had once loved each other very much, but eventually it turned to platonic love and they broke it off, they still loved one another just… not quite enough to stay together.

Sometimes Sam wondered what it would be like if the two were still together and then dropped the thought because who knew? She was happy with her family but never saw her father or step mother.

Turning off the hose she could hear Swallow's hooves scraping across the concrete and she murmured quietly to him as she scrapped him over, setting a towel over his loins and rubbing the other over his coat that had turned a grey color due to being wet. He stood still for her to rub over his ears and down his sopping wet face. Water dripped from his chin and even though he was washed basically everyday, his swishing tail told her he wasn't happy with her.

She laughed, "What's the matter boy. Anyone would think you'd been sucking lemons or something, especially with a face like that."

Sam finished drying him off, setting the towel on her saddle blanket before setting her scraper in the cabinet and shutting it again to her the lock click into place. She left the towel over his lions, retrieving her lead rope to take him out of the bay.

Students were already in the aisles hurrying about in rapid succession and talking and laughing as they went. The stable was set up in a three straight sided U shape. It encompassed the large arena and at one end of the U arm was the washbay and at the other was the family's separate end with a lunging ring. At the bottom of the U there was a second large arena and another lunging ring all under cover and compact.

Now she nodded to her students with a smile as they waved brightly at her and walked Swallow quickly to his stall. It was separate to the other horse because of him being a stallion. He did have a little black pony called Chips as a companion though. The pony was graying at the muzzle and looked too made up mostly by his mane and tail that were bushy and thick, hiding cunning brown eyes.

Her brothers were talking as they tacked up their mounts and only called out a hello each without looking up as they argued over the use of a Y breastplate over a straight breastplate. She shook her head, personally she liked the Y shaped breastplates, reckoned they looked better. She clucked to Swallow who lazily swished his tail in return.

As the two of them entered the slightly larger airy stall the little company pony whickered before re-burying his muzzle in the pile of hay in the tire feeder. Quickly Sam exchanged the towel on Swallow's hindquarters for a white cotton combo with a hood and then bolted the door behind her. Only sparing a glance behind to see the large stallion digging in beside the small pony, it was strange to see a sixteen point two hand high animal beside a nine hand high one like that.

Jogging quickly she made her way to the arena, pulling out her hair and pouting at the slightly crimped mass before dragging it up into a high ponytail to let her bangs slide over one long lashed brown eye.

She was first there and took her time to look about the course Victor had set up, the boys had small equitation classes on the weekend to work on their form and two other students from the eight pupil class were entered as well.

Sam saw out of the corner over her eye that clouds were gathering on the horizon and were becoming a roiling mass as they rolled towards the stables. Frowning she went to the half wall and eyed them dubiously. Climbing up the ladder set into the wall to the side she pulled at one of the two nylon straps before crossing to the other side and repeating the action. The plastic dropped down and she secured each snap and buckle just as the arena doors opened.

Walking through it was Oliver and Max. They were getting tall and quickly catching up to her five foot seven height. The oldest was Oliver his auburn hair was the only feature he took from his mother. He had his father's broad shoulders but was slightly lanky as he hadn't quite grown into himself yet. His green eyes were bright and ran a tanned hand through his horse's mane.

The horse was a fifteen hand high blood red chestnut. He had two long stockings, one on the near foreleg and the other on the off hind leg. Shorter socks were on the other two and a thick white snip covered his nose and bottom lip. Oliver had put on leather open front jump boots and a black bonnet he had the Y breastplate on the horse, Gabrielle, too.

Max looked more like his mom, slender and with auburn hair, he and Sam looked extremely alike, no one could mistake them not for being brother and sister. Wide cinnamon brown eyes and a slight dusting of freckles with tan skin to set off the rest of his looks. He would eventually bulk up like his brother and when it was her turn to do laundry she often gave them the wrong clothes. The boys didn't mind as they swapped clothes regularly like their sisters did.

