Next chapter.
I hope there are still some readers out there. This one was difficult for me to get out... mostly because every time I sat down to write I would get distracted watching 'dancing' horses.
Let me know what you think!
xxxxx
Naomi had watched all evening as Emily bustled about getting her clothes and boots ready for the competition. She was so focused, and it was kind of a fun thing to watch. That is until Emily started polishing her boots for the fourth time.
"Ems, don't you think you should get some rest for tomorrow," the sleepy blonde said from the comfort of her bed, looking out across the room to where Emily was on the floor with polish and a brush. She waited for a response, but then realized that the redhead hadn't even heard her. There was no recognition that Emily had even been spoken to. "Emily?"
The younger twin's head popped up and turned to see the crystalline blue orbs of her lover looking back at her. "What?" she asked, clearly not having heard anything that was said to her.
"Shouldn't you sleep, you know, for the competition?" Naomi tried again, now that she had Emily's attention.
"I'm almost done, I promise," Emily said with a nervous smile. Naomi simply flashed a brief smile and turned from her side onto her back, stretching her arms up, letting loose a little grunt as her bones popped. She closed her eyes and listened as Emily finished cleaning her boots again, and then started putting the items away.
Emily started to strip down to her knickers and then slipped a sleeping top over her head. It didn't take her more than two seconds to slip under the duvet and cuddle into the blonde's side. Naomi automatically adjusted her arm and body so that the petite girl could properly move into her.
Sleep came somewhat quickly for the redhead, and after only a few minutes, half of them spent checking to make sure her alarm was set on her mobile, she was off into dreamland. Naomi, however, wasn't so lucky. Truth be told, she was worried. Worried all the drama that had been going on in Emily's life would make a sudden reappearance at the worst of times. She wanted Emily to do great, wanted her to take the competition by storm, but she had been so distracted lately.
Emily mumbled something incoherently in her sleep and Naomi kissed her forehead. The redhead calmed down instantly and cuddled in further, letting a little sigh through her partially parted lips. Naomi smiled down at her, maybe things would be alright. Maybe she was worrying too much.
Maybe...
xxxxx
Naomi nearly jumped off the bed when Emily's alarm started screeching. Emily, on the other hand, barely registered that there was an offending noise. "Ems, we gotta get going," Naomi said as she kissed her lover's lips gently.
That did the trick.
Emily's eyes opened into Naomi's bright blue gaze. She couldn't help herself; she reached a hand up through the peroxide tresses and pulled her down to reconnect their lips. It was soft and slow, and when Emily ran her tongue across Naomi's lips, it deepened.
Naomi pulled away after a few minutes, knowing that Emily didn't leave them much extra time to get showered and ready for her competition. "Ems, you need to shower," she mumbled into the soft sweet lips.
Emily gave Naomi one last peck on the lips and quickly got up to shower. Naomi had showered the night before, so all she really had to do was touch up everything and put her hair up since it was trying to be wavy, and she didn't have time to straighten it.
Naomi went downstairs and flipped on the kettle to make some tea. She had just finished it up and went upstairs when Emily came flying out of the bathroom. She barely had a towel hanging around her body and her hair was dripping down in crimson tendrils. It was absolutely breathtaking, and if they didn't need to get out to JJ's, she would definitely not be letting Emily get dressed at all.
She sat the tea on the armoire and kissed Emily's cheek. She received a mumbled 'thank you' and watched as the redhead moved between sipping her tea and getting into some clothes, obviously not her competition wear, but something similar to what she had been wearing when Naomi first ran into her.
She smiled at the thought. Naomi wasn't one to believe in fate, but it seemed strange to her that she was even there in the first place. Surely when she started choking on her MDMA pill wasn't just by chance, and it wasn't by chance that the petite redhead was right there to help her with some water to swallow it down. Everything just seems like it clicked into place, like a puzzle.
Naomi was lost in her memories of the first time she saw the redhead, and it took Emily coming over to actually shake her shoulders for the blonde to realize she'd been in a daydream. She laughed and pecked Emily on the lips, grabbing her bag, throwing her mobile and purse into it, and grabbing her keys.
