Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2014 17:56:31 -0400
From: Andrew Todd <atodd867@gmail.com>
Subject: The Chosen-Chapter 9

      The Chosen
      By
      Andrew Todd

      Chapter 9

      "I thought you knew what you were doing?" Alex teased Dyson when the
computer again failed to boot up.
      "Do you want to try?" Dyson asked sarcastically.
      Dave laughed. "Alex, there's a difference between building these
things and programming them," he explained. "That's a big reason that I got
a job at the store. I'm a hacker, like I suspect Dyson is." Dyson grinned
and nodded. "I could program, and did, and make these things sing as long
as they were turned on; but if something happened to the hardware I was
lost. They teach you some of it in school, but a lot of programmers think
the `maintenance' part is beneath them. I'd rather rely on myself than
someone else to keep my equipment going."
      "So how did you get around this before?" Alex asked Dyson.
      "Father had a basic computer set up when I started and I added bits
and pieces as time went on--I never really thought much about the hardware
issue; but Dave's right, I always had someone from the store install
anything major."
      "You really should learn more about this stuff, Dyson," Dave
suggested. "I get the feeling whatever you are doing is not something you
want to have to rely on outsiders and repairmen to help you with."
      Alex and Dyson exchanged a glance while Dave was behind the desk
checking the cables.
      <<Dice, did we make a mistake?>>
      <<What do you mean?>>
      <<What if Dave says something to someone?>>
      <<I don't think he would, honestly he only suspects that I'm a
hacker, he doesn't know the truth>>
      <<But it could lead someone here>>
      <<Take a breath, Alex. I've never seen you nervous. Dave's cool. In
fact, we could probably use someone with his skills to help us out>>
      <<I don't know how Dad and Pop would feel about that>>
      <<Alex, this whole thing is bigger than just your family. We need to
be careful, but we're going to eventually need allies. How good are you at
doing a scan?>>
      <<I don't think I could poke around without him knowing I was there>>
      <<When Benji and Oliver get back, we can have Benji scan him and we
can see if I'm right and we can trust him and Stevie>>
      "Are you guys still with me?" Dave asked. "You looked like you had
both zoned out for a second."
      "Just tired, I guess," Alex said. "We were running around all day
yesterday and I didn't get much sleep last night."
      "I know what you mean," Dave said. "I thought today was going to be a
relaxing day for me and Stevie, cuz the first few weeks of the semester
have been brutal."
      "Sorry, man."
      Dave shook his head and smiled. "No, it actually looks like it's
gonna turn out good," he replied. "Stevie wasn't too pleased with me last
night when I told him about the change in plans for today, but I think
meeting your dad got me out of the doghouse and if he's having half the
time I think he is with your brother, I'm sure I'm completely
forgiven. He's been a little down the last few months. He grew up an
outdoors kid and it's hard for him to be in the city all the time. He
really misses riding most of all. L.A.'s got its parks and mountains and
rural areas, but we just don't get much time to see them."
      "Hey, Benji is always looking for people to ride with, so I'm sure
Stevie and you would be welcome anytime."
      "I'm sure Stevie would appreciate it, he's a real cowboy," Dave
said. "But I'm lucky if I can get the horse to go in the right direction."
      Alex laughed. "Then you can ride along with me. Benji's been trying
to teach me for years. I'm decent, but nowhere near as good as he and
Oliver are."
      "What about you, Dyson?" Dave asked.
      Dyson shook his head. "I've never even been on a merry-go-round."
      "Well, we need to get you some practice then," Alex declared.
      "Why?"
      "Columbus Day weekend, Benji wants you and I to go with him and
Oliver up the coast. He wants to camp on the beach and do some trails."
      "Seriously?" Dyson asked nervously.
      Alex grinned and nodded. "Don't worry. He and Oliver will take you
out a time or two before we go so that you can get the hang of things and
I'm sure Dale will let us borrow a couple of slow ones."
      "Sounds like fun," Dave piped up.
      "You guys should come too," Alex offered.
      "Oh, no, I don't want to impose on your plans."
      "You wouldn't be," Alex countered. "We'd probably have to borrow a
second trailer, but I know we could borrow the horses--Dale thinks the sun
rises and sets on my brother. It will be fun."
      Dave nodded. "I'll ask Stevie. Though I'm sure he'll be all in."