He led a mahogany bay horse, Demon, into the ring. Glossy and the color of dark chocolate he had long black stockings starching most of the way up his legs. The two forelegs looked as if they'd been dipped in milk to just beneath his knees, with a single small sock on his off hind leg, barely passing his fetlock. A small white star that looked vaguely like a three pronged fork was on his forehead and was hence, where he got his name. part Arabian his ears were Diablo ones, curling in at the tips, he was mainly polish Arabian though and stood at fifteen and a half hands high.

Oliver's Gabrielle was a thoroughbred, while Swallow was a thoroughbred, cross Connemara, cross Arabian, that's what gave him his hot high strung temperament. Grace's horse Shiloh was an Anglo, half Arab, and half thoroughbred and stood at sixteen hands. a liver chestnut mare with four long stockings and a wide blaze over her pretty dished face made her favorite for dressage judges. With flaxen mane and tail she had 'highlights' as both girls liked to call them, the flaxen mixed with silver, chestnut, black and brown to make it stunning. Every horse had its mane cut short to competition length perfect for braiding and their tails cut to stop just below their hocks. Max and Grace liked to shave their horses docks to give them a clean cut edge whereas, Oliver and Sam liked to braid theirs having more patience than their siblings to do so.

"Sammy!" they grinned at her as they let down their stirrups and tightened their girths as the rest of the group came in the door with lesson horse or privately owned mounts for three of them.

When they were mounted up and ready she strode to the middle of the ring and started instructing her class.

The storm brewing over head had Sam looking out the plastic sheeting to the outside world as her class started to dismount and lead their mounts off. she could vaguely hear her brothers joking and laughing with them but hardly paid attention, she was more focused on the outside. It seemed as if someone had flicked off a light leaving the world about her grey and dark. It hadn't started raining yet but she could see the lit cloud underbellies where lightning was flashing.

Her eyes traced the paths of central park, seeing the winding and meandering pathways, some people hurried along them looking quite frantic. Strange, it must be a summer storm. She moved her gaze over the tree tops to look back up at the sky.

She flicked her eyes to the chore board and ran down the list. Hmm… it was Max and Grace's turn to feed up. But she had to go and help Victor too, she checked her watch, his lesson must've finished by now.

The auburn haired girl looked about the arena and then supposed she should drop the poles to the ground for the beginner lesson Grace had in ten minutes. Mind made up she moved about the arena dropping the poles to ground and then lowering the jump cups down to a ten centimeter height that grace could work up as the lesson progressed.

Then she left the arena to see the stable aisles more crowded then before as the pupils from Grace's lesson hurried about and her own went about their cooling out and washing. It was crowded and noisy but a good atmosphere, because of that they got a lot of business.

"Sammy-babe!" a voice called out and she looked about to see a girl striding towards her. she was tall but shorter than Sam by one inch. Dark green, long lashed blue eyes looked out from beneath red and blonde bangs, hair that normally fell to the other girl's elbows, was tied back in a high ponytail. Grace and Sam were often told they looked like real sisters and loved that, working the story that they were really sisters because of their hair color. Both were tomboys and into the same sort of music, and they stood up for one another and their little brothers. Both were sarcastic, and they were cynic, sharing the same sense of humor, Sam was smart mouthed and Grace was more of an action girl before to act first talk later.

Now they both grinned at one another, "I have the superstars today and you have the pony cadets tomorrow morning and I have the pony tails tomorrow afternoon. Dad just put up the schedule."

Sam smiled, "cool, I lowered the poles for you today but I have to go and help dad with the newbie's."

Grace pulled a face, she didn't quite like the fact that they'd had to learn how to inject needles and both of them agreed that it was gross because they hated doing it. In a stable though you toughened up, did the job and got on with life. "Better you than me," the other girl muttered.

All she got in return was a dry smile before the other girl went down towards the stalls were the three new horses were. The first was a steel grey Galloway mare named Ariel. She had black tipped ears and black stockings with a black mane and tail. She was half riding pony and half Arabian and was a beautiful little mare. Sensible and pretty she would make an excellent show hack once they got her going and they knew she could probably go well in junior jumping she cleared eight centimeters without a hitch.

