Zara’s POV
The lights around me came alive, and I stood there in amazement. I never imagined Nic would take me somewhere like this.
“Wow!” I whispered to myself. “It is incredible!”
“Do you like it?” My ears chimed with Nic’s voice. I was so engrossed in memorizing the stunning display before me that I forgot he was standing beside me.
“No,” I said, and Nic looked down, disappointed. “I adore it! It is truly amazing! Why did you choose to bring me here?”
Nic grinned and appeared incredibly relaxed, as though his anxiety had vanished.
We were at the carnival grounds, and seeing all the rides come to life was breathtaking.
“I would like to show you around,” he said, drawing my arm in with his. “And I will fill you in on everything.”
With a proud stance, Nic began walking in the direction of the merry-go-round, clearly pleased with himself.
After pulling the gate open at the merry-go-round, Nic led the way onto the platform, and I followed him.
“They remain just as remarkable as I recall,” I uttered, running my hand over a stunning white horse, with a dejected smile appearing on my face.
Although I have always loved horses, owning them has always been problematic. I learned the hard way that horses could sense danger.
My first pony was a gift from my father on my sixth birthday.
With his long white main, black coat, and silver cross on his forehead, he was a stunning little creature.
I adored him and gave him the name Morningstar.
We had no issues when Morningstar initially got there, but he soon began acting strangely towards me.
Upon my seventh birthday, the once-playful young pony developed a full-blown fear towards me.
He would flee as soon as I arrived and refused to get close to me.
My dad must have observed the shift in him. It must have been Morningstar’s animal instincts alerting him to the danger we posed.
I let out an internal sigh.
The day my father informed me that we had to send him away is a memory I will never forget.
My eyes filled with tears as I recalled my father’s devastating words, “Zara,” he said as he knelt beside me. He put his hands on my tiny shoulders and looked at me with such concern in his eyes. “Do you love little Morningstar?”
I nodded my little head. I regarded Morningstar as my best friend. We always had a great time playing together. I was baffled as to what I had done wrong for him to appear so afraid of me.
Unwillingly, my small eyes moved to the spot where the Morningstar was standing. It was hurting my little heart to see him look so nervous around me.
My father searched his gaze and said, “We are going to send him away to live with some nice people where he will not be so afraid. Will that be alright with you?”
My eyes filled with tears that eventually overflowed and streamed down my cheeks. Even though I knew it was the right thing to do, I did not want him to leave. It was really painful to say goodbye.
“Will he come and visit?” I asked, hopeful.
With a shake of his head, my father cast a downward glance at me. It was obvious something was bothering him.
“Zara,” he uttered, his voice faltering. “You will not ever get to see Morningstar again.”
“But why not Daddy? I love Morningstar!” I asked, feeling my heart break.
“My little princess,” my father wiped away my tears and whispered. “Morningstar can sense your wolf…”
“Are you alright?” The somber recollection vanished before my eyes when Nic abruptly asked, startling me back to my presence.
“I am fine,” I said as I turned my face away and wiped the stray tear from my eyes. I felt ridiculous crying over something that happened so long ago. That being said, part of the hardest thing I have ever had to do was let Morningstar go.
“We can leave if-” Nic said, walking off the platform.
“No, no, no,” I said, trying to stop him. “Everything is okay with me. It is just a memory from childhood that popped into my head.”
I now felt kind of embarrassed having Nic see me like that, and that was because of a horse.
“Looks like a really depressing memory,” Nic said, sounding worried. “Would you like to talk about it? Maybe I can help.”
“No need,” I lied and forced a smile. “Are we going to ride these beautiful sculptured horses?” I attempted to shift the topic.
Nic turned his head to the side to observe me for a moment. Then grinned.
“I thought you would never ask,” he said, coming closer. “Have you made up your mind which horse to ride?”
My gaze drifts over all the exquisite and flawless horses on the platform. I made it a point to ride the merry-go-round every year, so I was familiar with the ride. There was just one that I liked.
“That one,” I said, pointing a few feet further down to a hose that was the same color as Morningstar.
“Excellent choice,” Nic said, took my hand, and guided me to the horse. “He is a favorite of mine.”
The impact of Nic’s words jolted me, making my heart race.
Did he love horses too?
Was he aware of their behavior when they were around us?
Nic assisted me with getting onto the horse’s back, and he made sure I was secure. He then chose a white horse next to me and climbed on the horse’s back.
I slid my hand over the sculpted horse, imagining that I was stroking Morningstar, and my heart knotted up in my chest.
My insides exploded with excitement as soon as the merry-go-round began to move, and I let out a little cry.
“Oh, Goddess,” I whispered. It was almost like I was riding Morningstar. It made me feel free and happy. I felt like a little kid again.
The ride wasn’t too long, and I felt sad when I got off the horse’s back.
“Looks like you had fun on the ride,” Ronan chuckled as Nic and I got off the platform.
“It was good,” I replied, feeling my face heat up. I hope he was not aware of how much I relished the ride.
“The food court is operational now,” declared Ronan.
“Are you feeling hungry?” Nic asked.
“I could eat,” I admitted.
“Then we head that way first,” he said, pointing toward a large white tent.
“You went through a lot of trouble,” I said as we made our way inside the enormous white tent.
“I did not.” Nic cut me off. “We are simply performing a standard inspection on every piece of equipment. This is something we do annually.”
After guiding me to a table, Nic motioned for me to sit down.
“Do you inspect each ride?” I inquired, curious to find out. The Midnight Moon Pack debuts a new ride each year, so I was curious to see what Nic had planned for this year as well.
“Yes,” Nic answered. “The goal is to make sure everything functions properly before the opening next weekend. I do not want any surprises or delays on the day. It’s just easier this way.”
Nic sat down across from me and cocked his head.
“Normally, I do not visit until the festival itself,” he remarked. “It is the responsibility of Ronan and his team to make sure everything is set up and functioning properly.”
“But you thought that bringing me down here would be an excellent idea,” I said, biting my lip and smiling teasingly.
Nic’s eyes darkened.
“Yes, I did,” he admitted. “I was curious about your level of adventure.”
Was Nic putting me to the test?
****