Chapter 1

He moved smoothly beneath me, his muscles gliding beneath his dark skin. I heard him grunt slightly with every thrust forward. His hooves struck the ground softly as he cantered. I guided him toward a loose section of fence and he leapt smoothly over it.

"Good boy, Nero." I patted his neck as I spoke.

"The two of you are looking great, Jewel."

I turned in the saddle to see my uncle standing outside the jumping arena. He was balding and what little hair he had left was quickly turning white. He had a round belly and looked soft, but I knew better. He had grown up riding and training horses and was as solid as the horse beneath me. I pulled Nero around and trotted toward him.

"Do you think we'll be ready for the tournament next month, Uncle Jon?" I climbed out of the saddle and lead Nero out of the gate.

"I think you're ready now," he chuckled. Nero tossed his head and pranced in place. "I think old Nero is ready too." He pulled a carrot out of his pocket and fed it to Nero. "But that's not why I came out here. Your aunt is getting irritated because you're always late for dinner and told me to come fetch you early."

We both laughed. "Alright, let her know that I'll be in just as soon as I tend to Nero."

"Will do." Uncle Jon was still laughing as he walked into the house.

Nero followed me into the barn, his hooves clunking dully on the sawdust covered floor. I removed his saddle and his bridle, closing the door to his stall on my way to the tack room. When I came back with a tray of grooming tools he had his nose shoved in his feed bucket, grunting unhappily. I set the tray on the side of the stall, laughing at him as I did so, I fetched his oats and hay. While he munched happily I brushed him down and cleaned out his hooves. I ran my palm over his neck and admired the shining black coat.

I walked into the kitchen just as Aunt Gerdy was putting supper on the table. Her full name was Gertrude but the three of us quickly agreed that it was too stuffy.

"How was training today, Jewel?" she set a bowl of gravy on the table as she spoke.

"It was great. Uncle Jon thinks we're ready for the tournament next month."

The three of us continued chatting throughout supper. First we talked about the tournament, then about the new foals that were to be born soon. After dishes were done Uncle Jon and I went back out into the barn and did a last check on all of the horses.

"I think Blaze is going to foal first."

Uncle Jon nodded as we gazed at her bloated stomach. "Within the week, I think. We should start figuring out a rotation schedule."

"Could I stay out here for a while?"

"You can stay out here all night if you want to."

I nodded, looking at Blaze as she moved around her stall. "I think I will. Leave a light on, alright? I'm going to go get my computer and a book."

Uncle Jon nodded and headed deeper into the barn while I strode back toward the house. Aunt Gerdy seemed to have disappeared until I heard water running in the bathroom upstairs. When I reached my room I flicked on the light and walked to my computer desk. I pulled the plug from the wall and gathered the cord into a twist-tie. I pulled a hooded sweatshirt over my head and grabbed a blanket. With the blanket thrown over my arm and my computer tucked close to my chest I examined my bookshelf. It took me a moment but I finally settled on a book about Ruffian, perhaps the best racing filly ever to set foot on the track.

Uncle Jon had already set up a cot next to Blaze's stall. I set my armload on the cot and went to the tack room. I grabbed what we called the foaling door – a piece of fabric sewn onto a rope that hung across the door and allowed us to see inside – and returned to the cot. As I opened the stall door, Blaze looked at me and pawed the ground nervously. I put up the foaling door, plugged in my computer, and settled onto the cot.

When I opened my computer the first thing I saw was Vincent Valentine. Perhaps the best video game character ever created, I had somehow developed quite the soft spot for Vincent. I quite frequently found myself staring at my background for several minutes before I did anything with my computer. Tonight I gazed at his pale face and red eyes until Internet Explorer loaded.

