CHAPTER #1

Gray rain clouds crowded the sky, spreading like black ink in water. Emilee's eyes scanned the horizon for a break, a gap in the melancholy sheet. With a sigh she turned her attention back to her coach. "Now i want everyone to run your hardest, this is gonna be a tough meet, and you all know cross country is a tough sport without having to compete with some of the best," he glanced up as a raindrop tapped him on the shoulder "and it looks like its gonna pour, so watch your footing out on the course." Nods and Murmurs rippled through the team, anticipation buzzing through the air, to a point of near tangibility. The coach spoke again "Everyone stretch out real good, its a rough track and it'll push you right down to the wire," with that the coach stood up and gazed down the long, steadily dampening course.

Emilee glanced at her coach, then down the first stretch of the course. He was right, it was a rough course, lots of hills, lots of spots where you could easily lose momentum. Her muscles tensed and pulsed with energy, the need to start running spread like fire through her limbs as she began stretching, taking deep breathes to calm herself. The girls she would be running against were all tall, lean, fit. the blond in the blue and silver shorts was who she was most worried about though, she looked ready, her eyes were fiery with a competitive edge that made Emilee uneasy, this girl was ready to run. As she stretched down towards her toes, Emilee noted her wet hair laying damply across her shoulder and called to her friend, Analise. "An! Can you come braid my hair real quick?" Analise nodded and quickly threw Emilee's deep brown hair into a braid that reached below her tan shoulder blades. Emilee looked at her, a sudden flare igniting in her amber eyes. "I'm gonna beat her An."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the sidelines many spectators watched on as the runners lined up, a small boy atop his fathers shoulders, an older woman in her raincoat and paisley umbrella, a mother with a large sign saying "GO CHELSEA!" and in the back of the crowd where a boy and a girl, very tan with flashing blue eyes and blond hair, the girl whispered into the boys ear and pointed towards the sky excitedly. The boy nodded and smiled, muttering back to her.

From the right hand side of the boy and girl was another queer site, a teenage girl, pale with dark hair and glinting gray eyes. She listened and heard what they said, but with a perplexed expression shook her head and turned her attention back to the race.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Breathing hard but steady Emilee rounds a large bend on the course, her feet striking even ground once more, if only for a little while. The sound of another runner behind her jars her nerves and she lengthens her stride as though to dodge the runner and the rain at the same time.
"Run faster...gotta run faster....stretch out....gotta go faster..."
The words echo in her mind tempered by the hollow foot-beat of the other runner.
"Faster....go faster....more speed.....you can handle it...."
Emilee's heart beat quickens with fear, losing is not an option.
"FASTER......FASTER.....FASTE-..."

Emilee's last thought is interrupted, time slows, her skin tingles, senses afire she glances behind her and see's the blond stuck in mid-stride. She looks up and see's the raindrops hovering like fairies, and she see's the horse in the lightning as it races towards her bugling with fury. The stallion collides with her mind, engulfing her like warm bath water, filling nooks and crannies in her head with instincts, stretching her muscles and bones, to accommodate the inhuman strength that now pulsed below Emilee's consciousness.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time begin to turn again and Chelsea broke her stride, gasping and wheeling around, pushing her soaked blond hair out of her face to take in the scene before her. "Impossible" she mutter between gasping breaths, for now, where the quick brunette she'd been chasing stood was a massive chestnut horse with its black mane and tail flying as it reared and plunged in panic on the track

Runners began to gather behind her, screaming and running back to get help, a coach came crashing up the course from the opposite direction yelling "is everything alright????" and stopping dead in his tracks upon seeing the horse. A parent who had followed him screamed "someone call animal control!!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emilee stood looking down at herself through alien eyes. The knobby chestnut knees, the black fetlock in her face, the feel of power pulsing through her set in and she panicked. Throwing her head, trying to scream for help, but to no avail for all that emerged from her once pretty mouth was the terror stricken screams of a frenzied mare.

She did hear the screams of humans though, the shriek of the blond behind her, the yell of the tough coach in front of her, and the cool commanding tenor of animal control pushing everyone aside to get to her. They slung a rope roughly over her neck and pulled tight, another controller threw a second rope from the other side, effectively anchoring her in place. She tried to rear again but the ropes painfully bit into her skin.

Emilee's last thought as a third man got close to her quivering body and injected a tranquilizer was "whats happening?" and then her consciousness faded.

Author's Note

To be continued

Reviews

[Senseless whatever]

Beautiful add. The additional detail really makes this an epic piece. Your attention to the details here demonstrates how much thought and time you have invested in this. The story isn't just by you it is a part of you. Great job.

[Jonathan *break away*]

such a powerful story, 2 of my favorite things, track and horses, i cant wait to read the rest when you come up with it

[Senseless whatever]

Shiver. This is a great start. Eloquent and descriptive beyond what I had expected. You paint the scene extraordinarily and keep the reader engaged. Just fantastic. I like the way you put the reader there almost being part of the transition and BAM it happens. ( One thing though, I don't think the blond with blue and silver shorts was ever a threat in the race. JKJK )

[Sharkapillar]

Soooo cool. The transition was fabulous, and it definitely is a hook, I wanna read more. :D