It was still dark out and there were light raindrops splashing against the windscreen. Overall it wasn't too horrible though, however Naomi hoped that it was an indoor arena at the very least. She didn't want Emily to have to contend with the thoughts in her head as well as the elements outside.
When they pulled up to the Jones residence, Rob was already there, and was leading Thunder toward the horse trailer. Emily hopped out of the vehicle, almost before it was stopped completely, rushing over to her dad. She gave her dad a one armed hug and kissed him on the cheek as she took Thunder's lead and walked into the empty trailer.
It didn't take much longer to close the gate and transfer Emily's competition clothes. The two girls went to get into the back of the truck and were surprised to see that Katie wasn't the only one in the truck.
"Hey bitches..." Katie said with a smirk on her lips.
Katie was sat in the back seat, in the middle, whilst Effy took up one of the other seats. Naomi looked from her friend over to Katie, and then to Emily... now clearly confused on where she was supposed to sit. She could either sit next to Katie or up front. She begrudgingly got into the back seat next to the older twin. Emily leaned in and gave her girlfriend a kiss and quietly asked if she was going to be okay, or if she wanted to drive herself.
The stubbornness in Naomi wouldn't let her go back on accepting the ride from Rob. She just smiled and said she'd be fine as she buckled herself in.
"I said... 'Hey bitches'," Katie repeated.
Mumbled hellos soon were audible from both Naomi and Emily.
Emily had hoped that she could try to relax and lean against Naomi on the trip, but obviously that wasn't going to happen now. She was a half a second away from asking Katie to sit shotgun and she'd take the middle when Rob opened the door.
"Everyone ready?" he said a little too chirpily for five in the morning.
He received a couple tired, mumbled replies.
They had just set off when Naomi's mobile chirped. Confused, she pulled it from her bag and it quickly sprang to life, showing a text message. She opened the message from Effy.
Surprise! I hope you don't mind me coming with, but the way Katie requested it, I really couldn't say no. Plus, I brought pills... I figured you wouldn't be opposed.
Naomi kept herself from looking over across the older twin to see her mate. She really was trying not to be irritated, not at the fact that Effy had shown up without her knowledge, but at the fact that she had to be sat back there with her and Katie. She had wanted to have the back seat to herself and Emily so she could try to keep the redhead from betting lost in her thoughts.
Naomi didn't reply. It would look foolish of her to respond only to have Effy's mobile indicate a text a few moments later. It doesn't get any more obvious than that. The blonde tucked her mobile back into her bag and leaned against the cold window.
The pattering of water hitting the glass kept her from being able to fall asleep. Rob had said the drive would be less than an hour, which would get them there before six. The competition didn't start until ten, and depending on when Emily actually performed, she might not go on until after twelve.
That would be a lot of time to kill. Maybe, Naomi thought, the fact that Effy was there with drugs would make that more tolerable.
Emily had put in her ear buds in, and turned on her iPod, putting on the soft music she always listened to before a competition. She leaned her seat back a bit and reached over her head. Naomi offered her hand and the redhead put it on her shoulder, right next to her neck. Naomi's thumb brushed up against Emily's pulse point and she could hear the light gasp from the girl in the seat in front of her. She let her fingertips settle on the curve between Emily's neck and shoulder. Naomi didn't know if she was helping the redhead's anxiety at all, but she was hoping.
Forty-nine minutes later Naomi was getting out of the truck after Rob parked it in the designated area. There were only one or two other trailers parked at this time in the morning. Naomi noted that there weren't even any food stands up yet.
Rob left the girls to go see if there was a stable to put Thunder in seeing as the weather was only getting worse. The once light grey clouds were now charcoal and covering the sky like a dark blanket of doom. Rain was starting to come down harder and sometimes lightening would flash and seconds later the thunder would vibrate all around them.
