The sun was barely peeking out over the low Arizona hills. The new
rays glinted in Tye's eyes as he walked from the training barn to the
exercise track. He hadn't slept at all the night before; the information
he had learned from his trip through the Internet world had taken a while
to sink in. But now it was time to work, if do what he loved best about
living on a training farm counted as work.
Intrepid nudged Tye playfully as they walked onto the exercise track. At 6'2" Tye was much too tall to race Intrepid in his actually races, but he could ride him at home. Today, with his next race in a week, Intrepid was doing a clocked, quarter mile breeze – 400 meters of flying down the track as fast as the thoroughbred could run.
Tom, the farm's head trainer, met Tye and Intrepid at the gate and held Intrepid while Tye hopped into the saddle. Intrepid pranced underneath him; the colt always seemed to know when it was a breeze day.
"He looks fresh this morning." Tom commented, running his trained eye over the excited colt. Tye nodded in response and laid a soothing hand on the colt's neck.
"He's doing a quarter mile breeze today?" Tye asked, double- checking. Tom nodded.
"Give him a good warm-up, ease into nice gallop for an 800, when you hit that last marker, let him out." Tye nodded and glanced out onto the track. Two other horses were pulling up, just finishing up.
"Aliana will be out shortly," Tom said quickly. "She getting on that spunky two-year-old your parents bought at the auction last month. We're going to see what the colt's got in him." Tom explained. Tye nodded, surprised Aliana was riding; she'd had a bit of a long night, but that was Aliana for you.
"Okay, lets see what this one's got in him today." Tye turned the colt and headed out onto the track. Galloping thoroughbreds was the one place where Tye could let everything go. Forget the questions, forget the frustration, forget the worries. Forget it all. On the track he was free.
Intrepid was feeling fresh that morning. His steps were light and he floated through his warm-up, obviously eager to run. That was the great part about riding these horses; they loved to run like the wind. Tye watched the rail for his signal. Tom held up his stopwatch and gestured towards Tye. At the next marker, he let Intrepid into an easy gallop. The colt's long strides ate up the track. The last marker was approaching quickly. Just as they hit it, Tye leaned forward and squeezed with his legs. That was all the encouragement Intrepid needed. The colt shifted into high gear and flew down the track. The wind whipped Intrepid's mane into Tye's face as Tye squinted, watching for the 400-meter marker, loving the sensation of flying as the colt powered them down the track.
They hit the marker and Tye stood in the stirrups and loosened the reins. Intrepid immediately dropped down to a slow gallop, then an easy canter, and finally a smooth trot. His long strides were still springing – it was obvious the colt could've done another 400 easily. They trotted another lap around the track before Tye pulled him up in front of Tom, who held up the stopwatch for Tye to see. Tye read the time and grinned.
"Excellent," Tom said, looking at the stopwatch again. "This one will definitely be ready for his next stakes race next week." Tye, still grinning, reached down and patted Intrepid's neck. The colt was still prancing, obviously pleased with himself. "Give him another lap to cool out, then I need you to hop on that little bay, Finnegan, for me, he needs a breeze today as well." Tye nodded, absorbing his instructions and turning Intrepid back to the track for his cool down.
About halfway around the track, Aliana came trotting up. She was riding the new two-year-old, getting him used to the track and his new surroundings. She pulled up next to Tye and Intrepid, a grin on her face. She was in her element; she loved training the new ones and helping them reach their potential.
"Hey!" She said brightly. Tye looked over and smiled at her.
"Hey yourself." He said, glancing from her to the new horse. "How's this one feel today?" He asked, curious.
"He's full of two-year-old energy. He's already tried to buck me off twice." Aliana replied with a laugh, her amusement with the young horse ringing in her voice. Tye frowned a little.
"You know Aliana, someday you're going to find a horse that *can* get you off when it wants too." Tye said. He'd seen her ride plenty of naughty horses, and they never got her off, but that didn't mean it wouldn't happen. Aliana just grinned at him and shrugged.
