Adrian was very glad her plan had worked. At first glance threw the windows
even she had sworn she still had some daylight, but the fact that the
clouds were parting and windows pointed west gave it the look that it was
still bright. She walked slowly down the dirt path to the gate, eyes
closed, smiling for no real reason at all, and breathing in the night air.
She opened her eyes lazily and gazed skyward and saw it in all its glory,
the moon. Her feet had unknowingly stopped moving and she sat on the path
just admiring the orange almost whole orb hanging in the sky. Looking over
into the fenced in field, she realized she was not alone. The horse was
laying upright and looking up at the moon just as she was. It was a
glorious animal, a jet-black coat reflecting the moonlight like liquid.
Adrian could tell now what Mr. Rhan meant by how she would know it was
hers. The coat my have been black but its mane and tail were pearl white.
She stood up and moved towards the fence, but not at the gate. Climbing the
fence, the horse looked over and stared at her watching every move Adrian
took towards her. As soon as the horse shifted, Adrian stopped walking and
just sat, watching the moon. After the sun had completely set, Adrian stood
and began to walk to the barn, leaving the horse to bask in the moonlight.
As she reached the barn door she heard a growl behind her. She relaxed and
let out a sigh of annoyance. Turning around, she was met with two angry
dogs snarling and baring their teeth. Adrian looked hard at the dog and
whispered coldly, "I live here now so don't bother me." The dogs let out a
single growl then turned and walked towards the herd of cows.
Stepping into the darkened barn, she stops for a moment to let her eyes adjust then moves from stall to stall, looking at all the horses and a single cow. When she came to an open stall and saw that the wooden bucket had most of the oats eaten from it recently, she assumed it was her horse. Kneeling down and lifting up a leg of her cloth pants she reveals a piece of leather tied tightly around her leg holding a leather sheath. She removes a sharp curved knife from its sheath and stands, closing the stall door. Holding it tightly, she carves a name into the hard wood with the black blade of the knife. Halfway threw, she feels eyes on her back and aims the blade of the knife inconspicuously so as to reflect anything that may be standing there. Seeing nothing she continues her work, still feeling something behind her. Finishing her carving she takes a step backwards and admires her work. The name 'Jetta' carved neatly into the door of the stall. She smiles, but it is a fake smile. She feels the eyes close then a shifting movement directly behind her. Keeping calm is easy for Adrian when she does not know what it is. She leans forward blowing lightly on the carving and wiping away little pieces of wood shavings. She feels it shift again and finger tips on her back. 'It's playing with me. It wants me to look behind me.' She thinks, still staying calm and keeping her breathing steady. She stands up straight and looks out at the window beside her at the moon. Leaning against the wood gazing out, she feels it moving behind her, very close now just out of sight. A breath. She inhales as a reflex as it hits her neck and regrets it. The thing chuckles lightly and she breaths in a claming breath, taking with it a scent of the thing beside her. 'Ok, this is fine. You have been in tighter spots.' She tells herself. 'If you don't make a move now it will kill you. Breath... in... out... one... in... out... two...' she feels a strong hand on her back. 'No time for breathing! Have to start running if you want to keep breathing.' Her foot pushes against the wall, pushing her past the hand and what ever it belonged to, and hurtles her at the exit. Bursting outside, she follows the moonlight to the gate, hearing large wings behind her. A dark shadow throws itself over her and swoops down for her. Hearing what is coming, she comes to a sudden stop and turns, knife in hand, facing the creature. It's bigger than she expected but hopes her plan will still work but she knows she has to be faster than she has ever been. The beast reaches out for her as predicted and at the perfect moment she reaches out her left hand and grabs his right, pulling him at her hard, throwing off his balance. As he tries to wrap his arms around her, she shoves her knife into his heart and pulls down, attempting to cut open its chest. It screams and throws her backwards at the gate a little too hard having her miss the gate and land on the other side. She pushes herself off the ground, only to cringe in pain at a deep cut on the palm of her hand. She stands and races the house hearing him lift off the ground and into the air after her. She reaches the porch and stops, knowing that the thing is chasing her but takes a moment to gather herself. Then opens the door only to be faced with her father holding a rather large cross. He pulls her into the house.
"Are you alright?" he stammers, "We thought the worst. We heard a scream, and it was dark out."
She decided to stop him. "Father, its alright, the scream was me." She shows her deeply cut hand, which her mother grabs ferociously and pulls her to a bucket of water.
"Who did this to you?" Mr. Rhan demands angrily.
She lets out a soft laugh, "It is nothing to worry about. I did it. I was a little too clumsy when in the dark barn and caught my hand on a nail."
"Why on earth did you stay out when it was that dark?" Mrs. Rhan asks, pouring some cool water onto the cut.
"I was admiring my horse and trying to think up a name."
Her mother's expression softens, "Did you think of one?"
"I did." Adrian smiles, "Jetta"
Mr. Rhan gives a curious smile, "That's a rather odd name for a horse."
Mrs. Rhan ties a bandage around Adrian's hand and looks to Mr. Rhan, "It is her horse," She turns to Adrian and gives her another hug, "and I think it's a wonderful name."
"Time for bed Adrian." Mr. Rhan says softly placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Goodnight Mother. Goodnight father." Adrian says then climbs the latter and closes the door behind her. She walks to the window, remembering all the loose boards and sits on the stool, staring out at the yard. She glares out and sees the large figure that had chased her back to the safety of the house like she was a coward. "I'm not a coward." She whispers to herself sadly. The figure walks around the grounds, taunting her, knowing that only her window pointed in his direction. The creature walks over to the house, within plain sight of her and holds up her knife as if to say, 'you want it? Come and get it.' She tears her eyes away from the window and walks to the bed saying to herself, "My mother gave me that knife." She curls up on her bed and closes her eyes. After a few seconds, she hears someone climbing the ladder and walking towards her bed. She feels someone plant a gentle kiss on her forehead then Mrs. Rhan's voice.