      "Great." Alex smiled. "Say, Dave, you keep talking about where
Stevie's from and his background, what about you and your family?"
      Dave's face fell for a moment. "Stevie is my family," he said. "And
I'm his. I have parents and brothers and sisters, but I'm dead to them."
      "I'm sorry," Alex said.
      Dave smiled shyly. "Don't be." He took a deep breath and exhaled. "I
grew up in Utah and was raised in the Mormon church," he explained. "I'm
the youngest of seven and the church is everything where I grew up. The
church is very strict; it controls every aspect of your life. I knew from a
very young age that I didn't `fit'. I questioned everything. Especially
when it came to the church's teachings. I wasn't trying to be contrary,
like my parents and the elders were always accusing me of, I was simply
curious and trying to understand why we did the things we did. The answer
was always, `because God says so', which is not much of an answer.
      "By the time I was a sophomore in high school, I was a complete
outsider. This was also the time I discovered computers. We had always used
them, but under strict control. I had been given an old laptop by my oldest
brother to do my homework on. My parents, of course, put all sorts of
`safeguards' on it, but I quickly discovered I had an aptitude for
disabling them. Once that was done, I started exploring the world and I
learned so much. Not the least of which was that I wasn't as odd as I
thought I was. I had never said anything about being attracted to boys,
even without a clear understanding of what being gay meant--I knew that
that was something that would not go over well. I started seeking out
advice online. Soon I had a host of advisers, mentors and friends who I
finally felt like I could be myself with. I even found a few who had
escaped from situations similar to mine. They advised me and helped me to
find myself and prepare."
      "Prepare for what?" Dyson asked.
      "Escape," Dave answered bluntly. "I busted my ass in high school
getting the best grades I could and keeping myself out of trouble. I was
never going to fit in, but I joined a few clubs: stuff like choir, National
Honor Society, Science Club, things my parents couldn't object to, but that
would also look good on college applications.
      "A few months into my senior year, I started sending out college
applications. It was difficult. I was supposed to go on my mission right
after high school and defer college until after."
      "Mission, what's that?" Alex queried.
      "We're expected to go out into the world as volunteers. They send you
to a different city in pairs and you do missionary work, and work for the
church," Dave explained. "They tell you it's voluntary, but refusing to go
on your mission would pretty much destroy your standing in the church.
      "So, my parents and the elders were planning to ship me off right
after graduation. That meant I had to be very careful in sending out my
applications. One of my internet mentors lived about an hour away. He had
left the church and been disowned by his family. He offered to let me use
his address for all my applications so nothing would come to my house. He
also taught me a good bit about hacking, so we were able to get into the
school's computers and get a copy of my transcripts.
      "When I sent out my applications, I was very honest in my essays
about why I was applying and what my situation was. I even told them about
having to steal my transcripts so I could apply. I was on tenterhooks for a
couple months waiting for replies. One week in March, I started getting
e-mails from my friend every night. I was accepted to five out of the six
colleges I applied to. All of them offered me some kind of financial aid
package, but UCLA offered me a full-ride scholarship and I could start
there during their summer session. I immediately accepted and started
working on `phase two' of my escape plan."
      "Almost sounds like `Mission: Impossible.'" Alex grinned.
      Dave smiled and nodded. "At times, I thought it might be. The closer
it got to graduation the more nervous I got. I turned eighteen about a week
before, so legally I was an adult, but still, it would be hard around there
to get away if the elders and my parents got their hands on me and tried to
force me to go on the mission or worse."
      "Worse?" Alex asked. "What could be worse than being shipped off on a
mission?"
      "Aversion therapy," Dave stated. "I found out through several of my
friends that there was a common practice to send suspected homosexual kids
to `camps' where they would undergo therapy until they were `cured'."
      "CURED?!?" Alex yelled. "You can't `cure' being gay!! It's not a
disease!!"
      Dave nodded. "I know that and you know that," he said. "We know that
people are born this way, but they believe that we are choosing to be this
way or that Satan is corrupting us and the aversion therapy will heal us or
save us."
      "That's the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard! Dice, have you
ever heard of that?"
      Dyson nodded. "I've read about it. Several of the `camps' and
`programs' have been sued successfully over what they've done to the kids
that have been sent to them. It's just good that Dave got away."
