Cross Thoroughbred Racing Facility

[Deleted]

<sub>The tires of an old, slighty beat-up blue pickup truck crunched against gravel as the truck rolled in to the long, winding driveway; its driver drumming her fingers against the steering wheel, her gray eyes slightly wide as she took in her surroundings. Dark hair spilled over the shoulders of her navy sweatshirt, falling forward slightly as she eased her truck to a halt. Nineteen-year-old Bellamy Lynne fumbled with the controls on the side panel of her truck, eventually rolling down the window so that she could look out to make sure the horse trailer that she'd been pulling was alright. After she'd checked it, Bell finally allowed the engine to die and grabbed her keys, pushing the door open with her shoulder as she grabbed her white baseball cap. She didn't yet place iron her head, instead looping a few fingers through the back of it as she made her way to the door of the trailer.

Inside the old black horse trailer was a big, elegant, athletic-looking bay mare. She was a dark chocolate color which darkened down her legs and lightened at her muzzle. There was a small white snippet on her forehead which contrasted her dark mane and tail. She stood at nearly seventeen hands, though she was still growing, at only two years old. Bellamy had raised her from a foal and named her herself, calling her Summerdreaming. Summerdreaming was a graceful horse; she moved with precision, as if every step she took had meaning. Her stride was lengthy and flowing, much like her flowing, neat appearance.

Bellamy cracked a smile as she unlatched the trailer door and Summerdreaming greeted her with a nicker, her ears perked and expression bright. She stamped a hoof impatiently, quite eager to get out of the trailer. Bell shook her head, laughing slightly when the filly nosed her pockets. "Silly girl. My treats are in my bag, sorry, you can have some later." The jockey ran her fingers through her horse's mane, pushing her forelock out of her eyes and then giving her forehead a scratch. She wanted to settle the filly down in her stall before unloading her own things, but she was a bit unsure as to whether she should just go ahead and do so, or wait for someone to assist her in doing so. It wasn't that she needed help, she just didn't want to seem pushy by just going right ahead and placing her horse in a stall without the okay from someone at the facility.</sub>

[Story]

<sub>Alexander shook his head once. "Not today, if that is what you are hoping. The Mighty Fitz was exercised today already. It would be unfair advantage if Nightmare is fresh and Fitz is not," The Russian commented softly, rocking back on his heels. He still held the saddle and bridle in his pale hands. "Cyn, what about tomorrow, eight in the morning?" He'd be back from the track by then and Fitz would be raring to go, ready to run and earn his oats. He was sure that it'd be good for Nightmare and Cyn to run against another jockey and horse, even if he didn't think of himself as a jockey. He still saw himself as he once had been. A figure skater with Olympic-sized dreams. He didn't pay attention to the fact that those dreams had been sufficiently crushed along with the bones in his foot. He still dreamed.

"I cannot remember, Ever. Did I ever allow you to call me Miggy before my accident?" Miguel inquired, tilting his head a bit like a dog. He held her gaze seriously for a long moment, dark eyes resting on her clear, beautiful ones before he shook his head and began to wash his hands, removing all traces of dirt and germs on them. "Anyway, do you want ham? Cheese? What do you want on your sandwich?" He began to dry his hands, folding the hand towel neatly and hanging it back on the little hook. He turned his attention to slathering a bit of mayonnaise on his two slices of wheat bread, though he preferred the taste of white bread himself. It was just healthier to eat wheat.

Adam's already somewhat bland mood decreased as he sensed Sadie's reluctance. "I'm just trying to help, Sadie. It's hard, but I went through the same thing," he reminded softly. "Only, I had to do it all myself." He'd had no one that could relate and help him work past the fear. He'd been able only to focus on those emotions that he'd felt, the sheer joy and power of racing down the track, the triumph of a win, the thrill of the race. He'd focused on that and broken through the fear eventually. He was back up on top once again. He was reigning king of the irons.</sub>

[Cloudy]

<sub>"Sounds lovely," Cyn responded in a drawl, giving Nightmare one more good pat. Cyn's blank gaze was fixated in the distance, long buried hopes and dreams stirring once more in the depths of her hazy green eyes Long, long ago she'd dreamed of being a teacher; she loved children and loved teaching. It was in her blood. When she was six, however, and was struck down by illness, those dreams were smothered. She hadn't a hope to become a teacher now, without eyesight, and it made her sad to think of it.

