Beyond the Haunted Past.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Rainstorms and Painful Memories.
Disclaimer: I don't own the show, only the plotline, the OC's and the animals are mine.
Sam stuck her foot in the stirrup and pulled herself up on to Mario's back. The large chestnut gelding shifted slightly as she landed neatly in the saddle and took a small step forwards.
"No," said Sam, holding his reins to make him stand. "Stand Mario." He obeyed and stood quietly, allowing her to adjust her position and get herself settled enough in the saddle.
"What do you want me to do?" asked Owen who was stood in the middle of the arena with her.
"Could you set up a couple of jumps? Maybe half height?"
"Sure thing," he replied. He didn't move, glancing over at Nikki who was on the other side of the fence. "Hey,"
Sam looked down at him from Mario's back, raising her eyebrow at him in question.
"Thanks for earlier," he said to her. "I, I plucked up the courage and asked her. She said yes, Sam. We're having coffee after work."
Owen was grinning now, an excited expression on his face. Sam smiled back. She was glad she had gotten involved.
"No problem," said Sam, adjusting herself in her seat. She gathered up her reins and pushed her heels down in her stirrups. Owen grinned and rushed off to set up the jumps.
"Okay boy. Let's do this,"
Clicking her tongue, she gave Mario a small kick with her heels and closed her fingers around the reins. The large chestnut horse began to walk around the arena, guided by Sam as she warmed up his muscles, preparing him for his training session. He took steady steps, his bulky frame bouncing as he walked. Sam allowed her to walk around the arena several times, watching as Owen carried poles across to the middle of the arena, where he began to set up two separate upright jumps. Sam turned her attention back to Mario who was powering on, step by step. The blonde gave him another small kick with her heels and the chestnut surged forwards into a strong trot, his legs striking out in front of him. Sam posted up and down in the saddle in time with his movements, creating a steady rhythm. Owen had finished assembling the jumps and had stepped to the side, allowing her to take a look at them.
"Are they okay, Sam?" he asked her and she nodded, still trotting around on Mario.
"They're fine, Owen!" she called over.
Sam rode Mario down the far side of the arena, allowing him to stretch out and have free movement. Steering him with her legs, she asked him to bend in a twenty metre circle in the corner of the school and he obliged with pleasure, his hooves pounding off of the sandy surface below. Sam lifted her hands slightly, making him lift his head slightly and pushing on with her legs, Mario's head curled into a beautiful position, working on an outline. She could feel him rolling the bit in his teeth with her hands and she smiled, pushing him on until she reached the next corner of the arena. Sitting deep in the saddle, she gave him a small kick and the gelding surged forwards into a strong and upbeat canter. Sam rocked with his movement and circled him in a ten metre circle, before widening it to a twenty metre circle. Then, she continued around the arena again and allowed him to stretch in an extended canter, the ground being swallowed up with his strides. He was fast moving and agile, responding to Sam's commands immediately. He was a very well schooled animal and Sam didn't doubt that a lot of money had been spent on this horse.
Sam cast a glance over at the first jump in the middle of the arena. It was an upright jump with three poles locked in place, one only a hole off the ground, the next, four holes and the highest pole was six holes off of the floor. She slowed him to a walk and directed him over to the jump, stopping him in front of it and allowing him to look at it. Mario's head dipped down and he sniffed at the jump.
"Ready buddy?" asked Sam and gathered up her reins again, holding him. She dug her heels into his rounded sides and pushed him forwards, sitting deep in the saddle. The chestnut broke into a trot and sailed easily around the arena, without a care in the world. She collected him up and at the corner, she squeezed with her inside leg and her outside leg shifted backwards slightly, allowing the horse to shoot forwards into a steady, almost rocking horse-like canter. Sam positioned herself and pushed her heels down deeper in the stirrups as they rounded the top corner. She turned him down the centre line so that he was lined up head on with the jump. She felt him surging beneath her, raring to go over the jump. She leant back in the saddle, slowing him with her weight, rather than yanking on his mouth. She closed her fingers around the reins slightly, her grip minimal but there and spoke to him in a soft voice.
"Woah," she murmured. "Steady boy."
She steadied him, her fingers tightening a little more and gave a small squeeze. Mario's canter slowed but he snorted, wanting to be let go to jump at his own pace. Sam grinned and let her head fall to the side.
"Okay," she muttered to the gelding. "Have it your way."
