-Outside Santa Carla-
Serenity sat in the jockey's room pulling her boots on over her pants. She wore the usual white turtle neck shirt under her black and purple racing silks and her jacket hung loosely over her shoulders, unbuttoned in the front, and her hair fell down her back in a long braid. She also had her headphones on listening to the oldies, while trying very hard to get her mind off the chaotic current events life had thrown at her.
She put her hands on her knees and took a deep breath, blowing the air out so that her bottom lip stuck out a little further than the top one. Her silks just didn't feel quite right today. They itched her skin and made her feel cocooned. So in frustration, she undid the buttons on both her sleeves and rolled them up her arms, finally realizing that the room was vacant of all the other jocks that had already left for the paddock. This would be the perfect time to experiment again, she thought. Except the only sharp objects in the room were a few safety pins sitting on top of the lockers just in case one of the jockey's numbers decided to fall off their silks.
Looking around the room, she pondered what she might find instead that was sharp enough to cut skin and then remembered that she had a pair of scissors in her grooming bucket just inside her locker…but that would hurt too much. Oh, What the hell, she thought, reaching into the crowded cubby, pushing through the horse brushes in the bucket to find the scissors. Instead she got lucky and found a bot fly knife, which was more than efficient for the task, and sat back down on the bench hearing the old wood creak as she gazed down at the knife's jagged edge. "It only pinches for a second if that," she told herself, glancing quickly around the room again just to make sure no one was watching. Never mind the fact that the site of her own blood made her nauseous.
One more deep breath and her left hand reluctantly found its way out over her knees so none of the blood would stain her off white pants. She took the knife in her right hand and ran it swift and hard over the inside of all four fingers with a feeble groan, leaving only her thumb unscathed. The blood dripped through her fingers to the floor for one second before she dropped the knife and grabbed hold of the wounded hand. She hadn't realized a fellow jock had entered the room, and noticed her sitting quiescent.
He twirled his whip in the air and casually walked over to her, tapping her with it on the shoulder. This caused her to jump and turn her head towards him with a low growl as he noticed that she was holding her hands together and saw the droplets of blood on the floor. He took the initiative and removed her headphones, a look of awe on his face from the animalistic groan he had heard escape her mouth. "Serenity, are you bleeding? What happened? Let me see."
She shied away from him, guarding her hands from his sight, slightly confused as to why she would growl at anyone. "No, I'm fine, really."
He pulled her hand away anyway to examine it, even as she scowled at him for it. "Don't be silly, you're about to race. We can fix this real quick." He noticed the knife on the floor. "Those dam things can be dangerous sometimes," he continued, holding her hand up to look it over more thoroughly, yet finding not even a scratch. "That's funny, there's nothing here."
Serenity slouched over in relief and took her hand back. "Phew, I thought I cut myself."
The other jockey scratched his head in doubt. "Yeah, but there's blood on the floor." He reached down and touched it, rubbing it in-between his fingers. "It's fresh too."
Serenity just nodded. "Must have been from someone else," she shrugged and smiled. The other jock huffed as he gave up and smiled back, bopping her on the head with his stick.
"Silly girl. What are you doing here anyway? They're saddling your horse in the paddock. Wouldn't want to miss your race would you? Have all the guys in here give you a hard time about being late?"
Her mouth dropped open for a second as she noticed the time. "Oh shit," she cursed, buttoning her shirt quickly. The headphones were thrown carelessly back in the locker and slammed into confinement as she grabbed her helmet and saddle and ran for the door.
The paddock air made the nauseous feeling in her stomach dissipate. It smelled of cheap cigarettes, dirt and horses. Three things that made her feel right at home. It seemed like almost everyone at the racetrack smoked, which at first she hadn't cared for, but now it gave her an odd sense of peace when the day wasn't going just right.