      "I was lucky," Dave agreed. "After graduation, there was a small
gathering at my house. Just some family and close friends. I made the
rounds and most of the guest handed me envelopes which I was hoping would
contain at least some cash, because that was part of the plan. When the
party was in full swing and I had greeted everyone, I slipped away for a
few minutes. I tore through the envelopes and extracted all the cash that
was there. Luckily, thinking that my parents would get their hands on it
and most of it would go to the church, people were quite generous. There
was enough for my needs. I stacked the envelopes neatly on my dresser, so
they looked like I had simply set them aside if anyone looked.
      "After the party, when everyone had left but my family, we were all
gathered in the living room. My father was about to start in on one of his
family speeches, when I stopped him and asked if I could say something. He
nodded and there was silence. I stood in front of my parents and my
brothers and sisters and told them that I was gay and that I wasn't going
to go on my mission.
      "That got the reaction I was expecting. All hell broke loose. My
father started screaming and yelling, my mother was crying. My three
brothers charged at me and my sisters circled my mother to `comfort'
her. My father ordered my brothers to lock me in my room while he called
the elders to deal with me. I was not to be let out of my room.
      "My oldest brother led the way, while the other two each held an arm
and practically dragged me up the stairs. When we were outside of my room,
my oldest brother, Isaiah, grabbed me roughly and practically threw me into
the room. I landed hard on the floor and by the time I turned he had
slammed and locked the door. I knew they would be keeping watch outside the
door, but that was the plan. I quickly and quietly changed into the clothes
that I had left out behind my door. A black pair of jeans, t-shirt, black
hoodie and sneakers. I quietly opened my window and looked down. Earlier
that afternoon, when everyone had been out and getting things ready, I had
removed the screen from this window. There was a trellis that I was hoping
would hold my weight--luckily it did. I slipped down the trellis and
grabbed the bag that I had left behind the bushes with some clothes and my
computer in it.
      "I had to move quickly; if anyone who knew me saw me before I made it
to my first stop, I was screwed. Luckily, someone was looking out for me. I
made it to the bus station and bought a ticket to the town my friend lived
in. Later that night, he picked me up at the bus station and I stayed with
him for a few days. I was reported as a runaway in the local papers, so I
laid low for a bit.
      "I knew they weren't too concerned with finding me, they just had to
look like they cared. After a week with my friend, I took a bus to L.A. and
started life at UCLA. I completed the summer session and then in the fall I
met Stevie. It wasn't exactly love at first sight, but by Christmas we were
a couple and by the end of freshman year we wanted to move in together
which is what we did."
      "Wow..." Alex muttered. "You've really been through the wringer."
      "I don't look at it that way," Dave answered. "I knew my whole life I
was in the wrong place and I did what I had to and now I'm in a really good
place."
      "I can't believe that it's that bad. Are all Mormons like that?"
      Dave shook his head. "No. Of course, growing up, I thought so. But,
after I left and had a chance to get out into the world and meet people I
found out it's like a lot of other religions and groups: there are zealots
who believe what they believe, facts and science be damned, and then there
are those who let their faith and the realities of the world come
together. I've met a lot of those people. I've even gone to some of their
churches to see if I could find my faith again. But, I'm too far gone. I
believe in God, but not the God I was raised to believe in and I don't
believe in any type of organized religion. I don't need a special building
to pray. I can do it in my apartment next to the man I love."
      ***
      Charlie dug in and sprinted the last twenty yards to the wall and
touched. He pushed himself back from the wall and lazily kicked as he
floated on his back. He was startled to hear the sound of two hands
clapping. He righted himself and scanned the sides of the pool until his
eyes fell where the sound was coming from.
      Hunter Langston stood on the side of the pool watching him and slowly
clapping.
      "Pretty good, Charlie!" Hunter called, a leering smile on his lips.
      Charlie dove under the rope next to him and rolled his eyes behind
his goggles.
      When he came up standing in the next lane, Hunter was standing there
watching him.
      Hunter was a senior and the captain of the aquatics team. He was 6'2"
with a classic swimmer's body, lean muscles, tight pecs topped with a light
dusting of hair, washboard abs and strong calves and thighs. He had short
brown hair, which had been lightened by a summer in the sun and dark green
eyes. His skin was richly tanned from spending most of the holiday lying by
his parents' pool.
