"Sam." Jake Ely said to me, trying to get me to look up.
I kept staring down at Ace's reins, seeing as there was no point in Jake to see the emotions that were shown on my face. Tomorrow he was leaving for college. I couldn't let him see how sad I was to see one of my best friends go off to college.
"Sam," he says again. This time he reaches down towards Ace, lifting up my chin.
I'm forced to look up at him. Not only is he tall, but his horse, Witch, is tall as well. Adding an un-needed height difference.
"What's wrong?" he asks me.
I sigh. "Nothing."
"Don't lie to me, Brat." he says, using my old nickname.
"Fine, your leaving. That's it." I said.
"You don't want me to leave?" he asks, sounding surprised. "I figured you'd be glad that no one would be around to call you Brat."
"How could you think that, Jake Ely? How could you possibly think that I wouldn't want you around?" I asked him. I didn't wait for an answer. Instead I sent Ace galloping forward, across the pasture. As far away from him as I could possibly get.
Then I stopped when I heard something familiar.
Wild horses.
There they were. They galloped across, right in front of me. Led by the gorgeous white stallion, the Phantom, or Blackie to me. You see, he used to be a black colt that had belonged to me. One day I got into a little accident and Blackie, ran off after it. I had been sent away to San Francisco and when I came back I found out that Blackie had become the new legendary Phantom Stallion.
He tossed his head at me in recognition. I looked at the back that I sometimes rode upon. Then I watched him as he reared into the air, looking so unreal. It was hard to believe that he could ever act tame with a human being. Much less a human girl. But no, he acted only tame to me.
Just then another stallion came galloping across the plain. I instantly thought he was going to go challenge the Phantom. But I was wrong. Way wrong. No, he came galloping straight for me.
