Race The Earth, Kateri [books recommended by bts txt] 📗

    Jade was sick and tired of fitting into a steryo type. She had broken up with her boyfreind and told her friends goodbye, then just walked out of the front door of the school. Her blonde hair flowed out behind her and her skirt swished. She dashed into the woods, crying and clutching her back-pack full of useless junk.

She ran for wat seemed like hours, her slim runner's body perfect for the task of jogging along the forest trails.
    She thought she was alone, but then a voice spoke. "Don't cry, child. It will all work out, darling. Find me, and I will show you. Come along." it said. the voice was female with a slight country accent.
Jade glanced around, but saw no one. "Hello?" she said, her own thick accent cutting threw the trees. "Think it to me, darling. You will need to come find me. I'm close." the voice said. Thats when she realized that the voice spoke in her head.
"Okay. Where are you?" Jade thought. she hoped that this worked.
"Very good. Come toward the bent tree. Pass it, then go left until you see me. I'm waiting." Then it was gone. Jade was scared, but she had to follow the directions if she wanted to figure out who was talking to her.
The directions lead her to a big fence. She looked around, but all that she saw was a pretty Tennessee Walker. Again and again, her eyes locked on the horses. Then, Jade had a crazy idea. "Your not... The horse, are you?" she thought, progecting all of her will at the mare. She gazed in shock as the horse knodded at her.
"Very good, child." the voice said. The beutiful horse troted toward her. "You will do nicely. My name is Respina."
Jade could hardly speak. This was amazing. "I'm Jade. I'm sorry, mam' but what do ya mean when ya say "I'll do?" she thought to the mare.
She probobly imagined it, but she thought she heard a sigh. "The others won't aprove... you probobly aren't strong enough... Dervisa and Kravan won't like it... But its that or let you die out there."
Jade bit her cheek on the inside."Ya... Umm Miss Respina, I really don't no what your talkin' 'bout... Could you explain, please?" she asked.
Again, Respina said nothing that could be taken as a reply. "Nivia won't like it if I bring you in, either. She always likes to have the prettiest partner. But I supose..."
She was anoyed now. "Miss Respina, its nice a' you to talk to me like this n' all, but could you please answer me, mam'?
Finally, Respina looked her in the eyes. Jade would have sworn that the mare smiled. "Dervisa represents the sky. Kravan represents fire. Nivia is water. I am earth. And I need a partner. Will you come with me?" the horse asked. Jade only hesitated a moment before knodding. "Then mount up." thought the mare.
Jade slid under the fence. "I just hop up there? I don't wanna hurt ya."
"Yes. Hop up, sweet heart." said Respina. So Jade did.
"Where we goin'?" she asked. Respina's only answer was to breakinto a canter. Then, the mares hooves left the ground. Jade flung her arms around Respina's neck, burreing her face in the light gold mane. The ride could only have taken ten minutes, but it felt like hours. It was fun after Jade simply exepted the fact that this horse could talk to her in her mind and fly. Why not?

Jade new that horses didn't fly, but there were four right there infront of her, standing on what seemed to bea flaming cloud. That was also impossible, but to hell with possible. After some extreamly long intoductions, which she payed no attention to, Respina entered her mind alone.
"Go talk to the other children. Be cautious around Dervisa's girl. I fear that because she is a female with such a powerful stallion, she might have some... unusual power." she thought to Jade. Then the mare nudged her forward, toward the others.
"Hi, yall'" she said walking up. She didn't listen to the others (or herself) as she studied Mariah, the little girl who had came in with the big black Freisan, Dervisa. Mariah didn't seem to notice it at all.
Jade sudonly felt... something in her mind, like someone trying to reach in. Then Respina's thoughts and contiousness flowed threw her, blocking the probe in her head. "Don't let her in." the mare thought to her.
"Okay. Who is it?" Jade asked.
"I belive that it is Dervisa's girl. For now, its probobly benine curiosity, but it could someday be a problem. Just be careful. But don't let on that you know. This will be over soon." Respina thought to her. Then she left Jade's mind.

It was only a little while before the meeting was over. Jade ran to Respina and mounted the golden mare. "Where will I go, Respina? People will be looking for me." She thought.
"Don't worry." Thought the mare. "You know I have powers. I can protect you as long as your with me." Then she snorted aloud. "You know, there is a reason why stallions aren't supost to be with girls. Do you want to hear a story?" she added.
Jade thought, "Yes."
So Respina launched into it. "One day, 50 years ago, there where four young children. They thought it would be fun to travel into the earth. There, they found four crystal. One Green, one red, one blue, and one clear, there were. One little girl from Georgia took the green one. A handsome hispanic boy took the red one. The clear was taken by a tall, dark, German boy. And the last, blue, was claimed by a thin Middle-Eastern girl. As you can guess, the four children were me, Kravan, Dervisa, and Nivia. We are human, and if we were to , somehow, become that way again, we would be around 17 or 18. That is ONE of the reasons why we are supost t take only partners who are the same gender as us. If we fall in love, we become human, and that would throw everythin out of balance. Dervisa will be saverly punished for what he has done, but he cannot take a new partner until the girl he is with is dead." she explained.
Jade gasped. "You and the others... You won't kill her, will you? Respina, she's a nice girl."
Respina seemed to mentaly sigh. "No... Well, Nivia and I won't. Kravan wants to, but Dervisa, as much as he hates it, is stronger than him. But I'm afraid that it might already be to late for Dervisa. He was foolish."
Jade was scared. She wished she could somehow warn Mariah. Despite Respina's warnings, she liked the girl. She was kind and pretty, despite her somewhat... spiky apperance.
"No," Respina continued. "We will have to find some way to make this work. But if my assumtion is correct, we might have to kill the girl. Or risk destroying the world."
With those ominouse words spoken, the pair landed. "Oh, I hope it don't bowl down to that." Jade thought to the mare.
"So do I, Jade. So do I." Respina replied.

"Lay down, child." thought Respina. Jade obayed, laying down on the ground in the pasture, the cold winter ground chilling her bones. Then Respina lay down beside her, curling around her to keep the cold air off her. Jade felt the earth underneath her soften and warm up.
"Thank you, Respina." she thought to the mare laying beside her.
    The horse nuzzled her gentaly. "It's nothing, little one. In the morning, we will figure everything out." she thought. Then, her mind drew out of Jade's. It took Jade a minute to realize that the mare had fallen asleep.

Text: Kateri
Images: Google
Editing: Kateri
Translation: Kateri
Publication Date: 03-22-2012

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