Chapter 1:
Allison sighed to herself as she made her way to the front of the ancient school bus. While most seventeen year olds her age were driving themselves to school, she lived about twenty miles out in the country. Normally this would not be a problem, but she had recently lost her job, and could not afford to pay for the gas for each trip to and from school just to save some time. Thus, she was left with an hour and a half ride one-way each day amongst a group of screaming and unruly 5th graders and younger.
At least her driver, Ben, was a good guy. He didn't mind that she had taught some of the older kids to play poker, as long as they weren't overly disruptive. Granted, he was usually more preoccupied with the ten rows of youngsters in front of the elder students, but he was still a decent person. As she made her way up to the house, she almost felt like dancing. Another weekend was finally here! Summer vacation was only three weeks away, and she felt the giddiness building up already. Greeting her hyperactive labradoodle, Tracker, she headed inside and let the dog in with her.
Grabbing an apple from the counter, she headed back outside to check on her horses, Tracker happily running in circles around her. Checking that the animals still had plenty of water in their tank, she went into the shed by the barn where the family's cats and dog were supposed to live. They usually snuck into the house whenever they could, so it was basically a dining room for them. Giving them food and fresh water, she headed back inside. The only other chore she had this week was to take out the garbage, which she quickly disposed of.
Now all she had left was homework and she would be free for the weekend, but why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? Snickering quietly to herself, she decided to have a good old fashioned Lord of the Rings marathon instead. She threw some popcorn in the microwave and grabbed a Coke from the fridge, putting Fellowship of the Ring in the DVD player. She watched until the mines of Moria, then heard the garage door opening, signaling her mother's return home. Pressing the 'pause' button, she got up to help her mom bring in the groceries. As they carried in the food, her mother spoke.
"Allison, although your father and I's anniversary isn't for another week and a half, we both have this weekend off, and we are going to go on a little trip, just the two of us. We will be gone until late Monday night, so you will be on your own for almost three days. Will you be alright for that long by yourself?" Tempted bitterly by the desire to childishly roll her eyes and respond that she was seventeen, what could possibly happen, she was secretly touched at the concern her mom showed for her well-being, even if she would like her parents to have a bit more confidence in her.
"Yeah, mom, I'm sure I will be fine. I can call or text you if anything comes up." With a snarky grin she added, "Just make sure the fridge is fully stocked, would ya?" Her mom laughed with her, and then headed to her bedroom to pack.
Allison's dad arrived home shortly after, and was happily surprised at the news of the trip, and he wasted no time in rushing downstairs to join her mom in packing. They ate a quick supper, and went to bed shortly after. Allison, however, decided to finish her earlier movie. She could feel her eyes beginning to droop, and could hardly even laugh properly at Haldir's comment regarding the volume of noise with which Gimli breathed. Deciding to call it a night, she turned off the TV and stumbled into bed.
Waking up the next morning, she saw that her parents had already left, and grabbed some cereal sleepily. As she ate, she looked at the beautiful sunny Saturday weather outside, and decided to go for a ride after breakfast. Changing into a pair of jeans, a black tank top, and leather riding boots, she grabbed a dark blue sweatshirt to tie around her waist just in case it rained later in the day. Packing a couple of nature's most perfect food, (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches), a banana, and a water bottle, she stuffed it all into a small backpack that wouldn't hinder her while riding, and headed outside.
Feeding the cats and dog, she refilled the water tank for the horses again and then caught her horse, Sarabi, and put on her bridle. Although they had saddles for each of their horses, she preferred to ride bareback whenever she rode alone. Jumping up onto Sarabi's back, she guided the horse through the yard and then down the driveway to the road beyond. "Stay!" she commanded Tracker harshly, knowing the dog would otherwise follow her. Normally Allison would let her tag along, but she wanted a good gallop today, and did not want to exhaust the poor lab.
Following the road for a way, she came upon her favorite place in the area to ride, Maplewood State Park. She took a trail into the park that was normally used by snowmobilers, but had been left open in the summer. Urging Sarabi into a canter, she rode happily along at the smooth but swift pace, closing her eyes and enjoying the gentle breeze and the caress of the sun on her face. Which was why she failed to see the fox slinking across the path in front of her before Sarabi did. Although Allison was a fairly skilled rider, without a saddle it was difficult to maintain one's seat when one's horse stops dead out of a fast run with no warning, and Allison was no exception. She went flying over Sarabi's head and struck the ground hard. Her last memory was of swift blurred movement and then darkness.