Alone

[DAKOTA ROSE HARVELL]

Dakota walked silently into the barn her hands tucked into her jeans and her shirt kind of baggy as she looked at the ground.Her heals scuffed the floor as she walked down the barn looking for her friend,A tall black gelding. She finally found him and smiled when he came over to great her.They said there silent hello and she patted his thick chest and shoulder. Se turned on her heal and ran her fingers through her orange and yellow putting it up in a cute messy dun before grabbing her red tack box and hanging it in the stall.

The sound of the stall door opening made a few other horses look but she paid no mind to them as she padded in with a small red stiff brush and a curry comb. She walked over touching the gelding strong shoulder then placing the curry comb on his neck she began to groom him. It was quiet in the barn as she worked and she liked it but for some reason she felt to alone. Her grooming slowed and she began to sing to herself.Her voice was low but strong as she groomed on her horse she knew Solder would never judge her for what she was singing and she loved horses for that reason.

She swayed with the soft song and wished to herself that she could just show someone she was good as somthing and not just a through away that is here because she has no place in the world. She shook her head replacing the thought with the song that was now beautiful as her voice was a little louder.

[CHARLOTTE AUGUSTINE REID]

There were two places that you could find Charlie if she wasn't in class: either in the barn or out riding. Alright, alright, so some of the time she could be found sleeping or eating and once in a blue moon she was in the lodge, but being around horses was the thing that she loved most in the whole world, and therefore she was usually down here, taking care of Demi and a couple of the other horses who didn't get as many visits as they should.

She'd just finished up with Genesis when she backed out of the horse's stall and caught the soft strains of singing. Surprised, she froze, listening as she wondered where Mr. Brook was and if he knew that there were other people in the barn. She was always here, but then the school was filling up with more and more people, so she figured that she wouldn't be alone out here for forever.

"Hello?" she called out, not so loud that she'd spook the horses as she closed Genesis' stall. The horse could be skittish, and she didn't want any problems.

[DAKOTA ROSE HARVELL]

She loved the soft touch of the gelding as she sung and brushed his black coat."In the morning cold and raining dark before the dawn can come,how long in twilight waiting longing for the rising sun".She spun around the horse her hair moving like flairs behind her. The gelding snorted and touched the tip of her hand like a dance partner."Your so amazing you shine like the stars, your so amazing the beauty you are, you came blazing right into my heart your so amazing you are".She laughed as the gelding pushed her softly and she started to brush him again.

The sound of a soft "Hello" reached her ears and she stopped singing.She had not talked to anyone but her horse since she got here. She peaked around the corner of the stall like a child with shining eyes,looking for a monster. Solder joined her with a soft nicker as if to ask what she was looking at. The gelding rested his large head on her shoulder as she searched for the girl.


She stepped out of the stall closing it behind her so Solder could not fallow her out like he used to at home.Her steps were quiet as she walked down almost walking into the girl as she shut the door the the other horses stall. The sight of the oncoming girl caused her to stop with a short stride and back up only to stop again and look at her with sad eyes that seemed to never go away unless her only friend was near, and in this case he was 4 stalls down from where she was standing frozen in place.

[CHARLOTTE AUGUSTINE REID]

The girl's obvious fear surprised Charlie, and she had to wonder if it was something about her that made the freshman step back and away from her. Normally she was the one who was bullied and picked on and kept her head down to avoid people, but she'd had no problems making friends here at Brook Haven, and that felt pretty good in some ways. In other ways it was confusing and a bit scary. What would happen if she told the redhead that she was just as afraid of her as she was of Charlie?

Shaking her head, Charlie laughed the thought off, laughing at herself rather than at Dakota as she locked the stall door with Genesis inside, then patted the horse on the nose affectionately. She stepped forward toward Dakota, treating her much as she would treat one of the more skittish horses, but not reaching out.

Ordinarily Charlie wouldn't have bothered with another student, and particularly not another female student since she wasn't fond of the hash demeanors that tended to come along with the feminine gender. She bit down on her lower lip, nibbling at it for a moment, then shrugged off her personal discomfort. "I'm Charlie. Charlotte, not like, you know, Charlie Brook. Are you new here? I haven't, you know, seen you around."

[DAKOTA ROSE HARVELL]

Dakota had no clue why she felt like she had no reason to talk to the other girl but she forced herself. "My name is Dakota and yes i am new here". She looked at Charlie to see if she would laugh at her country twang like others would. She hated when other made fun of her for her voice like she did not belong anywhere. Now that she was alone she had no one but Solder to talk to and he was the only one to make her better.She shifted in her spot taking a glance to her side at the horse who seemed to look at them with a glowing smile.

Her sad eyes shifted again watching the girl in front of her, she seemed nice and so she relaxed some. Dakota was like an abused horse, you have to take your time with her and give her time to trust you."I just moved here because no one would take me and Solder after my parents died". She looked down and wondered why she just told this girl she did not even know that. She watched an ant walk across the floor and then back up at the girl.

"I try to stay out of peoples way that why you never see me around". She hoped to herself that the girl never heard her singing, even if she knew she had an amazing voice she was not ready to find out if her parents lied to her about the sweet tones she sang.Solder was soon mad at her for not showing him off and Dakota shifted looking at the now clean gelding."Oh this is Solder my number one and well only friend " .She smiled at him the first real smile in front of anyone.

[CHARLOTTE AUGUSTINE REID]

"My mom didn't want me," Charlie said, hoping that would allow her to relate a bit better to the young girl. She leaned on the door of one of the stalls, absently petting the side of one of the horses' necks as she spoke, not even bothering to look to see who it was (all horses were "who" to Charlie rather than "which," or "whose"). "I wasn't doing very well in school, and she decided that I wasn't worth it. So she sent me off to live with my dad in this tiny little town where he owns the only liquor license in the whole place and runs the only bar. It's kind of nice to get out of the city, but it sucks knowing nobody really wanted me." She knew that wasn't fair. Rowan wanted her, but it hadn't been his choice to have her come and live with him and Charlie knew that beyond a doubt. Kenneth wanted her too, and she was good with Kenzie, so everything would be fine in the long run. She knew that.

"So... What, does Mr. Brook take care of you?" Charlie wasn't thinking about the fact that if there was somebody to pay for the boarding of both the girl and the horse that she was fine to stay at the boarding school year round, since that was what it existed for. She sighed, relaxing more as she spoke, feeling a bit more at ease as the younger girl clearly relaxed some too.