Disclaimer : While their appearance is short, I do not claim ownership Hiei or Kurama.
Things Change
By: Sharys Aogail
Its funny.
As you age, life teaches you routine. You wake up, go about your day, then go back to sleep again. Every day is just like the one before it. You encounter different people, but isn't that routine too? Basically, its always the same thing, day in day out. Nothing really changes. At least its not supposed to.
That was my view of the world. That was how life went for me. nothing changed, not really. Sure, I felt overlooked sometimes, but who didn't? besides, I didn't mind. I was never picked on, my grades were not great but passable, and my home life was as good as can be expected. I fought with my mother, killed time with friends, flirted with the occasional guy, and put anything even remotely school-related off until the very last moment. And I was content with that.
I really was.
Its funny how a single event changed that. That one day, that one moment, spun my entire world in a direction I never believed possible, and made me wish for a world I didn't fully understand. A life I would never really know.
CHAPTER ONE :
It was cold that day. Grey and dreary. On the walk to school my fingers became numb despite the fact I had buried them in the depths of my sweatshirt sleeves. I was freezing. The weather had been at a record high not even a week ago. I shivered. Damn weather needed to make up its mind already.
Now that I think about it, odd things tend to happen on cold and wet days. You know, the whole "it was a dark and stormy night" thing. It wasn't wet that day, though.
I was walking to school alone. Nothing unusual. I always walked to school alone, because none of my friends lived near enough to accompany me. It was lonely walking by myself so early in the day, but there was nothing I could do. Another routine I had to get used to.
However, on that day I was glad to be alone.
I was angry at my mother. I seemed to be angry at her a lot those days. She used to drag me through an endless stream of follow up appointments. It was pointless. No matter how many times she dragged me to be tested, the results would always come back the same. There was nothing wrong with me. Several months back I had a riding accident. I fell off the horse I was riding and ended up having a small seizure after I tried to get up too soon. I couldn't tell who was more upset; my riding instructor or Shadow.
When I told my mother she nearly hit the roof. Next thing I know, she was dragging my to the doctors to get an EEG test. Four days later we got the results back. I was perfectly alright they said. My mother didn't believe that.
She was taking me to the doctors that very afternoon.
My mind was steered towards happier thoughts once I caught sight of the school. Every morning my group could be found in the cafeteria. Same table, same end, every day of the week. Daniel studied diligently while Ginny read her latest fantasy novel. Desi choked on a chocolate muffin while Max bit out some sort of sarcastic remark. It was a relaxed atmosphere that helped soothe my frayed nerves.
The bell rang soon after. The day was slow. For some reason, most of my teachers decided that today would be a perfect day for a test. Chemistry, Geometry, Electronics, and Literature. Of course I hadn't studied. The world seemed to be collaborating against me that day.
By lunch I had already come to a decision.
When the final bell rang for the day I ran across the street and caught a city bus.
Hell with the appointment. If Mother wanted me to go so bad then she could hunt me down herself.
The bus dropped me off on the outskirts of town. Once the bus was out of sight, I shouldered my backpack and jogged along the dirt path that led to Arzino's Stables. I smiled as it came into view. A small cluster of barns was nestled at the bottom of the hill flanked by a pasture one side and a thick tree line on the other. Between the barns and the trees you could see a large covered arena where a lesson was currently taking place. The barns were old with many obvious repairs, but boarding was cheap and the owner was kind.
I entered the nearest barn, pausing briefly to inhale the scent of horses, grain and leather. I didn't stop for long though. It wouldn't take my mother long to figure out that I ditched her and even less to figure out where I was. I unlocked the tackroom door and slipped inside. Dumping my backpack in a corner, I quickly switched my sneakers for a pair of riding boots, grabbed a halter and lead rope, and made a beeline for Shadow's stall, calling out as I went.
A pitch black Arabian poked her head out of her stall, ears perked forward. She nickered softly. Slipping the halter over her head, I opened her stall and lead her to the tie-ring located right outside the tackroom. Usually I take my time grooming Shadow but that day she had to settle for a quick once-over before saddling up. Entering the tack room one last time, I exchanged my sweatshirt for a leather jacket, and snapped on a skateboard helmet. Once the two of us were out of the barn, I vaulted into the saddle and asked Shadow to move.
The sky was still grey and cold, but I knew it wouldn't rain anytime soon. Perfect for what I had in mind.
We trotted over to the arena. A tall, long-limbed woman astride a grey mare was instructing a group of elementary school kids on various sized ponies. I pulled up at the fence.
"Hey Jan!"
The instructor looked up. "Rys!" She got a confused look on her face. "Didn't your mother call saying you weren't coming out today?"
"Yeah, about that . . ." Hearing an engine rumble, I turned to see a familiar white Chevy making it's way over the hill. Damn. I turned back to Jan. "Tell her I went for a trail ride! Later!"
"Wait! Rys!"
I whirled Shadow around, cantering towards the tree line. Mother was just exiting her truck when she spotted me. Her face was livid. "RYS DULLIATH! You get your ass back here THIS INSTANT!"
Grinning cheerfully, I waved to her.
Then we disappeared into the trees.
End Chapter One