    ---------------------------------------------------------------------
A fan fic by Caleyndar.
Rating: PG

Notes: This chapter covers the last day of Darien's time on
Earth. It also introduces a new threat which will be
revealed in chapter seven.
        Thanks to those who have e-mailed me. And please do
write to me if you have the time. Even if you hate it,
please tell me. I vow to reply to ever e-mail I receive.

Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me; only the
few I make up. The story, however, is mine.

The Name Endymion...

Part One: Innocent Life...

Chapter Six...

        They left the clearing, leaving me behind to
awaken Nick. I told him he had tripped and blacked out for
a second, which he believed. He did ask how it stopped
raining so quickly, and I shrugged my shoulders and said
that he should be glad Mother Nature decided to be kind
and stopped the onslaught. He looked at me strangely for
a moment, and then dismissed his confusion.
        Nick and I caught our horses. It was not all that
hard as our horses were hobbled, but it did take a while
for us to find them in the dense undergrowth in which they
had taken shelter.
        We returned to camp, where everyone was already
eating their soggy breakfast whilst trying to tack up their
horses who were also quite drenched. Everyone complained
that it was wet, but of course, no one knew why. Except
Diamond, Sapphire, Serena and myself. Serena glared at
Diamond when he returned, not a bit happy at what he had
done, but said nothing of it to him.
        Once camp was all packed up, we started our long
trek back to our main camp. By that time, almost everything
had dried up, and everyone was a lot more cheerful. Even
Sapphire was looking a little happier, if someone that cold
hearted could.
        I rode beside Serena and Chocolate on most of the
trail back to camp, the two of us just enjoying the quiet
and being close to one another. Diamond kept his promise to
the truce, and did not try to bother us in any way. However,
I felt his narrow eyed glare burning into the back of my
skull quiet a lot of times. Nick, of course, rode with Dawn,
both of them talking quietly to one another in a mature
fashion. Nick had grown up quite a bit since Dawn started
being nice to him.
        Unlike the ride to our overnight camp site, the
ride back to the main camp was slower. The horses were
tried from the full day's ride yesterday, and they had not
had their usual feed, so their energy was low. No one really
minded, since everyone was tried as well, and just did not
have the energy to go bolting up hills and jumping over
fallen trees.
        After the rain, everything looked so much clearer,
and I was immersed in looking at the sky; at the faint
streamers of clouds that still streaked the immense
blueness. I let Wild Spirit go on a long rein, and just sat
back in the saddle, staring up at the sky through the loose
canopy of leaves and branches. I was almost disappointed
when we arrived back at the camp. It was late afternoon, and
since we had already had lunch along the trail, we untacked
our horses, gave them a quick hose down and their lunch of a
biscuit of hay once they were back in their paddock.
Everyone then changed into their swimmers and dived into
the creek to cool off after the day long ride.
        Well, everyone except me. I merely changed out of
my riding cloths into come casual wear and sat down in the
shade of a tree off to the side of the creek. I wanted some
time to myself to think and to rest. Half heartedly, I
watched as everyone splashed everyone else in the creek, and
heard their shrieks of surprise, and their yells of
annoyance. The other half of me was staring blindly beyond
them, my eyes glazed over as I thought about everything.
        With the arrangements made with Serena, I would
leave with them once this camp was over. And I would leave
everyone I have ever known or loved behind. And the question
was, did I want that? But the fact was, I really had no
choice. I did not belong here. My destiny did not lie on
this back water planet. And I could not change who or what I
was; Prince Endymion of the Earth Kingdom. My mind was torn;
destiny, loved ones. What would I tell them? Should I tell
them anything? God, what would they think once I leave this
place? Perhaps I should do what Diamond had done this
morning. Make them forget. Let them forget that I ever
existed. Yes, it was the only way. Yet I hated the thought
of doing that, and deep down, I didn't want to be forgotten.
