Part One

Napanee, Ontario; 2008-Inverness, 2014

Chapter 1: A New Home, A New School

How could my Mother do this! I thought as I headed upstairs to pack up my room. I was being sent out to Ottawa to live with my father who hasn't cared about me once in my eleven years of life.

It took me over two hours to have all of my clothes and belongings packed and into the van before we left Napanee to Ottawa.

Along the trip, I didn't talk to my mother and I was playing with my iPod Touch while listening to the music that played from it. I was upset with her making decisions that involved me and not having my say in things.

As I stop playing with my iPod, I looked out of the window and my older brother, Draco Aquarius Heath started pulling my hair to get my attention for mom.

"What is it?" I snared. I had nothing to say and she wouldn't listen to me.

"Arianna, it isn't that your father didn't care about you, it's just that I wanted to protect you from him, but you're older and you need to be with him. And he's been better than when I left him, but he's getting along in life very well."

"What does it matter?" I mumbled under my breath.

"What does it matter? It matters for Dad made a place for you, he has his own riding stables and he's getting along with everyone he's with. And also, the only reason why you're going is because someone's after you and want to get at Mom. Dad agreed to take you for he misses you." Draco bothered to answer what I said that didn't need answering. I hate mom, I hate him and I especially hate my father!

It was over three hours to get to where my father lived in some town called Hammond and I don't care if he has horses on that farm.

I got out of the car and ran into the barn for I didn't want to go anywhere near him.

A whinny erupted in the stall next to me as I noticed a beautiful black stallion with a white sock on his front left leg. He was such a sight. Maybe me coming here wasn't too bad. Then I noticed that his right hindquarter had blood oozing down.

"You okay, boy?" I calmly asked. He bared his teeth and tried to rear, but because of the stall being a bit more unroomy, he hit himself in the nose.

I was a bit scared, but I opened the door and walked right into the stall, closing the door behind me.

"It's okay, boy, I won't hurt you. I promise." I held out my hand and his ears twitched as I walked beside him and then carefully putting my hand down onto the wound.

He tried to shed away, but I knew that the wound was used with a whip. A rawhide whip.

"Theresa?" I heard my mom and my father call. I couldn't answer, but I said in my indoor voice, "In here."

"Why are you in the stall with the most stubborn horse here?" Father asked, agitated with my knowing of him beating on the horses.

"Maybe he isn't the one who's stubborn, Dad. Why the hell would you hit this gentle creature?" I growled as I walked out of the stall.

"I've never hit Thunder out of anger, I swear. I hired a trainer to deal with him, but the trainer's been beating on Thunder and when I brought it up with him, Mr. Johnson hit me and told me not to accuse him of animal abuse. I fired him on the spot and then he came in here and whipped Thunder's hindquarter and then stormed off." Father's eyes were watering up and I knew that he would never hit any animal for any reason.

"I'll train Thunder then, and at that, I need to know that trainer's address so that I can scare him into not to hurt animals again." I lead Thunder into the isle and I hitched him up in both saddle and bridal.

Thunder was calm and patient as I mounted and we galloped towards Mr. Johnson the trainer's home to scare him off of beating on helpless animals.

The plan I made didn't go good, but I scared him enough by charging Thunder at him and he ran all the way into his home and a boy named Curtis came out with a Winchester hunting rifle and threatened to shoot us.

Before I sent the both of us home, I yelled, "The road of animal abuse comes right back at you. Never forget that I will hunt you down if I find out you hit another horse or any one in fact out of anger." And we galloped all the way home, but there was a storm coming in.

I wouldn't be surprise at the fact Thunder didn't like storms, but he does. He kept his pace as we were half an hour away from home and then the worst of the storm hit.

He kept his pace, but he was freaking right from underneath my butt. A flash of lightning crackled very close to us as Thunder reared, but I kept a tight rein on him so he wouldn't bolt. The storm was getting worst every step we took and I found a place to stay until the storm calmed down.

We waited inside a barn that we could stay in until the storm settled down but a sound behind us spooked me and Thunder as a kitten popped out of the hay.

"Hey there, kitty kitty." I held out my hand, the kitten came right over to my hand and jumped right in.

I laughed and Thunder snorted in approval. That was a really nice moment until I heard the owner coming in.

"What are ye doing in my barn!" he yelled. Thunder bared his teeth into protecting me, but I said, "What do ya mean? Me horse and I were just gettin' warm and dry before we continue on our journey."

"I'm sorry lass. You and yer horse can stay in here until the storm cuts and ye can take the kitten."

"I thank ye, sir." I shook his hand and we waited out the storm.

We got home at 10 at night and dad was freaking out.

"Why the hell would you go out and come back over five hours and expect me not to ground you?" He boomed after Thunder was brushed, fed and locked up in his stall.

"If you didn't notice, the storm got worst and I would have died if it weren't for the nice man that lives not too far from here. Thunder can't stand storms that are not mild!" I yelled. Running from my father, I ran upstairs to my room and locked myself in there for the rest of the night. I didn't come out of there for the rest of the week before I had to go to school at Pope John Paul II Catholic Elementary School.

"Time to get down here and get off to school!" Dad yelled to me in my room.

I didn't want to start off at a whole new school, I didn't want to anyways. I ran outside to the barn and I saw Thunder and the kitten in a conversation all in their own world.

"Hi, boy. I'm off to school and I'll be back by three-thirty this afternoon. Wish me luck!" I called to Thunder as I raced down the driveway to catch my bus.

Mr. Powers was my first period teacher that I had in the morning. He was... How should I put this...? Old and not mean. He had a good understandment of the students and the other teachers I had; Miss Watson, Mr. Suzuki and Mme. Robinson.

I didn't like the way everyone was looking at me. It was scary, I was quiet and no one talked to me. I couldn't wait to go back home and ride Thunder before dad got home from work until a girl who was days younger than me was running from the guys who were idiots in my classes.

"Leave her alone!" I screamed and the boy I knew looked familiar was really Curtis Johnson chasing the girl.

"What are you going to do, Horse saver?" he mocked. I didn't like that so I cursed (Even that wasn't true), "I hope you get chicken pox in a week from now if you're mean to another person."

He ran off crying and the girl said, "Thank you, Arianna, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. You must be Jessica, right?"

"That's right. Is it true you're a horse saver?" her eyes glittered at the thought that I was one.

"No, but I scared Curtis' father into not beating another animal for the rest of his miserable life. He was my father's trainer, but he hit my horse for no reason and I have to work on him."

"You have a horse? Would you mind if I was to learn how to ride at your place?" Jessica hopes jumped at the thought of learning how to ride for free. So, I agreed and we've been friends ever since then.