Chapter 5
The Show must go on
"Do you think these apples are all right to eat?" Isa asked after a while, wanting to be friendly. Stephanie shrugged. Isa rolled her eyes again and reached up to one of the low branches, plucking an apple from a tree.
Taking a bite out of the apple, Isa nodded to herself. The sweet juice gushed down her throat, and Cali was eyeing her jealously. Giggling, Isa put a finger to her lips.
Stephanie wheeled her horse to face Cali. Both Isa and Cali jerked back, surprised. Stephanie scowled. "Listen, I really don't want to be here with you... so... tata!" she said, and spurred her horse.
Gasping, Isa watched as the girl galloped away. She leaned down on Cali's neck and hugged her mare, tears streaming down her cheeks.
They were on a strange, unfamiliar trail that branched out, and no one else was with them.
They were alone.
"Nina, it's your turn up next!" Ayu said happily, giving a leg up to her friend. Nina nodded and settled herself into the saddle.
"Where's Isa?" she asked, looking around. "I did get to watch her round, but she disappeared after that!" Ayu shrugged. "Let's just hope she's fine, okay?" she said. "You need to concentrate on your show."
Nina nodded again. "Wish me luck!" she said, turning Magic to the show ring. Suddenly a whinny pierced the air, followed by the sound of clattering hooves.
Stephanie galloped in, face worried. Dismounting and handing her reins to a groom, she ran to Ayu and Nina. "You've got to help me find her!" she said dramatically. "It's Isa!"
Nina gasped, and Yuta came running up. "What's wrong?" he asked, and Stephanie shook with fear. "It's Isa! She galloped off on the trails, and I don't know which path she took!"
Ayu glanced sharply at Stephanie. The girl stared back confidently, and finally Ayu had to look away.
Yuta shook his head. "I didn't know..." he said, then stopped. Everyone knew what he was going to say. They didn't think Isa would do something like that.
Isa was walking Cali along the trail. The sky was darkening already, and she worried if Nina had won her show. Shaking her head, she sniffed. It was time to stop crying. There was nothing she could do. If she was lost, she was lost.
"Oh, Cali... that girl makes me so mad!" she shivered. It was starting to get cold. "Obviously, this can't get any worse, can it?' Cali said.
Instantly thunder rumbled, lightning flashed across the sky, and rain poured down. Cali shook her head. "Forget I said that." She said, and continued walking on.
Isa pulled on the reins. "It's just you and me, then, Cali." She sighed. Cali bobbed her head. "I'm hungry..." Isa sighed.
"Nina Sakura, Nina Sakura, it's your turn." The announcer boomed out over the speaker. Nina gasped. It was either go to the show or save Isa. It was one or the other.
Shaking her head with determination, she turned Magic to the forests. "Nina...?" Ayu said, but Nina shook her head. "I'm going after Isa!" she said, galloping off. Rain poured down.
"Hello? Hello!" Isa sobbed into her cell phone. But it was wet. Shaking her head, she put it back in her pocket. Dismounting, she hugged Cali and loosened the mare's girth. "Come on, it's time to eat." She said, letting her graze. Cali nodded.
"Isa!" Nina shouted through the wind. Rain beat down on her face as she galloped through the forest. "Isa!"
Isa looked up. Someone had shouted her name. "I'm here! I'm here!" she screamed, shaking with cold again. An instant later, Nina came galloping up. "Isa!" her friend screamed with relief.
Dismounting, Nina ran over to Isa, forgetting Magic. The horse bolted off, and Isa laughed. "It's all right, I'll walk. Cali deserves a rest."
"Stephanie left me on the trails!" she said, and Nina shook her head. "I knew she was lying." She said, and Isa smiled.
"Cali, thanks so much for enduring all this!" she said, and Nina patted the mare. No reaction. "Cali?" Isa asked. They had reached the stables, and it had stopped raining.
Facing her mare from the front, Isa's eyes grew big. "Cali! Cali! Can you understand me?!" she screamed. The mare just looked back at her with sad eyes.
"Oh, Isa... I think... the magic's gone..." Nina said sympathetically, and Isa burst into tears, hugging the mare once again.
Nina patted her friend on the shoulder. "Listen, Isa... Just because Cali can't talk doesn't mean she doesn't want to, you know? She still loves you and you love her." Isa wiped the tears from her face and nodded. "Thanks, Nina... for being a good friend."
Nina smiled and shrugged it off. "That's all right. That's what friends are for, right? And besides, I know you would have done the same for me."