She pushed through the heavy doors past the spectators, who watched as the horses were saddled, picking apart their confirmation in hopes of guessing who the winner would be, and rounded the small circle, entering the number five slot where the Black stood. He turned his head to see her and shifted his body to the wall, almost squishing the groom on the other side, who grumbled and pushed the horse back. Serenity couldn't help but chuckle as she passed him her feather light saddle. No doubt for them the Black was a handful.
Her part time trainer, Megan, stood at the front of the Black holding him by the bridle, and Serenity gave her a nod before reaching in to kiss the horse's nose, glancing once at the crowd that had gathered just outside the fence to gawk at him. "They're all here for you, handsome. We won't let them down will we?" The stallion flared his nostrils as if to say, no way, I'm the fastest thing here.
"Need help George," she asked, glancing back to see him fling the thin saddle pad onto the horse's withers, adjusting it so that it was even on both sides. It too was purple and had the number five printed on it in white.
"Sure thing," was his answer as he put a little square of soft foam on top of the pad and folded it back before putting the saddle over it. "Hand me that under girth will you?"
Serenity reached up and grabbed the rubber girth, handing it to George from underneath her horse as he impatiently sidestepped and pawed the ground. She gave him a rough pat on the shoulder for it. "Easy brat, we're almost there."
One last buckle and the Black was ready to. "Ok," George said. "He's all yours."
A few moments later an announcement raged over the loud intercom, 'Riders Up!' Serenity pulled one stirrup down and George took care of the other as Megan reached down to give her a leg up. "Give'em a bite of your dust," she winked. Serenity nodded taking her seat and gathered up the reins, tying them in a double knot as George led them out of the paddock into the light of day.
No time to think about difficulties now, she thought, gazing up at the large crowd in the grandstand. This would be a short race, no big deal, and after that they would have three weeks off. A much needed break in her mind, and as far as the Black was concerned, he needed one too. One start before this one had left him stumbling out of the gate. Never before had that happened. She chalked it up to too much status pressure; reporters and gamblers constantly trying to discourage another win from the great stallion. Not to mention the number five slot was not her favorite. She preferred to be on the outside where no bumping could or would occur.
Number four, a sleek chestnut stallion, calmly pranced down the inner rail ahead of them, while the number six horse right behind was trying to throw his rider. The Black pranced steadily between them, his head high in the air, looking forward to the starting gate ahead. Number one had already gone in and number two refused for a second to enter the steel trap. Then the number three horse stepped into the gate causing a sigh to escape from Serenity. That was her lucky number. As soon as number four entered in a calm manner, the Black followed anxiously into his own position.
Serenity adjusted her goggles and got a good grip on the reins along with a good wad of the Black's mane. His usual way of breaking launched the both of them right out of the gate like jackrabbits on crack, so it was always better to be safe than sorry and left sitting in the dirt.
Altogether there were ten horses in this race and the one to beat was number seven a bulky dark bay stallion named, One For Money. As soon as he was settled into position a short silence fell over the grandstands, with the exception of a couple jockeys' who made some small indiscreet noises as their horses moved restlessly, eager to be free. For those few seconds before the bell rang, slamming the steel doors open, time stood still. After that, it was an all out war as the horses heaved forward, fighting to grab the lead spot. As suspected, four and six bumped the Black on both sides, but he didn't falter. Instead, he stayed fast as he regained his footing. Serenity was jumbled a bit as well but steadied her seat, leaning over the horses crest as she looked out ahead through his perked ears.
They ended up in the eighth position along the back rail as the number two horse had taken the lead. One For Money was close behind and number one and three just behind them as ten had fallen to the back of the pack.
Serenity urged the Black on to pass four and nine, putting them in the sixth position as they thundered down the backstretch already halfway through the race. It was a steady pace and for now they were safe, but her horse pulled on the bit fighting to move forward again and pass up the other horses. "No, no, not yet," Serenity told him, pulling back on the reins. Number eight easily moved up along side of them, challenging her horse, and closed in to cut them off. This left Serenity no choice but to pull her stallion off the rail further towards the center of the track so they wouldn't get boxed in between the other horses.