The second was a riding pony gelding at fourteen hands named Argyle. He was a rich chestnut with intelligent eyes and a beautiful mane and tail with three white socks, one on each hind and the last on the near fore. He was smart and would make a pretty dressage pony to small ladies hack with his beautiful temperament.

The last was a big black they'd named Goliath. He stood at seventeen hands and was a thoroughbred shire cross, the shire being about one quarter of him. he was more thoroughbred than anything, with a stripe broken blaze and one back sock on his off hind leg. He was all legs and baby brained at seven years old as not quiet everything had clicked within his slowly developing mind. But he was intelligent in dressage if slightly temperamental.

Victor was waiting for her with the items for each horse on the tack box in front of Ariel's stall. Sam took the first wormer and noticed that Victor had warmed it up as the sat on a heating pad. It was better that way, went easily down their throats too, less got stuck in their teeth and beneath their tongue for them to spit it out which Swallow had an uncommon knack for doing.

Rubbing it between her hands she saw Victor had clipped a lead to Goliath's headstall and was opening the door for them to step in. She grabbed the strangles injection on her way in and then bolted the stall door behind her. Goliath didn't want her to give him the wormer and sidled away from her every time she reached for him. finally she got her hand on his nose and applied pressure enough for him to lower it to her level. Victor ran a soothing hand up and down the big horse's neck as she uncapped it with her teeth and peeled up the horse's upper lip. He wasn't very happy with that and she pressed her thumb against roof of his mouth, using the gap between his canine, 'bridle teeth', and pre molars. He stilled but his tongue moved restlessly in his mouth before she got the syringe up over his tongue and pointed it to the back of his throat.

Quickly as soon as it empty she pushed the horsed chin up and watched the lump slide down his long throat. He glared at her and she patted the side of his neck in apology before taking out the vaccine. Intramuscular god she hated them. She hated needles in general actually and was often scared she'd inject herself at times.

She looked to her dad and saw him waiting and knew she had to get it over with.

When Sam and Victor finally finished the last of the newbie's health care they recapped the needles and put them in their boxes before dumping them in a sealed plastic container. Throwing the worming syringes in one of the bins.

"Ariel needs her wolf teeth pulled, they're inflamed about the gums, Goliath hasn't got any but his pre molars are sharp and I'm sure if a check his cheeks are cut up. But Argyle's pretty good," Sam said as she wiped her hands on her dirty jodhpurs.

Ariel was the only one of them that stood patiently for worming, but Argyle was the best for getting a needle. She knew either Victor or her mom would take care of the teeth situation as she was only good at shoeing and herbal supplements and medicines really and Grace was good at repairs while Oliver had picked up his parents knack at teeth and Max had his heart set on becoming a veterinarian, he even believed in herbal methods and often talked to Sam about the right mixes for certain ailments.

Victor nodded, "fair enough. How about you go on home and get changed, Grace and Max have fed up and I'll get one of them to help with these guys. I think your mom's making tuna casserole pie for dinner." His green eyes twinkled at her and she smiled brightly at him, before nodding.

Their house was right next door and was a large three story Victorian style house. It had large trees in the garden and a door out of the stables made it easy to get to. The wrap around porch was home to the two dogs of the family, Rasha an over excitable and ever exuberant amber and white border collie and Seb the large toffee colored Labrador.

Rasha was Sam's own dog and let her rub her ears with a big wag of her tail. The drive way was crowded with cars, Sam's dual cab Ute that was old but in good condition, she'd brought it herself. Then there was the family Landcruiser followed by that stable dual cab and then the dual cab of Grace's, both of the girls carpooled one another and the boys to school and different places but most of the time walked. The stables to horse trucks were kept in the parking lot outside the facilities but there was also the two bay angle load gooseneck of the family's that sat in its special under cover spot.

Making her way up to the front door Sam shucked off her gaiters and boots and padded into the house, closing the screen door behind her.

"Sam honey? Is that you?"

Sam wrinkled her nose and voiced her thought to the light voice that was her mothers, "how do you know it's me?" she whined.