"Aliana! That colt needs to be working! Get him going!" Tom yelled. Tye often wondered if riding for your father made things more difficult. He was willing to bet they did. Aliana looked at Tye, a sheepish look on her face. Tye almost laughed.
"Have a good ride." He told her.
"Yup. See ya." She replied as she and the new colt trotted away. Tye turned Intrepid off the track and hopped lightly to the ground.
"You did good, boy." He told the colt as they walked back to that barn. Tye glanced at the schedule posted in the barn aisle; he had three more horses to ride that morning, and it was only 6:30.
****
"You ready?" Shane asked with a grin.
"I'm game." Teli replied, grinning back. Shane was taking her somewhere, but he wasn't telling where. All Teli knew was that they were biking somewhere, and Shane was wearing a backpack that looked rather heavy.
"Let's go then." Shane replied with a glance back at Teli before he pushed off, leading Teli onto a trail that wound its way up the mountainside. It was late in the morning, and the sun shone down through the mid-summer leaves, warming Teli's skin. Their mountain bikes gripped the dirt and gravel path, making the tight turns and little dips and rises in the path flow past smoothly. Teli kept her eye on Shane as he led the way, watching for any sign that he was getting tired from their long ride. As if he had just read her mind, Shane slowed and stopped on a sharply uphill portion of the trail.
"I think I'm going to walk up this part." Shane said with a smile, pausing a moment to catch his breath. Teli hopped off her bike as well.
"Yeah, this part is pretty steep." She replied, walking her bike up so she stood parallel with Shane.
"We've got about another mile and half to go, mostly uphill," Shane told her. "You gonna be able to make it?" He asked, turning towards Teli, a teasing, playful glint in his eyes.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure I'll be alright." Teli replied, matching his tone. She had been fine so far, no sign of tiredness – but that was to be expected. This hit Teli rather suddenly, the thought that Shane really had no idea what she was. Sure, he knew the girl he'd met at the party a month ago, but internally she had changed, adapted to all the new information that had been flung her way. Anger flared up in her suddenly, towards whoever or whatever Manticore was, and towards Zane for showing her the truth. 'What am I supposed to tell Shane?' Teli wondered. '"Oh, by the way, I was created in a lab by a secret government agency to be a super soldier"? I'm he'd be just thrilled to hear that…' Teli thought bitterly. 'Why did this happen to me? What did I ever do?'
"Teli?" Shane's voice broke into Teli's thoughts. Teli shook her head briefly and looked up. "You okay Teli?" Shane asked, looking a little concerned.
"Yeah. Yeah, sorry. Just got a little too into some thoughts I guess." Teli replied quickly, and then adding, "What were you saying?" Effectively not giving Shane a chance to ask about her thoughts.
"Oh, I was just going see if you were ready to bike again, the path has evened out a bit." Shane said, giving Teli a little smile as he stopped and prepared to get back on his bike. Teli smiled back, pushing her bitter thoughts away.
"Sounds like a plan." She replied, following his lead and hopping onto the bike.
It took them another ten minutes of rather slow up-hill biking to get to the spot Shane wanted to find. It high up on the mountainside where the trees started to thin out. There was a flat spot, clear of trees, where tall grass blew in the slight breeze and summer flowers poked out of the waving stalks. Teli turned to take in the view from this high up. Lake Tahoe glittered bluish-green, a few ripples on its mostly-glassy surface. The Sierras stretched their towering, snowcapped peaks off into the horizon as the sun shone brightly, giving everything a lively glow. Shane stepped up to Teli, put his arm around her waist, and looked out at the view himself.
"It's really beautiful up here." Teli said quietly. Shane smiled softly and looked down at Teli.
"You're the beauty up here." Shane replied softly. Teli smiled up into Shane's eyes for a moment before a slight giggle escaped her lips.
"Oh wow, why do I suddenly feel like I'm in a movie?" Teli asked, glancing down at her shoes with a little laugh.
