JUMP GIRL (The Go Girls Chronicles Book 2)

by Leigh Hutton

  ‘You’ve done so well with heem,’ she said, kissing her on the top of her head. Ebony melted against Winnie, and rested her head against her shoulder, before the sound of the bell yanked her back to alertness. She wiped her eyes and lifted herself slowly to her feet, clutching the hands of Winnie and Abia for support as they watched Monster and Hakim’s round.

  When the crowd went nuts, Ebony blinked. She looked to the scoreboard: zero faults. ‘No way,’ she said, opening her eyes wide to study the board. ‘Did he just go clear?’ She asked, turning to Abia.

  Abia nodded. ‘And heroes rise from the most unlikely of places,’ she said, smiling.

  Ebony had to look away. She held her hands over her eyes, squeezing them tight, forcing the tears back inside. She took a deep breath. The pain from her pride was all consuming, like she’d been immersed in hot Jell-O. She needed to stop crying.

  Hans had his turn on Taja and brought a rail down at the end of the combination. Andre rode Schönheit Z like a pony-clubber on a fat Shetland, his legs stuck into his sides and arms flapping to get him to stick to his plan of action. The horse, so stunned by the aggression from this slight, darling-faced Frenchman, seemed stunned for the round and jumped like he was on auto pilot. After all, he was the best, and would never touch a rail. The reality that he’d been forced to do this round exactly the way his jockey had requested only seemed to hit Sunny as he was called in the stable — at the last fence, when he kicked out, then proceeded to buck across the finish line. They were clear, but the German horse was ticked right off. Bad luck for the rest of the riders who still had to go on him. Like Ebony.

  She was sure she would faint as she watched Sunny buck, bite and pull away from his groom. She hoped like heck she wasn’t going to spew again. She was being summoned to Paris.

  The horse was incredibly well schooled and greeted Ebony with a curious nuzzle. He looked and went so much like Monster that she was instantly at home, but her nerves were frayed and nearly fried, her body weak and shaky from spewing and no food, and she misjudged the length of his stride coming into the second fence. His front hooves smacked the top rail, bringing it down, and they had another rail at fence B of the combination. She was sick with relief when they made it over the eighth and final fence. Paris kept his canter, like he was enjoying her company. She patted his neck gratefully, and afterwards, asked Andre if she could give him a treat.

  If only she’d met the horse in different conditions, she thought, giving him a kiss on the nose. He was so strong, solid and confident, and reminded her so much of Star Girl; a less fiery, more focused version of her Monster. She felt incredibly honoured to have had the opportunity to ride such a stellar horse, and would not let herself dwell on her rails; this was the pinnacle of a sport she’d always dreamed of being a part of, and she was actually here, competing. She’d do better on the next one.

  Ebony expected Monster to take strong objection to Hans. He had the same firm hands and seat as Luther and efficient way of riding, with no mucking about, and little praise. Monster indeed kept his ears pinned back and nose stuck in the air. He ignored Hans for most of the round and kept a faster pace than he had with Hakim, like he was keen to get it over with. But he still went clear. It was incredible, Ebony couldn’t help but lose it — tears of pride and joy drenched the collar of her show shirt and jacket. Winnie shook her, handed her an apple and an iced tea and told her to get a hold of herself.

  When Monster became the first horse to go clean with all four riders, the stadium erupted. Roses were thrown from the stands, Andre was rushed by fans and crew and team members, lifted from Monster’s back and carried for a victory lap around the ring.

  Ebony finally had the chance to ride Taja and was taken back to her first days on the beautiful ponies at Jenny Pedrosa’s barn. She couldn’t help but hug the big, gentle horse and shower him with kisses at the end of their round. They had a rail and a time fault, and she felt like an amateur for letting him down. He was truly glorious and she could have cuddled his soft coat all night long. She wished she could take him home, to keep with Monster. She knew they would have become the best of friends.

  The rest of the riders had at least four faults in the fourth round.

  Andre was crowned the world champion in front of his home crowd. Monster was the only horse to go clear with all four riders, making him the best horse in the world. He went home the hero.

