Ride: The Search for TK

Rudy ran over to the judge. “The clock hadn’t started, so there’s no time fault, right?” he asked, barging on before the poor man could answer. “Will you please just move her down in my order and let her go near the end? I mean, as long as she rides before you go, all right?”

The judge frowned but nodded, marking his list. Rudy didn’t care if the man felt inconvenienced, as long as Kit still got her chance. Right now, he had to find out what had made her bolt like a deer across the school grounds.

On the opposite side of the ring, Anya witnessed Kit’s sudden mad dash across the field. Where was she going?

“Give it a rest,” Anya told him. “We’re not training right now. We need to go and see if Kit’s okay.”

“Will went after her,” Josh said, putting his hand on her arm. “Maybe you should just, I don’t know, give your friend and the cute boy a minute, eh?” He winked and resumed his squats.

Anya tried to see Kit in the distance, but she had disappeared beyond a hill. Figuring she could never catch her now anyway, Anya started doing squats with Josh.

Kit ran. Oh, she knew exactly what she running to, though she couldn’t understand how or why it was happening. It had to be a miracle!

TK was still far off, galloping toward her with his tail streaming. When he came upon a large pile of thick tree branches in his path, he didn’t hesitate but simply sailed over them as if he had wings. Kit could hardly believe it!

TK slowed to a trot, then to a walk. He stopped in front of Kit and lowered his head, whuffling a greeting.

Kit felt numb with shock while at the same time, this whole moment felt to her like cosmic destiny. How could she have ever doubted TK? He had come home to her! He wanted to be with her just as much as she wanted to be with him! “I knew you could find me, boy,” she said, petting his forehead. “Ohh, I missed you! And you ran so far — for me! Welcome home!” She pressed her face into his muzzle and gave him a snuggle.

“Oh, no!” Kit said, realizing. “That’s what everyone must think!” Her excitement about TK overruled all logic, though, and she blurted out, “But did you see that? Did you see him make it over that jump? It’s a sign!”

Kit pressed her forehead against his. “They cannot keep us apart, bud,” she said to him. “We are a team!”

Back at the ring, Elaine showed no interest in Kit’s freaky disappearance. She had more important things to do, especially since Nav had come over to vie for her attention with Santiago.

“Would you like a grape?” he inquired, offering one from a bag he was holding.

Santiago pulled a kerchief from his pocket and opened it to reveal star-shaped slices of juicy bright yellow. “Some star fruit?” he suggested.

“Bitto Storico?” Nav insisted, pushing his other hand past Santiago’s. A wedge of golden cheese lay in its palm. “It’s rare, aged sixteen years, and practically impossible to obtain.”

Elaine turned to see Will and Kit leading — was that the donkey? Where had he come from? No matter, Elaine recognized him and just as quickly dismissed him. Boy, girl, and donkey disappeared into the stables.

Nav tucked the Bitto Storico back into his pocket. “If you’ll excuse me,” he said, and he took off for the stable.

“Please, take your time!” Santiago called after him. “Now, you.” He gazed at Elaine. “Tell me about yourself.”

“Oh. Well,” Elaine said, “I know it’s old-fashioned, but I like to have hard copies of all my schedules. So I laminate them and keep them on me at all times. It makes things seem more real that way.”

“Oh, I’m not joking,” Elaine said. “What, do you take training as a joke?”

“Hardly, no. How else do you think I beat my cousin?” With a tricksy grin, he pulled out his mobile. “I’ve designed my own app. This is my training schedule. You see, King — he’s such an exceptional horse that I only need to do a quick warm-up with him before showtime.”

Elaine studied the mobile’s screen. Santiago had created an excellent app, though one section confused her. “What’s that part there?” she asked, pointing.

“That?” Santiago whispered. “King hates the second jump and often loses time.”

“Oh.” Elaine put her hand on his arm. “That’s such a beautiful app. I mean, I might even consider giving up my laminates for something like that.”

Meanwhile in the stables, Kit and Will had TK secure and were quickly gathering his tack.

“Are you sure you want to risk your rank?” Will asked, placing a saddle blanket on TK’s back. “Wayne’s all ready to go.”

