Well, this is a story that I have been writing all summer. I don't get much time on the computer because I'm busy, but when I do I write a few paragraphs for this story. I finally finished it today and I hope you all like it.
Summary: Amy Flemings has lived in England all her life. Her mother and father used to jump professionally but when Amy was three her father was involved in an accident. When he was told that he could never jump professionally again he went into a deep depression. Her mother, Marion Flemings, in an attempt to help her husband get through those rough times quit her job (as a jumper) and took to working as the head stable hand at her old barn in her spare time. She there learned everything there is to know about herbal remedies. Soon Tim Flemings (that's Amy's dad's name right?) became well again and took a job beside Marion. After a while, with there savings, they built a small barn on their few acres of land. They stabled two horses that they had found at an auction who had both been brutally beaten and were there to be sold for glue. Over time, using their newfound knowledge, they brought them back to health. A barn nearby caught wind of this achievement and offered Marion and Tim a job helping emotionally and physically unwell horses back to health. They readily agreed to take the job and worked there happily for years. They continued to save up money, one day hoping to build their own farm up. Now, thirteen years after Tim's fateful accident they are closer than they realize to having their dream come true. When Marion's father suddenly dies and leaves her child hood home in her hands, she takes the risk of losing everything they have worked for to move to Virginia and build up her fathers old, dilapidated farm into a thriving business. But will hope be enough, or is someone determined to break them down before they even start?
Note: The first chapter is in 3rd person POV because it worked well with the chapter. I'm pretty sure that the other chapters will be in 1st person. From either Amy, Ty, or even Savannah's POV. Possibly another character...smiles knowingly Also Amy has a little brother too, as well as Lou (who lives in the states).
Chapter One
"Has anyone ever told you that you're crazy?" Savannah Keller whispered frantically into the night air, her platinum blonde hair waving furiously around her face as she twisted her head to look behind her. When she was sure noone was outside, watching the spectacle and waiting for the right moment to crash their little 'party', she turned back to look into the small paddock. There she watched as a tall, slim girl of sixteen flicked a long rope at the hindquarters of a large buckskin horse. She turned an amused eye towards Savannah before refocusing on the task at hand.
"I mean seriously, do you have a death wish or am I lucky enough to be in attendance at your first escapade?" Savannah scowled as she watched the girl in the ring smother a smirk before flicking the rope again. She followed the buckskin with an experienced eye, waiting. Suddenly she turned, facing away from the horse. Savannah furrowed her brow in confusion. Obviously she had seen something that Savannah had missed. She watched in fascination as the buckskin stopped suddenly, eyeing the girl in the middle of the ring. Hesitantly he stuck out his nose, reaching. When he was sure the girl was not going to turn suddenly he pranced slowly and cautiously towards her. When she still didn't turn he nudged her shoulder. The girl now smiled fully, and reached up slowly to caress his long face. She then walked forward and around the ring as the buckskin followed.
"Good boy," she crooned, patting his neck affectionately. Amy Flemings turned towards Savannah with a gloating eye. "I told you we wouldn't get caught." They had snuck out of Amy's second story window and jaunted down to the barn that Amy's parents worked at. The whole time Savannah had hemmed and hawed over being caught and grounded and brutally murdered by their parents. Over what? A horse. Amy had recently become attached to the buckskin of the hour who not a single soul could figure out. He bucked every time someone even got near him. Amy's parents refused to let her get near him during the day so she had decided to take matters into her own hands.
"If you hadn't noticed, were still where were not supposed to be. Don't get excited, there is still ample time to be caught." Savannah hissed as Amy hooked the lead rope onto the buckskins halter.
"Oh, ye of little faith, we shall make it." Amy's smile withered as her joking did not amuse Savannah. "Van," she sighed, "Just trust me, okay?"
"Trust you?" Savannah laughed, "I have trusted you all night. I trusted you when we climbed down a humongous tree and I ripped my jeans. I trusted you when we pushed your car down the street before we started it. I trusted you when we parked said car a mile from the barn. I trusted you when you promised you only wanted to see the horse," Amy flinched at the mention of 'the horse'.
"Callie." Amy interjected with the horses name.
Savannah glared at her before resuming her rant without braking pace, "and I even trusted you when you decided to go for a freaking midnight session with Callie," she spat the name out like a curse. Amy dropped her eyes. It hurt that she could say something like that, but Amy knew it wasn't meant to be. Savannah loved horses also, she just didn't understand how Amy could get so attached to so many horses and risk everything to help them. Savannah was a one horse kind of gal, and although she would do anything for her horse Betty, that was as far as she would go.
"Look, Van, I know I dragged you out here against your will, kicking and screaming. You just have to understand that I had to help Callie. It's a weakness, I know that, but I can't help it." Amy led Callie into her stall and took off her halter and lead rope. She wound the rope up and hung it outside her stall, all while Savannah huffed and puffed by the door.