"That last line was a little corny, wasn't it?" Shane asked, turning slightly red.
"Oh, no. No, no, it wasn't that, it was just…" Teli tried to explain. Shane gave her a look and Teli stopped talking.
"Come on, I still have to redeem myself." Shane said with a grin, pulling Teli's hand and walking back towards where they'd left the bikes and Shane's backpack.
He had packed a small picnic lunch, which they ate on a soft woven blanket. The hour passed by rather quickly.
"See that open area over there?" Shane asked, indication to a bare patch on a mountain opposite of where they were. Teli nodded. "That's where I teach snowboarding in the winter, during the tourist rush." Shane explained. Teli used her vision to look closer; she could see off-season remnants of chair lifts.
"Remind me how you decide to teach snowboarding again?" Teli asked, remember the small part of the story Shane had told her.
"Well, snowboarding isn't exactly something we have much in New Mexico, but it's always something I've wanted to try." Shane started. Teli watching his expression from explaining to sifting through old memories. "So, when I was 17, I left home and was determined to go someplace where I could experience a little …" he broke off, searching for the right words. "Adventure." He finished with a smile, glancing quickly at Teli, then back at their scenic view. "When I finally got here, just on a random urge, I applied to be a ski/snowboard instructor, even though I had no idea what I was doing." Shane said with a laugh.
"So, then, how did you end up with the job?" Teli asked, now quite curious. Shane laughed again.
"Well, the man who is now my boss turned out to be a really cool guy. He saw I needed a job, so, he put me on a snowboard and sent me down the hill." Shane glanced again at Teli, a small grin on his face. "I only made it halfway down." Teli laughed; picturing an uncoordinated Shane was rather amusing.
"Obviously you figured it all out though." Teli replied, more questioning then stating. Shane nodded.
"Yup, I got sick of landing on my butt every ten seconds pretty quickly. But I didn't want to quit, so, I just… learned." Shane answered, finishing the story.
"I guess that goes to show you can do anything once you put your mind to it." Teli comment, appraisingly. Shane raised an eyebrow and nodded in a 'yeah, I guess' manner and then glanced down at his watch.
"Well Teli, we'd probably better get going, we've got a long bike ride down to come." Shane said, his tone indicating that he really didn't want to leave. Teli nodded her agreement, both with the statement and with the sentiment of not wanting to leave. Up here she was almost in another world. She could be herself, or rather, be who she wanted to be, instead of being what she was supposed to be.
They both stood up and brushed themselves free of the few leaves and dust particles that had drifted their way. Shane folded the blanket while Teli packed away what little was left of their lunch.
When Teli picked up her bike, she glanced back at the incredible view over the lake with a little sigh.
"Thanks for bringing me up here, Shane." She said softly. Shane stepped up to her and reached up to touch her cheek.
"We'll have to come back again sometime." He replied softly. Teli wondered briefly when and if that time would come. But her thoughts were cut short when Shane leaned towards her and pressed his lips to hers. When they finally pulled apart, Teli smiled glowingly at Shane as he hopped onto his bike. He turned and winked once over his shoulder before they headed off back down the mountain.
****
Dear Angel,
Today was one of those wonderful days when everything that's been battling for your mind's attention simply disappear. Well, perhaps they're just momentarily shoved away, but either way, it was a nice mental vacation. I biked up to this really beautiful picnic spot with Shane today, and we spent most of the afternoon together, just talking and being ourselves. Well, mostly.
It never used to bother me very much that I had these little differences from other people. Really, it didn't. Life was simple; keep what I know to myself, and just live. Now…now I know why I am what I am. Or, at least, I think I know. And it's just made everything harder. Now I have to ask WHY? Why was I created? Why am I here now? And why did this have to happen to me? I know, that's… a bit of a selfish point of view, but I'm allowed to question! I've never really questioned and now all this new information is being thrown at me faster then I can absorb it. In a way I wish I'd never started looking for answers, never thought to realize I was different. But now I have no choice.
