Mustang Moon

by Terri Farley

  They were halfway to the white government truck when the woman shooed her off.

  “Go on back,” Brynna said. “And have a good first day at school.”

  “I will!” Sam shouted over another clap of thunder.

  She’d started back to the house, when movement drew her attention to the barn.

  Light shone golden and cozy from the open barn. Dad stood in the doorway. Dad’s dark silhouette showed one hand planted against the doorway. The other hung loose as he looked through the curtains of misty rain.

  Was Dad angry because they’d invited the BLM official in from the storm? Did he suspect Sam was engineering a secret wild horse adoption? Was he too tired to make a polite trip across the yard to say hello?

  Sam quit guessing. She must be mistaken, because from here, it looked like Dad was staring after Brynna with something like a smile.

  Sam’s alarm was set. Her clothes hung on her closet door. A backpack stuffed with notebooks, pencils and pens, and a tiny tub of lip gloss sat by her bedroom door. Everything was ready for her first day of school, and still she felt restless, as if she’d left something important undone.

  Sam stared at her ceiling. Twice, it turned pale, brightened by faraway glimmers of lightning.

  The house stood so silent, it was creepy. Sam held her breath, listening. She heard the kitchen clock. A floorboard squeaked. That would be Blaze, chasing dream cats while he slept in front of the empty fireplace.

  The only sounds came from outside. The rain had stopped, but thunder grumbled in the clouds. Sam couldn’t tell if the storm was moving away or coming back.

  She hoped it had gone, because it was one more thing Dad worried about.

  After she’d gone to bed, Sam had overheard Dad talking with Gram about hay. Dad always counted on a September harvest. Now, because of the rain, he was afraid he wouldn’t get it. So far the rain had been light, but he didn’t want to risk a long wet spell. Wet hay could rot. If it did, they couldn’t afford to buy good hay from someone else.

  She’d heard him slap his palm against the table.

  “A single hundred-degree day is all I need. We could cut and dry that entire field of alfalfa one day and bale it the next.”

  The numbers on Sam’s watch glowed blue-green in the darkness. Midnight. This was the time the Phantom had come to the river.

  He hadn’t come since his capture, and she had no reason to believe he would come tonight. He couldn’t know tomorrow was special to her. Even if he did, what would a first day of school mean to a horse?

  The thunder boomed. Closer. Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day. The nursery rhyme meant something to a rancher’s daughter.

  Blaze’s toenails clicked across the kitchen floor, then Sam heard him drink from his water bowl. By the sound of his lapping, he didn’t have much left.

  Grabbing at the excuse, Sam swung her legs out from under the covers. Quickly and quietly, she moved through the dark house to the kitchen and refilled Blaze’s water bowl.

  With the dog’s noisy drinking to cover her movements, Sam opened the door and slipped outside.

  Mud-scented wind blew Sam’s nightgown behind her, but nothing else moved. Holding to a porch post, she leaned out as far as she could, staring toward the river.

  Starlight showed the sway of a few trees. If the clouds blew aside, unveiling the moon, she might see the Phantom standing on the other side of the river.

  Of course, that idea made no sense. When even night birds were tucked into dry nests, why would the stallion be out?

  A crack, a sizzle, a glare of white-gold light ripped a crooked path across the black sky. Sam caught her breath and smelled a metallic heat at the moment she saw him.

  The Phantom reared on the other side of the river. Like a frosty tree turned upside down, branches of lightning ran jagged behind the stallion.

  The Phantom had come back!

  Sam’s arms clamped around herself. She was scared, excited, and she had no choice. The stallion had returned. She couldn’t leave him rearing alone in the darkness.

  Sam had lifted the hem of her nightgown and her toes had pressed into the squishy mud, when the porch light flashed on. For an instant, she imagined it was more lightning, but Dad’s solemn voice left her no escape from the truth.

  “Samantha, get back inside.”

  “But, Dad—”

  “No excuses. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

  She’d been caught. She’d be grounded. Worst of all, the Phantom would go on waiting in the darkness, thinking she’d forgotten.

  Chapter Seven

  SAM WAS ALREADY sitting on her neatly made bed, dressed and ready for school, when her alarm went off.