      Hunter had been the hero of the team until Charlie had arrived last
year. He always acted like he was Charlie's best friend, head cheerleader
and mentor, but Charlie always saw him for the phony he was.
      "Hey, Hunter. I thought you were gone for the weekend."
      Hunter smiled showing his dazzling white teeth. "I was, but things
were boring so I decided to come back early. I thought I'd get some
practice in. Didn't think you'd be here on such a beautiful day."
      Charlie laughed to himself. Hunter knew damn good and well that he
would be in the pool. One of the reasons he stayed at school on long
weekends like this was the privacy he had at the pool.
      "I was just getting some practice in before I meet my roommate and
some friends for dinner," he explained.
      Hunter slipped into the pool. "Let me warm up and we can race a
little," he offered. "Get some real practice."
      Charlie shrugged. "Sure. I've got a little bit of time."
      He pulled himself out of the pool and sat on the side with his feet
dangling in the pool while Hunter swam a few laps to warm up. Hunter
finally stopped and pulled himself out of the pool and walked around to one
of the starting blocks.
      "Why don't we start with a 400 IM?" he suggested. "Since we both have
to race it at the next meet."
      Charlie laughed to himself. He knew this was Hunter's way of giving
himself an ego-boost at Charlie's expense. The IM or individual medley was
not Charlie's best event. It was a race that required the participants to
swim equal lengths of butterfly, backstroke, breast stroke, and
freestyle. Charlie was not the fastest swimmer when it came to breast
stroke and everyone knew that. Since he was the fastest person on the team
when it came to freestyle and butterfly and one of the two fastest at
backstroke he usually swam an IM event to challenge himself even though it
was usually the one event he didn't win.
      "Sure," he nodded as he slipped into the pool and did a few strokes
to work out the kinks.
      "Great." Hunter smiled smugly and he dropped into his lane next to
Charlie's.
      Charlie pulled himself out of the pool and took his spot on the
block. He looked over at Hunter. "Do you want to call it?"
      "You can."
      Charlie shrugged. In a meet race, there would be a starter who would
give them direction and start them; since they were alone, Charlie would
give the direction and then start them. Charlie knew good and well that
Hunter would try for an early start since there would be no judges to call
him for a false start.
      "Swimmers take your blocks." Both boys stepped onto the starting
blocks. "Swimmers take your marks." Both got into position. Charlie took a
breath and glanced over at Hunter. The older boy's body was a coiled
spring. Charlie could see when he was going to let go. "GO!!" he shouted a
second after Hunter had launched his body from the block.
      Charlie dove cleanly and came up about half a length behind
Hunter. He started in with his butterfly stroke. He was ahead of Hunter
when they finished the butterfly and Hunter started to catch up through the
backstroke. Charlie knew what the senior was waiting for. When he finished
his second length of backstroke he turned and flipped his body and started
in on the breast stroke.
      He saw Hunter turn at almost the same time.
      Charlie put all his focus and strength on his swimming and blocked
the older boy out of his mind. As his arms moved through the water it felt
as if he was actually flying through the pool. He hit the wall and turned
and was shocked to see that Hunter was almost a full length behind him. He
could feel himself going faster than he ever had at this stroke. It almost
felt like the water was helping him along. When he turned at the wall and
started his freestyle he was half the pool ahead of Hunter.
      He felt Hunter turn and knew the captain was pouring it on. Charlie
dug in with all his strength; he flipped at the wall and headed for
home. His arms churned and his legs kicked as he propelled himself to the
finish. He touched the wall and flipped around to see Hunter still about
three lengths behind him.
      Hunter hit the wall about three seconds behind Charlie.
      The older boy glared at Charlie. "What the hell have you been doing?"
he asked.
      Charlie shrugged. "I practice just like you do," he replied.
      Hunter shook his head. "Kid, I've been watching you for the last year
and I've never seen you do a length of breaststroke that fast. You were
faster on those lengths than you were for the `fly."
      "I was better than I usually am, but I don't think I was that fast,"
Charlie objected.
      Hunter eyed him suspiciously as he pulled himself out of the pool and
grabbed his towel. Something was up with this kid. He should have been able
to beat him in this race or at least tie. He was probably taking something.
