Ethereal | Free Rein [Pin]

//Chapter 6//

Unreal; (adj.)
/ʌnˈrɪəl/
1.
Imaginary or illusory
"In the half-light of the tiny cottages seemed unreal."
Synonyms: imaginary, imagined, fictitious, pretend

-

"I want to show you something." Pin said while the two of them trotted up to a house. Harper was confused as Pin hadn't told her where they were going or what they were going to be doing.

When Pin dismounted, Harper did the same and led Robin over next to Monty. Even as she took her hat off, her eyebrows remained furrowed.

Pin started to walk up the slight hill, he turned around when he saw that Harper wasn't following him. He rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand to pull her up the slight hill.

"Oh, come on Harper." Pin smiled slightly before pulling Harper closer to a shipping container, "Just trust me."

Harper cocked an eyebrow, "I've known you for three days in total, still not too sure on whether or not you're a serial killer."

Pin scoffed and brought Harper closer to the open door of the shipping container. When she looked in, she saw a small pony sat on some hay. A small gasp escaped her lips, "who is this?"

"He's a moor pony, he's gone lame." Pin explained, his tone was slightly pained, "he doesn't seem to be getting any better."

Harper turned to face Pin, her eyes leaving the moor pony for a moment, "can't you take him to the vet? Aren't wild ponies protected?"

Pin squeezed Harper's hand unconsciously, and then became aware that he was still holding it. They retracted their hands with bashful smiles on their faces, neither could look the other in the eye for a moment.

Pin sighed, "I can't, the council has no money to treat the wild horses, they'd just put him down."

"That's insane!" Harper exclaimed, "it's the law that they have to be protected..."

Pin moved the wooden plank out of the way of the door and gestured for Harper to go inside. Harper went inside the crate quietly, as not to spook the poor pony. She kneeled down in the hay near the pony. The moor pony looked over at her and extended his nose to sniff her hand, Harper brought her hand closer to his nose to make it easier for him.

The pony's ears flickered backwards and forwards a couple of times before he moved back to eat his hay, disinterested.

"He's moved more around you in the last five seconds than he has around me in five days." Pin sounded relieved, he knelt down on the other side of the pony and scratched his ears gently.

Harper giggled, "it's a gift, does he have a name?"

"No, he doesn't, dad says he doesn't want me getting too attached" Pin frowned slightly, his lips pulling down into an almost pout.

"Where's the fun in that? Come on, think of a name!" Harper tried to think of a name herself.

Pin pondered for a minute before deciding on a name, "I've got one."

"What is it?"

"Not telling you!"

"Come on, tell me!" Harper pushed Pin after she lent slightly over the pony.

Pin smiled slightly, "Alright, we should name him Rey."

"Cute name for a cute pony." Harper smiled and patted the moor pony gently.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Harper's eyes were drawn to a small white box nestled in the corner of the makeshift stable. She got up from Rey's side and crouched down next to the small white box, she picked it up and read the label.

"W- why do you have an empty sedative box in here?" Harper felt dread crawl its way into her stomach.

She heard Pin as he made a sharp inhale, "you're going to hate me for it." There was a heavy pause in the air, "I steal them to treat Rey, I don't have the licence to buy them, so I have to steal them."

Harper turned back to face Pin. "swear to me, one day you will pay Sam back?"

"I swear."

» » »

Harper and Pin raced back to the stables; Pin won. They dismounted and walked their horses back into their stables. Marcus went over to Monty's stall to make sure he was okay.

Someone must have told Sam that the two had returned because she came out the office and gave the two of them a stern but concerned lecture. Sam didn't stay for long as she had to do pony camp admin.

Harper untacked Robin while he was inside his stable, she moved his tack back to where it belonged and gave Robin a look over. He had worked up a lot of sweat from the heat of the day and all the exercise he had to do. The heat of the day was only increasing, everyone was desperate not to get too hot.

"Pin?" Harper poked her head over Monty's door, where Pin was currently brushing Monty down, "could you give me a hand washing Robin down?"

"Sure, I'll help you." Pin walked out of Monty's stable and walked around to where the hoses were kept.

Harper walked back over to Robin and untied him, she led him over to where the hose was. Pin offered to hold him while Harper hosed him down, she slowly moved around Robin with the hose. Once she was done with Robin, Harper sprayed Pin with the hose once and laughed at his surprised face.

They used sweat scrapers to get most of the water off of Robin before she led him back into his stable.

"Can you come help me clean up the area once you put Robin away?" Pin asked as he turned the tap off for the hose.

She shut the stable door and walked back over to where she and Pin were earlier, when she looked around the corner she was hit with a lot of cold water. Harper shrieked and walked backwards and tried to avoid the water. Pin held the hose, he looked very amused. Harper turned around and tried to ignore the constant cold water that seeped into her clothes.

Quickly, she moved over to the second hose and turned it on. As soon as it was working, she aimed it at Pin's chest and made sure to get it in his hair. For a minute, they shrieked and laughed as they sprayed each other with the cold water.

Harper slowly moved closer to Pin; she turned her head away to avoid getting a spray in the face. She reached her hand out and managed to grab the hose out of Pin's hand, with both of the hoses spray on him, Pin never stood a chance.

"I surrender! I surrender!" Pin ducked away from the water; his words were interrupted by laughter. Harper accepted his plea and turned both of the taps off, the leftover water travelled down the drain.

"Weakling." Harper joked as she wound the hoses up and put them where they belonged.

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[UNEDITED]

Short chapter this time around hey? It's currently Christmas day when I am editing this, crazy to think I first wrote this book in summer and now I am rewriting it now in the winter, good times.

Shoutout to the person that has been here since the beginning of this book and has come back even after I took all the parts down, you know who you are!

Thanks for reading!

-Angelica