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Chapter Four: Industrialised Estates And Junk Yards

Some-time later she arrived at the cinema and chickened out of watching 'The Grudge' and decided to watch 'Rob Roy' again.

Crystal bought a giant box of popcorn, a gallon of Cola and a huge box of tissues before going to the actual screen and watching it.

Afterwards she thought. ~That is such a good movie. I think I have to get a copy, some-how.~

She was just walking towards the cinema car park when she saw Chad and the others.

~Great.~ she thought, tiredly. ~Here we go again.~ she sighed, heavily. ~I'm getting tired of this now. I mean... Really bored... ~

Regrettably for her, she couldn't even run to her car as they were between her and it. Turning to run, she sighed under her breath, hoping to get away before they even detected her but on hearing running footfalls, Chad looked round and leered, right at her swiftly receding back as she zipped round an intersection.

"There she goes!" he said, his voice a dull sounding bellow. "Get her!"

Crystal winced, on hearing him and muttered. "Why do I have to always see them at the worst possible time and them me? This is so one-sided!"

They all sprinted after her, snickering softly and their eyes intense with the exhilaration of hunting her again.

Meanwhile, Crystal was starting to truly run as she entered a dismal alleyway, her shape jerking. She skidded to a halt soon after and swallowed hard as she looked up at a high wall.

Flicking a look behind her, she groaned sarcastically. "This is all I need! A dead-end street when they are hunting me like they would a fox, minus the hounds. Of all times to run into one!"

Sighing heavily, she started to swiftly scale the wall, fearfulness giving her wings or that was how it felt to her as she climbed, her planning to jump down the other side and escape.

Crystal was near the top of the wall when Chad and the others finally caught up.

"How are we supposed to get her?" grumbled Sebastian, leaning against the stone to catch his breath, as she stood on top of the wall, heaving softly for breath herself. "We can't climb like she can... "

"Have you, by any chance, completely forgotten what is on the other side of the fence?" Hector queried, whispering softly. "Like Crystal seems to have done due to being so unnerved."

Sebastian nodded. "I have. Yes."

Hector smiled, slyly. "This quarter of the city has a scrap yard remember? That is guarded by eight violent guard-dogs!"

Jeremy snickered wickedly. "So, we just... Wait?!"

Chad sneered coldly, flicking a look up to Crystal.

"Yeah." he said, calmly. "She'll either give up or stay up there. I'm not quite sure what she'll pick. She does have a strong self-preservation instinct after all. At least, most of the time... "

At the same time Crystal was looking down on the ferocious dogs and gulping with fear, paling visibly as the dogs barked and snarled at her.

~This is so diabolical.~ she thought, whimpering slightly. ~I really am trapped between them. Cornered between the devil and the deep blue sea.~

Hector drew his small but deadly flick knife then said tauntingly, "Which way will you go Ice? Towards us, or the dogs?"

Crystal drew in a deep breath, her lungs filling with freezing air which made her cough and wheeze slightly then sat down, rubbing at one ear.

"... Uh... I... Uh... Neither way, actually... Now that I think about it, chaps." she said, clearly, managing to smirk. "You both pack together and both of your human pack and their canine one would rend and shred me into a bazillion or more pieces, physically or mentally. If I stay up here, I am safe from you both. You can't get at me and neither can the dogs, though I may catch a cold, flu at worst... Maybe..."

"She is right." muttered Jeremy. "She is off the hook. At least for now."

Michael glared at Jeremy, angrily even as he growled. "You can't stay up there all night Crystal! You have to climb down some time."

Scritching at her nose, she sneered. "Do I? Do I have to climb down and not up?"

Chad glowered silently up at her, but did not say anything, not needing to do so, golden eyes cold as he watched her.

"You little cow..." Aaron snarled, his eyes narrowing. "We will just wait until you move off that wall and completely thrash you! You will be sorry."

Crystal yawned in boredom, trying to ignore Chad, as well as Matthew, a soft and almost cub-like whine escaping her. "Sure, you all will. You couldn't catch me if you tried. Not really. At least, most of you couldn't catch me. Those that could, you are just lucky."

Chad gave himself a shake then, snickering at the young woman. "We always catch you Ice."

She shivered and swallowed hard before she spoke, voice shaking, again, lying through her teeth. "Only because I let you. My life would be pretty boring otherwise."

Silence fell then, and Crystal curled up on top of the wall, her green eyes half-closing. They were all still there three hours later and she was beginning to get sleepy. She looked down at them, her eyelids almost shut as her head wove from side to side.

~They have to go soon.~ she thought, yawning widely, and trying to keep herself awake. ~They just have to... ~

Seth, who was the one keeping an eye on her at that point in time saw his cousin swaying a little with tiredness, knowing that she likely had done a lot of things during the day.

~Come on Crystal, honey.~ he thought. ~Hang in there. We will all hopefully be going soon.~

Michael sighed then in boredom. "Are we going home soon Chad? I am absolutely knackered as well as being bored."

Chad narrowed his copper eyes, a curl of his dark hair falling over his face, normally full lips thin as he pressed them together.

"No. Not this time, Michael. This is the last time that she will ever escape us." he said, his voice a throaty rumble as he half-growled. "We are not leaving this place until Ice comes down off that wall then, when she does, she will depart with us and shackled like the thrall she should be. Or not at all, because I might kill her for this..."

"What?! We can't stay here all night Chad." gasped Sebastian, shivering a little. "It is starting to get glacially cold, if it gets any colder..."