  Ebony went to visit Cecile’s grave only hours after arriving home; once she’d been to the barn to say hello to Johnny, get Monster settled after his flight home and help Winnie unpack. She took the green sash and ribbon she’d won for coming fourth in the individuals, the bronze medal from their team finish and the wreath of red roses the French president had hung around Monster’s neck at the final award’s ceremony, which she’d bought its own suitcase for at the airport to keep it from getting wrecked on the flight. She stopped at one of the mansions on the way up Windsor Heights, to pick a bouquet of lilacs from their front hedge.

  The day was overcast, with thundering clouds overhead as she laid the lilacs and the wreath of roses at the foot of Cecile’s stone angel. She’d taken her sketchpad, also, and spent the rest of the day, sitting cross-legged in front of Cecile’s grave, sketching the angel, the flowers, and an image of Cecile, standing beyond her grave, looking out over the city. She knew her and Monster had done her proud, and her heart ached to pull Cecile from her sketch to give her a hug, and tell her all about the World’s.

  Ebony let Monster wear his black WORLD CHAMPION rug for the first few days of being home, even though she knew it made his next-door neighbour, Johnny Cash, very jealous. Monster was receiving so much special attention with fans dropping flowers and bags of carrots at his stall all day, and Johnny was already miffed, sulking in the back of his stall. But Monster deserved every bit of attention, and more, so some extra cuddles and kisses from her, and a ride that morning, did seem to help Johnny perk up. It was great to see the big boy again and she was thankful for Marcus’s girls taking such good care of him.

  On the third day of being home, Ebony decided it was time to remove Monster’s prized rug for safekeeping. She took it off to groom him, and hung it carefully on the door of his stall. It was something she knew she would cherish forever.

  Monster brought his nose around, to say hello.

  She dug in the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a treat. He looked her in the eye before taking it, and brought his head slowly to hers, nuzzling her cheek, then resting his muzzle against her shoulder.

  ‘I love you too, mate,’ she said, letting her head fall against his. She took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of his clean coat and fresh shavings in his big stall. ‘C’mon,’ she said, kissing Monster on the forehead, ‘eat your treat.’

  Marcus appeared, watching them. ‘Isn’t the champ looking good.’

  Ebony jumped, startled by the sound of her old trainer’s voice — she hadn’t seen him since they’d been back. She glanced at Marcus, and then looked back to Monster, to run her big, soft brush over his shining coat.

  She wasn’t thrilled to see Marcus. Being at the World’s without him, she’d felt stronger than ever before. Marcus had abandoned her to go hang out with Mantina, and he’d let Abia down, which, now she thought about it, infuriated her the most.

  She did miss having his help with her horses, but she wasn’t holding her breath that she would ever get it back. Marcus couldn’t be relied on, and this realisation had left her feeling unsettled at his barn; once a place she’d found so comforting, like home.

  ‘Is he ready for some more fans?’ Marcus asked.

  Ebony swallowed down a lump of disappointment and anger, and turned her attention back to Monster. ‘Are you, buddy?’ she asked, stepping in front of him. Monster nibbled at her jeans pocket. ‘He’s up for anything these days, if you’ll give him a treat!’ she said, patting him on the forehead.

  ‘Its great to see you, Ebony,’ Marcus said.

  ‘Yep.’


  ‘Hey, I’d like if we could talk sometime.’

  Ebony’s skin crawled at the suggestion. It hurt her heart just having Marcus near her, like she knew that if she got attached again, he would just disappear. Becoming reliant on a person was never something Ebony did twice.

  ‘I’ll talk to you later,’ Marcus sighed, ‘I’ll get the girls to bring in the next lot of school kids that have come to visit our World Champion.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Ebony said, without looking up. This is so awkward, too awkward, she thought to herself. How long will it feel like this?

  She was thankful for Dallas’s strong arms when she met him at his place that night, after being bombarded by every TV station, paper and radio journo in the city at the barn for her and Monster’s media conference. Dallas made her sit in the lounge room, and tuned the TV to CTC News at Six.

  ‘I’m so proud of you, girl,’ he said, pulling her under his arm on the lounge.

  A promo of the leading sport story was just coming on: footage of Ebony and Monster jumping at the World’s, then a shot of Ebony being interviewed with Monster in his stall, the handsome little horse wearing his World Champion rug and standing proudly at her side.

