Only when I had entered the cool woodland surrounding the academy was I able to fill the others in on what had happened. They just sat there, mouths wide open, and I asked them what was wrong. "I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to talk back to a bitch like that."

"Yeah, but nobody talks back to a bitch like Varsity," Archer said in disbelief. Mika was looking at me in open admiration.

"Seriously? That was Varsity? That's what you're all afraid of? She's just some pathetic rich girl." I patted Robin on the neck as I talked. That's what I loved about horses; they didn't have any of this pettiness or subordination. Their lives were so much simpler than that, so uncomplicated. It was refreshing.

"You may think it seems like nothing now, but once you've made an enemy of her..." Flynn shuddered as if it didn't bear thinking about. "Just... watch your back, okay?"

I sighed and nodded. "Look, let's just talk about something else instead of her. Do you guys know where we're going?"

All five of them immediately launched into a detailed and enigmatic description of the surrounding area. Apparently you could ride past the fields where the school horses were kept and, if you kept going, there was a gorgeous waterfall with a deep pool to swim in on hot days. Other paths went deep into the woods, and students could make a day of exploring new trails on horseback and maybe even discover a few bonuses, like a fast river or a bush brimming with blackberries. The trail we were on, however, led through the woods to the famous Crescent Bay that the academy was named after. And I would finally get my first beach ride ever.

I let the others talk as I looked around. I loved riding without a saddle, it made me feel so much more connected with Robin. If we were returning by the same trail, I would maybe stash her bridle in a bush and come back for it later. Even just the thought of riding a horse with nothing, absolutely nothing to control it exhilarated me.

I heard hoofbeats beside me and suddenly Quicksilver's nose appeared beside Robin's. I looked over and saw Flynn riding casually next to me. "What you thinking about?" he asked me.

"I was wondering if I should take off Robin's bridle and go completely tackless. I thought it might be... interesting."

Instead of laughing and saying how stupid that was, Flynn actually agreed with me. "It would be pretty cool," he mused. "We can take a different path back from the beach and come get our bridles on foot, what do you think?"

"I—okay, sure." We dismounted and took off the bridles, stowing them behind a tree under some scrub. Both horses looked surprised and stood uncertainly as we vaulted on again.

Marcy looked over and saw what we were doing. "You two are nuts," she laughed but didn't say anything more.

Flynn looked slyly at me. "Hey, you good at riding bareback?" he asked and I frowned. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, the beach is straight ahead and I thought maybe I could... RACE YOU!"

Suddenly he took off down the long sandy path and without a moment's hesitation Robin was after him. I laughed with the thrill of it, trying to stay on as I watched the ground rush by. Quicksilver was far ahead, being much bigger, but Robin wasn't a star on the cross-country course for nothing. She was small and zippy, her short strides powering her after the big gelding. She was snorting from the exertion and excitement, but without tack to weigh her down she was like a rocket.

Gradually we closed the gap between us, and the look of surprise on Flynn's face as we drew level was priceless. I flipped him off with an angelic smile as Robin pulled ahead, the Arab in her coming out. Flynn urged Silver on but we were too far ahead and suddenly the track had run out and we were pounding on soft sand straight towards the aquamarine sea. Robin barely slowed down as she leaped into the surf, but the sudden pull of the water slowed her down and I half slipped off. Flynn laughed at me as he pulled up on Silver. He extended a hand and I grasped it gratefully, but as he was hauling me up he let go suddenly and I collapsed back into the sea. I came up gasping as he was roaring with laughter, and I took the opportunity to push him off too so he landed with a splash that made Silver snort in surprise.

The other four emerged onto the beach to find the two of us soaking wet and weak with laughter. Our horses were standing amiably in the water, staring at us like we were insane. I couldn't really blame them.