"Goodnight Viviana. We love you." She leaves the room and Adrian hears their bedroom door close. Tears fall silently from her eyes and she holds her pillow tight laying her head on the bed. The tears fall lightly onto the bed, showing a side of Adrian that she keeps hidden from everyone, glad that no one would ever see her like this. Unknown to her someone was watching, in a shadowed corner of her room, someone watched it all.
Stepping into the darkened barn, she stops for a moment to let her eyes adjust then moves from stall to stall, looking at all the horses and a single cow. When she came to an open stall and saw that the wooden bucket had most of the oats eaten from it recently, she assumed it was her horse. Kneeling down and lifting up a leg of her cloth pants she reveals a piece of leather tied tightly around her leg holding a leather sheath. She removes a sharp curved knife from its sheath and stands, closing the stall door. Holding it tightly, she carves a name into the hard wood with the black blade of the knife. Halfway threw, she feels eyes on her back and aims the blade of the knife inconspicuously so as to reflect anything that may be standing there. Seeing nothing she continues her work, still feeling something behind her. Finishing her carving she takes a step backwards and admires her work. The name 'Jetta' carved neatly into the door of the stall. She smiles, but it is a fake smile. She feels the eyes close then a shifting movement directly behind her. Keeping calm is easy for Adrian when she does not know what it is. She leans forward blowing lightly on the carving and wiping away little pieces of wood shavings. She feels it shift again and finger tips on her back. 'It's playing with me. It wants me to look behind me.' She thinks, still staying calm and keeping her breathing steady. She stands up straight and looks out at the window beside her at the moon. Leaning against the wood gazing out, she feels it moving behind her, very close now just out of sight. A breath. She inhales as a reflex as it hits her neck and regrets it. The thing chuckles lightly and she breaths in a claming breath, taking with it a scent of the thing beside her. 'Ok, this is fine. You have been in tighter spots.' She tells herself. 'If you don't make a move now it will kill you. Breath... in... out... one... in... out... two...' she feels a strong hand on her back. 'No time for breathing! Have to start running if you want to keep breathing.' Her foot pushes against the wall, pushing her past the hand and what ever it belonged to, and hurtles her at the exit. Bursting outside, she follows the moonlight to the gate, hearing large wings behind her. A dark shadow throws itself over her and swoops down for her. Hearing what is coming, she comes to a sudden stop and turns, knife in hand, facing the creature. It's bigger than she expected but hopes her plan will still work but she knows she has to be faster than she has ever been. The beast reaches out for her as predicted and at the perfect moment she reaches out her left hand and grabs his right, pulling him at her hard, throwing off his balance. As he tries to wrap his arms around her, she shoves her knife into his heart and pulls down, attempting to cut open its chest. It screams and throws her backwards at the gate a little too hard having her miss the gate and land on the other side. She pushes herself off the ground, only to cringe in pain at a deep cut on the palm of her hand. She stands and races the house hearing him lift off the ground and into the air after her. She reaches the porch and stops, knowing that the thing is chasing her but takes a moment to gather herself. Then opens the door only to be faced with her father holding a rather large cross. He pulls her into the house.
"Are you alright?" he stammers, "We thought the worst. We heard a scream, and it was dark out."
She decided to stop him. "Father, its alright, the scream was me." She shows her deeply cut hand, which her mother grabs ferociously and pulls her to a bucket of water.
"Who did this to you?" Mr. Rhan demands angrily.
She lets out a soft laugh, "It is nothing to worry about. I did it. I was a little too clumsy when in the dark barn and caught my hand on a nail."
"Why on earth did you stay out when it was that dark?" Mrs. Rhan asks, pouring some cool water onto the cut.
"I was admiring my horse and trying to think up a name."
Her mother's expression softens, "Did you think of one?"
"I did." Adrian smiles, "Jetta"
Mr. Rhan gives a curious smile, "That's a rather odd name for a horse."
Mrs. Rhan ties a bandage around Adrian's hand and looks to Mr. Rhan, "It is her horse," She turns to Adrian and gives her another hug, "and I think it's a wonderful name."
"Time for bed Adrian." Mr. Rhan says softly placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Goodnight Mother. Goodnight father." Adrian says then climbs the latter and closes the door behind her. She walks to the window, remembering all the loose boards and sits on the stool, staring out at the yard. She glares out and sees the large figure that had chased her back to the safety of the house like she was a coward. "I'm not a coward." She whispers to herself sadly. The figure walks around the grounds, taunting her, knowing that only her window pointed in his direction. The creature walks over to the house, within plain sight of her and holds up her knife as if to say, 'you want it? Come and get it.' She tears her eyes away from the window and walks to the bed saying to herself, "My mother gave me that knife." She curls up on her bed and closes her eyes. After a few seconds, she hears someone climbing the ladder and walking towards her bed. She feels someone plant a gentle kiss on her forehead then Mrs. Rhan's voice.
"Goodnight Viviana. We love you." She leaves the room and Adrian hears their bedroom door close. Tears fall silently from her eyes and she holds her pillow tight laying her head on the bed. The tears fall lightly onto the bed, showing a side of Adrian that she keeps hidden from everyone, glad that no one would ever see her like this. Unknown to her someone was watching, in a shadowed corner of her room, someone watched it all.