        I looked up at the distant sky. The branches above
me looked like white immobile limbs, and the leaves softly
swaying in the gentle breeze were the fingers moving
randomly on the currents of the world. How I wish I could
just forget; forget who I was, what I was, and what the
future demanded of me. And how I wish I was just a normal
fifteen year old, without a care in the world, and whose
worst dilemma was some meaningless test or assignment.
        It's ironic. Every normal person wishes for a more
exciting life, for great powers which could help them with
one thing or another. Yet the one person that does have all
that wanted nothing more then to have none of it. It's true,
the saying that says 'you always want what you can't have.'
And God, how I wanted my old life back, before I ever found
out I was adopted, before I ever met Armand. Before
everything that has made my life Heaven and Hell and the
same time. Yes, I would give up Wild Spirit, and Serena, and
all my new found powers, if only I could be normal. Strange,
because I would give up everything for Serena too. My soul
was torn.
        A shadow falling over me pulled me out of my
depressing thoughts.
        "Are you alright, Darien?" Nick asked, kneeling
down beside me. "You look sad. And you shouldn't be. After
all, you've got a beautiful girlfriend, a great horse, no
school work, and me, the best friend in the whole wide
world. What more could you want?"
        I wanted to scream at him. Shout out to him all the
pain and confusion I held pent up inside of me, to yell at
him that he understood nothing. Yet I remained silent, and
just glanced at him, my eyes still blank as these feelings
flashed through me. The darkness threatened to break out
again, to turn my soul black, to use the power inside me
against everything I believed in. With all my will, I pushed
that aside and forced myself to smile weakly, pathetically,
at Nick. "Yes, what more could I want?" I replied, with my
mind silently adding; 'I want peace, I want to be normal. I
want everything I do not have!'
        Nick frowned at me, not believing my fake smile for
one moment. "Why don't you tell me what's bothering you? It
might help if we talked about it," he said like a true
friend.
        I looked away from him. "Nothing's bothering me. I
just wanted some time to think," I said.
        "Darien, I've been your best friend since before we
even remember. I know something's bothering you. Please,
tell me what," Nick said, completely serious now.
        "It's just that I found out on my birthday that I
was adopted," I replied. It was partly true, only a lot more
things bothered me than just that.
        "I see. I understand why you didn't tell me before.
There's not exactly a lot I can do or say to comfort you.
But you shouldn't let that bother you. Your mother and
father are still who they were before you found out, and
they will be more like real parents than you natural parents
will ever be," Nick said softly. "Listen, just forget about
all your worries for the next two days. Don't even think
about what your mind plagues you with now. Just enjoy
yourself. You owe yourself that much."
        I turned my head and looked at him, trying very hard
not to let my emotions get the better of me. "You're a great
friend, Nick," I choked out. 'I'll miss you,' I added
silently.
        "I know I am," Nick replied, grinning at me. He
stood up and walked away, leaving me to pull myself back
together.
        I watched him walk away, and my tears threatened to
fill my eyes and stream down my face. How I hated my
feelings! If only I didn't feel so much. No pain. No regret.
And no happiness or love. Everything comes with a
consequence. But I was getting weary of my emotions. I feel
too much. Over the last month or so, my life has been
nothing but an emotional roller coaster. One moment, I was
on top of the world. The next, I felt like ending my cursed
life.
        Once again, I pushed my endless feelings deep within
me, and let a neutral expression take over my sad face.
Standing up, I stretched my long body, my arms above me as
if reaching for the menacing stars above that was still
unseen in the bright sun light. Nick was right. I should
just forget all my worries for the next two days. Just enjoy
my life as if I was a mere mortal. A smile crossed my face
at that thought. A mere mortal. I was a mortal, wasn't I?
        Evening was apon us, and those who had been swimming
dried themselves up and changed into come causal cloths for
dinner. After the dinner we had last night, no one
complained about the hot, edible dishes we were served.
