Broken Prodigy | COMPLETED ✓

Chapter 25

Mars stands there, his nostrils flaring after running around the paddock, and neighing, at full speed.

I reposition the hay in my arms and walk towards the gate of Mars' pen, watching him walk up until he's only several metres away from me.

He's never done that before.

I throw his biscuit of hay into the paddock, and he eagerly reaches down to munch on it. I guess we have an understanding.

I've made a habit out of this. I get up early in the morning, and go out to sit in the paddock with him, before grabbing hay for both him and Cruise.

"I'd almost say it's an improvement." I turn sharply at the voice to see my father. "The poor horse hasn't eaten any of the hay I give him. Just like the old days. He always enjoyed nipping me whenever I fed him, but would stand there and be the best for you."

I chuckle. "I doubt it. I can't get close to him."

Dad sighs. "Listen, Ollie. I know how adamant you were- are- about... about putting Mars down," he stumbles over the last part. "But I can't do it. I know I was meant to do it weeks ago, but I don't think I can. You may not see it, but you're making a difference."

I process his words. Of course it would be hard for Dad to put Mars down, too. He's known the gelding for over 6 years, and watched us both grow up over the years. I don't know whether Dad's right, whether something so simple as Mars walking closer to me when I feed him hay is an improvement, but I can't make Dad go through being responsible for Mars' death.

I smile softly. "It's okay."

"Really?" he asks, beaming. "Georgia told me that you did a wild west chase the other day- that true?"

"It wasn't like that."

"Apparently you were bareback. And you jumped onto a random horse without stopping. Sounds an awful lot like Back To The Future III to me."

I laugh. "Whatever you say. It wasn't that bad, though."

"So you're riding again?"

"I can't promise anything, but I'll try."

"That's all the promise I need."

* * *

I'm preparing the feed for Bess, Polly and Royal when Gus walks into the tack room. God, I haven't even turned around and I know it's him. I continue filling up the buckets with the dry feed.

"Olivia, we need to talk."

"Gus, we're always talking," I say. "And didn't I tell you to stop calling me that?"

He ignores my comment. "About the kiss."

I stop. I thought he'd been avoiding it. Maybe he was. "What about it?"

He sighs. "Don't be like that. I know you feel something, too. Don't pretend it's no big deal, because it was."

Of course, knowing he was going to say this doesn't help with the weight of his words as he confesses what I'd been denying . I sigh. "Gus, I just dunno if I ready for that."

"Please, Olivia. I really, really like y-" he starts.

"Gus!" A voice rings out as Ebony skips into the feed room, looking overly happy. Gus, however, is not. "It's time to say goodbye."

"Goodbye to who?" I ask. Gus never mentioned anything.

"Gus didn't tell you? Caspian's been bought. He's going to a new home," Ebony smiles. I have no idea how she can get so much satisfaction out of doing something she knows will hurt people.

"Wait, what? Since when?"

"Oh, he's known for a couple weeks," Ebony answers. With that, she turns and walks out, and I follow her path towards outside the stables with my eyes.

"Gus?" I ask. Something doesn't add up. Why didn't Gus tell me?

"Listen. Ebony's parents said it's a good home; he's going to some dressage rider near the city. I guess Ebony got sick that I was the one always riding him, and he didn't like her as much," he says, and tries to shrug, but I can see the sadness in his eyes, the worry and uncertainty.

I follow him out of the feed room and towards the float, parked outside the stables. Some man I haven't seen before is handling Caspian, whilst another guys opens the horse float up.

When we reach the float, and he stops walking, I grab his arm and turn him to face me. "So you're just gonna let him go? Gus, I thought that Caspian was 'the one' for you. I thought you got him. You're just gonna throw a bond like that away?"

"I don't have a choice, Olivia."

"There's always a choice," I tell him.

Gus shakes off my hand and goes to give Caspian a pat. Or a farewell. He whispers something into Caspian's ear, something none of us can hear, but the gelding's ear's prick forward because of it.

When Gus returns to me, he has a grim expression. "And whatever happens, Olivia, please don't do anything."

"What?"

"The buyers are well known for winning, and that distracts people from their methods, but I'm not sure whether you'll agree with their way of treating horses."

Now I know I won't agree with it.

Just then, the man holding Caspian tries to load him onto the float, and Caspian, pulls back and lets out a high pitched neigh. The other man nods to the handler, and heads round to his car to grab something. I gasp when I realise what they're about to do.

The man holds a whip.

I see the fear in Caspian's eyes as the man approaches his back end, swinging the whip briskly to make that terrible swoosh sound only a whip can make.

How can Gus just stand here and not do anything?

I run forward. "Stop it! Stop, you're scaring him!"

The man with the whip barely spares a glance at me, and I feel Gus latch onto my upper arm and pull me back. I fight and struggle against him, and refuse to let up yelling at them to stop, even as Caspian finally has enough and jumps into the trailer.

I can never mistake the look of pure fright in his eyes. 

The thought makes me fight even harder against Gus' grip, but it's not enough. "Get away from him!" I shout.

 Gus leans down to my ear. "Ollie, please, don't," he pleads quitely, so that only I can hear him..

I ignore him.

And I don't stop fighting until the float pulls away from the property and onto the road.

*

Hey!

I know, I know, how am I putting an excited exclamation mark after what just happened in the story, BUT, though you won't see Caspian anymore in this story, it isn't the last of that horse.

I'm really sorry, I just needed a reason for some drama which I need to make my ending work. Sorry this is a shorter chapter, too. Only just over 1200 words! But, I wrote the majority of it in 10 minutes, so I'm proud of myself.

And don't go too hard on Gus. You can't seriously think he would let Caspian be treated like that if there wasn't something holding him back, do you? There's obviously a reason (I'm still figuring out exactly what that is myself).

So yeah, Gus IS a good person, he just is kinda cornered right now, which you'll find out about in Book 2.