Mean Fillies

Chapter one

@captmagma thanks for making such a beautiful cover

C H A P T E R 1 // St. Argent's Equestrian Academy

"Come on, come on, come on." I mutter, shuffling through the mail, the same routine I'd been doing for three weeks now. Every Monday when the post came, I was the first to look through the letters. Mum had asked why I was so obsessed with finding out my result, but she didn't understand.

Nobody did, except for dad.

If only he were here so we could both open the letter together.

Speaking of the letter... "Oh my god!" I scream, dropping all the letters except for the one addressed to me. In big, bold, capital letters, it said:

TO MISS OLIVIA ARCHIBALD

Not wasting any time, I rip open the envelope and start to speed-read through it.

Dear Olivia Archibald,

We're pleased to announce your acceptance into St. Argent's Equestrian Academy on scholarship. You are to be present for your orientation on March 4, where we will allocate you and your horse to a team (dressage/show jumping/cross country). After this allocation, you will have one week to fully move into your assigned dormitory and have your horse transported into our stables. If there is any problem with these deadlines, please contact our head office and we may be able to reschedule.

Looking forward to meeting you and your horse

Head Mistress of St. Argent's Equestrian Academy,

Gloria Argent.

I read through the letter at least four times before it finally sinks in. I got in! I've been accepted! Grinning like a madwoman, I run down the hall and into the kitchen to see mum wearing an apron, reading out of her cookbook.

"I did it!" I shout, waving the letter above my head.

She jumps, knocking the book off the counter. She sends me a look before bending down and picking it up. "Did what?" She asks, flicking through the pages to find the one she was originally on.

"St. Argent's!" I beam, sliding the letter over to her. She pauses mid page-flip and stares at the letter and then at me. I scratch at my arm, a nervous habit, and wait for her to respond. I knew she didn't care much for my equestrian life, but she would let me go, right?

"Olivia," she sighs, closing the cookbook. "I'm happy for you, I really am. But we had to sell our horse float to pay bills. How am I going to afford to transport Eros?" She asks, referring to my dapple grey gelding.

My heart drops and tears start to well. "Mum, please." I beg, walking around so I'm on the same side of the counter as she. "Orientation is in a month, we can easily save up and rent a float. And I'm accepted on a scholarship! All those excess fees are covered. I'll even go to Macey's barn and do some stablehand jobs if need be. Mum, I really want this. Dad and I worked so hard to train Eros for St. Argent's!"