Unlike the first night at camp, everyone retired to their
cabins once dinner was finished. Everyone was pretty much
exhausted, and wanted to have a nice long hot shower. The
four of us sat around our small cabin, and merely talked
about all that had happened since camp began. Of course,
Nick talked about Dawn, and David and Luke complained about
Diamond and Sapphire taking away all their admirers. I was
very tempted to ask them what admirers.
        We went to sleep quite early that night, and
everyone drifted off quite quickly. I was the last to slip
into unconsciousness, wondering what tomorrow would bring,
and trying very hard not to dwell on the issues that seemed
to be forever pushing down apon me.
        The next day was the games day. After breakfast,
both ours and our horses', we tacked them up and prepared
to team up against one another in battle. I was slightly
worried, because I knew that Diamond and Sapphire would be
on the opposing team, and that Diamond would want to thrash
me. For the first game, we played tag. Wild Spirit and I
easily won that, being the last rider and horse that wasn't
out. There was a simple explanation for that. Speed. And
some jumping too. And sharp turns. And, well, you get the
picture. Next was some novelty games, like keyhole, four
leaf clover, Cowboys and Indians, barrels. Everyone had fun
in them, as there wasn't a lot of competitive nature in the
games.
        We stopped for an hour's break at lunch, letting
both rider and horse rest and refuel. After lunch came the
races and relays. That was when it would begin to get
complex.
        To each team, we had four riders and horses.
Naturally, Nick, David, Luke and I was in one. Diamond and
Sapphire went with another two boys. Serena, Dawn, and
Claudia went with one other girl who was their friend.
There were roughly sixty students who were at the camp,
working out to about fifteen teams. In the first round,
there would be five races, with three teams per race. The
time would be recorded for each team, and the eight fastest
teams would proceed to round two. In that round, there would
be four races. Time would once again be recorded, and the
four fastest teams would proceed to round three. Round three
would consist of two races, and the two fastest teams would
go into the final round, in which the winning team would win
the entire race.
        In my team, Wild Spirit was the fastest, followed by
Skywalker, then Wolfkiller, and then White Angel. All four
horses were fast compared to most of the camp horses, and
some of the other privately owned horses. We had good odds
for winning, but Diamond would use mind control. Either to
increase the speed of their horses, or to confuse ours.
There were two counter attacks I could think of. One, to
block his mind control so that it wouldn't affect any of us,
and two, to give him a taste of his own medicine. The latter
of which Serena would definitely dislike. And so the
question came to: did I want to win badly enough to risk
upsetting Serena? The answer was easy. So I selected the
first counter attack. Much to the disappointment of my team
mates, if they knew I had such powers.
        All the teams lined up at the beginning of the race
course. It consisted of a flat stretch which was about five
hundred metres in length, and then a small jumping course,
which had seven natural jumps, each no higher than about
sixty to seventy centimetres, and included two water jumps,
and then another flat stretch of ground back to the
beginning. The jumps were wide enough so that all three
horses could jump it at the same time, so it was quite fair.
        The first three teams lined up at the beginning.
The first member of each team, usually the slowest, walked
their horses to the starting line. Once they completed the
course, they would tag the next rider, and they would go,
and so on, until the last rider in each team crossed the
finishing line. Neither of the three teams contained anyone
I knew well, but I watched with interest, marking any team
that I thought would be a threat to mine. In the first race,
the all three teams did not do so well. Some horses refused
to jump the water jumps, or made some other error that
slowed them down quite a bit. The second race came along.
This one also did not contain anyone I was concerned about.
However, two team who won by quite a lead over the other
team, and both got very good times with very little
difference inbetween them. Mentally, I marked those two
teams.
        In the third race, Serena, Dawn, and Claudia was in
it. I knew that both Dawn and Claudia had good horses, and
were experienced riders. Serena, from what I had seen, was
also quite good, but as for her horse, I did not know. The
other girl also owned her own horse, an Anglo Arab, which
was quite fast. The team order was Serena, Claudia, Dawn,
and then the other girl.
        I watched in rapt attention as the race began.