      "Well, I've got to get showered, I have plans," Hunter said abruptly
as he walked off towards the locker room.
      Charlie rolled his eyes. He should have known that Hunter would have
an excuse for losing to him. Sure he'd been faster, but he practiced more
than any other member of the team.
      He swam over to where he'd left his towel and pulled himself out of
the pool. He figured he would work on some dives since he still had a
couple of hours to kill.
      ***
      Dylan pulled his truck up into a space in front of the arena.
      "Here it is," he said with a smile. "If you're ever looking for
Jesse, this is the first place you check." He laughed.
      "Charlie said that went for both of you," Kris replied.
      "Last year it did," Dylan agreed. "But I don't get out here as much
now that we're working. Jess gets to ride and play every day, but I'm lucky
if I get a couple hours a week," he lamented as they exited the truck.
      "The barn is over there." Dylan gestured to a large white building
about 500 yards away. "The school has ten horses that are used for lessons
and shows and then there are some students that have their own here as
well. The barn has room for forty."
      "Forty?"
      "Yeah, but we don't have anywhere near that many. This is only the
third year of the program. It's grown, but it takes time. There are the
school's ten horses, which were all donations and then I think there are
probably five horses that belong to students."
      "And yours," Kris said with a smirk.
      Dylan grinned. "You have been talking to Charlie. Yeah, there are
four that belong to me and Jesse as well. Those four will be coming with us
when we leave next year. Actually, two will probably go back home and two
will stay with us."
      "Are you going to compete in college?"
      "I know Jesse is. I haven't decided yet. That's another reason for
taking the year off. See, Jesse's dad, his bio dad, Trevor, owns a big farm
in Wellington, Florida; he's an Olympic rider and he breeds and trains down
there. He's the one who got us in here and gave us two of the horses we
have. Well, he wants Jesse to join him there and then there's the ranch we
consider home that's owned by Jesse's foster dads, plus we may want to just
strike out on our own. Jesse's good enough to ride in the Olympics and he
could be a great trainer. I think we'll both go for Equine Management
degrees and go from there."
      "At least you have options."
      "We all have options, Kris, sometimes we just haven't found them
yet," Dylan said as he led Kris into the arena.
      "Shit!!" Kris exclaimed when he saw Jesse riding a huge horse around
the covered arena.
      Jesse brought the horse to a stop and looked over to where Dylan and
Kris stood.
      Dylan laughed. "Big, isn't he?"
      Jesse rode over to the where the two stood.
      Kris nodded. "I thought Charlie was exaggerating," he blurted. "I
figured, you know, he's short, so he thought the horse was bigger than he
actually was."
      Jesse shook his head as he hopped down.
      "Nope, Jupiter's a big one," he said with a smile. "Just shy of
eighteen hands."
      Kris' eyes widened as he walked up to the big horse. He tentatively
reached out his hand and gently stroked the horse's muzzle. "And you got
Charlie to ride this guy?"
      Dylan chuckled. "Actually, Jupe's a good horse for a beginner. He's
really easygoing. "When Jesse's dad first gave him to us he was a still a
little green, but the guy who trained him, Tony, did an awesome job with
him. Actually, Tony was the assistant coach and instructor here for the
last two years. He did such a great job, he got an offer to start a new
program at a school in Colorado, that's how Jesse got the job this year."
      "Hey, boy," Kris said quietly as he continued to stroke the gelding's
nose.
      Jesse and Dylan looked at each other and grinned. Dylan nodded and
Jesse turned back to Kris.
      "So, Kris, are you ready for your evaluation?"
      Kris's jaw dropped as he looked between Dylan and Jesse who were both
flashing him wide smiles. "Evaluation?"
      Jesse nodded. "Yup. If you're gonna ride in my program or even take
lessons, I need to do an evaluation on you to see where you're at. Jupe's
all ready to go and we've got the arena to ourselves, so there's no time
like the present."
      Kris looked around and then looked down at himself. "I-I-I'm not
dressed for it," he stammered.
      "You're fine," Dylan countered. "This isn't a competition, we just
want to see where your skill level is. Before we start you on formal
lessons, we can get you riding clothes."
      Kris tried to think of a new excuse. "I don't have a helmet," Kris
said triumphantly.
      Jesse reached behind the arena wall and came back with a helmet which
he handed to Kris.