Cynthia shook herself from her reverie. "How 'bout a bet?" she said suddenly. "Last one to the track has to clean the other's gear."</sub>

[Story]

_{"I do not trust anyone to clean my tack," Sasha said condescendingly, smirking, though Cynthia would not be able to see his expression. It was rather wolfish, to say the least. The blonde-haired young man leaned back against the wall. His eyes were clear, even his left eye, where he'd gone blind. The nerve damage hadn't affected him outwardly. There was just a small miscommunication somewhere in his optic nerves that had taken his vision from him. He still recalled the stunning pain and the way hot blood had streaked down his face. He remembered battling the darkness encroaching on his mind, trying not to give in to it as he remained on horseback. His first race. And he remembered how Res flew over the track and won.}

[Horse]

Sadie stared at him for a long moment, expression rather blank. She still felt kind of guilty about that. She hadn't done much to help Adam through his fear, because frankly, she didn't know how or how to relate to that kind of fear, but now she did, and it was God awful. Her gaze flickered down to the ground and she nodded once more. She shoved a fist into her pocket. "I know... I'm sorry..." She broke off, frowning faintly, making her forehead crease and she let out a small sigh. She really did not want to go, but she knew if she wanted to be able to ride again, she would need to. She glanced up once more, and scratched the back of her head with her free hand. She missed the feelings of tearing down the track, but she seemed blocked from the sport she once was so passionate about. A shiver crawled through Sadie's back and she wasn't quite sure what to do next.

[Story]

_{"You can sit on a horse's back, can't you?" Adam asked patiently. "You've been working LuLu, which, honestly, I think is a bit more dangerous at this point. She's untrained, whereas there are some really calm horses to be found at the track, sometimes. Or, heck, even here, there might be a horse or two that'd be worth trying out." He sighed. "You need to recall that feeling and work past the fear. It's so hard, but you have to have heart. You have to want to race again..." Adam spoke with experience, obviously. He knew what it was like. He'd sat upon Celestial Zephyr's back, gripping onto the then-colt's mane and breathed in his familiar horse-shampoo scent. He'd taken comfort in the colt's warmth, trusting his strength, even as he doubted his own. He remembered the desire to keep racing. And he overcame.}

[Spotify]

Ever grinned,"Maybe. Maybe not."she teased, just as his gaze met her's. Her breath caught in her throat and she flushed as soon he looked away. She didn't reply for a moment and she hide her face,"I... Umm... Mustard and cheese..umm..please."she mumbled. She shook her head, hoping it would clear her jumbled thoughts, and luckily it did. She got herself together again and glanced at the fridge, her stomach rumbling.

[Cloudy]

_{Cyn put her hands on her hips and glared in Sasha's general direction. "Now, lookie here, Senor, Misure, Signor, yada yada. Just cause I'm blind doesn't mean I can't give a good piece of tack a mean shine." As if to prove her point, Cyn pointed in the direction of Nightmare's saddle, the gleaming black leather highlighted with a nice shine. Her soft, silky black hair draped in her face a bit and she absently blew it away with a puff of air - it was quite comical. Her heart-shaped face twisted up as she tried to puff a blast of air upwards to blow the strand of midnight hair away; she failed, of course.}

[Horse]

Sadie stared blankly at the ground for a long time, thoughts swirling around in her mind, making her feel a little dizzy, like her entire world was spinning around her. A sudden fear lapsed in the jockey's eyes, and her neck seemed to tighten a bit. What if she didn't want to race? Was that what she really was scared off? Or was it really that she was scared of being hurt again? Of not being in control of her safety? Every time she climbed off of LuLu's back, she was shaking, and her stomach was in such a knot she wanted to vomit. Let alone the track. Just thoughts of the place sent shivers crawling through the twenty three year old young woman. She let out a soft sigh, shifting from foot to foot, condescension written in every line of her slender, small body. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she spoke up. "I don't know." Sadie's voice was small and broken, and when she looked up, she looked so confused and lost and scared.

[Story]

<sub>Miguel stuck his tongue out in response and then made a face. "You like mustard? Eww, why are we even friends?" He was joking and his tone was very obviously plain, as he even winked when he said it. "Okay, so, just mustard and cheese? That's it? No ham, no mayo?" The Mexican jockey was folding pieces of ham for his own sandwich, layering it in a style that would make Subway jealous. Miguel was the true sandwich master. He probably could get hired at a Subway, if he really wanted. But, he decided, he preferred racing horses to waiting on strangers.

"No signor or whatever. Just Alexander," The Russian muttered in correction. "If you are going to be full of sass, do it right. I'm Russian, if you cannot tell by the accent," The kid was perhaps a bit more than just simply cheeky as he leered at the girl. His temper responded to those around him. Whoops. "And I didn't say it was because you were blind. I do not let anyone do job I can do for myself." He was stubborn and rightfully so. He knew that he could do the job himself properly, why let someone else do it when they might not do it the way he wanted it?

"Hey, c'mon. You've got to trust me, Sadie. And you've got to talk to me. What don't you know? Hmm? Do you even want to go back to racing? Or are you ready to set the goggles and whip down and to watch from the sidelines? Hmm? What about Lu?" He spoke in a surprisingly gentle voice, not trying to antagonize her. He was just making a few points, albeit unobtrusively. "I just want what's best for you. If you want to get back to racing, I'll help you. But if you're done, I'll support you."</sub>