Serena rode Chocolate superbly, jumping each jump like a
professional rider. She was ahead of the other two riders
when she tagged Claudia, who set off at a gallop down the
flat stretch. Claudia and her horse completed the course
easily ahead of the other two, and by now, they had a big
lead on the other two teams. Dawn took off once Claudia
returned, and except for a small fault at a jump, she
returned quickly, and tagged the other girl, who raced her
Anglo Arab gelding through the course. Their team finished
first, their time beating the other team I had marked
earlier.
        The fourth race included Diamond and Sapphire in
one of the teams. The race was very tight, and all got very
good times. Diamond and Sapphire's team got almost the same
as Serena's team, and the other two teams were just
fractions behind, scoring times which were similar to the
first two teams I had marked. That was six teams I was
marking. One more to go, and my team would make the eight
required to enter the second round.
        The fifth and final race in round one included us.
Nick was first up in the race. When the whistle blew, White
Angel went straight into a graceful gallop. She had a small
lead when she and Nick reached the jumps. They took the
jumps easily, but by the time they started along the stretch
back, the other two teams had a come tie with White Angel.
It was a tie when the three riders came back and tagged
their team members. David shot off on his very tall gelding,
Wolfkiller. His speed was fast enough to retake our lead,
but the race was very tight, and one of the other teams had
very strong horses and riders. The other team lost a little
ground, and soon everyone could tell it was a two team race.
Wolfkiller and David hit the jumps. They took them well,
except for one of the water jumps where Wolfkiller stalled
for a moment, allowing the other strong team to tie with us
again. David and the other rider from the other team raced
back, the other rider from the third team a long way back.
David tagged Luke, and Skywalker raced away, his powerful
hindquarters pushing him away from the other team's rider.
Luke controlled Skywalker well, and each jump was taken
well, and when he raced back and tagged me, we had a led.
Wild Spirit bolted off, galloping with great speed along
the five hundred metres, and then hitting the jumps flying
through the air. I was in jumping position through the
jumping course; he was so fast there was no time for me to
sit down inbetween jumps. With no mistakes, we raced back,
and we were coming up on the finishing line with the lead,
when Wild Spirit stumbled, and almost fell. This was the
fatal flaw the other team needed. By the time Wild Spirit
pulled himself together, the other team got the lead and won
by a second or two. My team was disappointed, but we had the
fourth fastest time, with the Serena's team first, then
Diamond's, then the team that beat my team, and then my
team.
        The eight fastest times and teams were called out.
We had a ten minute break before the second round. The teams
were then randomly picked to race against each other.
Serena's team went first against one of the teams from the
second race. Serena's team won easily. In the second race,
it was Diamond's team against the other team from the second
race. Diamond's team won. In the third race, it was my team
against the team that came last in Diamond's team's first
race. We won against them, and scored a fast time, almost
equalling Diamond's team's time which was the fastest so
far, with Serena's time after that. The last race consisted
of the team that came second in Diamond's first race, and
the team that came first in my first race. The former came
first, as one of the horses' from the team that bet my team
refused a jump, and got a slow time.
        The four fastest times and teams were called out.
Diamond's team, my team, Serena's team, and then the team
that won in the last race. We were given a twenty minute
break this time. My team and I dismounted and watered our
horses, who were quite sweaty now, and hot. We ourselves had
a quick drink and cooled ourselves down a little by wetting
out faces and hair.
        "It's going to be harder than I thought," Nick said,
wiping his forehead with his arm. "I didn't think Diamond's
team could ride that well, and Dawn's team is good too."
        "I think we can win, if we don't get placed with
Diamond's team in the next race. I'm sure they would try
something on us if we were," I said, running my hand though
my wet jet black hair which was mattered to my scalp.
        "I agree," Nick replied. "Okay, same order as the
previous races?"
        "Yes. You, David, Luke, and then me. I just hope
Wild Spirit doesn't trip again," I answered.
        "Please, just don't let us loose to Diamond's team,"
Luke hoped.
        "Yeah, other wise we'll never hear the end of it,"
David added.