"Whatever, Amy. I'm over it, I just want to get through this night in one piece, preferably." Amy smiled and fell into step beside her friend.
"We can't all get what we want, Van." Amy's soft laugh carried through the silent night as Savannah elbowed her gently. They walked towards the road, angling their bodies towards the car that lay across a large pasture. They ran across the soft, lush grass in fits of laughter. They were breaking so many rules that night, but could care less as they playfully pushed each other in an attempt to be the first to the car.
"Oh!" Amy lifted her hands in silent triumph and danced around the car in twirls, shaking her hips back and forth. She dropped her arms into a crossed arm gesture and looked at Savannah. "I won."
"Only because you cheated!" Savannah propped her hands on her knees, trying to catch a breath.
"Oh, Van, stop making excuses." she patted her friend on the back, "It's really rather pathetic." Savannah's hand was fast and swift, knocking Amy in the leg and making her yelp in surprise and slip on the dewy grass.
"You bloody Americans should know better than to mess with the British." Savannah smirked while lending a hand to Amy, hoisting her up.
"Hey," Amy scoffed, wiping the grass off of her sweats, "I resent that! My origins may be from North America, but I am firm in the fact that I am 100 percent British." She exaggerated her slight accent to match that of Savannahs. She knew that she would never be British. Both her parents were Americans and only had the slightest accent due to the fact that they had lived there for almost twenty years. You pick up on these things, as did Amy. Her voice was a mix between American and British. Her words flowed quite easily and many a people thought her an oddity for it. You either had a British accent or an American, and somehow she had both.
"Amy, I love you like a sister, but I have something to tell you," she lowered her voice and looked around as if what she said next were top secret, "You," she bit her lip in anticipation, "are an American!" she squealed as Amy pushed her towards the car.
"Shut up and get in." Amy slid over the front of the car in an exaggerated motion and landed on the other side. She smiled and climbed in the car. The radio blasted on as she turned the key and automatically the two girls turned towards each other, their hands in replacement of microphones, and starting singing at each other, shaking their heads and dancing in the limited space. When the song ended Amy took off into the bleak night. As she neared her house she turned off the music and slowly drove up her driveway, making sure to make the least bit of noise. She cut the engine and looked up at the dark house. Hopefully noone had heard. The girls silently climbed out of the car and tiptoed towards the front door,
"Amy, what about the tree?" Savannah whispered, confused as to why they left one way and were entering another.
"Too hard to climb. The branches are high. You can only climb down not up." Amy explained, searching for the spare key above the door. She found it and unlocked the door, replacing the key after. She slowly pushed the door open, cringing at the slightest creak. She entered the house and beckoned Savannah in.
"Looks like we didn't get caught," Amy smiled, walking towards the kitchen for a drink. As she walked towards the kitchen the light in the living room suddenly came on and she turned slowly around, readying herself for the yells. She was surprised at the calm voice.
"Where the hell have you been?" her father looked at her, his eyes blazing but his voice controlled. Her mother stood slightly behind him, her head down. Amy heard the tiny cough from Savannah which clearly stated I-told-you-so.
"We were..." she was racking her brain for a plausible answer when she saw the brimming eyes of her mother. "Mom, what's wrong?" Her mom looked up and wiped at her eyes quickly, shaking her head.
"Where," her father glanced at her mother with worry, "have you been?"
"What's wrong with mom?" Amy demanded, pushing down the question like it was nothing. Her father looked at her with defiance before his shoulders slumped and he put his arm across Marion's shoulders.
"Something has happened." Amy's eyes flickered towards the stairs immediately, her little brothers face filling her vision. Her father saw this and shook his head, "Conner's fine, its your grandfather." Tim Flemings spoke the word 'grandfather' with restrained disdain. Jack, Marion's father, had never approved of Tim, especially after he had become depressed. Amy, though, adored her grandpa. She had gone to Virginia every summer for 3 weeks for the past eight years. She enjoyed that time with him and also with some of the kids her age that she met at parties her grandpa attended. It was only a month since she had seen him last, waving goodbye at the airport terminal.
"What happened?" Amy's voice was low, practically a whisper. She mentally readied herself for the coming blow and took a deep breath.
"A few hours ago he had a heart attack and was transported to the nearest hospital. He was in critical condition and couldn't be helped. He passed thirty minutes ago." Amy cringed at the words and felt the tell-tale prickle of tears behind her eyes. She blinked rapidly and forced them back. She would not show weakness, not in-front of her mom who looked ready to crumple to the floor in despair.
"Why didn't someone call when he was found?" she whispered, trying to think straight.
