Hey guys! I'm back! Made a few changes, added some things, fixed mistakes. I have a beta reader now! HOO-RAY! Maybe this will be better. Thanks to everyone who reviewed on the original, and for those wondering, this is NOT, I repeat, NOT a one-shot. I just don't have the next chapter up. See you guys in the next update and happy reading!
The gentle creak of leather.
The sound of a cheering crowd.
The thunder of horse hooves.
His heaving breath evens to match his human.
The perfect unison of horse and rider.
A tap of the rein on his white neck.
A gentle nudge of the heel on his chocolate side.
Playfulness dances in his glassy blue eyes.
The horse races around the ring, listening to the gentle requests of his rider.
"HA!" she says. He swings around to the left completing a circle.
"HEE!" she hollers as he rounds a bend, changing his direction with the command.
The crowd roars at the figure eight, but the pair do not hear it.
With cues invisible to the eyes, the pair dance around the ring showing exceptional grace and precision.
They complete their run with a rear and the girl throws her hat to the crowd.
Time slows down.
The crowd watches, horrified, as a hoof slips out from under the horse.
He tips backwards,
and falls to the ground on top of his rider.
The horse gets back to his feet.
His girl,
doesn't.
He screams pitifully as his best friend is wheeled away on a gurney.
Humans he didn't know held him back.
He may not be the brightest crayon in the box,
but he heard something everyone else didn't.
He heard bones snapping.
And it hurt him to know that he did that to his friend.
He lost the will to live.
He was so sure his friend was gone forever.
That champion of a horse died two weeks later.
Nina Summerford laid there in her hospital bed and did the only thing she could do. She cried. They told her about her horse, her best friend, Hank. She cried because it was her fault, or that's what she felt like anyway. She clung tightly to his halter, a picture of him before the run, and a bracelet made from the hair out if his tail. It had been three months since then and the hospital was ready to release her.
"You were lucky." The doctor had said. "The saddle horn puncture was left of your vital organs on only broke your ribs. Your left forearm was broken in four places and three bones in your right wrist shattered. You should be thankful that horse didn't kill you." He turned to her parents. "Perhaps you should dispose of the animal. It is to blame for this." he whispered quietly, but not quiet enough.
"DONT YOU DARE PIN BLAME ON HIM!" Nina had roared at him. "HE DID NOT MEAN FOR THIS! YOU WERE NOT THERE! HOW COULD YOU KNOW IF HE WAS TO BLAME! FOR ALL YOU KNOW I COULD HAVE PULLED HIM OFF BALANCE!" She stopped for a moment. "I got hurt because of my own stupidity. it was a risky move making him rear like that and I'm rightfully suffering for it."
And her best friend was dead. She was inconsolable. Her friends tried to talk her out of it. None of it helped. She was done with life.
But the universe just hated her, so it poured salt on her wounds.
The doctors noticed her fast healing, and abnormalities in her bloodstream. It was only a matter of time before they reported it to the government and discover that she was not human. Well not fully anyway. She was a Pendragon. "Son of a dragon." the dictionary said. Who knew it applied to daughters as well. Nina's adoptive parents knew of her hybrid status and were going to help her run. Find a new place to call home. A year after she settled, she was going to find some way to contact them. Let them know she was ok. That was the plan.
Time skip: 1 month
She slung her bag over her shoulder, the spurs on her boots jingling merrily as if to try to cheer her up. Her head was held down the black cowboy hat hid her eyes from passers by. Thunder rumbled in the sky as it began to rain. The wind gusted a little, blowing droplets of rain on her face, camouflaging her tears as the thunder rumbled again. She looked up, recalling an old legend that stated thunder was the hoof beats of the horses that had passed on. Her eyes passed a sign that read:
Amity Park, IL
Population: 2,252
She looked closer and saw "And one ghost boy" scrawled on the sign in messy handwriting that reminded her of her own. This place was nothing like Eva, Alabama, the small town she grew up in. No, This place was even bigger than Huntsville. She sighed and pulled her guitar out of the duffel bag it was in. She zipped it closed before the rain could wet her trumpet and various music stored in it as well. She played sad music that she had long since committed to memory. This place keeps reminding me of home. Why can't I let go? She asked herself. I know I'll never be able to go back. She felt a tug on the back of her fringed black t-shirt. A little boy stood there with bright glassy blue eyes and chocolaty brown hair.
