𝐼'𝓋𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 [ Adopted by Elizabeth Olsen ]

Chapter 31: "Gallops"

⚠️TW:⚠️ none :)
—————————————

"So, every time I'm out here, I always like to go for a little gallop, so if you want to, you can turn around and walk over to that tree over there", she said, pointing to an oak tree a good couple hundred metres away.

"And then I'll come after you at a gallop. This is Luna's favourite part, but don't worry, I'm not going to run you down", she giggled. "Okay, sure....", I replied. "Great! Do you mind taking my phone and maybe filming it? I'd love to have a little video for my Instagram", she explained.

"Not at all", I smiled, taking her phone from her.

"Thank you so much, you can just start walking, I promise I won't come until you've made it all the way over there, just raise your hand when you're ready with my phone so that I can start. I'll just walk a bit further over this way so that Luna has something to do. Her standing still, waiting to gallop doesn't end well", Nova said.

We then parted ways. I walked towards the tree, while Nova walked the other way to give herself some more space for the gallop. I trusted Nova, but I couldn't help but occasionally look over my shoulder.

I wasn't really feeling like being run over by a horse today. Nova had control over Luna, I knew that, but horses can be unpredictable sometimes, there's not much you can do about that. At the end of the day, they're still animals with a mind of their own.

No horse came after me, so I made it to the tree in one piece. I could just see Nova in the distance, struggling a bit to hold Luna back. So I quickly got Nova's phone out and went to the camera without having to unlock it.

I pressed play and raised my hand to signal I was ready. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw next. I was expecting her to calmly canter towards me as she did in the arena, but it's safe to say she didn't do that.

In the beginning, she was too far away for me to see much. I just kept the camera pointed at the little dot in the distance that I knew was her. But as she got closer, I saw just how fast she was going.

"Woah..." I said under my breath, I couldn't stop myself. She was standing up, her reins slacked and Luna was galloping so fast I could barely see her legs. Luna's ears were forward and I could see Nova's smile from afar.

"She looks so happy", I smiled, not even noticing I was talking out loud. She did though. She looked like this was what she was meant to do, like she had no worries in her life. She looked carefree. I had never seen her like this.

I could tell she was enjoying herself, and that being able to do this meant a lot to her.

She eventually approached me, and for a moment I got scared she was going to run me down. But she stopped, still with the huge grin plastered on her face. Her eyes were glowing, like truly glowing. It was like staring into two shining crystals.

"Good girl" (get your mind out of the gutter peeps), she praised Luna, patting her neck. She let out a breath before looking at me. "Having fun?" I asked. "Yeah", she smiled. "I can tell, I didn't even know you could go that fast", I smiled, if she was happy, I was happy.

"Maybe we could do that sometime, it's up to you", Nova said out of nowhere when we were on our way back. "I'm sorry what?!" Yeah, I wasn't all that sure about that. "It's fun, all you have to do is stand up and enjoy the moment, you just have to trust the horse and let go", she explained like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"Okay, maybe that was a bit early, how about you manage to trot Billy without me running beside you", she teased me. "Rude, but true", I laughed.

On the way back, she was a lot more laid-back. I could tell the gallop had helped calm her down. She was happier and more relaxed around me. I could tell that the horses really helped her, the barn was her safe place.

I felt honoured she had shared her world with me, she had taken me with her on a hack and I had seen her gallop. Now I just had to hope she would allow herself to become part of my world. She already was, but I wasn't a huge part of hers yet.

Keyword: yet.

Hopefully.

I hope she lets me in and allows herself to trust me. Because she doesn't. She's just being nice, it's in her nature. She's always nice and polite to everyone, even if she doesn't trust them. When she is with people she trusts, she's a lot more relaxed, a lot more carefree.

Not a lot of people see the difference, but I see the forced posture and the polite smiles. I also see the uneven breathing, the playing with her fingers, the leg tapping and the constantly looking around to get out of the situation she's in.

She's anxious. Not just around me, around pretty much everyone. Even around Miss Riley. They have a good relationship, but it's not a mother-daughter one. They respect each other but that's about it.

I want her to be comfortable around me. I want her to show her true emotions around me. I want her to be able to come to me for help. I want to be able to help her with her anxiety, and assure her I'm here for her. I want to become a safe space for her. A space where she can be herself, one where she doesn't have to be okay, where she doesn't have to be perfect.

I want to be her mother, the one she hasn't had in a long time. But I know that it'll take time, we might never even get there. Maybe she changes her mind about being adopted by us, maybe she decides she doesn't need us.

—————————————

Hi! How are you?

I'm still not able to read your comments, and my inbox has passed 600 notifications... I'm gonna struggle with reading and replying to them, but I promise I will do so, no matter how long it takes me. I'm really sorry for not being able to reply to your comments, but I promise I will do so as soon as I have internet

Remember to take care of yourselves, even during the summer. Enjoy yourself, go outside and stay safe <3

Love, Frida xx