Emily opened the trailer to make sure Thunder wasn't spooked from the actual thunder. He was obviously distressed, but he calmed down considerably once Emily was in the large metal box with him. The redhead whispered to him and stroked his face and neck. He nuzzled into her stomach before snorting. She led him out of the trailer and began to walk him around, easing some of his discomfort.
"They have a few stalls open, Ems, so if you want to bring Thunder into one of them, you can," Robert said as he walked toward the back of the trailer.
Naomi had stayed in the truck, as did Katie and Effy. It wasn't until Emily walked by them with Thunder that the blonde got out of the truck. She glanced back into the vehicle to see that Effy and Katie were getting out on the other side. Naomi jogged toward Emily and Thunder, making a wide arc around the two so that she didn't get near Thunder's hind-quarters.
Emily was so lost in her own thoughts and the music from her iPod that she jumped when she felt the warm hand slip into her own. She looked over to Naomi and smiled gently at her. She had desperately wanted to be close to the blonde on the drive there, and of course she could thank her twin for that. The redhead didn't generally get nervous to the point of her feeling sick, but just walking Thunder to one of the stalls was causing her gut to churn uncomfortably.
Something just didn't feel right to her. She went over everything, and then did so again. She had her gear and Thunder's tack, and she knew the steps and movements they would be making during the competition… so what was it that was making Emily feel so nervous.
Naomi could see that the shorter girl was visibly shaken. She tightened her grip, but there was little else she could do. She didn't even know what it was that was on Emily's mind, and asking her may just upset her more. "Want to talk about it?" she asked softly.
Emily released Naomi's hand as she lead Thunder inside of it, knowing that the blonde would prefer to not be inside a closed off box with the stallion. The red head still hadn't answered by the time she stepped out of the stall. Thunder snorted and she scratched his chin before turning to her girlfriend. Her lips turned into a smile, though it was only slightly forced. She sighed long and hard as she fell into Naomi's loving embrace. She felt instantly better, even if it was only slightly, and she let her eyes flutter closed. Surely she could pretend that everything was okay, at least long enough to win the competition.
Naomi peppered kisses into the red head of hair and wrapped the petite girl up firmly. "Just relax, okay Ems? Nothing will be fixed during the time you will be riding, yeah? So, there's no need to let it get to you. Save it until after you've won," Naomi said encouragingly.
Emily smiled up to her girlfriend and kissed her cheek. "Thanks Naoms," she said softly.
xxxxx
After hours of waiting, it was show time. Emily had long since changed into her competition attire and she was fussing with one of the leather straps on Thunder's reins. Rob came up to her and put his large hands on her shoulders, pulling her away. He easily untwisted the chin strap and turned to his little girl, his face smiling softly. "You go show them what us Fitches are made out of," he said proudly. He gave her a leg up and gave everything one last check to be sure that everything was fastened securely.
Emily had expected for Katie to come in and give her the usual calf squeeze, just like they always did, but realized when she was announced as the next rider in the arena that she wasn't going to show. She couldn't help but think about her mum after that. Sure, they had had their disagreements, but Jenna had never missed a competition, not one. For all intents and purposes she was kind of like hers and Katie's manager.
She tried to push her mum from her mind, and tried to fill her thoughts with the routine. Her hands came up and straightened her jacket, even though it wasn't sitting awkward in the first place.
'Ladies and Gentlemen, please turn your attention to arguably one of the most talented young dressage riders in the last three decades. It is a pleasure to welcome back Ms. Emilia Fitch, riding her Friesian stallion, Thunder."
Emily straightened her posture and held her head high as they entered the arena with a collected canter, and then made an x halt, and she then saluted. She smiled to them and watched for their reactions, and she received smiles and nods in return.
She tried to shut everything out, just like she always did. Her chocolate browns closed for a few brief moments as she began to hear the soft classical ballad in her head. It wasn't her usual choice, but it would have to do.
The horse and rider started out by simply walking around the arena getting a feel for the atmosphere, and even doing something so simple had people sat at the edge of their seats, excited for an amazing show from a brilliant performer.