"Mothers' intuition," came the light hearted call back. "can you change and then come and help?"

"Ok!"

Fast tracking it up the stairs Sam moved quickly to her room. Each one of the Forester/Satoshi children got their own room, Sam and Grace had the top floor all to themselves and often played rock music as loud as they could and no one in the house minded because to them way downstairs it was barely audible. They shared a bathroom too.

Sam's was the one at the end of the hallway the room on the opposite side of the hallway to the girls bedrooms, was the rec room slash homework room. At the end of the hall on the rec room side by the stairs was the bathroom.

Sam made her way into her room. It was just a little bigger than the average room but normal sized. A low futon was pushed back in the far left hand corner beneath one of the large windows. The blue and black quilted bed had been made, meaning that her mom had been up cleaning. The laundry hamper was empty too. A desk beneath the other window in the right hand corner opposite her bed, kept her laptop and printer. Normally Cd's and DVD's were stacked with books across the desk cluttered with pens and paper but she frowned as she noticed that those too had been tidied away onto the book shelves and then in the standing cd rack by her big bass super woofer stereo. Actually, she looked around the pale blue walled room and noticed that everything was neat and tidy. Her shoes were even lined up on the wall by her door.

That made her suspicious.

Moving to her wardrobe she pulled out a pair of loose faded jeans with frayed foot mouths and holes in the knees, with a thick black belt and then a black baggy off the shoulder t-shirt that read across the front; sorry if I looked interested, I'M NOT now go away, in white writing. Dressing quickly she picked out a pair of light blue low cut converse and pulled them on before leaving the room with a plan in mind to figure out what was going on and why her room was so clean.

The kitchen was a nice one, with a very homey sort of feel. Wood panels covered the walls in a matching pin that made up the bench tops, cupboards and pantry. An island in the middle of the spacious room had eight stools about it. her mother moved about the room, her auburn hair tied back in a long braid, with bangs surrounding an extremely young looking face. Wearing jeans and a camisole top beneath her white apron, she looked slightly distracted to Sam.

The sixteen year old moved to the small CD player that was silent and then picking out one of her mixed cd's she slipped it in and turned the volume up then smiled as one of her favorite songs came on. Listening to the introduction she turned to her mother.

"Mom is something wrong? My room was tidy."

Yesterday I lost my closest friend/ Yesterday I wanted time to end/ I wonder if my heart will ever mend/ I just let you slip away/ 4 AM forever

Bobbing her head to the music she waited for an answer. When her mom passed her salad tongs and pointed to a bowl, Sam stepped towards them and stared to mix the salad together.

"Your room's tidy because I cleaned it, you can see the floor now," Louise answered as she checked the oven and then moved off to do something else.

Sam furrowed her brows at her mother and noticed she was avoiding looking at her Sam's mouth drew down in a frown. "Well I gathered that," she rolled her eyes slightly focusing on the salad but looking at her mom out of the corner of her eye. "But why? I mean you only ever tidy my room when something's wrong."

Maybe I'll never see you smile again/ Maybe you thought that it was all pretend;/All these words that I could never say/ I just let them slip away/ 4 AM forever

"Like when Sammy?" her mother still didn't look at her.

"Like when Apollo was sick with colic and I spent all my time in the stable helping dad make him better," did she just see her mom flinch at the word dad? "and then there was the time grandpa Max died and I stuck about the stable. And then-"

"Okay, okay I get it," Louise laughed lightly, but for once it didn't sound quite right to Sam's well attuned ears. She waited for an elaboration and when there was none she decided to try again.

"So?"

"So what?"

Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you)/ Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)/ Goodbye, goodbye/ Goodbye, you never know/ Hold a little tighter/ 4 AM forever

Avoidance, big time and Sam would have to be dumb not to notice. "mom is there something wrong? Don't lie, your aren't looking at me and you flinched when I mentioned dad."

When her mom set down the forks she was pulling out of the draw, Sam paused sensing that something big was about to drop.

"I had a phone call today from your dad."

Sam froze, dad in Nevada? As in Wyatt? Sure the two still got along well, but still a phone call from her dad was strange.