I know I can't keep living this life forever. If I could, Zane wouldn't be here, I wouldn't be training every day like I am. So now I ask, what's next? And where do I go from here?
--Teli
Intrepid nudged Tye playfully as they walked onto the exercise track. At 6'2" Tye was much too tall to race Intrepid in his actually races, but he could ride him at home. Today, with his next race in a week, Intrepid was doing a clocked, quarter mile breeze – 400 meters of flying down the track as fast as the thoroughbred could run.
Tom, the farm's head trainer, met Tye and Intrepid at the gate and held Intrepid while Tye hopped into the saddle. Intrepid pranced underneath him; the colt always seemed to know when it was a breeze day.
"He looks fresh this morning." Tom commented, running his trained eye over the excited colt. Tye nodded in response and laid a soothing hand on the colt's neck.
"He's doing a quarter mile breeze today?" Tye asked, double- checking. Tom nodded.
"Give him a good warm-up, ease into nice gallop for an 800, when you hit that last marker, let him out." Tye nodded and glanced out onto the track. Two other horses were pulling up, just finishing up.
"Aliana will be out shortly," Tom said quickly. "She getting on that spunky two-year-old your parents bought at the auction last month. We're going to see what the colt's got in him." Tom explained. Tye nodded, surprised Aliana was riding; she'd had a bit of a long night, but that was Aliana for you.
"Okay, lets see what this one's got in him today." Tye turned the colt and headed out onto the track. Galloping thoroughbreds was the one place where Tye could let everything go. Forget the questions, forget the frustration, forget the worries. Forget it all. On the track he was free.
Intrepid was feeling fresh that morning. His steps were light and he floated through his warm-up, obviously eager to run. That was the great part about riding these horses; they loved to run like the wind. Tye watched the rail for his signal. Tom held up his stopwatch and gestured towards Tye. At the next marker, he let Intrepid into an easy gallop. The colt's long strides ate up the track. The last marker was approaching quickly. Just as they hit it, Tye leaned forward and squeezed with his legs. That was all the encouragement Intrepid needed. The colt shifted into high gear and flew down the track. The wind whipped Intrepid's mane into Tye's face as Tye squinted, watching for the 400-meter marker, loving the sensation of flying as the colt powered them down the track.
They hit the marker and Tye stood in the stirrups and loosened the reins. Intrepid immediately dropped down to a slow gallop, then an easy canter, and finally a smooth trot. His long strides were still springing – it was obvious the colt could've done another 400 easily. They trotted another lap around the track before Tye pulled him up in front of Tom, who held up the stopwatch for Tye to see. Tye read the time and grinned.
"Excellent," Tom said, looking at the stopwatch again. "This one will definitely be ready for his next stakes race next week." Tye, still grinning, reached down and patted Intrepid's neck. The colt was still prancing, obviously pleased with himself. "Give him another lap to cool out, then I need you to hop on that little bay, Finnegan, for me, he needs a breeze today as well." Tye nodded, absorbing his instructions and turning Intrepid back to the track for his cool down.
About halfway around the track, Aliana came trotting up. She was riding the new two-year-old, getting him used to the track and his new surroundings. She pulled up next to Tye and Intrepid, a grin on her face. She was in her element; she loved training the new ones and helping them reach their potential.
"Hey!" She said brightly. Tye looked over and smiled at her.
"Hey yourself." He said, glancing from her to the new horse. "How's this one feel today?" He asked, curious.
"He's full of two-year-old energy. He's already tried to buck me off twice." Aliana replied with a laugh, her amusement with the young horse ringing in her voice. Tye frowned a little.
"You know Aliana, someday you're going to find a horse that *can* get you off when it wants too." Tye said. He'd seen her ride plenty of naughty horses, and they never got her off, but that didn't mean it wouldn't happen. Aliana just grinned at him and shrugged.
"Aliana! That colt needs to be working! Get him going!" Tom yelled. Tye often wondered if riding for your father made things more difficult. He was willing to bet they did. Aliana looked at Tye, a sheepish look on her face. Tye almost laughed.