I spent a few hours watching random YouTube videos and searching for pictures. Around midnight, Blaze nudged my shoulder and nickered softly. Most of the horses in the barn were sleeping. Blaze was restless. I scratched her nose and went into the office. There was a refrigerator there where we kept medication and carrots. Gathering a few of the little orange delicacies I went back to Blaze and put them in her feed bucket. She munched happily and I went to Nero's stall. He was asleep but lifted his head almost immediately when I tapped on the stall door. His dark coat looked even darker with the sun gone. I had seen him outside in the dark and he looked like a mere shadow.

He gobbled up the carrots and started looking for more. When he found that I didn't have any more carrots hiding in my pockets he snorted on my shirt and turned in his stall, flicking his tail. I smiled and walked through the barn. Our other pregnant mares, Star and Gretta, were sleeping peacefully. When I returned to the cot, Blaze was walking in circles. She was agitated and I had the sudden urge to call the house and wake Uncle Jon. I watched her, debating, and after a few moments she calmed down and lay down in the corner. I lay in the cot facing her. She lay calmly as I watched, but I soon fell asleep.

I woke up to what I now believe to be the most hideous sound I have ever heard. I looked into the stall and saw two horses. Blaze was covered in sweat but standing. Lying at her feet was a small, glistening ball of bright fur. The noise was coming from Blaze.

Uncle Jon woke up on the second ring and was already pulling on his pants when I hung up. Back at the stall Blaze had started pacing in her stall. Fearing that she would accidently crush her foal, I entered the stall and knelt beside it. The foal was breathing but not trying to stand up.

The other horses were starting to wake up. I could hear them nickering to each other. Uncle Jon came running into the barn. He knelt beside me, touching the foal. I stood and grabbed hold of Blaze's halter.

"It's a girl," Uncle Jon muttered. "But something is wrong. She isn't trying to stand."

"She needs Blaze's milk. I don't know when she was born." I could hear the panic in my voice. I wanted this little filly to live. Something about her just said to me that I couldn't let her die.

Uncle Jon nodded. He started to shift himself around, sliding his hands under the filly's body. He managed to lift her and get her head near her mother's teat. I think I stopped breathing as I waited for her to start suckling. When she did I heaved a sigh and placed a big kiss on Blaze's muzzle. Uncle Jon lay the little girl down in the straw when she was no longer interested in drinking.

"We'll have to get some formula for her. I don't think she can stand though I don't see why. Hopefully she'll gain her strength soon." I could hear despair in my uncle's voice. We had lost foals in the past but I think my uncle was stabbed in his heart every time it happened. He looked at me and a slight smile spread across his face. "I'm going to run to the store. I'm sure you'll want some munchies and energy drinks. We aren't going to get much sleep for the next few days." He started to walk out of the barn but stopped and turned at the door. "Thank you, Jewel."

I wasn't sure what he was thanking me for but I was fairly certain it had something to do with our little filly.

Chapter 2

The next few days were rather depressing. The filly still unnamed, continued to be immobile. Uncle Jon lifted her and helped her suckle her mother every few hours and we took turns feeding her from a bottle. I had moved into the barn, keeping several changes of clothes in the office.

Late one night about a week after she was born, the filly still hadn't stood. Darwin would say it was natural selection which made this situation ironic. Our little filly was the daughter of Blaze and Darwin, a chestnut stallion. I chuckled as the thought entered my mind and Blaze and the filly looked at me.

Uncle Jon came into the barn. "I'm here to relieve you, young lady." There was the slightest hint of teasing in his voice.

"I can't sleep. I've been trying for hours."

"Go for a ride. I'm sure Nero would be more than happy to have a healthy gallop," he smiled. I frequently snuck out at night when I couldn't sleep to ride Nero in the shadows. Uncle Jon caught me at it a few years ago and we agreed not to tell Aunt Gerdy.