Sam released her grip on the rains and Mario rushed forward, head up and eyes wide with excitement. Sam sat tall and held her position as Mario reached the jump, taking off with a surge of power as his back legs pushed both of them off of the ground and up over the jump. Sam leant forwards, her knees pushing into the pads on the saddle and holding her in place as they both soared high over the jump. He landed carefully on the other side, his front legs landing in the sand before his back legs followed. With a skip in his step, he took a stride of canter and Sam turned him to the left, circling him around. Applause from the side of the arena made her look up in shock. She looked over and spotted Nikki and Tara stood at the side of the arena, watching her intently. She smiled over at them and Nikki gave her a small wave. Sam grinned and looked straight ahead, her concentration going back to Mario who was striking out with precision.
Sam kept him on a circle, sitting deep as the large gelding cantering around on a bend. She allowed him a little more room to stretch, allowing the reins to slip through her fingers for a second before settling further away from his head, giving him more room. She slowed him to a trot and circled the area at a slower pace before asking for a canter again. Mario responded immediately and took off, cantering underneath her. She circled him around before riding him along the length of the sand filled schooling ring. He was strong, his strides and deliberate. She turned him down the centre line, aiming him at the jump. This time, Mario was much calmer, his canter was strong but steady and he didn't try to pull away from her to get over the jump. She sat deep in the saddle, heels down in the stirrups. As Mario closed in on the jump, Sam looked ahead and smiled slowly. With a spring in his step, Mario took off, launching himself off of the ground with his powerful hind legs. They flew over the jump with ease, Sam lifted herself up and off of the chestnut gelding's back, allowing him space and freedom to jump without putting any strain on his back. He landed neatly on the other side and with a snort, changed his leading leg. He almost looked like he was skipping. Sam grinned and gave him a pat on his muscular neck.
"Good boy!" Sam praised him.
"Samantha!" A booming voice shouted which made her jump. Sam pulled Mario to a sharp stop and looked around for the source of the voice. She turned her head and sighed when she saw Steven Granger storming his way towards the arena. Sam turned Mario towards the fence and asked him to walk forward, stopping when she reached Tara and Nikki at the fence line.
"This isn't going to be good," mumbled Nikki, looking down at the ground.
"Mr Granger! I was wondering when I would be seeing you!" Sam called to him as he neared the fence.
"How dare you!" He snapped, his face red and blotchy. He was clearly angry.
"Excuse me?" Sam felt Mario shift underneath her but she ignored him, her entire attention on Steven Granger.
"You can't treat my staff like this!"
"Ah," said Sam. "I'm assuming this is about Chrissie?"
"I had a very interesting phone call from Chrissie this morning, Samantha! She said you were very rude to her!"
"She was ruining my training." Sam said simply. This seemed to anger Steven more.
"TRAINING!?" He boomed, his face becoming redder by the second. " She was your trainer! Are you deliberately trying to sabotage this event because at this rate, you're not even going to get to Dullmoth!"
"Back off!" Sam snapped at him, growing tired.
"What did you just say to me?" He boomed. "Remember who pays your wages, Miss Puckett!"
"I don't care if you're the president of the United States, Mr Granger! I will not have my views changed and I will not cause any horse pain for the sake of training!"
"Oh really?" Steven seemed to almost smirk at her, taking a step backwards. "Well, in that case, Miss Puckett, you're fired!"
Sam did not move a muscle, she didn't even allow her mouth to twitch. Her expression remained neutral and she did not move to get off of Mario.
"Get off of my horse!"
"Fine!" shouted Sam but not enough to spook Mario. "You want to fire me? That's fine by me but I dare you to find someone even half as competent to ride both of these horses in a high-end, highly televised competition, one of which has no training, in less than two weeks!"
Steven Granger opened his mouth to shout back at her but he was interrupted by Tara, who turned to him.
"Sam Puckett is one of the best riders that I have come across in my career. If you fire her, your career in this industry will be over before it's even started!" said Tara. Steven seemed to think for a moment before looking over at Sam.
"Only because we're on such a tight deadline." said Steven with a scowl.
"I'm sick of people like you pushing me around!" Sam told him. "I'll train these horses the way I want them to be trained."
"Chrissie-" Steven began but Tara once again interrupted him.
"Chrissie Worth is no longer welcome on my stable yard. Now, I would be careful who you make your enemies in this business, Steven. I hope you remember that I'm letting you keep these horses here at a very reasonable and reduced rate." Tara said to him and he nodded.
