CHAPTER TWO
Sophia stayed inside all day. To be grounded and not going to Nuncior Academy—it was too upsetting for words. As she lay there on her bed surrounded by her posters, pillows, and special things, Sophia couldn’t imagine a time when she would ever feel happy again. Without her dearest dreams, the whole world had turned gray and sad. She reached up to her shelf and pulled down a chunky book with a worn pink cover—the Mendoza family photo album.
“I wish you were here, Dad,” whispered Sophia, gazing fondly at the pages of carefully placed pictures. There she was, five years old, her dad holding the reins to steady a cute palomino pony so she could sit on its back. Sophia was seven in the next shot, riding alongside her dad on vacation. Another showed her dad watching proudly as Sophia, age nine, rode out beyond the paddock. Sophia, her dad, and horses—they just belonged together.
Far off across the stable, a mare whinnied in the evening air. It sounded like Mary Lou.
Sophia’s nose twitched. She put down the album, then leapt up and pulled back the curtains. Her friend was calling her.
“I won’t be long,” she decided, suddenly realizing that, grounded or not, she couldn’t stay put for one more minute. “I’ll just run to the stable and check that Mary Lou is okay.”
Taking care to be as quiet as a mouse, Sophia tied one of her dad’s old checkered shirts around her waist to keep warm, then opened up the window. Before one could say, “discover your destiny,” she had stepped onto the ledge, inched along the roof, and climbed down the drainpipe. She ran across the farmyard, panting excitedly, and slid into the stable.
Mary Lou was nibbling on some hay when Sophia appeared. She gave a soft neigh of surprise, then stepped forward to lovingly nuzzle Sophia’s chest.
“I hope I didn’t get you into trouble yesterday,” said Sophia, stroking Mary Lou’s soft, sandy mane. As she spoke, the horse stood patiently, listening to every word. “Mom doesn’t get how much we need to run sometimes. Remember our rides with Dad? He always said I was destined for something extraordinary. I just wish I knew what that was.”
Outside, high above the stable, clusters of stars began to come out, glittering brightly in the velvety sky. Sophia turned her face up toward them, searching for an answer.
“Do you ever feel like there has to be more out there?” she wondered out loud. “Like there’s more inside you that’s bursting to come out?”
Mary Lou pawed the ground with her hoof. Without even thinking, Sophia leapt onto her back, and together they rode out into the night. They cantered across the paddock, toward the far fence with the meadow beyond.
“What should I do?” said Sophia, hesitating for a moment.
As if in reply, a dazzling shooting star streaked across the sky, lighting up the trees far ahead. Taking this as a sign, Sophia spurred Mary Lou on. The horse leapt over the paddock fence and out across the grass. It was time to gallop free in the countryside, chasing stars!
It was late by the time Sophia slid back in through her bedroom window, breathless but exhilarated by the fresh night air. She put her feet down on the rug carefully, trying not to make a sound….
“Oh. Erm…hi?”
Sophia’s mom was sitting on her bed, looking right at her. The photo album was perched on her lap. She patted the blanket, inviting Sophia to come and sit down.
“You know I miss him, too,” said Sophia’s mom, smiling at a picture of the whole family together.
Sophia nodded, fiddling with her star pendant. “I can’t believe it’s been five years.”
“He’d love that you still wear the necklace he gave you,” said her mom. “You were his shining star.”
Sophia smiled, then pointed to another photo. This one showed her dad in his checkered shirt, lifting little Sophia up into the air.
Her mom chuckled. “He would have also gotten a kick out of you wearing his old shirt. Although”—she sniffed one of the sleeves and made a face—“it’s definitely due for a wash!”
“When I was riding with Dad, it felt like I could do anything,” said Sophia, grinning back at her. “Like the whole world was there in my reach.”
“He loved you so much, Sophia,” said her mom, looking at the album again. “He used to tell me that you were destined for something…”
They said the next word at the same time: “extraordinary.”
“You remind me so much of him,” said her mom. She looked at Sophia and smiled. “And you know that your dad also went to a riding academy.”
Sophia’s heart skipped a beat. “Really? Wait,” she said, warily. “What do you mean by also?”
Her mom kissed her on the forehead, then quietly got up to leave, eyes twinkling.
“I mean you better get some sleep. We have a lot of packing to do tomorrow if you’re going off to a new school.”
Sophia gasped in surprise. Before her mom could say another word, she scrambled across the bedroom and gave her the biggest hug ever.
She, Sophia Mendoza, was going to be a student at Nuncior Academy. Maybe dreams really did come true!