"Can you play me a song?" he asked, childish innocence shone in the eyes that reminded her so much of someone she lost. Normally she would have just turned a cold shoulder and just kept walking but she replied to him, "Anythin' you want, Kiddo."
He made a motion to bend down so he could whisper in her ear. She smiled sadly when she heard his song choice. She strummed out a gentle tune on her guitar, slowly drawing in a small group of people. And she sang.
"Quarter in the payphone,
dryin' laundry on the line.
Watchin' suntea in the window.
Pocket watch for tellin' time.
Seems like only yesterday,
I'd get a blank cassette.
Record the country countdown 'cause I couldn't buy it yet."
She paused for a moment, looking up at the people listening to her. She smiled and continued on, the tune of the music picking up slightly, never breaking eye contact with the boy who suggested the song.
"If we drove all the way to Dallas just to buy an Easter dress,
we'd take along a Rand McNally,
stand in line to pay for gas.
God knows that shiftin' gears,
ain't what it used to be.
I learned to drive that '55
just like a queen, three on a tree.
Hey, whatever happened to,
waitin' your turn.
doin' it all by hand!
Cause when everything is handed to you,
it's only worth,
as much as the time you put in.
It all just seemed so good the way we had it!
Back before everything became,
Automatic."
She stopped there with a gentle flourish note on her guitar and the little boy gave her a hug, and ran to who she assumed was his momma. He came back with a dollar.
"Thanks!" he said and ran back to his mother. The crowd gave her 10 dollars, collectively, and dispersed. Mostly. Three teens stayed behind. Two guys and a girl. They were an odd bunch to say the least. A Goth, an African American techno geek, who was videoing her as she performed, and an average guy. She was always irritated by the 'normal' people, being they were something she never would be. The only thing special about him was his eyes. They were ice blue and anyone could see the boyish innocence that played in them.
"That was pretty cool, what you did for James." Regular guy said. Great, not only does the kid remind her of her horse, he's also named after her best friend's brother. "I'm Danny by the way. This is Sam," Danny said pointing to the Goth next to him, "and that's-'
"Tucker Foley. That's TF as in Too Fine." The techno geek said. Sam stomped on his foot.
"Don't mind him. he just thinks he's a ladies man." She said, but the girl was already walking away, spurs jingling like bells. I cant make ties. Can't talk to no one. Can't stay in one place. Gotta keep moving.
"Hey! I was talking to you!" Sam shouted. She ran up to the girl and put a hand on her shoulder. Her elbow slammed backward into Sam's chest, knocking the wind from her. The girl used this distraction to take of down the street. She rounded the corner and checked for people. Good, no ones here. She reached deep into her self and brought fourth her dragon form.
Danny ran down the street, ready to give that girl a piece of his mind, his green eyes glowing with anger. He turned the corner in time to see a white dragon, with a black and midnight blue crest and tail fin look around hurriedly. Even in its evident fear, it held itself in a regal manor. Head held high, long ears up and alert, its obsidian claws anchored firmly to the ground. What shocked Danny the most is it set an duffel bag down, placed a guitar, the same one the girl had, in it and laced its head through the strap. The bag hung neatly on its shoulder and it spread its wings. A bound forward and one down stroke of its powerful wings was more than enough to get it airborne. Danny scanned the horizon then changed into Danny Phantom, preparing to fly up after it. Sam grabbed his hand.
"Danny what are you doing?!" Sam asked.
"I'm not so sure myself," He replied. The overcast sky lit up and the sounds of battle could be heard. Danny's ghost sense went off. "Well now I'm going to go kick some ghostly butt." And he flew up to go see what the commotion was about.
So how was that you guys? Good, Bad? Super super awful? drop me a review and let me know. I don't own Danny phantom or the song 'Automatic' by Miranda Lambert. Its actually a really good song.
TGWWTBA