I smiled and nodded. I saddled Nero and led him from the barn. He tossed his head a flicked his tail a few times. He was happy to be going out into the night. I pulled myself into the saddle and squeezed his sides. Nero moved quickly into a trot and snuck into a canter while my thoughts were elsewhere. We cantered along the line of my uncle's property and turned away about half a mile from the barn. I let go of the reins and let Nero pick his way through a thin grove of trees and up a large, gently sloping hill. At one time there was a house on top of this hill. Its presence is evident due to the rock foundation. A long time past the occupants of the house planted a weeping willow tree in the yard. Now its flowing branches fell into the old living room.

Nero trotted right through the front door. I slid from his back and just stood there, both hands on the saddle, as if I were getting ready to mount him again. I looked over my shoulder at the trunk of the willow tree then stood on my toes to see over Nero's back at the ruins of the house. I thought for a moment then swung back into the saddle. I took control of Nero's head and guided him out of the house and down the hill, away from the barn. I could feel the despair trying to close in on my heart as images of the filly invaded my mind. Nero obeyed every command I gave him without a second thought. I hesitated for a moment when we came to a small stream but I quickly urged him through it.

I don't know where we went after the stream. I don't remember much about the rest of that night. I do remember rain, I remember thinking of the filly, I remember crying.

And I remember the sudden flash of Vincent Valentine's face in my mind just before the sun came up.

Chapter 3

I woke up on the couch, covered in blankets with a warm washcloth on my forehead. I could hear Aunt Gerdy and Uncle Jon talking in the other room. I pushed the blankets off and carried the washcloth with me. When she saw me Aunt Gerdy beckoned me closer. I sat in a chair at the dining room table.

"Jewel," Aunt Gerdy began. "My father is very ill. He is in the hospital and they aren't sure how long he is going to make it."

Her words hit me like a hammer. I barely knew my great uncle but I knew that both Aunt Gerdy and Uncle Jon were very close to him. If my great uncle didn't make it and the filly didn't make it, it would tear Uncle Jon apart.

"We are going to stay with my Mother for a few weeks. Do you need anyone to help you look after the horses?"

"No, I can do it myself."

"We'll be back in time for the tournament if you still want to go." Uncle Jon looked at me with serious eyes. He already knew the answer to that. Nero and I had been training for months.

I just nodded.

Aunt Gerdy continued. "We're going to the store soon to get groceries for you. Mr. Williamson is going to take us to the airport in a few hours. You should be able to call us at my parent's house tomorrow."

I nodded again.

A few hours later I was alone. I got a laundry basket and filled it with food from the kitchen. I was going to spend as much time in the barn as possible, coming in the house only to get more food, clothes, and take a shower. It was five at night by the time I got completely settled in the barn. I cleaned all the stalls, put fresh water and food into the buckets, put fresh hay in the stalls. I went to Blaze's stall. The poor mare hadn't been in the pasture since her filly was born.

I couldn't hold the filly up so she could suckle but I could bottle feed her. I fed her then went out to the pasture and brought the horses inside. By 8, I was done with all of the chores and closed myself into the barn for the night.

I woke up before my alarm sounded to a loud clap of thunder. The filly shook her head a few times but didn't try to stand. I looked at my alarm clock. The glowing green numbers read 1:48 in the morning. I had only been asleep for an hour since the last time I fed the filly.

I sat up. Some of the horses were restless. Many of them stood with their heads hanging out of their stalls. I stood and stretched, walking toward the door to the barn. I opened it just enough to see outside.

Rain was falling in blankets onto the ground. The pastures would be muddy when morning came. A flash of lightning illuminated the farm yard, creating shadows that didn't quite fit. I watched the rain fall and waited. I had seen something that didn't seem right with my memory of what the yard looked like. That next flash of lightning came and then I was sure I wasn't imagining things.

There was someone in my yard.

I slid out of the barn and into the rain, keeping out of the path of light from the barn door. Another flash of lightning illuminated the figure. Whoever it was, they were wearing a large coat or cloak of some kind. I moved a few feet toward the person and waited. Another flash of lightning showed that the person hadn't moved. I walked closer, thankful that the pelting raining covered the sound of my footsteps. Then I stepped in a hole.