        I rolled my eyes. The camp organisers blew the
whistle signalling time to begin the third round of races.
We remounted our horses, and trotted them back to the race
course. The first race included Diamond's team and Serena's,
much to our relief. I watched with interest. Would Diamond
use his mind control on their horses with Serena riding in
the opposing team? Most probably, since Serena was the first
rider in her team, and Diamond was the last in his.
        The race began. Serena once again rode without flaw,
and had the lead when she tagged Claudia. Claudia kept the
small lead, but did not extend it. She raced back and Dawn
took off. Both teams had strong riders, and despite Dawn's
experience, it wasn't enough to match Sapphire's experience
with mind control which urged his horse on to tie with Dawn
when they returned to tag the last riders. Diamond and the
other girl shot off at a tie. The girl's Anglo Arab was
fast, and under normal circumstances, would have creamed
Diamond's horse. He wasn't low enough to use his powers to
mess with her horse, but like Sapphire, used it to pull
extra speed out of his horse. And a miscalculation in a jump
for the girl was enough for Diamond to take the lead and
win. Still the times were very close, and I wondered if my
team could beat Serena's team to make it to the final round.
        The final race before the grand final was on. Nick
walked White Angel up to the starting line. She was
prancing, eager to be racing. The other team's first rider
took his position also. The whistle blew, and both horses
sprung into a gallop from a halt. Both horses were in high
spirit, and the race was tight. The only thing that allowed
Nick to get a small lead was his experience at riding,
jumping perfectly, and controlling his horse splendidly.
The two of them sprinted back, and Nick tagged David two
seconds before the other rider tagged their second team
member. David dashed off, Wolfkiller seemingly to disappear
in a whirl of dust. The other rider wasn't far behind.
Still, David managed to keep and extend our lead. With
neither rider or horse making any mistakes, they galloped
back and tagged their third rider. Luke galloped off,
Skywalker bounding ahead two or three more lengths as they
rushed through the course. Luke and Skywalker finished the
seven jumps and came, galloping across the finishing line
and tagging me at the same time. As soon as Luke slapped my
arm, Wild Spirit sprinted off, almost unbalancing me in his
first leap. I leaned forward in the saddle, feeling the wind
rush past my face, the tiny particles floating in it
stinging me. All I could hear was the thunder of Wild
Spirit's hooves hitting the ground with each stride, and
the wind shouting in my ear. We extended our lead more, and
by the time we reached the jumping course, we were about
eight lengths in front. We flew over the jumps as if Wild
Spirit had wings, landing after each without missing a beat,
and then going to the next. After the seventh jump, I turned
Wild Spirit back to the flat stretch back, and just let him
go. We flashed past the finish line in a blur of silver and
black, beating the other team by a few seconds, and scoring
a fast enough time to enter the final round.
        My team cheered for Wild Spirit and me, and stood up
in the stirrups and waved my arms up in the air, grinning as
if I had won a million dollars. I soon lost that feeling
when I met Diamond's gaze. He was smiling at me, as one does
before they kill another. The camp organisers called for
another twenty minute break. Once again, my team dismounted
and let the horses rest.
        "Well, this is it," I said, leaning on Wild Spirit
as he took a drink from the water bucket. "Either we win, or
we suffer the consequences of losing. I don't doubt that
Diamond and Sapphire aren't below cheating, so every one, be
alert, and if they taunt you, ignore them. We can't afford
to be distracted."
        "Diamond's the last rider in him team. You still
want your position?" Nick asked, stroking White Angel's
sweat stained neck.
        "Yes," I replied. "I wouldn't want to pass that up
for the world."
        "Well, just make sure you beat him," David said.
        "And make sure you don't get hurt while you're at
it," Luke added.
        "I'll make sure," I said, giving them a soft smile.
"Well then, shall we take our victory?"
        "Yes!" all three replied in union.
        I grinned, and mounted on Wild Spirit. "Then let's
get them!" I shouted, and cantered to the start of the
course, one arm raised in a fist.
