Oh hello again! Yes, I'm still alive. Things just have been hectic since Thanksgiving. 1) I discovered I was pregnant with my fourth child and my husband and I have been trying to come to terms with the thought of a fourth child. Because this means we now have to not only get a bigger vehicle, but we have to also find a bigger house. And 2) on December 14th, 2017, my father was hit by a truck while on his motorcycle, and he was killed. As you can imagine, that was traumatic enough, besides the fact that my father and I haven't spoken in years and the last time I saw him, I told him to "Get the fuck off my property, you bastard."
...Yeah, so I'm dealing with that guilt. But I'm trying to distract myself lately so I'm forcing myself to at least right some, even if a small chapter, for each of my stories. Anyways, to the chapter!
The next two days went by fairly uneventful. Remy and Billie stayed at Emil's home, exploring the massive property. Emil introduced Billie to his three horses, Ruby, Sunshine, and Rocket. Ruby was an auburn-colored Paint, and the oldest of the three at ten years. Sunshine was a Palamino and was six. She was also a barrel racer. And then Rocket, the baby of the group at two years old, was a Tennessee Walker/Quarter horse mix. The white patch on his forehead resembled a firework, thus the name.
And that was where Remy found her now, in the stables. Billie was feeding Ruby an apple from her hand, while brushing the horse's neck.
"She seems to like you," Remy said as he leaned on the pin's door.
Billie nodded, "Yeah, she's a beautiful horse."
He laughed, "I was talking to the horse." He laughed harder when she stuck out her tongue at him. He calmed down to watch her. "You look really relaxed with her."
Billie gave the horse a gentle pat on the back, and that's when he noticed Billie wasn't wearing her gloves. He was surprised by the fact. And Billie seemed to notice.
"I can touch animals without hurting them. I don't get their memories or feelings. With them, I'm normal. They don't fear me. They don't try to stay clear of my touch. Usually," she added.
"I wish I had known that. There's been plenty of times where I'd seen a puppy or kitten and thought about getting it for you, but I thought it'd be rough on you because you would be scared of hurting it."
Billie just shrugged. "It's ok. I used to worry that one day I'd go to touch an animal and my powers would change without me knowing it, and I'd hurt them. But after this many years, I just don't see it happening."
They stayed like that for a while, Bilie brushing Ruby's coat and Remy just watching. After a while, Billie turned to place the brush on a shelf and then made her way out of the stall. She walked over to where the horse blankets and saddles were kept. With a blanket under one arm, and a saddle on the other shoulder, she grinned at Remy.
"Up for a ride?"
"Hey, mon ami," Ariya greeted Remy as she came up behind him.
Remy turned to her and offered her a friendly hug. He had snuck away earlier while Billie took a shower after their horseback rides. And on his way into town, he had phoned Ariya to meet him. So now, they were standing on Mardi Gras Blvd together.
Ariya looked up at the building they were standing infront of. "Interesting place you had me meet you at."
He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "As you can see, this isn't my area of expertise. I thought you could help me out."
"You sure about this?" She looked up at him with a worried look.
He nodded with absolute determination.
She shrugged, "Alright, let's do this then."
Remy had hardly got the jeep to a full stop before Billie was out the screen door.
"Well, Swamp Rat," she started as she stopped a few feet from the vehicle, hands on hips, "Where'd you go off to?"
Before he could answer, the blanket in the back began to yip repeatedly. Remy grinned at the confused look on Billie's face. He climbed in the backseat, lifting the blanket covered crate with him as he hopped over the edge of the jeep. He sat the crate down, with it still making noise. Billie stepped back, then cautiously walked over to it. She knelt down to pull the navy blue cloth away.
Inside the crate was a black and tan Beagle pup, scratching at the door wanting out. Remy leaned over, opening the door and allowing the dog out. Billie had to steady herself as the little male pounced on her, nearly knocking her over.
She looked up at Remy, trying to stop the pup from licking her face. Purple eyes were brimming with tears and her bottom lip quivered.
"His name's Charlie. He's all yours, Cher."