"Have a good ride." He told her.
"Yup. See ya." She replied as she and the new colt trotted away. Tye turned Intrepid off the track and hopped lightly to the ground.
"You did good, boy." He told the colt as they walked back to that barn. Tye glanced at the schedule posted in the barn aisle; he had three more horses to ride that morning, and it was only 6:30.
****
"You ready?" Shane asked with a grin.
"I'm game." Teli replied, grinning back. Shane was taking her somewhere, but he wasn't telling where. All Teli knew was that they were biking somewhere, and Shane was wearing a backpack that looked rather heavy.
"Let's go then." Shane replied with a glance back at Teli before he pushed off, leading Teli onto a trail that wound its way up the mountainside. It was late in the morning, and the sun shone down through the mid-summer leaves, warming Teli's skin. Their mountain bikes gripped the dirt and gravel path, making the tight turns and little dips and rises in the path flow past smoothly. Teli kept her eye on Shane as he led the way, watching for any sign that he was getting tired from their long ride. As if he had just read her mind, Shane slowed and stopped on a sharply uphill portion of the trail.
"I think I'm going to walk up this part." Shane said with a smile, pausing a moment to catch his breath. Teli hopped off her bike as well.
"Yeah, this part is pretty steep." She replied, walking her bike up so she stood parallel with Shane.
"We've got about another mile and half to go, mostly uphill," Shane told her. "You gonna be able to make it?" He asked, turning towards Teli, a teasing, playful glint in his eyes.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure I'll be alright." Teli replied, matching his tone. She had been fine so far, no sign of tiredness – but that was to be expected. This hit Teli rather suddenly, the thought that Shane really had no idea what she was. Sure, he knew the girl he'd met at the party a month ago, but internally she had changed, adapted to all the new information that had been flung her way. Anger flared up in her suddenly, towards whoever or whatever Manticore was, and towards Zane for showing her the truth. 'What am I supposed to tell Shane?' Teli wondered. '"Oh, by the way, I was created in a lab by a secret government agency to be a super soldier"? I'm he'd be just thrilled to hear that…' Teli thought bitterly. 'Why did this happen to me? What did I ever do?'
"Teli?" Shane's voice broke into Teli's thoughts. Teli shook her head briefly and looked up. "You okay Teli?" Shane asked, looking a little concerned.
"Yeah. Yeah, sorry. Just got a little too into some thoughts I guess." Teli replied quickly, and then adding, "What were you saying?" Effectively not giving Shane a chance to ask about her thoughts.
"Oh, I was just going see if you were ready to bike again, the path has evened out a bit." Shane said, giving Teli a little smile as he stopped and prepared to get back on his bike. Teli smiled back, pushing her bitter thoughts away.
"Sounds like a plan." She replied, following his lead and hopping onto the bike.
It took them another ten minutes of rather slow up-hill biking to get to the spot Shane wanted to find. It high up on the mountainside where the trees started to thin out. There was a flat spot, clear of trees, where tall grass blew in the slight breeze and summer flowers poked out of the waving stalks. Teli turned to take in the view from this high up. Lake Tahoe glittered bluish-green, a few ripples on its mostly-glassy surface. The Sierras stretched their towering, snowcapped peaks off into the horizon as the sun shone brightly, giving everything a lively glow. Shane stepped up to Teli, put his arm around her waist, and looked out at the view himself.
"It's really beautiful up here." Teli said quietly. Shane smiled softly and looked down at Teli.
"You're the beauty up here." Shane replied softly. Teli smiled up into Shane's eyes for a moment before a slight giggle escaped her lips.
"Oh wow, why do I suddenly feel like I'm in a movie?" Teli asked, glancing down at her shoes with a little laugh.
"That last line was a little corny, wasn't it?" Shane asked, turning slightly red.
"Oh, no. No, no, it wasn't that, it was just…" Teli tried to explain. Shane gave her a look and Teli stopped talking.