        Serena was waiting for me when I arrived at the
course. She looked concerned. I rode up to her while my team
members stood a little distance off, giving us some privacy.
        "Darien, I don't want you to race Diamond. He'll try
something, I know," Serena said softly.
        "Yes, I know he will. And I will deal with it. But I
am not going to forfeit, or else I am never going to hear
the end of this. Besides, the worst thing that can happen
is me falling off and getting a few scratches and bruises,"
I reassured her. "Don't worry about it, Serena. I'll be
fine." I blew her a kiss, and turned back to my team mates.
        Serena soon left, an expression of unease the only
flaw on her angelic face.
        We lined up in our order, waiting for the arrival of
our rival team. A few moments passed before they made their
entrance. The two members I did not know looked excited to
be in the last race, and Sapphire had a neutral expression
apon his face. Diamond still wore his wicked smile, and
directed it pointedly at me, his two eyes glowing with the
brilliance of diamonds sparkling in the sun.
        Nick and the other rider took their places. White
Angel stood ready, awaiting the whistle and the signal from
Nick to go. The camp organisers shouted out to get ready,
set, and then blew the whistle hard. Both horses shot
forward, like the thoroughbreds leaving the gate at the
race track. My team and I cheered Nick and White Angel on,
now only a distant white speck against the backdrop of
green. Both riders reached the first jump together, and
there was very little difference between the two as they
went over the seven jumps. They raced back, neck to neck.
Nick tagged David just as the other rider tagged his team
mate. David and Wolfkiller sprinted forward, determined to
gain a lead. The other team had no intention to let David
do so. Both riders went through the course trying to get the
upper hand. Neither succeeded. When David came back, it was
a tie. Luke galloped off on Skywalker, side by side with
Sapphire and his blue roan mare.
        I watched, tense with anticipation, as Sapphire rode
over the jumps, still tie with Luke. I knew from the
beginning that Sapphire did not seem like someone who would
cheat to win. And he did not. As far as I could tell, he did
not use any of his power to manipulate Luke or his horse.
        Both raced back towards us, and I snapped out of my
thoughts, ready to spring into top speed as soon as Luke
tagged me. My arms were sore from the continuous pressure I
applied to it to hold Wild Spirit back. Luke rode past and
slapped me on the shoulder. I let the reins out. Wild Spirit
bolted off, his body a streak of black, and his mane and
tail like flowing molten silver in the afternoon sun.
        As fast as Wild Spirit was, Diamond was right beside
me on his grey gelding, whose dark, almost black legs, were
a blur as they extended and contracted under the fast moving
body. Diamond had a sneer on his face, directed at me, his
icy blue eyes narrow in his emotionless white face. He
pushed his horse on, but Wild Spirit kept up with him.
        We reached the jumps, and like the others, we jumped
the first jump at exactly the same time. We were almost
synchronised as we navigated the jumps, and we were still
tied as we hit the last stretch of the track. I braced
myself, knowing it would be here that Diamond would try his
little tricks.
        The first blow came, slamming into my mind hard
enough to knock me out had I not been fully awaiting it.
Diamond grinned evilly at me, turning his handsome face
slightly to let me see his expression. I glared back at him,
and urged Wild Spirit on. Still, we were neck and neck, and
the finishing line was fast approaching. Another mental
blow, this time stronger, and almost making me black out. I
hung on for dear life, my legs gripping the saddle, and my
hands like iron vices on the black leather reins. The world
around us was no more than a smear of colour as we galloped
by, both of us wanting to win, and both our horses wanting
to please us.
        The finishing line loomed closer, and Wild Spirit
pulled ahead, his will to come first almost as strong as
Diamond's power forcing his grey gelding on.
        Nothing existed then except the finishing line. My
team cheered me on. Wild Spirit's hoof beats rang loud and
true in my ears as they impacted with the ground.