  If she had just one friend, today would be easier. If Dad weren’t angry and likely to lecture while he drove her to the bus stop, today would be easier. If she could go for a gallop on Ace after school, today would be easier. But none of that would happen.

  Face it, Sam told herself as she switched off her shrilling alarm clock, today is not going to be easy.

  Breakfast was not on the table. Nothing sizzled on the stove. Yes, she’d told Gram she only wanted cereal and toast on school days, but this felt wrong.

  Dad stood at the window, staring out at the gray morning.

  “Dad, I—”

  “Eat some breakfast. Gram’s out doing your chores.”

  A lump swelled in Sam’s throat. Worry over last night had knocked thoughts of morning chores right out of her head. Out in the wind-tossed yard, Gram was filling water troughs, feeding Ace, finding eggs.

  “I’ve still got time.” Sam glanced at her watch. “I’ll go stop her.”

  “She’s doing it as a favor. Just for today. Now, get something to eat.”

  “Okay,” Sam said.

  Even though he wouldn’t turn to look at her, Dad didn’t sound too angry. Still, he wouldn’t change his mind about grounding her. Dad was stubborn and so darn sure he was right.

  The only question was how long she’d be grounded.

  Sam poured milk on her cereal and considered Dad’s stiff back. The smartest thing she could do was wait for him to explain her punishment, instead of harassing him about it.

  Sam tried to be patient. She finished her cereal, managed to eat some toast, then rinsed her bowl. As Gram came back inside, Sam kissed her good-bye, climbed into the truck, and held her backpack on her lap as Dad drove toward the bus stop.

  The rain-washed sky spread bright blue above the Calico Mountains, but Sam’s chest felt tight. Her teeth hurt from clenching. She knew that if she didn’t ask Dad about being grounded, she’d burst into tears when the first little thing went wrong.

  She couldn’t let that happen on her first day at the bus stop. Even if she ended up waiting there alone, she’d be examined as a newcomer as she entered that bus. How cool would it be to appear with red, swollen eyes, looking like a kindergartner afraid to leave home?

  Sam took such a deep breath, Dad must have heard her question coming.

  “For how long?” she asked. “How long before I can ride Ace?”

  “We’ll start with a week and see how it goes,” Dad said.

  A week. Seven days. That wasn’t so long. She could stand it.

  “And the fall drive? Will I be able to ride in time to help bring the cattle in?”

  “No.”

  Seven days. Not so long, but time enough to keep her from riding Ace, her hat held down by its stampede string as the wind whistled past. Long enough for her to miss a once-a-year event.

  “Since you’re already mad at me,” Sam began, and noticed Dad didn’t correct her, “are you going to butcher Buddy?”

  The truck slowed as if Dad had lifted his boot from the gas pedal.

  “What in—?” He twisted toward her. “What in the world are you thinking, Samantha?”

  “About money,” she said. “I’m thinking that we need every dollar we can make from the hay and the cattle.”

  Dad shook
off his surprise, and the truck surged forward again.

  “First off, we only raise enough hay for our. own stock. I don’t like to buy it over the winter. Second, when we get so poor one pet calf would save us—” Dad’s mouth curved up at one corner, but his expression wasn’t quite a smile. “Well, let’s just say I’d put you to work long before that happened.”

  “I’d go to work,” Sam offered, “if it meant keeping Buddy. Sure I would.” She pictured the mall at Darton and wondered how old you’d have to be to work in the food court. “I bet I could find a job after school. Do you want me to do it?”

  Sam couldn’t interpret Dad’s expression. It flickered somewhere between proud and embarrassed.

  “I’ll let you know,” he said.

  The truck slowed again. The bus stop was just ahead.

  Dad braked, turned toward Sam, and leaned across to touch her cheek.

  “Your hair looks real cute that way, Samantha.” Dad nodded three times.

  Sam knew he wanted to add something else. She glanced down the road. The bus wasn’t in sight, so she waited.

  “Honey, there’s not a darn thing wrong that time won’t fix,” Dad said. “Now, you go on and have a nice first day.”

  Sam walked toward the girl standing at the bus stop. Uneasy because she knew the girl was watching her, too, Sam tried not to stare.

