Hope - Part 1

by Doree
(Canada)

~PROLOGUE~

The lady stood by a tall brown fence, staring at the grey mare inside it. The mare was snorting and trotting around, flickering her tail and her eyes wide with fear.

But the lady wasn’t thinking about the horse, but about a memory buried in her mind, the memory of her little girl.

She wondered where she was now. Was she like she remembered? Or had she gone Goth like the neighbors girl down the road.

Did she have a boyfriend? What was she even like? It had been a two years since the King’s had last sent her a letter about Taylor. It hurt, knowing that her little girl was growing up without her.

The woman sighed and buried her hands in her face. A day hadn’t gone by, that she hadn’t regretted giving up the one thing that lit up her life, even for the little bit. She thought to that moment and was over taken in it.

She’d stared at the wide brown eyed baby in her arms.

“Take care of her,” She had begged to the older couple. “Please.”

“We promise Lydia. She will be very well cared for, live a good life.” Lara promised.

Lydia nodded and let Lara take the little girl from her arms. Lara and David’s faces lit up with love as they smiled down at the delicate baby.

“Tell her of me. When she gets old enough to understand,” Lara tilted her head and looked at the girl. Lydia’s face filled with emotion. Lara could see giving up her baby was tearing her apart so she nodded.

“Of course, when she turns old enough, we will tell her of the brave young woman who gave birth to her. How she was strong enough, to know that adoption was best for her.” Lara confirmed that.

“Thank you,” Lydia had whispered


“Lydia!”

Lydia looked over her shoulder, snapped out of her thoughts by Adam, the stable hand she had hired a few months back.

“What is it Adam?”

Adam’s dark blue eyes were filled with an emotion Lydia couldn’t quite pinpoint. His dark shaggy hair fell in front of his eyes as he spoke.

“You have a visitor.”

Lydia was confused. She hardly ever got visitors. Not where she lived. Who on earth would travel the 40 minutes it took to get there from the closet town, just to see her?

Adam left then came back; rounding the corner followed by a young girl who couldn’t have been older then fourteen or fifteen. Lydia gasped as she stared at the teenager.

There was no mistaken the big brown eyes, tan skin and dark curls, the shortness and thinness of the girl. All of it was familiar. This was her. This was her daughter.

“Hi Mom,” The girl said, emotion filling her voice. “It’s me. Your daughter”

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Hope - Part 2

by Doree
(Canada)

NOTE: ***This book is almost fifty pages long, so I won't be able to post ALL of it on here, but I'll try & post as much as I can !! Also the poem below is supposed to be before the porlouge, I just forgot to post it with it but here it is now **

‘Freedom lost’

Heading out across the plain
the young horse would rejoice in her strength
She could go as fast as she wish
Nothing to stop her to go as far as she wanted
Freedom flowed throughout the mare
Power churned from her legs
As she raced across the plain
But one day as she went
Others came, racing up, appearing out of the wind
This was something she’d not seen before
A weird creature upon others like her
They yelled and called, scaring her on
They waved weird things, almost like snakes
The young mare didn’t want to play this game
She called out to her stallion for help
But little could he do once the snake-like things wrapped her throat
She screamed in fury and also in fear
Why, she asked herself, had they come here?
The mare was taken from her home
and everything she had ever known
her family was caught and just like her
They were forced into a small round circle
There was no way out, the mare soon found
She gave up, her head hanging down
Her legs no longer had no bounds
She would never fly across the ground
She would never rejoice in her freedom ever again
The freedom of the land was taken from the mare
Never again would she race
Rejoicing in all her strength
~Doree~


TWO WEEKS EARLIER

~Chapter One~

Everywhere I looked, I was lost. Darkness surrounded me with every step I took. Trees cracked and creaked in the eerie wind. Soft caws of the ravens echoed through the night. The weather was thick and stuffy, making it hard for me to breath.

I grappled around my pocket for my inhaler. Every moment seemed to make my chest tightened, to make my every breath squeeze painfully in my body. I heard a growl behind me. I turned around slowly and peered at the bushes. A large wolf stepped out from them, blinking at me with his golden eyes.

I don’t know why, but I fall to my knees. The wolf steps closer and I feel like I’m in his command.

“Don’t harm me!” I beg.

“Don’t beg with me.” Snarled the wolf, “I have no use to weaklings,”

I lift my head and look into his face. “What do you want with me?”

The wolf circled around me slowly. “I don’t wish to harm you. This is your dream. You control it. I am only here, because you feel lost.”

“I don’t feel—” I started.

“I don’t make mistakes child,” The wolf snapped. “I am an Alpha Wolf. I am smart.”

“I do feel lost,” I admitted quietly.

“Yes…yes…” The wolf breathed, his breath swirling around me, stinking up the air.