“It’s a feeling,” Kit said passionately. “It’s fate! Did you see him make that jump? He can do this!” She stroked TK’s neck and said to the horse, “We can do this.”

Nav ran in. “Whoa! How in the world —?” He gaped at TK as if seeing a ghost.

“I know!” Kit giggled. “I just saw him off in the distance, and I had to go after him!”

Rudy joined them. “Come on, let’s go, let’s go,” he said, taking charge. “We have eight minutes. All hands on deck. Will, get his bridle.”

As Will fetched the bridle and Rudy put TK’s saddle on, Nav told Kit, “I knew we had to go find him. And now he’s found his way back to you!”

“I think we showed him what he had to do,” said Kit. “To find us. It wouldn’t have happened without you!” She gave him a big hug just as Will returned. She noticed a look pass between Will and Nav, a look that seemed to say, Let’s focus on the task at hand: helping Kit in her hour of need.

Kit turned back to TK. “This is it, boy. We cannot mess this up. It’s our last chance.” She caught herself. “I mean, no pressure! But we have to nail this.”

Rudy cleared his throat loudly. “You heard me say eight minutes two minutes ago, right? Let’s go.”

When Kit entered the ring astride TK, she heard Elaine mutter, “How does that girl manage to get every single thing she wants?” If Kit hadn’t been so nervous, she would have laughed.

For one thing, she didn’t agree. True, she had TK again, but the trial still lay ahead. And she had no idea what would happen when Lady Covington discovered TK’s presence. No, Kit did not have everything she wanted. She did, however, have a chance to have what she wanted, and that was as much as anyone could ask for.

As she guided TK to their starting point, she felt how different it all was this time. TK moved beneath her with relaxed confidence, his head held high, his ears pricked forward. Unlike at the House Cup, he was ready this time, and Kit felt ready as well. That awful fear had left her, and pure excitement bubbled in its place.

“This is it, boy,” she whispered. TK swiveled his ears back, listening to her. “Let’s do this!”

TK approached the first jump at a comfortable canter. Thanks to Will’s earlier help with Wayne, Kit had already calculated how many strides her mount should take throughout each section of the course. That was part of her score — how accurately she and her mount approached each obstacle and how smoothly they jumped it.

TK and Wayne were about the same size, so Kit’s calculations remained valid. She urged TK to take the first jump at the right point, and he sailed over it without a hitch. Beyond her bubble of concentration, Kit heard a roar of applause from her friends at the rails. Smiling fiercely, she guided TK to the next jump, which TK also cleared effortlessly. More jumps, up and over, up and over.

TK gathered himself and leaped, tail held high like a banner of triumph. He landed, and Kit heard more loud applause.

TK snorted as he cantered toward it as if to say, “Relax, boss, I got this!” To Kit, everything suddenly shifted into slow motion. She felt TK lift his front legs, and she shifted her torso forward so that she remained balanced in the saddle as he jumped. She felt the power of his hind legs gather and then push up. Girl and horse flew like birds! And then they went down, into a steady landing and the loudest roar of applause yet.

Stunned by success, Kit reined TK back to a walk and guided him to the rails where Rudy and her friends were clapping and cheering. I’m not dreaming, right? she thought. This is real, right? I’m riding TK, and we just blew that jump course away, right?

Will jogged over and took TK’s reins. Kit was grateful — she was afraid she might faint! But not from fear this time — oh no — but from pure wonderful joy! She dismounted as Rudy walked up.

“You made it. You’re in the bracket.” He spoke calmly, but Kit saw the glint in his eye. She knew exactly what was coming. Father and daughter fell into a touchdown-style victory dance complete with high fives, a few choice dance moves, and a big final “Woo!” Kit basked in her father’s delight like it was sunshine. “I am so proud of you,” Rudy said. “So, so proud!”

Anya leaped into her arms and gave her a tight hug. “That was so thrilling!” Then she put her hand on Kit’s shoulder, suddenly looking wobbly. Kit wondered what was wrong, but Anya explained: “Don’t let go, okay? I think I might have overdone it with the lunges.”

Anya recovered. “Oh, I’m so proud of you!” she said. “I knew you could do it!”

I knew I could do it, too, Kit thought. I knew it all along. I just needed the right time with the right horse.

Kit was summoned to Lady Covington’s office before she had a chance to remove TK’s tack.