"Fine," muttered Steven, his eyes running over Mario who was stood like an absolute gentleman. "But I want results! Tomorrow!"
Then, he turned and began storming his way across the yard towards the car park. Sam let out a sigh of relief and then looked down at Tara. She smiled at her. She was thankful that Tara had got involved otherwise she might have lost her temper even more.
"Thank you." said Sam and Tara nodded her head, her eyes soft and her smile small.
"No problem, Sam." She looked up at the sky and frowned. "You'd best cool him off and get a move on with Devil. It looks like this storm is coming over sooner than expected."
Sam looked up and sure enough, the sky was dark, covered with thick, black clouds which looked like they were about to burst with water any minute.
"I'll go ahead and get Devil ready for you!" smiled Nikki and she rushed off in the direction of the barn where Devil was currently stood in his stable.
Sam turned her attention back to Mario. They had only done a little bit of work before they were interrupted by Steven Granger and his outburst but they had done enough. He had stood still for a while so his muscles had probably cooled themselves down but Sam gave him a squeeze with her heels, asking him to walk forwards. Mario stepped forward and began to walk in a circle around the arena.
Owen was sat over by the jump, watching her closely. She let the reins slip through her fingers, allowing them to rest at the buckle and holding Mario extremely loosely. The large gelding stretched his neck out long and low, his muzzle almost touching the sand on the floor. She slipped her feet out of the stirrup irons and allowed her legs to dangle freely by his sides, swinging as he took each step.
She had walked Mario around for a couple of laps when Nikki appeared, leading Devil all tacked up from the barn entrance. She smiled and directed Mario over to the arena gate. Leaning forward, she pulled on the metal handle, the gate springing open in front of both herself and Mario who was stood perfectly still underneath her. He was such a good horse who didn't spook at anything. They were hard to come by. Giving Mario a pat on the neck, she slid off of his back and her boots hit the sandy surface of the floor, little flecks of sand dust surrounding her feet as she landed.
Nikki walked Devil up to Sam and they swapped horses, Sam taking hold of Devil's reins. Nikki wandered back towards the barn with a freshly cooled down Mario in hand and Sam pulled the gate shut. The blonde turned to look at the large black stallion in front of her.
"Okay, Devil," Sam began. "I won't keep you in here to long, buddy."
Sam led him towards the middle of the arena where the jumps were assembled and Owen sat, perched on the end of a mounting block. She stopped him opposite Owen and she walked so she was parallel with his back. She took hold of the reins and she put her foot into the stirrup. Bouncing three times on her right foot, she pulled herself up into the saddle and settled herself. Devil lifted his back leg and kicked out with a snort and Sam frowned.
"Knock it off," Sam said, gathering up her reins and giving him a small kick with the heel of her boot. The black gelding snorted again but took a step forwards anyway. Sam asked him to walk around the outside of the arena, occasionally pulling him to a halt and then asking him to walk on. He did this with perfect accuracy, assuring Sam that he was listening to her. After pulling him to a halt once more, Sam lifted her hands slightly and pushed him forward with her legs.
Devil struck off, bouncing in a trot and his strides swallowed up the sandy ground as he moved. Sat sat deep in the saddle, bouncing but not coming out of the saddle in a perfect sitting trot, her weight in her heels and her toes pointed at the sky. Riding along the long stretch of the arena, Devil trotted nicely around, all four feet staying firmly on the ground which pleased the blonde girl who was riding him. It meant her training was working in regards to him concentrating more. On the corner, Sam shifted her legs and Devil lunged forward into a canter. Sam leant back in the saddle slightly, making him slow down slightly and control his movement more. Devil gave a snort and with a shake of his head, his back legs lifted off of the floor and gave a large buck, making Sam fall forwards slightly. She rolled her eyes and gave him a kick on.
"Sam?" Owen called over to her. "Do you want me to leave the jumps up?"
"Yes please." replied Sam, her concentration purely on Devil who was almost skipping, his canter quick but solid as a rock. Sam glanced at the jumps that were up in the arena. The first, the one she had been jumping Mario over, was a straight upright. The next jump in the course that he had put up was a spread or an oxer, a parallel oxer to be precise. The jump had six poles and was upright. Three poles at the front and three poles at the back, creating a thicker jump. The final jump in the small course Owen had built up was another oxer but this one was an ascending oxer. The same type of fence but the front poles were lower than the back poles, creating a hill-like motion. Sam allowed Devil to move freely around the arena at a steady pace. He was being very good today. She just hoped his good behaviour wouldn't change when he began to go over the jumps.