As soon as the number eight began to pass them Serenity gave the Black his head and let him go, passing up eight, nine and six. One For Money had made his move past the number two and was now in the lead as they rounded the far turn. It was time to pour on the juice and the Black was ready. His nostrils flared inhaling more oxygen and he stretched himself out over the dirt. This was the signal for the jockey's to take to their sticks, yelling and shouting over their horses, urging them on roughly in a last attempt to take on the leader.
'And down the stretch they come!' The announcer yelled over the speaker. The crowd stood, hollering and throwing their hands in the air trying to influence their favorite horse to move faster and pass the finish line first. Serenity and the Black had moved to the outside and were passing the other horses as if they were standing still. The first to go was the three horse. Its jockey glanced at Serenity from the side with a look on his face that was anything but glorious. Next in line were number one and two, both of which were neck and neck, to busy fighting each other to notice the Black slip past them. Serenity and her horse were now hot on the heels of One For Money.
"Let's go handsome," she called out, feeling her horse surge forward one more time, tail held high. It put him head to head with the other horse and the Black tipped his nose in, playfully nipping at his opponent as if to say, 'You're out of here sucker!' He let out a snort and surged to the lead just as the camera flashed and Serenity held a hand up in the air smiling at another glorious victory for the pair.
…..
Later that night Serenity blinked sleepily up at the dark ceiling of her hotel room. The moon was shining in through the curtains and lit the place up better then any nightlight as the soft breeze from the open window blew the supple fabric from side to side. It still felt like a smoldering eighty degrees outside and it very well could have been. The record heat from the past few days' had left its mark on the nights that were usually cool. It mattered little to Serenity, she always carried a mini fan with her and had it running on high, gently blowing the tiny loose hairs on her forehead wildly around.
It couldn't get any better than this, she thought. Another win at the track, the sweet summer air, a surprisingly comfortable hotel bed, and all the little stars that were perfectly visible to her from it. Now if she could just bring herself to sleep. She was afraid of the dreams, the dreams that had been haunting her for months now. It was always her mom, how she died and the man that killed her. He was always after her in her dreams with those glowing orange eyes of his, the tall figure cloaked in black.
Serenity had only been three years old when this happened, but the details were still as clear as day in her mind, along with a few other remnants of memory that were too jumbled to recall. She had gone to live with her grandparents after that on a big farm in California not to far from the seaside town, Santa Carla. That's where her knowledge of horses was learned, and along with that came the stallion she fell in love with known as, the Black.
As she got older, she studied up on the myths and legends about vampires, certain the intruder that had broken into their house that night had been one. He had a certain smell to him that lingered for weeks after the attack. She never thought for one second that a vampire was a real thing, but now she questioned it, and with that questioning would come other dangers, as well as the discovery of her own mysterious gifts, her healing ability and heightened sense of smell. Was it because she had been touched by evil? It didn't matter really, one way or another she was determined to find the answers. A few good weeks on the sandy warm beaches of California would clear her head. Maybe even get rid of the nightmares. She wiggled and giggled in bed, excited about her next journey. Her eyelids drooped heavy at last, and she sank into a deep sleep.
…
Before Serenity knew it, she found herself driving down Front Street in Santa Carla, California in search of a bite to eat. The nightlife had taken over in this exuberant spot of America, and she suddenly felt very lost in the city of tourists and locals who didn't seem to care much about how they looked or dressed. It looked like fast food would yet again have to be her choice of meals this time around, even though she was sick of it, but the Black was restless and tired of being in the trailer. He had started his normal routine of kicking the walls to let her know it was time to get out of his confinement.