"The boy who sometimes helps your grandfather found him. Jack had asked him to run to the grocery store for him tomorrow, since Jack hasn't been feeling well. He was supposed to have called him later tonight with a list and when he didn't the boy decided to go check on him. He found him on the kitchen floor around nine thirty. He didn't know our number until the police looked it up in an attempt to contact us." Amy bit her lip to make herself concentrated. The boy who her father had been talking about was around her age. She had only met him once a few years ago, when she was twelve, and he had volunteered to fix the fence behind the house that was meant to keep Jacks golden retriever in at night. She had been on her way out to go to the park with the girl who she had met a few days before when Jack had dragged her to lunch with one of his old friends. Her name was Soraya Martin and Amy had been friends with her ever since. So she had been concentrated on getting ready when the young boy had smiled at her and said hello. She barely remembered what color his hair was. Yet, he had found him. Why hadn't he gotten there earlier? Amy thought, grasping for someone to blame. If he had, Jack would still be alive.
Thinking of that incident she gasped. Who would take care of Oliver, Jacks dog?
"What about Ollie?" Amy looked frantic at the thought. Ollie was almost ten years old and would be lost without Jack. Amy came as a close second to his owner, but she wasn't there to be with him.
"The boy," Marion gasped out as she held back tears. She looked pensive for a second, "I can't for the life of me remember his name. Brian, I think." she nodded, sure of herself. "Bry took Ollie until we can get there."
"Get where?" a voice came from the stairs. They all turned to look at the thirteen year old boy standing there, looking confused. Conner Flemings looked at each face in turn, and when noone answered he walked towards them, "Get where?"
"Honey," Marion looked at Conner in apology, "Grandpa passed away tonight."
Conner looked at her in shock, then turned to Amy for reassurance.
Amy was heartbroken. She was not the only one who was close to her grandfather. Lou, Amy's older sister, only saw their grandfather once a year, if that. Of course she would be sad, and mourn, but she would not feel the loss as much as those who truly knew him. Unlike Lou, Conner had gone to Virginia along with Amy for the last five years. He too was close to their grandpa. As she looked down at him, his confused, scared look, she finally felt the effects of the recent news. She nodded as a tear finally strayed from her blurred eyes.
Conner's gaze lingered on Amy before slowly returning to their mother. "When are we leaving?" This question did not shock anyone. They all knew he was hurting, but out of all of them, Conner was the most level-headed and logical. He would not waste precious time crying when he could be doing something of more importance. Amy had no doubt he would shed tears while lying in bed later.
"As soon as possible." Marion took a deep breath and wiped at a lingering tear on her cheek. "Most likely early in the morning. You all should get some sleep." Suddenly she seemed to notice Savannah, who was standing silently, giving them some room. "Savannah honey, I hope you don't mind cutting your visit short. I could bring you home now or early tomorrow morning, whichever is more convenient." her voice was tight, and wound short. She was not her usual warm self.
"My dad can pick me up, I'm sure. He won't mind, what with the circumstances." she looked at Amy with sympathy then back at Marion. "I'm truly sorry for your loss." Marion only nodded and watched as Savannah headed towards the kitchen to use the phone.
"Amy, Conner." Tim stepped to the side of Marion and laid a companionable hand on her lower back. Amy saw the slight change in her mothers figure as she rested against her fathers hand in thanks. "I think it would be best if you go pack your things quickly so you can be ready when your mother and I figure out when we will be leaving."
Amy, in her melancholy state could not be logical like her brother and father. All she could think about was the damn dog. She tried to push aside the worry and think about more important things, but for some reason it was the most important thing to her. It helped to not think about her grandfathers corpse, lying cold in a morgue.
"What about Ollie?" she repeated her previous question, because for the life of her she couldn't remember the answer she had been given. She looked at the faces surrounding her, waiting for an answer. She saw the saddened, yet hard face of her brother. The confused, heartbroken face of her mother. Then the face of her father, his lips moving, his eyes worried.
Lips moving, but no words.
She saw the way his lips smacked together and the way his tongue lolled in his mouth. He should have been forming words, but he wasn't. Amy grew maddened when she realized her was mouthing his answer. Why couldn't he speak?
"What about Ollie?" she practically shouted, pushing her father with both hands on his chest. He looked surprised and his lips began to move again, but still no words penetrated Amy's ears.
"What about Ollie?" this time her voice came out weak and soft. She fell to her knees and her hands covered her eyes. She rocked back and forth repeating the question like a mantra.
Vaguely she felt hands lifting her from the cold floor. She heard the thudding of feet mounting the rising stairs. She felt the soft mattress curve to her body. Only then did she react. She clutched frantically at the shirt of the person who had carried her. She opened her eyes and saw a deformed image of her father, his eyes worried.
"Ollie needs me." she whispered, hoping to God the words had actually exited her mouth. It was the most important thing, the most important.
This time his words broke through to her, his mouth mimicking the voice entering her ears. "He's fine." Covers surrounded her. "Sleep now, baby. Just sleep."
Okay. Just so you know the title is a work in progress. It might be Untitled for a while, if not then it may vary. Sorry, I'm usually good with titles, but this one is hard.
Next chapter will be the plane ride, arriving at the farm, and most likely the introduction of the most important guy to have graced Heartland. Of course you all know who I mean:)
Oh, and Ollie.
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