Kit felt like a queen. “Thank you, all of you. You’re the best!” Then she beelined it to the main building and into the headmistress’s office. “I don’t know how he found me,” she told Lady Covington, “or how he even got here, but he did. That has to mean something, right? I could have done the trial with Wayne and it would have been fine, but it was with TK and it was perfect!”

Lady Covington stood with a blank expression. Kit almost panicked. Then the headmistress spoke. “Actually, I’m rather proud of you. Your progress, I mean.”

“Please!” Kit cut in, about ready to explode from all of the emotions ricocheting around in her. “Please find it in your heart to let him stay?”

“It appears that I don’t have a choice,” the headmistress confessed. “He escaped from Armstrong Farms, and apparently they were relieved. TK was his usual charming self, and they don’t want him back, so for now —”

“Thank you!” Kit cried. “Thank you, Lady Covington!” She almost gave the woman an enthusiastic hug, but she caught herself in time. Bursting with relief and joy and pride and gratitude, she simply gave Lady Covington’s arm a cheerful little pat, hoping that didn’t cross some kind of line. “You won’t regret this!” Kit finished, and she ran out the door.

Lady Covington quietly observed Kit Bridges’s rather exuberant exit. The girl was just so wild, so ill-mannered, and even inappropriate at times. She let a tiny smile form on her lips, now that she was alone again. Kit was wild, true, but Lady Covington couldn’t help but admire her spirit. And Kit was learning, and the headmistress felt great pride in that.

With a satisfied sigh, she picked up her mobile and tapped out a number. “Mr. Armstrong?” she said a moment later. “Yes, I just wanted to say thank you and that your check will be in the office this afternoon. Good day.”

That night found an extremely happy Elaine in the student lounge. She’d set up her personal laminating machine on a table and was busily laminating a new set of training schedules.

Nav entered and took the seat next to her. “Congratulations,” he said. “Our plan was perfectly executed. Santiago didn’t suspect a thing.” He scanned the materials on the table. “What’s this?” He picked up one of the newly laminated papers.

“That is from his app,” said Elaine. “He forwarded the whole thing to me. Easier than expected, actually.”

Elaine smiled. “You flatter me, Navarro, but I didn’t come up with this plan alone.”

“Oh, he is so full of himself,” Elaine agreed. “I gained us a shocking amount of intel on his entire team. And on his own weaknesses.” She indicated the page in Nav’s hand.

Riders’ Profile Journal it read across the top. Below were all of Elaine’s notes on every single rider at Santiago’s school. For instance, about Santiago himself, she had written:

NAME: Santiago Andrada

WEAKNESSES: Perfectionist

STRENGTHS: Too many to name — fast and efficient

AREAS NEEDING IMPROVEMENT: Second jump

YEAR STARTED RIDING: 2009

PROBABLE RANK: 1

NOTES: A hair trim before the gala would be nice.

Following Santiago were her notes on the rider who would pose the next biggest threat:

NAME: Paul Rutherford

WEAKNESSES: Eats too much before the show

STRENGTHS: Nice form on trotting

AREAS NEEDING IMPROVEMENT: Speed

YEAR STARTED RIDING: 2009

PROBABLE RANK: 2

NOTES: His jumps are very good.

And on and on it went, a treasure trove of the enemies’ stats. Elaine went all giddy just thinking about it!

“They may be one spot ahead now,” she told Nav, “but”— she shifted some laminated sheets, tugging one out of the pile — “this is for you.”

“Whatever it takes to win the league gala, I’m in. But for a second there,” and Elaine grinned, “I really thought you were trying to sweep me off my feet.”

“I mean,” Nav babbled, trying to save himself, “you are, of course, lovely —”

“Please.” Elaine had realized long ago that the only thing she could do when so insulted was to simply shake it off. It hurt, but she was used to that. Besides, Nav was correct in that she was not his type, but that only meant that he wasn’t her type, either. “Look, I know he’s a big distraction for you at the moment, so I’ve compiled some pages on focusing. Read it by game day.” She handed him a set of laminated pages entitled “16 Easy Steps to Focusing” by Elaine Whiltshire.

Looking curious, Nav took the pages, and Elaine was pleased to see him start to read.