  She smiled at Monster, but wished she’d done something with her hair — it was long and tangled and she wasn’t wearing a shred of make-up, with only her lightening bolt earring in.

  ‘Feel good to be home?’ Dallas asked.

  ‘It’s good to see you.’ She snuggled into his chest, and her body longed to relax, to mould against his. But her mind was racing.

  ‘What’s up, babe?’ he asked.

  ‘Whad’ya mean?’

  ‘You’re tense, like you want to punch someone out,’ he said. ‘You did awesome over there, you know that?’

  ‘The World’s were amazing — it’s not that …’

  She was uneasy because she didn’t feel at home in the one place she’d found refuge before heading to the World’s; at the barn, and she couldn’t shake the nervous paranoia that Mantina, or Dougie, would come waltzing back, to make her irate. She was enjoying being friendly to people. ‘It’s just a bit weird,’ Ebony said, ‘being back at the barn.’

  ‘It’ll be okay when things get back to normal.’

  ‘I hope you’re right.’

  ‘Aren’t you heading in to ride Monster tomorrow?’

  Ebony smiled. ‘The TV crew want to come back, to film our first ride on home soil.’

  ‘That’ll make you feel better.’

  Ebony took a deep breath, and focused on the image of Monster’s face. Dallas was right; riding her horses always cleared her mind. ‘Enough about me,’ she said. ‘I’ve missed you like crazy.’

  ‘I won’t be letting you out of my sight,’ Dallas said, holding her against his chest. ‘Even if I have to take you with me.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘To games, and stuff.’ He kissed her gently. ‘I’ll put you in my hockey bag and take you with me.’

  Ebony laughed. ‘Not sure I’d fit in there.’

  ‘You will, but I might have trouble with Monster and Johnny.’

  ‘Lucky we get to see each other at night,’ Ebony said, kissing him on the cheek. ‘And I won’t be going overseas again for a while.’

  Ebony hadn’t heard from Annika and had found her house empty, with a stack of bills in the letterbox, when she arrived home from the World’s. She couldn’t shake a sickening sense that something had indeed happened to Annika, but was able to fall asleep in Dallas’s arms.

  She had a spring in her step when she woke with Dallas at his early morning alarm. He invited her to come for a run, but she wanted to get to the barn. She couldn’t wait to see the boys and get back into training, and needed to speak with Abia to work out a schedule for the Spruce Meadows Master’s tournament which was just a few weeks away. Sponsorship deals were already coming in after their results at the World’s, and with its multi-million-dollar prize money, The Master’s could be just what Ebony and her World Champion Monster needed to finally break free and start their own barn, just as she and Cecile had planned.

  Ebony was surprised to be the first in the parking lot. Even though it was a Sunday, there would usually be grooms or other clients around, so she checked the time on her phone, and smiled. She really was feeling keen; it was only quarter to six.

  She pushed open the heavy, timber front door and looked both ways down the dim corridor of the barn, expecting to be rushed by Millie, Marcus’s happy old Labrador, and Lacy, her one puppy Marcus had kept from her most recent litter, as well as his little herd of Jack Russells. But all was silent. The lights were off, too, which was strange. Marcus must have taken the dogs home with him, and the grooms must be having a rare sleep in.

  She felt like whistling a tune as her sneakers squeaked along the corridor. The door handle to her tack room was cold against her skin. She was suddenly freezing in her jacket, and rubbed her hands along her arms a few times, then flicked on the light, but the bulb crackled and the room went dark.

  ‘Dang,’ she said, trying the switch again. She’d have to ask Winnie to dig out a bulb. She used the light from her phone to find a bag of carrots and slipped a few out for Monster and another for Johnny.

  Out in the hall, and a huge, dark cloud must have drifted over the barn. The day was overcast, but not particularly dark. Now she could hardly see, so dusky was the interior of the barn. She considered running down to switch on the lights, but heard Johnny whicker, so went to him first, to feed him his carrot.

  ‘Hey, buddy,’ she said, patting his nose and forehead. Johnny gobbled up his carrot and was biting at Monster’s in Ebony’s opposite hand. ‘Get out of it!’ she said, swatting him away. She broke off a bit of one of Monster’s carrots and fed it to Johnny, kissed him quickly on the nose, and walked across to Monster’s stall.