He screamed and kicked even harder as Serenity put on the brakes when she spotted a Thai restaurant, licking her lips even as her stomach growled at the thought of the spicy yet sweet and savory meal. No problem, she would just get it to go, and after she ate there would be plenty of time for a midnight ride on the beach the Black would surely enjoy. She pulled a complicated u-turn and entered the parking lot of the restaurant knowing that her truck and trailer took up about four parking spaces. In order to get in without any complaints she decided that the back corner of the lot under a few trees that shadowed the area was decidedly the best spot.
The Black screamed when he heard Serenity shut and lock the truck door and poked his nose through the small window of the trailer, smelling the air, knowing full well that this was not the correct destination. Serenity hopped over to him and touched his nose with her fingers, taking a whiff of the air herself. It was a bit rancid, like dead fish or animals and Serenity crinkled her nose. "Dam, I think we've come to the city of the dead," she whispered cracking a smile. "Don't worry, I'll be right back."
She left her overly anxious horse and walked into The King and I, inhaling the pleasant aroma of coconut milk curries, gingered spices and the many stir fries sautéing in peanut oil. Above the many booths dangled pleasantly lit green lights that set the atmosphere in subdued undertones, and above them hung several pictures of Thailand. But instead of playing the normal soft music one would think would be playing in that sort of place, there was a long list of eighties music, and it made Serenity smile. "That's the style I like," she whispered to herself.
A young man behind the counter offered her a menu. He was shorter than she, with dark hair and green eyes, American too, but she held up a hand in refusal. "No thanks, actually. I know what I want."
The guy took a pen and pad out of his left pocket and held them up, ready to take her order. "What can I get you?" he asked politely.
"The Pad Thai noodles with chicken, shrimp, and tofu, please. And can I get that to go?" she asked, turning around quickly to glance out the window. The trailer was rocking. She swung back around, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "And can you hurry, please?" she continued, handing him a twenty and insisting that he keep the change. The guy nodded with a smile and went to place the order.
It was then that Serenity noticed a group of guys in one of the far corners of the restaurant being rather loud and obnoxious. From the tops of their heads, she counted four of them. It sounded like they were clinking their glasses together and throwing food, but she wasn't sure. "Crazy jack asses," she hissed and turned back to watch the cooks tossing her food together.
As this went on, she heard someone flip a quarter into the jukebox and a second later, 'Walk This Way' by Aerosmith, radiated through the speakers and Serenity found herself in beat to the music, swinging her shoulders left and right. One of the rowdy guys from the booth came up beside her and dutifully placed his black gloves on the counter almost too close for comfort, while his cohorts in the booth rocked and sang out loud to the song. She tried to ignore him and continued to look straight ahead, still going to the drum of the music. "You like Chinese?" he asked, slightly drumming his fingers. She pursed her lips and refused to look at him; just knowing he would probably have some smart assed comment, but his smell intrigued her. It was one she had smelled somewhere before, spicy and wild, like he had spent a thousand summers sleeping outside under the stars, and yet at the same time it was coppery like pennies. She had to keep from licking her lips as she thought of the metallic taste pennies had.
"This is not Chinese," she huffed, cocking one eyebrow in the guy's direction to see if he would respond. "Different spices, different flavors…I'd say you were in the wrong place." She smiled slyly as the host returned.
"David! Come on man, we're growing old here," one of the other guys from the far booth yelled. Serenity shook her head and huffed again, trying her best to be patient in hopes that the unpleasant situation beside her would soon go away.
"My apologies. No hard feelings huh?" The guy asked her, removing his hands from the counter to pull a wad of cash out from his over coat pocket. "You sure I can't get a number, or maybe show you around town?"
The host sat her bag of food down in front of her and she winked at him. "Thank you," she said, turning the opposite direction of the other guy standing in her path. "Not in this life time," she whispered and headed out the door.
David smirked and walked back to his table. Finding this girl had been too easy. Now if he could just turn the tables on Max, the bastard would be sorry he had ever searched the girl out, let alone send him on an errand to do his bidding. "Ok boys, let's go," he said quietly. "We've got some business to take care of."