THE END
"Do you think these apples are all right to eat?" Isa asked after a while, wanting to be friendly. Stephanie shrugged. Isa rolled her eyes again and reached up to one of the low branches, plucking an apple from a tree.
Taking a bite out of the apple, Isa nodded to herself. The sweet juice gushed down her throat, and Cali was eyeing her jealously. Giggling, Isa put a finger to her lips.
Stephanie wheeled her horse to face Cali. Both Isa and Cali jerked back, surprised. Stephanie scowled. "Listen, I really don't want to be here with you... so... tata!" she said, and spurred her horse.
Gasping, Isa watched as the girl galloped away. She leaned down on Cali's neck and hugged her mare, tears streaming down her cheeks.
They were on a strange, unfamiliar trail that branched out, and no one else was with them.
They were alone.
"Nina, it's your turn up next!" Ayu said happily, giving a leg up to her friend. Nina nodded and settled herself into the saddle.
"Where's Isa?" she asked, looking around. "I did get to watch her round, but she disappeared after that!" Ayu shrugged. "Let's just hope she's fine, okay?" she said. "You need to concentrate on your show."
Nina nodded again. "Wish me luck!" she said, turning Magic to the show ring. Suddenly a whinny pierced the air, followed by the sound of clattering hooves.
Stephanie galloped in, face worried. Dismounting and handing her reins to a groom, she ran to Ayu and Nina. "You've got to help me find her!" she said dramatically. "It's Isa!"
Nina gasped, and Yuta came running up. "What's wrong?" he asked, and Stephanie shook with fear. "It's Isa! She galloped off on the trails, and I don't know which path she took!"
Ayu glanced sharply at Stephanie. The girl stared back confidently, and finally Ayu had to look away.
Yuta shook his head. "I didn't know..." he said, then stopped. Everyone knew what he was going to say. They didn't think Isa would do something like that.
Isa was walking Cali along the trail. The sky was darkening already, and she worried if Nina had won her show. Shaking her head, she sniffed. It was time to stop crying. There was nothing she could do. If she was lost, she was lost.
"Oh, Cali... that girl makes me so mad!" she shivered. It was starting to get cold. "Obviously, this can't get any worse, can it?' Cali said.
Instantly thunder rumbled, lightning flashed across the sky, and rain poured down. Cali shook her head. "Forget I said that." She said, and continued walking on.
Isa pulled on the reins. "It's just you and me, then, Cali." She sighed. Cali bobbed her head. "I'm hungry..." Isa sighed.
"Nina Sakura, Nina Sakura, it's your turn." The announcer boomed out over the speaker. Nina gasped. It was either go to the show or save Isa. It was one or the other.
Shaking her head with determination, she turned Magic to the forests. "Nina...?" Ayu said, but Nina shook her head. "I'm going after Isa!" she said, galloping off. Rain poured down.
"Hello? Hello!" Isa sobbed into her cell phone. But it was wet. Shaking her head, she put it back in her pocket. Dismounting, she hugged Cali and loosened the mare's girth. "Come on, it's time to eat." She said, letting her graze. Cali nodded.
"Isa!" Nina shouted through the wind. Rain beat down on her face as she galloped through the forest. "Isa!"
Isa looked up. Someone had shouted her name. "I'm here! I'm here!" she screamed, shaking with cold again. An instant later, Nina came galloping up. "Isa!" her friend screamed with relief.
Dismounting, Nina ran over to Isa, forgetting Magic. The horse bolted off, and Isa laughed. "It's all right, I'll walk. Cali deserves a rest."
"Stephanie left me on the trails!" she said, and Nina shook her head. "I knew she was lying." She said, and Isa smiled.
"Cali, thanks so much for enduring all this!" she said, and Nina patted the mare. No reaction. "Cali?" Isa asked. They had reached the stables, and it had stopped raining.
Facing her mare from the front, Isa's eyes grew big. "Cali! Cali! Can you understand me?!" she screamed. The mare just looked back at her with sad eyes.
"Oh, Isa... I think... the magic's gone..." Nina said sympathetically, and Isa burst into tears, hugging the mare once again.
Nina patted her friend on the shoulder. "Listen, Isa... Just because Cali can't talk doesn't mean she doesn't want to, you know? She still loves you and you love her." Isa wiped the tears from her face and nodded. "Thanks, Nina... for being a good friend."
Nina smiled and shrugged it off. "That's all right. That's what friends are for, right? And besides, I know you would have done the same for me."
THE END