      "This should fit you," he offered. "We can get you one of your own
later, but it will do for now."
      Kris took the helmet and put it on. He walked alongside the big horse
and stroked his neck. "Ok, big guy, I guess it's you and me," he finally
said as he led Jupiter into the arena.
      Dylan clapped. "There you go!" he cheered as he leaned against the
arena wall to watch.
      Jesse walked alongside Kris as he led Jupiter to the center of the
arena.
      "Ok, so I've already done the grooming, tacking and I've warmed him
up," Jesse said. "I'm assuming you know all that stuff, but when you have
your first lesson, we'll go over it all anyways."
      Kris nodded nervously.
      Jesse reached up and put his hand on Kris's shoulder. Kris had a good
four or five inches of height on him, but he could see the fear and
uneasiness in the boy's eyes.
      "Kris, it's going to be fine," Jesse said. "Jupiter's the best. He'll
take really good care of you. We're not going to do anything tough, I just
want to see the basics to get an idea of what I'm working with, alright?"
      Kris nodded. "'K."
      He led Jupiter next to the mounting block. He checked the girth to
make sure it was tight enough and then he stepped onto the block, placed
his left foot in the stirrup, took a deep breath and swung into the saddle.
      He exhaled slowly as he settled into the seat.
      "Here, let me adjust the stirrups," Jesse offered. "You're just a bit
taller than me."
      Jesse quickly fixed the stirrups so they were comfortable for Kris.
      "There you go," Jesse said as he lightly patted Kris's calf. "Just
take him around and get used to him. This isn't a test, I just want to see
where you're at."
      Kris nodded and gave the big horse a slight nudge with his
heels. Jupiter moved out at an easy walk and Kris used his left calf to
guide him towards the wall.
      Jesse nodded as he watched Kris's subtle use of his aids. He
suspected that Kris was probably a better rider than he was letting on.
      "Do a lap in each direction at a walk to get used to him," Jesse
instructed. "And then just do what feels right. It's not a test and you
don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with."
      Kris nodded and let himself get used to the rhythm of the big horse.
      Jesse walked over to where Dylan was waiting at the wall.
      "He's relaxing," Dylan said as they watched Kris's shoulders roll and
his posture become more natural.
      "Did you see him use his calf to move Jupe over to the wall?" Jesse
asked.
      "Instead of the reins, like most people would. Yeah, I caught that,"
Dylan replied with a grin.
      "I'm betting he's got dressage training."
      Dylan nodded as they continued to watch Kris work the big
horse. After circling the arena in each direction, Kris moved Jupiter into
a collected trot and circled the arena. On his second trip around,
tightened his calves and encouraged the big horse widen his stride into a
working trot.
      Both boys watched as Kris finished his third trip around the arena at
the trot. He sat back and slowed the gelding to a walk and he brought him
to a halt. The horse stood stock still and then pivoted his rear so that he
was facing the other direction and Kris then cued him back into a walk and
repeated the course he had done earlier.
      Dylan laughed. "I think you have something to work with."
      Jesse grinned. "That's the best turn on the forehand I've seen in
forever."
      "He's got to have at least some dressage training."
      "I know."
      Kris rode for another twenty minutes of so. Dylan and Jesse were
impressed by the younger teen's light hands and his subtle use of aids. By
the time Kris finally brought Jupiter to a stop in front of Jesse and Dylan
he was grinning ear to ear.
      "He's awesome," he said as he stroked the gelding's neck. "He's got
so much power, but he's so graceful."
      "And you've been holding out on us," Jesse said.
      "Wh-wh-what do you mean?" Kris asked nervously as he slipped down off
the horse.
      "You didn't tell me you were a dressage rider," Jesse said with a
grin.
      "I'm not," Kris protested. "I, uh..."
      "Kris, you did two perfect turns on the forehand and a turn on the
haunches. You did side passes over there and there," he pointed to opposite
sides of the arena. "You use your legs and heels way more than an average
rider would. Most riders would rely more on their reins. You've definitely
been dressage trained. Based on what you did today, you could easily win a
competition at a training level."
      Kris shrugged. "My last trainer was one of the few teachers I had who
didn't treat me like shit," he explained. "He was supposed to be teaching
basic riding, some jumping to the students. But since I didn't have any
friends there and didn't really fit in, he gave me extra private lessons in
dressage and he let me practice and ride whenever I wanted. I was only
there for one school year, so my stuff is pretty basic."
