After a couple of minutes, she came to a large house that had a stable block off to one side.
Rosie didn’t bother with the house, instead she went straight towards the yard. Over the other side of the gate was a woman. Rosie stopped and the woman looked up.
‘Rosie?’ the woman said.
It was Olivia. The lady who had bought her pony for her own daughter.
‘Hi,’ said Rosie.
‘Nice to see you. It’s been a while.’
Rosie nodded. Last time she’d seen this lady and her daughter was the day they’d come to take Lupin away from her at her old house. Olivia had said that Rosie could come and visit Lupin at any time but she hadn’t wanted to. She would have been too upset, she knew. She would have wanted to jump on Lupin’s back and ride him across the fields, over the fences and hedges until they were free forever.
‘Is it OK if I say hello to Lupin?’
Olivia’s face broke into a smile. ‘Of course. He’s just come out of the field. You want to give him a carrot?’
Rosie opened the gate and went into the yard, taking the carrot Olivia had picked out from a bucket in a small shed off to one side.
‘Izzy loves him,’ said Olivia.
Rosie nodded. She knew Izzy wouldn’t be home for another hour as she went to a private primary school.
‘I just need to get our other horse down from the field,’ said Olivia. ‘You OK if I leave you for a minute?’
‘Yes.’
‘You know, you’re welcome to come and say hello any time.’ Olivia stroked Lupin’s nose.
‘Tomorrow?’ asked Rosie.
‘Afraid we’re out at horse trials tomorrow. Not Lupin as he needs to keep his energy for the festival.’
Rosie took this information in as Olivia headed off to the fields. She went over to where her pony was in his stable, his head over the door watching her, smelling her – welcoming her. She scratched his ears, stroked his nose and he whickered softly.
‘It’s your big day tomorrow, Lupin,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry I won’t be riding you.’ Her voice caught in her throat. It wasn’t fair that Lara had been given the role of Spring Queen. Rosie was sickened by the idea, hated the fact she’d had to engineer it so Lara won the vote. She remembered what her mother had said:Life has a way of rebalancing.There are other ways to get back at someone.
She kissed Lupin’s nose and whispered to him.
‘You mustn’t be scared, OK?’
She checked that he understood what she was saying, searching his eyes for understanding. He seemed to look right back at her and she hugged his neck. ‘I knew you’d be on my side,’ she said. ‘Just remember, nothing bad is going to happen toyou.’
NINETY-TWO
October, the previous year
It was night. Dark.
There was still screaming.
Her body was shaking from the impact. She was winded, confused. There was a pain in her neck from where it had whipped forward. Now everything had stopped. The lorry seemed to have become a part of their car. Fused itself to the front passenger section. Then she saw something in the footwell. A dark liquid pooling. With a shock she realized it was blood. She could smell it now. She reeled and felt herself gag. She was going to be sick.
Then she heard the sirens.
Later, she always asked herself the same questions. What had gone through his mind when the lorry hit them? Was he scared? Did he feel the impact? What was it like for him when he died?
NINETY-THREE