  The other girl was thin. Not model trim or athlete lean, but downright gawky. She wore dark-framed glasses, and her white-blond hair hung in skinny braids. They ended in tassels that made them look like exclamation marks.

  She wore a hot orange tee shirt, jeans, and black high-top tennis shoes. Showing through the mesh pocket of her backpack was the most complicated-looking calculator Sam had ever seen.

  Sam gathered her courage, trying to think of something to say, but the other girl beat her to it.

  “Hi. I’m Jennifer Kenworthy. If you’re Samantha Forster, I think we’ve met before, a long time ago.”

  “I am,” Sam said. “And I sort of remember that, too.” But this wasn’t the timid girl Sam recalled. “I usually go by Sam.”

  “Good. I go by Jen, or Jennifer, but never Jenny—except to my mom.”

  They both smiled, then Jen’s face took on a puzzled look. “Why did Jake tell me your hair was kind of punk-looking?”

  “He didn’t know any better,” Sam said. “It was, until last night. I had a trim and he hasn’t seen it yet.”

  Jake didn’t take change in stride. Sam thought of the morning after the Phantom had accidentally given her a black eye. When she’d tried to cover it with makeup and a bold attitude, Jake had exploded.

  “That’s pretty dramatic,” Jen said. “All I did for the first day of school is break my poor mother’s heart. Not really. That’s just what she said, because I insisted on dressing like a normal kid. Last year, when I started going to public school, my mom made me wear skirts and twinsets. This year, I’m dressing myself.”

  About time, Sam thought. She’d been selecting her own clothes forever. But she only said, “Looks good to me.”

  “Thanks,” Jen said. “Mom said I was dressed to go muck out stalls, but I stood firm. The thing is”—Jen lowered her voice—“I don’t really care.”

  “So, you have horses?”

  A queasy look crossed Jen’s face, and Sam worried that she’d ended the friendship before it had begun. How could she have forgotten what Jake had told her? The Kenworthys had been on the verge of losing their ranch when Slocum offered to buy it.

  “Well, yeah,” Jen said. “You remember—”

  “I do. Sorry,” Sam apologized. “I forgot.”

  “No big deal.” Jen ducked her head. “After all, I forgot you, uh, didn’t have a mom to say stupid things to you, like mine does.”

  Silence simmered between them for a minute. They’d both messed up and admitted it. That seemed a fine beginning for a friendship.

  “But, yeah,” Jen said at last, “we still have a few horses. Mine is Silk Stocking, but I call her Silly. She’s a truly ditzy palomino mare.” Jen shook her head, then added, “I plan to be a vet, though, and she’s better than a textbook on horse neuroses.”

  “She’d probably get along great with Ace, my little mustang. All the other horses like to push him around.” Sam met Jen’s eyes. Clearly, they both loved their horses, no matter what. “We should go ride sometime.”

  The roar of the yellow school bus ended their conversation. Jen didn’t do more than nod, and Sam didn’t mention the ride would have to wait until she was out of trouble.

  The morning hours were filled with slamming lockers, ringing bells, and shouting voices. Guided by a useless photocopied map, Sam navigated miles of mazelike halls. She made it to each class on time, but Jake’s warning about weeping freshmen kept her from visiting her locker until lunch hour.

  Arms aching, Sam approached her locker, carrying every book from each morning class. In little tiny ink numbers, she’d written her combination on the inside of her wrist.

  Her locker opened like a dream. Sam arranged her books inside, closed it, and opened it again, this time without consulting the numbers on her wrist.

  When a group of laughing girls passed by, Sam looked at her watch, pretending she had someplace to go. She didn’t. She’d had English class with Jen, but Jen hadn’t mentioned meeting for lunch. And Sam hadn’t seen Jake.

  She decided not to wander around looking lost. Instead, she pulled an apple from her backpack and wished the break would end. She practiced opening her locker again. She had journalism after lunch. She’d been on the newspaper staff in middle school, and her teacher had said she had talent. Sam was excited to give it a try in high school.

  She might meet some people, too. Although a lot of the other students were strangers to each other, Sam had felt too shy to speak to people in her other classes. She hoped journalism was less formal. Maybe there she could relax and make some friends.

