Disclaimer: I don't own Saddle Club, Saddle Club is a copyright of Bonnie Bryant.

Pointing Down Another Path

One night at a romani circus camp, a girl was sound asleep and she began to dream.

Within the girl's dream, it was a warm morning as a group of Pine Hollow students had ridden down to the shore of the nearby river.

The girl was there too and she was talking to some of her friends who attended the riding school.

One of the girl's friends heard splashing and saw a young boy flailing his arms in the water.

"Oh no," the girl's friend shouted. "a boy is drowning in the water! And the current is carrying him into the rapids!"

The girl took her jellies off and made a quick dive into the water.

"I won't let you die in a watery grave!" the girl exclaimed.

"Do be careful, Carmen." the girl's friend said.

"Carmen... Carmen... Carmen... Carmen... Carmen..." someone repeatedly called.

Carmen opened her eyes to see the faces of her brother and sister-in-law staring back at her, Carmen's brother was holding her three-month-old niece in his arms.

"Good morning, Dear Sister." Rafael said.

Carmen rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Good morning, Raff," Carmen said. "good morning, Lisa, good morning, Ri."

"Get dressed," Lisa said. "and hurry."

"Why?" Carmen asked.

"Have you forgotten, Carmen? The Rising Sun Clan has come for a visit, including your boyfriend, Ryo." Rafael teased.

"Ryo may like me like me, but I don't feel that way about him," Carmen reasoned. "I don't like guys that are clingy, I'm looking for a guy who I think is special."

Lisa thought for a moment, "You mean like the boy from your dream?" she asked Carmen.

"Exactly," Carmen said. "I don't know his name... but I'll find him!"

"Lisa," Rafael said. "let's leave my sister to get dressed, she's got a big day ahead of her."

"Okay, Rafa Darling." Lisa said.

Lisa and Rafael left Carmen to get ready for her day with the others in her romani band.

"Someday, I will find you." Carmen vowed.

Carmen was now fifteen-years-old going on sixteen-years-old.

While Rafael and Lisa let Carmen get ready for the day, they were fixing a nutricious breakfast for the family.

A thought struck Rafael.

"What's on your mind, Rafa Darling?" Lisa asked.

"I was thinking," Rafael answered Lisa. "that Carmen is more like me than she lets on."

"Really? How so?" Lisa asked, clearly she was intrigued.

Rafael sighed as he put the scrambled egg covered whisk in the sink.

"Before I met you while I was taking my trials," Rafael confessed. "I was having dreams that led me down the path to you."

Lisa was now shocked by this revelation.

"Tell me more, Rafa." Lisa urged.

"It began a few days before you and I met," Rafael replied as he cut thick slices of bacon. "like Carmen, I began having dreams, mine were of a beautiful girl on a runaway chesnut brown horse."

"Did you know it was me?" Lisa asked.

"Not at first," said Rafael, "it wasn't until about the third time I had the dream that I saw your face, that was the day before we actually met."

"Then, I helped him out by getting rid of that clingy Romina." Carmen said, coming into the kitchen as she finished closing the clasp on her watch.

Lisa was about to reply, when the conversation was interrupted by someone outside singing a slightly off key version of a romani love serenade.

Carmen cringed and face palmed, "Oh no! Who told Ryo to serenade me?" she cried.

Carmen heard a snicker behind her.

"Sweet!" Rafael said, laughing.

"It's not funny, Rafael!" Carmen exclaimed.