Tricks of the Trade

Chapter One

   It was an ordinary day at Horseland. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and the smell of horses, hay, and leather was on the breeze. As Will Taggart walked to the barn, he wondered how to break the news of the new rider to his friends. He knew they could be a little much at times, especially the Stilton twins. Chloe and Zoey weren't exactly very welcoming to most. And the others were sometimes a little standoffish towards strangers. Will shuddered as he recalled the fiasco where the group of teenagers had almost made Sarah Whitney leave Horseland for good. Hopefully, there wouldn't be a repeat of that disaster any time soon. He also hoped they wouldn't have a repeat of when the Princess of Iceland came to Horseland. As Will reached the barn, he saw Bailey, his cousin, cleaning out a stall. None of the other kids had arrived yet today. "Hey, Bailey. That the stall for the new horse?" Will greeted. The brunette boy looked up at his blonde cousin and nodded. Wiping the sweat off his brow, Bailey replied,"Yeah, can you believe it? A real trick rider is coming here! I wonder if she'll show us any tricks while she's here." Will chuckled at his cousin's excitement. Bailey thought trick riding was the coolest thing on Earth, despite how dangerous it is. Before Will could say anything, their friends started arriving. First one to show up was always Alma. The Hispanic girl's father was the ranch foreman, so the family lived in the bunkhouse. Next was usually Sarah, then Chloe and Zoey. Nani would be the next one to arrive, followed by Molly, who was always the last to get there, on account of having to ride the bus. As they entered the barn, each girl set about taking care of their horses. Aztec, Bailey's Kiger mustang, and Jimber, Will's palomino stallion, had already been fed and groomed. As the girls fed and brushed their horses,  the animals chatted about the newcomers. "What do you think they'll be like?" Calypso, Molly's Appaloosa mare, asked. "I hope they're nice," replied Alma's Paint mare, Button. Chili and Pepper, Chloe and Zoey's Dutch Warmbloods, snorted at that. "Are you kidding? This horse is a world famous trick horse. They'll obviously have better things to do than hang out with a bunch of riffraff," Pepper said. Scarlett, a black Arabian mare, shook her head. You'd think those two would have learned by now not to judge a horse before they meet them, she thought. Sunburst, a spotted palomino, replied,"Oh, knock it off, you two. We won't know anything about the new horse, or its rider, until they get here. In the meantime, there's no point in getting worked up about it." The horses agreed and went back to their food. At that moment, Sarah had just finished brushing Scarlett and noticed what Bailey was doing. "Why are you cleaning out the extra stall, Bailey? Do we have someone new coming or something?" she asked, curious. It was Will who answered,"Yeah, we do. A trick rider and her horse are arriving today." This got everyone's attention. Molly was the first to speak. "What are their names?" the African-American inquired. Will thought back to what Bailey's parents had said. "The girl's name is Cassandra Hawkheart. I think the horse is a Thoroughbred named The Black Rose." Everyone just stared at him. "What?" Will asked. "Cassandra Hawkheart is coming to Horseland?" Chloe squealed. Before Will could reply, a truck and trailer pulled up the driveway and came to a stop in front of the barn.