  Sam closed her locker. She turned the dial very deliberately, in case anyone was watching.

  At last, the bell rang. A stampede of students filled the halls, but it was a knot of rowdy boys she noticed. As they forged a path through the other kids, Sam saw Jake. The quietest of them all, he moved along in the center, grinning.

  Until he saw Sam. Then, Jake came to such a sudden stop, another student rammed into him from behind. Jake staggered forward a step, but his eyes stayed on Sam.

  Jake hated her short hair. That was clear. He kept going—without waving, without saying hi, without recognizing she was alive.

  He’d get used to it, Sam told herself. It’s not like she’d planned to tag along with him at school. She’d see him at home and he could spout off about the mistake she’d made.

  Right now, she’d better hurry to class.

  “We’ve got to hit the ground running,” said Mr. Blair.

  Sam’s journalism teacher looked more like a football coach as he fired off orders. Half the students loitered near a row of computers. The other half sat at attention in desks ranged in straight rows.

  The students whispering by the computers must be the veterans, Sam thought. The students who were seated and attentive, Sam admitted, looked like freshmen.

  “Class time is for putting out a newspaper. The textbook is for teaching you how to write. Here’s a schedule.” Mr. Blair flapped a sheaf of papers. “Do two chapters each night and turn in the work every day when you get to class.” Mr. Blair took a breath, then pointed. “What did I say?”

  “I, uh—” said a boy wearing a black tee shirt.

  “That’s what I thought.” Mr. Blair turned toward Sam and pointed. “What did I say?”

  “We’re putting out the newspaper during class and reading the book at night.” Sam rattled off what she remembered. “We turn in the work—” When Sam saw Mr. Blair’s eyes narrow, she hurried to correct herself. “We turn in two chapters’ worth of work every day.”

  “Okay.” Mr. Blair turned toward a bespectacled boy who
sat with his feet atop a big wooden desk. “RJay, give this girl a story.” Mr. Blair jerked his thumb toward Sam, then asked, “Name?”

  “Sam,” she said, lacing her fingers together in her lap to keep her hands from shaking. Then, as Mr. Blair scanned the student list in his hand, she added, quietly, “Samantha Forster.”

  “Hmm. A freshman.” Mr. Blair stared so long, Sam thought it very possible he was trying to read her mind. “Give her a story anyway, RJay.”

  The teacher shooed her toward RJay.

  Feeling singled out, Sam crossed the room. She tugged at the hem of her scoop-neck white shirt, even though she knew it looked fine with her new jeans. Today, she’d seen a hundred girls dressed the same way, but Sam still felt awkward as she stood before RJay. She guessed he was the editor of Dialogue, the Darton High newspaper, but he said nothing to confirm it.

  “Go see Rachel,” RJay said, and then he, too, pointed.

  At first, Sam didn’t recognize the name.

  Rachel looked like a model. Her sleek hair was the dark brown of coffee. She wore a short, trendy plaid skirt with suspenders. On most girls, it would look silly. On her, worn over a crisp white blouse, it looked great.

  Rachel let Sam stand and wait while she talked to a blonde in a cheerleader’s uniform embroidered with the name Daisy. Gradually, Rachel turned.

  Her rose-gold fingernails skimmed the wing of hair slanting across her forehead, lifting it away from her eyes. She scanned Sam from head to waist, but still said nothing.

  Sam turned hot with embarrassment. She felt like such a reject, but she had to say something.

  “RJay said you’d assign me a story,” Sam explained.

  “Back-to-school interview with Ms. Santos,” Rachel ran the words together, sounding bored and faintly British.

  Sam frowned. Ms. Santos. Her ignorance only deepened her blush.

  “Where would I find her?” she asked. After she found her, maybe she’d figure out who she was.

  “Oh.” Rachel stretched the word so that it sounded like ow. Did Rachel have an English accent or was she pretending? Sam couldn’t tell, but all at once she remembered. When they were out picking berries, hadn’t Jake said Linc Slocum’s daughter was named Rachel? Hadn’t he said Slocum was divorced and that Rachel and her brother spent summers in London with their mother?