Devil had a lot of energy, so as well as Sam's daily training sessions, Sam had asked Tara if she could spare one of her jockey's to take him for a run around the gallops in the morning to let off any steam he already had. Only one jockey would do it, as all of the others were too afraid. They had heard all about Devil's nasty streak but Sam had assured Chris, the jockey, that Devil was making a lot of progress. She was also taking full advantage of Tara's facilities to train both horses up. In the afternoon, after Sam had finished, she had given instructions to Nikki and Owen about how she wanted them looked after. After Sam had finished riding them, they were go out in the paddocks for a couple of hours or if the weather was bad, they would be left to run loose in the covered indoor arena. Then, they would be worked in the horse swimming pool, building up his muscles in preparation for the hard cross-country course they would have to endure. Sam wanted to make sure they were fit enough to get around it, otherwise, there could be an accident and Sam would never forgive herself if a fall killed one of these beautiful horses while she was riding them, simply because they weren't fit enough to get around the course.
Sam directed Devil around the arena once more before turning him down the centre line and aiming him for the first jump. Devil seemed to get excited at this, like Mario before him. He snatched the bit with his teeth and pulled forwards, making Sam slip forward to. Sam kicked him on sharply and Devil responded with a snort, lifting his head. He felt like a coiled spring but Sam knew, she had to get him over this jump steady and safe. Otherwise, they could kiss Dullmoth goodbye.
"Steady." she whispered and Devil seemed to shrink two sizes at her words. He calmed down and steadied up, slowing his canter down as he got closer to the jump. He seemed to shy off at this but Sam gave him a squeeze of encouragement with her heels, clicking her tongue and throwing her hands forwards up his neck as the large black horse leapt from the ground. He looked like a dolphin diving as he created a beautiful shape over the jump. He clearly had talent and now that his attitude was getting better, that talent was beginning to showcase itself. Devil landed on the other side in a neat manner, Sam still leaning forwards when he landed so her weight was not hindering his performance. He let out a squeal of excitement and bucked but this time, Sam didn't mind and she gave him a quick pat before turning him at the next jump. The black gelding changed his leading leg, skipping slightly before continuing to canter towards the second jump, the parallel oxer. Sam gulped but held her ground. She had never jumped this horse over anything other than a vertical and going from a vertical to an oxer was kind of scary on an unpredictable horse. Time seemed to slow down as Sam thought about how this next jump could go horribly wrong. She shrugged and pushed Devil on, lining him up with the oxer.
Oh well. She thought. If I fall.. I fall.
Devil picked up a slight bit of speed and Sam let out a deep breath, her grip tightening around the reins and she sat back in the saddle, her back straight and her head up, staring down on the fast approaching jump. With a shake of his head, Devil took off from the floor and Sam gave a small squeak of shock when he expertly soared over the jump with room to spare, indicating he could have gone higher if he had wanted to. As he landed on the floor, Sam couldn't contain her smile and she let go of both of her reins, patting him eagerly with both hands.
"Good boy, Devil!" Sam praised him, grinning from ear to ear. The reins flapped against his neck as he continued to canter and gave a large buck for good measure. Sam managed to keep her position and gathered up her reins once again. She heard a whoop from the middle of the arena and Owen had his fists in the air and was laughing, a smile on his face. Sam grinned down at Devil and turned him for the final jump, the ascending oxer when suddenly, she felt water splashing off her face and helmet. She pulled him to a stop and looked up at the sky.
The sky had exploded, dark clouds releasing floods of rainwater, soaking both Sam and the black horse beneath her. She squinted and sighed.
"Shall we just do one more jump, buddy?" Sam asked him, not expecting an answer. She wanted to get him over this final oxer but she didn't want to get herself much wetter. Her schedule right now just wouldn't work if she came down with a chill or a cold. Sam asked Devil for a trot and the large black gelding obliged immediately, stepping out and building himself up. Sam turned him on a twenty metre circle then asked for a canter and again, he immediately responded, cantering perfectly for her. Sam rocked in the saddle, her hips moving with his body as the rain belted down on them, soaking them and the ground below. As Devil cantered around, his hooves splashed in the puddles that had now started to settle in the sand. She turned him on a circle once more before lining him up in front of the last jump, the ascending oxer. She took a deep breath and pushed her weight in her heels, pushing him on so that he was only a few strides away from the jump. Bounding towards the jump, his ears pricked forwards and he stopped inches from the jump, powering up with his thick hind legs. Rain sheeted down as he soared high over the jump taking Sam with him. He seemed to need a little bit more power to get over but he managed it just fine, landing on the other side. This time, he didn't buck but that could have been to do with the amount of water that was hitting him. He was dripping wet and he looked utterly miserable but he was being very well behaved considering.