I cried out in surprise as I fell to the ground. I heard the report of a gun and then the person as more lightning cut through the sky. His dark hair was matted against his skull and his deep eye pierced into mine. The barrel of his gun was pointed into my face.

"Who are you?" His voice was deep and attractive. I pushed myself out of the mud.

"I should be asking that since you are on my uncle's property." I knew it probably wasn't a good idea to be rude, but I was right. And neither of us could see. So I stepped to the side a little bit.

I heard a quiet grunt and the slither of metal against leather. Another flash of lightning showed his face again. I was completely stunned then had a thought. I walked toward the house, feeling for the banister in the dark. I opened the front door and turned on the outside light.

There he stood, illuminated by the bulb, standing in the mud and the rain. His pale face was framed by soaking black hair. Water streamed down his leather clothes and weighed down his cape.

I wondered what my face looked like. I imagine that I either looked stunned or mentally retarded.

Vincent Valentine was standing in my yard.

I walked toward him. I was sure that I was dreaming. There was no way this was really happening. This man wasn't real. I reached out to touch his face and he flinched away, reaching for his gun. I stepped back and just stared at him.

"Why are you staring?" I couldn't tell if he was angry or not. I was betting that he was. I had tried to touch him without permission.

I shook my head. "Nothing, no reason. Umm, if you don't mind my asking, what are you doing here?"

"I would tell you if I knew where I was." He was standing up straight again, his red eyes piercing into mine.

I heard a horse through the din of rain. Suddenly I remembered the filly. "Oh! Sorry, I have something I need to do. If you want to get out of the rain…" I didn't finish my sentence; I just went into the barn. When I got inside I started ringing water out of my hair. The clock now read 2:18. I had a moment to wonder how long I had been staring at Vincent as I pulled the wet hoodie over my head. I dropped it into a bucket and pulled off my shoes and socks. My t-shirt came next and then I slipped into the office. I took off all my wet clothes and replaced them with dry ones.

When went back into the barn Vincent was standing in front of a stall. Even dripping wet he was probably the most handsome person I had ever seen. He wasn't looking at me; he was looking at the horse in the stall. He happened to be looking at Nero. I went to Blaze's stall and checked the chart on the door. I had 12 minutes before I needed to feed the filly again. I put the chart back onto the hook and went to stand near Vincent, but not too near.

He ignored me for a moment. "What is this?" The question was so abrupt and strange that it took me a moment to answer.

"It's a horse. His name is Nero."

He looked at me and blinked slowly. I spent another moment realizing that he had never seen a horse before. He had chocobos.

"A horse is like a chocobo only it's not a bird." I explained. Comprehension dawned in his crimson eyes and he looked back at Nero. Now that we were in the light I looked at him more closely. He was more handsome than I had ever imagined. Beneath his leather clothing I could see that he was well muscled and I had a sudden thought, though I didn't expect it to work.

"Hey, umm, you never told me your name." I took a cautious step closer.

He turned toward me and one side of his lips twitched up. "You never told me yours either," he commented.

"I'm Jewel."

"Vincent."

I had a moment to wonder if I was going crazy. I took a deep breath to calm myself but the words still came out in a blur.

"Willyouhelpmewithsomething?"

His brow furrowed and his lips turned down. I took another deep breath and started counting to ten. I got to four.

"Will you help me with something?"

His lip twitched again. "Help you with what?"

"Well, umm…" I was looking into his deep eyes and couldn't make myself ask him. For some reason I just couldn't see him holding the filly. "Never mind." I turned and went back to the stall before he could see me blush as deep as his eyes. I went into the office and got the filly's formula ready. When I came back out Vincent had moved. He was standing next to my cot, looking at my computer. I froze half in the doorway, holding my breath. I turned toward me, confusion clear in his eyes.

He was still on my background.