      "But you remembered it all," Dylan said. "And it was flawless."
      Jesse nodded. "I told you Jupe was a good horse for a beginner and
that's true cuz he's pretty mellow, but for him to do those moves for you
and hit those strides on that working trot, you had to be cueing him just
right. I doubt he'd do that well for anyone else other than me or Dylan."
      "Actually, just Jesse," Dylan laughed. "Dressage isn't my strong
suit."
      Jesse just shook his head. "Look, Kris, riding is supposed to be
fun. Some people never compete because they don't like competition or they
don't feel the need; you may be one of those people, but I definitely want
you to get riding on your schedule. I'll get you down for lessons with me
and you can also come down in your free time and ride."
      "Really?" Kris lit up.
      "Sure. Jupe already loves you and we've got a couple other horses
that you can work with too."
      "Cool."
      ***
      Charlie was lazily floating near the deep end of the pool. He had
practiced all the dives he wanted to have ready for the first meet and he
was satisfied with them and was relaxing for a few minutes before he headed
to the showers and then to meet Kris, Dylan and Jesse.
      He heard the locker room door slam and righted himself in the water.
      "Charlie!" he heard Hunter call. "You still here?"
      Charlie ducked under the water, hoping if Hunter didn't see him he'd
just go away.
      From his spot under the water, he could see Hunter and two other
figures circling the pool. It looked like Riley and Kent two other senior
swimmers who hung with Hunter.
      Charlie quietly fluttered his hands to push himself deeper into the
water. He knew he could only hold his breath for so long and hoped they'd
go away.
      "Where did the little shit go?"
      Charlie looked back up from his spot against the wall at the bottom
of the pool. How did he hear that? Underwater you only hear muddled
sounds--he heard that perfectly.
      "Maybe he left."
      "Go check the locker room to see if we missed him," Hunter
ordered. "I wanna know what kind of juice that kid is on."
      Charlie clung to the wall and hoped they would all go away. The last
thing he needed to deal with was Hunter and his crazy accusations.
      Charlie didn't hear any more talking. He was starting to wonder if it
was safe. He was going to need to get a breath of air quick. He looked up
towards the surface. He could clearly see Hunter and Kent standing right on
the edge of the pool directly across from him.
      "How can they not see me?" he thought. "And how can I see them?"
      It was like he was looking through a clear glass, not water. He was
starting to realize that he had been submerged longer than he ever had
before and his lungs weren't burning. If anything he was feeling more
energized than he had been when he ducked under the water. He went to move
along the wall and realized that he had been so still because his hands
were actually adhering to the wall. He gently rolled one of his palms off
the wall and looked at his hand. Between the fingers, there was skin up to
the second knuckle.
      "What the hell?" he thought. "My hands are webbed?!"
      He was trying not to panic, because he still had the problem of
Hunter and his boys on the deck.
      He listened from his spot on the wall.
      "No one in the locker room," Riley said as he walked up to the other
boys.
      "The little bastard must have slipped out," Hunter complained. "We'll
figure out what he's up to later. I gotta figure out a way to get the coach
to drug test him, cuz I know he's on something."
      "Be careful with that, Dude," Kent said. "Coach loves that kid and if
you get him to test all of us, we're screwed."
      Hunter nodded. "I know, can't ask him to test for performance drugs
and not pot. Come on, let's get out of here."
      Charlie watched as the boys walked away from the edge of the
pool. When they were out of sight, he listened carefully. When he heard the
door to the pool close, he waited a few more minutes and then launched
himself upwards.
      When his head broke the surface, he didn't feel the need to take in a
big gulp of air. He was breathing normally and he felt strong and
refreshed.
      He swam to the side of the pool and pulled himself out. He looked at
his hands and again noticed the webbing between his fingers. He looked down
at his feet and saw that there was webbing between his toes.
      "What the hell is happening to me?" he asked himself. He quickly
walked over to his towel and picked it up and walked to the locker room,
      He dropped his towel in front of his locker and went to open it.
      "What?!" He exclaimed when he saw that his hands had returned to
normal. "What the hell is going on?"
      He peeled off his Speedo and ran to the showers. He wanted to get out
of there before anything else happened.