“But what can you do to help?” I narrowed my eyes at the wolf.

He gave a low chuckle. “What can’t I do kid? Now, tell me. Whatever is the matter?”

I looked over my shoulder at him. I didn’t trust the sneaky beast. He seemed sly and un-trust worthy.

“I don’t know.”

“You’re lying.”

“No.”

“Yes. You. Are!” The wolf gave a loud snarl and leaped for me. I fought back, but he was on top of me in moments.

“Thought you could win?” Hatred filled his eyes. “Funny. You’re lying to me and yourself. Eventually, the lies will tear you up inside. You wanna know what makes you different from the others?” He paused.

“Y-yes,” I answered shakily. I hated that the giant animal was at a point he could cut my throat open with one snap of his jaws around my throat.

“Ask your parents.”


“Happy birthday,” Mom and Dad chorused at the same time, awaking me from my deep sleep.
I startled and blinked sleepily then smiled. “I still can’t believe I’m fifteen!” I stretched and crawled from my bed.

“Neither can I,” Mom said then laughed, “Makes me feel old!”

I reached over and hugged her. “You’re not in any way old, Mom.”

“Thanks Tay.”

I shooed them out so I could get dressed. I chewed my bottom lip and studied the clothes that filled my large closet. But I hardly gave any thought to the clothes. The dream left me feeling unsettled. Ask my parents.

What did the wolf mean? It had all seemed so real…every part of it. I shook my head, trying to rid the thoughts. I grabbed a dark purple frilly tank top and a pair of black skinny jeans. I changed and after grabbing a dark jacket to go over top my shirt, headed down the stairs.

The smell of pancakes cooking filled my senses. I scrambled down the long stairs into the kitchen.

“Happy birthday Taylor,” Martha—our maid—smiled at me.

“Thanks Martha!”

Martha had been our maid since I was a baby. Our house was so big, we needed one. I never really stopped to wonder how things would be if I wasn’t rich. I was just rich, plain and simple.
Martha stopped walking and turned around. “You look very beautiful today, Miss!”

“Had to dress up! Special occasion turning fifteen is!” I looked into the large mirror in the hallway and smoothed down my shirt.

The dark purple complemented my tan skin and made my dark long curls even blacker. My chocolate brown eyes seemed wider and darker with the make-up I used. I liked it.

A sudden frown appeared on my face as I thought about how different I looked from Mom and Dad. Both were blondes, Mom had green eyes and Dad blue. I never really asked why I looked different, just thought it was some messed up genetics. But now, I wanted to know. That dream wanted me to know even more.

“Miss Taylor?” Martha’s dark eyebrows were raised at my sudden blackout.
I faced her and stared at her for a second. Her dark skin and black hair made her look more like me then my parents, which left me feeling unsettled and my stomach twisting.

“I’m fine. Thinking about…stuff. Martha, why do I look so different from my parents? I want to know. Please,”

Martha looked uncomfortable. “Ain’t for me to say, Miss,”

I frowned deeply. “Please Martha! It’s my birthday!”

Mom walked in and glanced from me to Martha, confusion on her face. “What’s going on here?”
“It’s time she knew, Miss King.”

Mom didn’t move, just flickered her eyes over to me. “I supposed it is. Taylor, come to the dining room.”

I moved stiffly after her, worry creeping into my senses, making my limbs stiff.

Dad was there, his glasses on the end of his nose, reading his newspaper like always.

“David.” Mom’s tone was free of emotion.
Dad looked up. “Yes Lara?”

“It’s time we tell Taylor.”

I looked from parent to parent. The expression on their faces and tones were neutral, I couldn’t understand what was going on, and that was making my heart beat faster.

“Knew what?” I breathed harder, making the words rasp out.

“Taylor, you’re adopted. But I think you’ve already figured that out.” Mom said softly.
I wouldn’t let myself cry. I couldn’t. I nodded.

“Your Mom wanted to keep you so, so bad but she was only young. She couldn’t care for a child when she was still one herself.”

“Her name, what was her name?

“Lydia Brown, she lives in Montana. Harlem, Montana.” Mom sighed.

“Oh.” I took it all in. I was adopted. Adopted. But somehow I knew she was right. I had known, just didn’t let myself even think that it was really. I didn’t want to think that it could happen.

“Can I please go for a walk?” I whispered softly.
Mom and Dad both nodded and I got up and left.

I stepped outside, breathing in the air. It was September, warm but still breezy. I didn’t even think about how I was missing school, just about being adopted. I wondered what Lydia was like. Nice? Or mean? Did she want me back? Would she take me back? The thoughts jumbled around in my head.

Was everything about my life a lie? Why did Mom and Dad adopt me? What if I went and saw Lydia, would it clear things up for me, or leaving me more confused than ever?

Never, had I felt so alone in the world until this moment.

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