        Something hard suddenly impacted with me physically,
slamming into me with such forced it knocked the wind out
of me before unseating me. The ground rushed up to meet my
face, and I saw out of the corner of my eyes the faltering
strides of Wild Spirit as he was suddenly unbalanced by my
sudden departure from his back. Diamond pulled his grey
gelding up sharply, and was suddenly standing above me, his
horse beside him. My friend's legs came running over, Nick
reaching Wild Spirit and calming him before leading him to
where I laid.
        Bright stars shone above me. Strange, they looked
so concerned, so worried. Why, they looked like blue
crystals shining in moonlight.
        I felt cold, as if all warmth had left my body, as
if a dark shadow had fallen over me, blocking out the sweet
light of the life giving sun. There were whispers in my ear.
They sounded so much like the wind blowing autumn leaves
along the ground.
        The world turned, and I saw the blue sky above me.
It looked so big from down here, so beautiful too. An angel
appeared before me. I must be dead. Am I flying to heaven?
But I should be in hell. Where are the eternal fires, the
screams of pain and anger?
        The angel lifted her hands, and a silver light came
from her hands and enfolded me.
        It felt so good. So pure. A slow warmth crept back
into my ice cold body. I closed my eyes, drowning in the
blissful feeling. Yes, I must surly be in heaven.
        My eyes opened. I felt the most searing pain in my
shoulder and side. Almost as if something had been blasted
into me. Serena, Diamond and Sapphire stood over me, all
three of the looking worried, yet hopeful. Serena smiled
when she saw my deep blue eyes looking up into her sky blue
ones. She knelt down and pressed her soft rose coloured
lips to me cold ones. When she pulled away, I saw that
Diamond was looking very jealous and annoyed. I could not
help but smile weakly at that.
        Serena and Sapphire helped me to my feet, but I
could stand only with their support. I looked around once I
was up, and I mildly shocked to see everyone frozen in
place, as if time itself had been stopped. Serena saw me
look at the people surrounding us, and nodded to Sapphire.
He closed his eyes, concentrating. A dark blue light flashed
out from his body, the light wave washing over every one
present. A moment passed, and they commenced to move once
more.
        Nick arrived at my side, Wild Spirit's reins held
loosely in his hand. "Darien, are you alright? You took a
pretty hard fall," Nick said at once, concern threaded
through his voice.
        "Yes, I'm alright. Did you see what happened?" I
asked, rubbing my sore shoulder and side. I saw Sapphire
give a small shake of his head. I was still leaning most of
my weight on him.
        "You just suddenly lost your balance and fell,"
Nick said, looking a little confused himself. "It doesn't
matter, as long as you aren't hurt. But I can tell you,
Luke and David are not going to be happy that we did not
win. Well, we didn't loose either, but you know what I
mean."
        I gave him a weak smile. He took over Sapphire's
place, and helped me get off the course. Serena left my
side to take Wild Spirit from Nick.
        The camp organisers and our teachers decided to
call it a draw. Both my team and Diamond's came equal first.
All our team members were given a chocolate bar. To this I
grinned at. Yes, we may be fifteen, turning sixteen, but we
still loved chocolate. I shared mine with Serena, who gave
me a kiss in return. It was sweeter than the chocolate, and
tasted ten times better. Nick shared his with Dawn too, and
I had to smile at the cute sight of them together, even
though I was still in pain.
        We untacked our horses and turned them into their
paddocks for the night. It was a little hard for me, but
the pain in my shoulder and side was fast disappearing. I
made sure to give Wild Spirit a kiss on the nose and a hug
before saying goodnight.
        Nick, Luke and David had already finished and
returned to their cabins to get cleaned up for dinner and
set out their cloths for the dance tonight. I turned from
Wild Spirit who still stood there, ears perked, looking at
me intently with his bronze eyes. Climbing under the fence,
I proceeded to my cabin, only to be stopped by Serena,
Diamond and Sapphire.
        All three of them had the most serious and worried
faces I had ever seen. It was as if they had seen the
future, and it was as bleak as the endless stretch of a
dark dream scape.

End of Part One, Chapter Six.