Sam gave him a pat on the neck and sat back in the saddle, slowing him down with slight pressure on the reins. The entire sand floor of the arena was now covered in a sheet of water, meaning Devil was splashing about with every step. Her face was freezing from the cold water and now a howling wind was coming across, blowing the trees and making raindrops fly everywhere.
"Sam!" She turned to see Tara motioning her over towards the fence line. She slowed Devil right down into a walk and turned him towards Tara. "Maybe you should be heading home, Sam. This weather is turning pretty quickly."
Sam shivered but nodded and slid down from Devil's back, a raindrop rolling off of her nose. She was drenched from head to toe now and was freezing.
"Nikki will put him inside. Go home and get warm, Sam." said Tara with a smile. Nikki reached out to take Devil's reins as Sam's boots squelched in the water heading for the gate. Sam said her goodbyes before she headed for her car.
Sam pulled out of the driveway and on to the main road. She was forced to squint, trying to see through the windscreen. Even though the wipers were on full speed, the rain was coming down fair to heavy and far to fast meaning Sam had very limited vision. She slowed down as she turned the corner, surface water covering the bottom of the car wheels. The water on the roads was now problematic and the storm was showing no signs of blowing over. A crash of thunder made Sam jump and grip the steering wheel. The sky had turned dark now, the sun hidden behind storm clouds. Sam drove for a few miles, struggling to see two feet in front of her. As she rounded the next corner, Sam gasped as she spotted a set of traffic lights. It was the spot where Ava had died.
Sam's mind suddenly blanked out and her life began to flash back to when she had been told about Ava.
"Is there an adult at home?" A much younger Sam stared at the police officer who was standing on Havenfield farm porch, a solemn look on his face.
"My aunt is in the kitchen." said Sam and the officer smiled.
"Could you go and fetch her for me?"
"Sure,"
"Sam? Who was at the door?"
"A cop.. he wants to speak with you." said Sam.
"The police?" Amanda's eyes widened and she placed down the knife that she was using to chop up carrots. "Sammy, stay here and watch your cousin for me."
Sam nodded and walked over to little Jade who was playing on the floor. She sat down with her and crossed her legs underneath herself as she watched her Aunt head for the door.
"Sammy, we need to talk sweetie." Sam was sat on the sofa. Amanda had come back from her talk with the police officer and had immediately taken Jade upstairs to her room.
"When will Ava be home? She promised we'd go for a ride."
"Sam, that's kind of what we need to talk about." Sam took a good look at Amanda. Her eyes were red and puffy and she looked like she was about to be sick. She knew there was something wrong.
"Aunt Amanda? What's going on?"
Tears rolled down her cheeks and she screamed, feeling like someone had just ripped her heart out and plunged a dagger into her stomach.
"No! No.. No.. No! She can't- she can't be gone!" Sam screamed.
Sam blinked and snapped back to reality. She tried her best to look past the raindrops that were hitting her windscreen. The rain had gotten heavier and there was even more surface water. Pretty soon, there was going to be flooding. Sam was deep in thought when a deer shot out of the trees and rushed across the road in front of her car. Sam let out a sharp scream and she slammed on the brakes. However, with the surface water, the car skidded off to the right and at speed bumped the kerb, causing the jeep to ricochet . The car then spiraled and Sam was flung sideways, staying in her seat only because her seat-belt held her in place. The car spun and Sam tried to keep the car straight but she failed. She let out a scream as the car landed in a heap in the ditch. Sam was throw forwards and her head smacked off the steering wheel, causing blood to seep from the fresh wound. With the weight behind the hit, Sam was knocked clean out. With no other car in sight, rain water that had collected in the ditch already and rain still coming down heavily, Sam was really in trouble this time.
Hello everyone!
Here's a little bit of drama for you!
I hope you like the update, the next one shouldn't be to far away!
Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts.
-Dreamer