  She smiled, and paused, opening his door — she’d never caught him sleeping before. He was curled in the back corner of his stall, his head laid across his front legs, which were stretched out from his body. He looked no larger than a pony. His eyes were mostly closed, his long lashes sweeping down. He was wearing his World Champion rug, and it wasn’t fully on, like it had been draped over his body and tucked in. She didn’t remember leaving it on him.

  ‘Monster?’ Ebony said, her heart thumping. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled and goose bumps raced down her arms and legs, like the doors had been flung open by an icy, winter’s wind.

  She reached for the latch to his stall, and banged the carrots against the metal. This would wake him up, he could never resist a carrot.

  She froze to the floor when he didn’t move. Her horse wasn’t moving. She ran her eyes down his neck, to his jaw, frantic, looking for movement, any slight movement. He wasn’t breathing.

  ‘Monster!’ The carrots fell to the rubber mats. She ran to him, and, carefully, rested her hands on the side of his face. His body was cold, and his coat was matted with dried sweat.

  No! No, No! ‘Monster!’

  Cold tears raced down her cheeks, and suddenly her body was shaking, violently, from the shock and the wracking sobs. She put her forehead against his, screaming out, ‘God, NO! Monster, WAKE UP!’ She ran her hands down his neck and pushed, with all her might, but his body was like lead, and his eyes were gone.

  Her horse was gone.

  ‘Oh, señorita!’

  Winnie pulled her up, hugging her fiercely, trying to stop her convulsive shaking. ‘I sorry, señorita,’ Winnie whispered.

  ‘WHY?!’ Ebony ripped from her grasp. ‘This wasn’t you!’

  Winnie reached forward, and gently pulled Ebony into her arms, sitting her down in the shavings, next to Monster’s body. ‘I hear owl last night,’ Winnie said, stroking her hair. ‘I should ’ave know she was come-ing.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Santo Muerte, Lady of the Shadows. I should ’ave know.’

  Ebony closed her eyes, and squeezed them tight. It was all a nightmare
, one of her hideous nightmares, she was sure of it. The smell of the shavings and hay and Monster were all just her imagination: added realities to really engrain the horror in her mind. It couldn’t be real. He can’t be gone too!

  ‘We pray for heem,’ Winnie said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. It was an arm that had the weight of reality, and Ebony knew, this was real. It was hell, but it was real. She should have known, it wasn’t meant to last; everything she loved was always taken from her. And at that moment, a clear image of Cecile’s stone angel appeared in Ebony’s mind, bleeding from the eyes. Monster’s eyes.

  Ebony looked around the stall, desperate to vanquish the disturbing image of the bleeding angel, and focused, wide eyed, on Winnie, who was chanting in Spanish. Winnie touched her left shoulder, then her right, ‘en el nombre del Padre,’ she said. ‘Oh, lo senteemos — sorry, Mees Ebony … In … thee name of thee Father and thee Son and thee Holy Spirit, amen.’ Then she held up her right hand and crossed her thumb over her index finger, making a cross, and kissed her thumb. She grabbed Ebony by the hands, moving one to her left shoulder, then the right to make a cross, repeating the words, and nodding at Ebony.

  ‘A’men,’ was all Ebony could expel, in a shaky, broken voice.

  ‘Saints of God,’ Winnie said, resting her hands on Monster’s lifeless side, ‘come to hees aid!’

  Ebony fell forward, and hugged his body as tight as she could, her arms shaking and tears drenching his neck.

  ‘C’ome to meet heem, angels of thee Lord! Re’ceeve hees soul and present heem to God the Most High … geeve heem eternal rest, O Lord, and may Your light shine upon heem forever. Re’ceeve hees soul and present heem to God the Most High. Let us pray …’

  She repeated the action, crossing her thumb over her index finger, and kissing her thumb. ‘Amen.’ She grabbed Ebony’s hands, smiled deep into her eyes, and kissed her thumbs. ‘No sad,’ she said, forcing Ebony to meet her intense gaze. ‘Monster body gone, but hees soul now born. He we-ell lee-ve forever. Here,’ she pressed her palm to Ebony’s heart, ‘just like Cecele. You love and remember heem. He we-ell lee-ve on.’