North Oak, Book 1 - BORN TO RUN

Chapter 5: Learning the Ropes

LEARNING THE ROPES

5 a.m. came sooner than Alex expected. She shut off the alarm groggily and rolled onto her back. The covers were cozy and seemed to grow even more inviting when she saw the frost on the bedroom window. 

Keep it together. It won't be so bad once you get moving. Just find food and hit the road. They won't even notice you missing.

Gradually she worked up the nerve to leave the comforts of bed and get dressed. After tying her shoelaces, she dashed downstairs. The house was quiet. 

On her way out, she grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit on the dining room table and took her new jacket from the coat rack by the front door. She zipped it up and braced herself for the early November cold. Fortunately it wasn't as bitter as she anticipated, but still pretty brisk.

I probably should have taken more food. A chill ran through her. And heavier clothes.

She scrunched her face up with a pang of regret, but bolted down the stairs. Ashley had been the logical one, the one who was thoughtful and remembered important stuff like extra clothes in their plan to escape. Alex was the tactical one who would keep them safe and fed. They would have made it through everything together.

Now Alex only needed to feed herself. While it made the situation easier, it also made it harder by bitterly reminding Alex the better half of her was gone forever.

Alex knew she could head back up the main road to the front gate, but what if it was locked this early? She darted left, deeper into the farm. The property had to end somewhere.

But her feet had other ideas, and she eventually found herself near the rail of North Oak's training track. The sun was beginning to peek over the evergreens that lined the oval. A shadow formed at the top of the stretch, shrouded in purple mist. Alex's fingers tightened around the rail. Time seemed to slow dramatically.

The morning rays split the curtain of mist and poured across the back of a bay mare sprinting toward the finish line. Her breathing was deep and rhythmic and reminded Alex of a freight train. The ground shook as the mare thundered by. 

Alex shut her eyes just as the sky parted. She inhaled the sweet smell of earth and horse. It did something for her soul, and she knew she must do whatever it took to experience this sensation again and again. Like a powerful drug, horse racing rushed into Alex's veins and quickly became a singular addiction.

Her eyes fluttered open. Time resumed its steady march. The track was very busy with other sleek, powerful horses gliding across its surface. Nearby an old man clutched a stopwatch and maintained an iron focus on the magical mare that had flown past Alex. 

She watched the mare round the bend, fighting her rider as the rider asked her to stop. The rider eventually won and turned the mare back. The mare seemed to float over the track, graceful and fluid. 

Alex held her breath as the mare danced closer, sideways, leg over leg. The mare chomped on the bit and snorted and blew, early morning sunlight setting her soft brown coat afire with reds and golds. She turned her head just enough to get a good look at Alex with dark, liquid eyes, and finally she came to a halt in front of the man with the stopwatch a few yards away.

Alex held on to the rail, letting the cool, painted metal slide under her palm as she inched closer to pick up on the conversation between the man with the stopwatch and the rider.

"The last furlong was too fast. You can't do that right before a big race."

The rider took off her helmet, grinning. She didn't seem much older than Alex. "Aw, Pop, she was fine. Relax." She patted the mare's neck and dismounted just as the horse started to jig impatiently.