Louise slowly turned to look at her daughter, "he asked me something." Sam waited patiently as her mom licked her lips slightly and locked brown eyes to brown eyes with her.

Maybe one day when I can move along/ Maybe someday when you can hear this song/ You won't let it slip away/ 4 AM forever

"He asked for you to go to Nevada," Louise couldn't look away from the large cinnamon eyes of her daughter that looked so much like her father and herself.

"Oh? For the summer? What about Swallow and Rasha?" Sam asked as she put some Italian dressing over the salad then set the plastic bottle down again when her mother didn't answer.

"No Sam," the woman shook her head, "not for the summer, he's asked honey, for you to go live there with his family, with Swallow and Rasha. Chip's too."

The salad tongs hit the bowl with a loud thwack! And bounced harmlessly off the side to land on the bench. "what the fuck?!"

"Sam language!" Louise knew that was hopeless though.

Sam ran a hand through her bangs, "what? Why now? I don't want to go to Nevada! I'd have to change schools!"

And I'd wish the sun would never come/ It's 4 AM and you are gone/ I hope you know you're letting go/ It's 4 AM and I'm alone

"Because he wants you to know his family too and I think it's a fair thing, River Bend Ranch is your home too, Nevada's a beautiful place and changing schools won't be so bad." Louise leaned against the bench turning to face her teenage daughter.

"But I don't want to go, I'm happy here! Can't I just go for the summer?" Sam argued.

"Sam, honey-"

She was cut off by the kitchen door slamming and angry footsteps.

Sam ran out over the road and into central park. She had to get away, she was so angry. How could they both just decide! Hello she was almost seventeen, didn't she get a say? She didn't want to go! Hell she was happy where she was!

Her family was in San Francisco, and she was quite happy with a surrogate dad cause she still heard from the real one as well but they were awkward conversations a lot of the time. For god's sake it was mainly her talking!

Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you)/ Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)/ Goodbye, goodbye/ Goodbye, you never know/ Hold a little tighter

Plus, she didn't want to leave Grace, Ollie and Maxy! She and Grace were seniors this year. Seniors ruled the school and got to do everything! And she had eventing to think about as well as Ollie and Maxy's training and what about her other classes.

There was an echoing roll of thunder and then the rain started to pelt down. Within five minutes she was wet and dripping, but she didn't care. Not even when her converse's started to squeak or when her jeans got slowly heavier. Her hair was starting to stick to her forehead but she still ran.

She loved her friends here, she got along well with people here, it was her space and she was comfortable. She didn't want to start over because this is what she knew. And excuse her for being selfish and bitchy for wanting to stay.

Her breath misted before her as she finally skidded round one final corner and found her secluded patch. A large stone bench made by a pretty fountain and sheltered by tall trees made it up. A place she'd been coming to ever since she could removing. She slowed to a walk and moved to the bench, sitting on it and drawing her legs up to her chest.

Burying her head in her knees she could feel herself getting angrier and angrier. She had eventing to think about, she couldn't just leave, and then she had senior year, and that was important!

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she looked at it, a message from her mom. U r expected there d end of d week, Friday. Packing ur things 4 u. Ur driving to Nevada and are going 2 school there. Love you honey

Sam's face fell. Her birthday was on Saturday and she wouldn't be with her family for it…

4 AM forever

Bellaria: Okay there you go, it sort of hooked itself in my brain last night and just kept growing. I must warn you updates and writing won't always be quick, the only reason I got this written up so fast was due to the fact I had a riding accident on the weekend and am stuck at home till further notice. It was at state trial's (dammit) and I ended up in hosptial for three days, I almost broke my neck, but it ended up being damage to the tissue and muscles or some crap, my face is bruised and puffy and I have a wonderful scar that's going to be on my chin but at the moment I can't see it as the stitches are covered by a bandage added to that I have to wear a stupid neck brace for another week. I also have a beautiful collection of bruises that are coming along nice and purple.

Anyway, feedback is appreciated as I can't just rely on how many hits I get thank you.