"Come on, I still have to redeem myself." Shane said with a grin, pulling Teli's hand and walking back towards where they'd left the bikes and Shane's backpack.
He had packed a small picnic lunch, which they ate on a soft woven blanket. The hour passed by rather quickly.
"See that open area over there?" Shane asked, indication to a bare patch on a mountain opposite of where they were. Teli nodded. "That's where I teach snowboarding in the winter, during the tourist rush." Shane explained. Teli used her vision to look closer; she could see off-season remnants of chair lifts.
"Remind me how you decide to teach snowboarding again?" Teli asked, remember the small part of the story Shane had told her.
"Well, snowboarding isn't exactly something we have much in New Mexico, but it's always something I've wanted to try." Shane started. Teli watching his expression from explaining to sifting through old memories. "So, when I was 17, I left home and was determined to go someplace where I could experience a little …" he broke off, searching for the right words. "Adventure." He finished with a smile, glancing quickly at Teli, then back at their scenic view. "When I finally got here, just on a random urge, I applied to be a ski/snowboard instructor, even though I had no idea what I was doing." Shane said with a laugh.
"So, then, how did you end up with the job?" Teli asked, now quite curious. Shane laughed again.
"Well, the man who is now my boss turned out to be a really cool guy. He saw I needed a job, so, he put me on a snowboard and sent me down the hill." Shane glanced again at Teli, a small grin on his face. "I only made it halfway down." Teli laughed; picturing an uncoordinated Shane was rather amusing.
"Obviously you figured it all out though." Teli replied, more questioning then stating. Shane nodded.
"Yup, I got sick of landing on my butt every ten seconds pretty quickly. But I didn't want to quit, so, I just… learned." Shane answered, finishing the story.
"I guess that goes to show you can do anything once you put your mind to it." Teli comment, appraisingly. Shane raised an eyebrow and nodded in a 'yeah, I guess' manner and then glanced down at his watch.
"Well Teli, we'd probably better get going, we've got a long bike ride down to come." Shane said, his tone indicating that he really didn't want to leave. Teli nodded her agreement, both with the statement and with the sentiment of not wanting to leave. Up here she was almost in another world. She could be herself, or rather, be who she wanted to be, instead of being what she was supposed to be.
They both stood up and brushed themselves free of the few leaves and dust particles that had drifted their way. Shane folded the blanket while Teli packed away what little was left of their lunch.
When Teli picked up her bike, she glanced back at the incredible view over the lake with a little sigh.
"Thanks for bringing me up here, Shane." She said softly. Shane stepped up to her and reached up to touch her cheek.
"We'll have to come back again sometime." He replied softly. Teli wondered briefly when and if that time would come. But her thoughts were cut short when Shane leaned towards her and pressed his lips to hers. When they finally pulled apart, Teli smiled glowingly at Shane as he hopped onto his bike. He turned and winked once over his shoulder before they headed off back down the mountain.
****
Dear Angel,
Today was one of those wonderful days when everything that's been battling for your mind's attention simply disappear. Well, perhaps they're just momentarily shoved away, but either way, it was a nice mental vacation. I biked up to this really beautiful picnic spot with Shane today, and we spent most of the afternoon together, just talking and being ourselves. Well, mostly.
It never used to bother me very much that I had these little differences from other people. Really, it didn't. Life was simple; keep what I know to myself, and just live. Now…now I know why I am what I am. Or, at least, I think I know. And it's just made everything harder. Now I have to ask WHY? Why was I created? Why am I here now? And why did this have to happen to me? I know, that's… a bit of a selfish point of view, but I'm allowed to question! I've never really questioned and now all this new information is being thrown at me faster then I can absorb it. In a way I wish I'd never started looking for answers, never thought to realize I was different. But now I have no choice.
I know I can't keep living this life forever. If I could, Zane wouldn't be here, I wouldn't be training every day like I am. So now I ask, what's next? And where do I go from here?
--Teli