The further they walked the more her own name began to repeat in her head like a chant, and all she could think about was who she was named after. The sound in her own head began to overpower the musical selection. She had to press on, she had to.
Emily collected herself and took a short breath as she pushed Thunder into a working trot, curling around the far end of the arena until she was moving right down the centre. With a slight shift of her body and a light pull on the reins the massive stallion began to piaffe, or trot in place. She was still fighting the voices in her head as they broke her concentration enough to squeeze Thunder's sides with her legs. He snorted in confusion and began to trot forward again.
The red head went with it, pushing him forward into a passage. This particular trot almost makes it seem as if the stallion pauses with each movement forward, like he is suspended briefly before going on once again.
Emily was trying to keep her cool, but as her eyes glanced to the side she noticed someone, someone who wasn't meant to be there. She tried to pull her gaze away, tried to find the blonde sat in the crowd, but it was no use.
The stallion moved back into a collected trot, then a canter. He moved gracefully around the arena before he was instructed to do one tempi changes, which makes him look like he is skipping as the lead leg changes every stride. Emily managed to rein him in and performed a canter pirouette to face the other direction. She kept the slow canter and began a half pass, which is a movement not only forward, but sideways as well. Once she reached the rail, she guided the stallion to do a half pass the other way.
Emily was sweating, her heart pounding. Her chocolate orbs moved over to the woman at the side of the arena for but a moment, but it was enough to distract her enough to pull on the reins a bit too hard causing Thunder to pull his head away. Emily nearly lost her balance but remained as solid as she could after nearly being taken down.
She was more than unsure about the last move, as it was one she had never done in competition before. Emily thought briefly that maybe she should just end the routine as is, but she was a champion, and she hadn't gotten there by playing it safe.
Thunder moved to the middle of the arena then stopped. Emily leaned back in the saddle for but a moment before giving the command. Slowly the stallion lowered his back end and lifted his forelegs. This had been a moved that was used back in the ancient times where battles were waged on foot and horseback. It was originally designed to protect the rider from foot soldiers. Thunder held the move, called a levade, keeping his balance perfectly.
Unfortunately Emily wasn't so lucky.
The distraction of seeing her own mother in the stands caused the red head to lose her balance whilst leaning forward. With the shift of weight from Emily, the stallion took a few steps back to try to counter-balance the movement. As he tried to settle again his rider completely lost her balance.
It was like watching something in slow motion as the petite rider started to fall backwards off her stallion. Her feet slipped from the stirrups and she released the reins so that she wouldn't pull Thunder down on top of her. There was a collective gasp from the crowd as she hit the ground.
Naomi's hand went to her mouth in complete shock, her first instinct telling her to run into the middle of the arena and gather up her girlfriend. She felt a firm hand on her shoulder holding her in place. She turned around to see Rob Fitch, shaking his head to her. She didn't want to listen, she wanted to go to her girlfriend. Her icy gaze moved to Katie who didn't seemed bothered that her twin had just hit the ground. Effy was the only one who looked mildly interested and she looked right into Naomi's eyes before glancing across the arena.
It took a moment before the blonde realized that she wasn't seeing things, and that Jenna Fitch was stood on the opposite side of the arena.
Silence.
No one moved.
Thunder got his footing and landed, becoming spooked by the loss of his rider. He took a few steps away from her then turned around.
Emily picked herself up off the ground, a whirlwind of emotions only barely kept behind the competitive mask she wore. She walked up to Thunder and gently grasped the reins and patted his neck, turning them both toward the judges. She bowed her head and began to walk toward the exit, leading her steed.
It felt like a walk of shame. There were no cheers, no boos, no clapping. The eerie silence made everything that much worse as she exited the arena.
She didn't let her emotions wash over her until she was out of the view of the spectators, and she felt the tears begin to well in her eyes. She was gathered up into a strong Fitch hug as she started to cry into her father's chest.
xxxxx
Well... any thoughts? Loved it? Hated it? Let me know!