"Are you two okay?" Marcy was looking at us with slight concern but a smile played on her lips. She guided her horse, Grey Diamond, into the sea beside us and slipped off, taking his bridle off his head and placing it on a rock. The others did the same and suddenly there was water everywhere as we all started splashing each other and the horses jumped out of range. The water was refreshingly cold and I floated on my back for a while, enjoying the feel of the sun on my face and the sea around me.

Someone suddenly dived across my stomach, making me go under with a gasp. Water filled my mouth and nose, and I resurfaced choking. Flynn was smirking at me and I glared at him. Of course it would be him who almost drowned me.

"Can you open your eyes underwater?" he asked me once I had recovered. I nodded.

"Good, because I want to show you something."

He dived back underwater and I followed him, looking at the soft white sand dotted with tiny shells. I could vaguely hear a loud splashing behind me and realised that Robin was following me curiously.

Flynn stopped suddenly and I swam into him. "What is it?"

He looked back at me and grinned. "Be prepared to have your mind blown."

I rolled my eyes with a smile and dived back under. Suddenly there was something looming in front of me and I recoiled, before realising it was a reef.

I carefully swam over the rocks to the other side, where the white sand continued. The reef was just a narrow band filled with life.

I watched in wonder as tiny fish darted past, their silver scales flashing in the sun. A shoal of dark brown fish with rainbow shimmers glided slowly past, and I spotted a gorgeous black and electric blue fish hiding in a crevice. Red sea anemones were dotted randomly across the rocks, and small pieces of coral reached tentatively upwards.

"This is amazing!" I gurgled, still not coming up for air. Flynn smiled and resurfaced, which was probably a good idea since I was about to pass out.

"Maybe we should go back." The others were already out of the water and drying out on sun-warmed rocks.

I was disappointed to leave but nodded anyway. Robin met me with a friendly snuff and I blew gently into her nostrils. It was a greeting I did to all horses, since that's how they greeted each other.

I found a flat rock and settled back on it with a sigh. Flynn lay next to me and promptly entered a coma-like state.

I watched as Robin trailed her nose in the sand and began pawing. She dropped down onto her knees, and then her side, and began rolling with grunts of effort. When she got up again I shielded mine and Flynn's eyes, and soon enough felt sand flying against my hands as my mare shook herself.

"Having fun, girl?" I giggled and she snorted.

I suddenly remembered an old trick we used to do. Dropping onto the sand in a sitting position, I called on Robin and watched as she collapsed down onto her side again, but this time she put her head in my lap. I had trained her to do this, although she wouldn't do it if she really didn't want to.

I stroked her warm cheek as her eyes closed and leaned back against the rock. The heat was making me drowsy. I could almost fall asleep...

"Hey, neat trick! I wonder if Silver can do it?"

I jolted awake and Robin's eyes shot open. She half raised herself, but fell down again when she saw it was only Flynn.

"I thought you were asleep?"

"No, but everyone else is. Hey, Silver - bang!"

I watched as the dapple grey fell to the sand as if shot and Flynn pulled his head onto his lap.

"Anything I can do, you can do better, huh?"

"Silver used to be a stunt horse. The people who sold him taught me some trick stuff for a while."

"That's pretty cool. Me and Robin can't do any of that."

"But you trained her by yourself. I didn't."

"True, I suppose."

We sat in silence for a while and I realised that Flynn had fallen asleep. His head had dropped into his chest and it looked very uncomfortable. Slowly, I pushed him back until he leaned against the rock, but he just fell forward again.

"Ugh, why do I have to do this," I groaned as I laid his head on my shoulder. But the weight gave me a strange comfort as I looked out over the bay and the dozing horses to the shimmering horizon beyond.

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Hi guys!

Woooo beach ride! I can't believe Autumn had never ridden on a beach before - it's so fun!

Anyway, what do you all think of Autumn and Flynn? Should it be a thing? There always has to be a love interest, doesn't there? 😉

As usual, please vote, comment and tell me what you think!

Until next time,

Chloe :)