"Sebastian, listen to me." snapped Chad, furiously. "We can. And we will. If Ice can put up with it, so can we. Plus, she will get cold before we do. She is a good deal higher off of the ground than we are and smaller too. Heat rises and cold falls... Remember? There is also the fact of larger beings stay warmer than smaller ones, for longer, so we will stay warm and she'll start to get cold."

Time passed and twenty minutes later Crystal was hugging herself in an attempt to keep warm.

~Why do I repeatedly get myself into fixes like this?~ she thought, her teeth clicking together softly. ~I am freezing to bits!~

Hearing her shuddering, due to his sharp hearing, Chad snickered and nudged the others.

"Hey." he hissed, lowly. "Sounds like our treasured little Crystal is getting cold."

"Good." muttered Jeremy. "That means we will all be going home soon, since she will come down."

A little later it began to snow lightly and Crystal, shivering harder, was still on top of the wall. She was forced to walk, to keep herself warm and the wall free of ice so that she did not slip and fall right into their grasp.

"I can't believe that she is still up there." shivered Michael. "It has gotten so cold."

Matthew glanced up at Crystal then said, his voice an angry snarl.

"Accept it, already. She is strong-willed, among other things. You know this, Michael, from past experience when we have cornered her before and she digs in her heels, refusing to make it easy for us. You should not need to be told this. Over and over again. You are not feeble-minded. Don't act like the half-wit that she thinks that we all are."

An hour or so later, Crystal slipped and tumbled all the way down the wall, her sylphlike hands trying to snatch at it, shrilling like a saturated feline as she did so. Nimbly twirling in mid-air, she force-landed hard on her feet, out of breath and coughing as she tried to get her breath back. By the time they shone a flash-light on her, she was already rising up the wall again.

Hector darted for her, smirking brutally as he took hold of one ankle, making the young woman struggle to keep her grip on the wall as the muscular man, tried to strip her from it. Finally tugging free, she stomp-kicked down and as hard as she could, the onslaught landing on Hector's shoulder.

Dazed and in anguish, Hector let go and she sped up the wall, gasping breathlessly once at the top, her hands on her knees as she knelt, eyes half closed.

"Dammit! She has some powerful kick." Hector winced, leaning against the wall next to Seth and holding his wounded shoulder. "Only a horse could kick harder. Or maybe Chad."

Seth just smirked.

"I could have told you that." he said nonchalantly, his face and eyes deadpan. "You only had to ask."

Aaron sighed. "We almost had her."

"We will get her next time." said Jeremy. "Don't worry about it."

Matthew gave his head a shake, shocked at the backwardness in that statement. "If Crystal can help it, there will not be a next time! You moron."

Meanwhile she was sitting on top of the wall, shaking a bit, and eyeing her freshly twisted and tender ankle. She strangled a sob of pain and looked around.

"That was a close one. Too close." she muttered

Eyeing the snow made her snicker and she smirked a bit.

~Perfect.~ she thought, laughing softly. ~Just perfect.~

Jeremy looked up at Crystal then and mocked. "Laughing to calm your nerves, Ice?"

Crystal smirked broadly.

"No Jeremy. I am not." she snickered. "Honest."

Jeremy turned away and muttered something to Simon who called. "Sure, you are not laughing in an attempt to calm down Ice. Just declare that you are scared of us and climb down to accept your punishment! Which will not be so bad if you come down right this minute."

Crystal quivered then gave herself a shake.

"You stupid oaf!" she called, flinging the small snowball.

As the compacted snow hit Simon hard on the head, she gloated. "Yes! I got him! Strike one!"

"Cow!" hollered Simon, lunging at the wall. "I will get you for that!"

"From all the way down there, Simple Simon?!" Crystal taunted. "How are you going to do that?!"

Matthew and Chad grabbed Simon then, holding him back.

"Cool it Si." said Chad, calmly. "You can get her back when she comes down. I promise."

The pale skinned man that was Matthew nodded. "You can even hurt her first."

Chad, smirking nastily, agreed and Simon calmed down.

"If that... Elf ever comes down again!" spat Hector and Jeremy together, both very angry at the fair and velvety-skinned African female." Which is unlikely!"

Chad rounded on the two and snarled. "She is no Magus, Elf or anything similar! She is a fake! A Pseudo-Magus. She only looks like one, she is not one really. They don't exist! Can't exist!"

At the same time Crystal was making a pile of snowballs from all the snow around her, ignoring the conversations that were happening between Chad and the others.

~I am punished when I get down there? Never.~ she thought, making another snowball. ~Not bloody likely. I will beat them until they collapse with snowballs, climb down, and go home to my own house.~

Snickering, she started to throw them at everyone who she could see. She couldn't see Seth as he ducked into the shadows, but she wouldn't have thrown snowballs at him anyway, not unless she had to do so.

"You will pay for that Ice, when I get my hands on you." growled Chad, his voice low as he was bombarded with the hardened snow." You know well how much I can hurt you."

The young woman trembled, paling slightly before throwing more snow.

"You are such a little slag." shouted Jeremy. "Whore!"

"Bitch." screamed Hector. "Two-bit slut!"

"Cow bag." yelled Sebastian. "You are so dead. I am going to kill you. Painfully and slowly."

"Will you Sebastian?" Crystal called, her eyes glinting wickedly and her voice sardonic. "Will you really? Sure, you will!" she rolled her eyes a little, her voice hard. "Yeah... Okay."

"You are less than trash Ice." cried Matthew, almost spitting with rage." We will make you suffer, this you know."

"Cow-pat." howled Jacob. "Tart!"

"Arsehole." yelled Logan. "Slag!"

"Chickenhearted little dog." roared Kurtis, his voice loud. "Cowardly puppy!"

"Woof, woof." snickered the African woman, her voice caustic, throwing more snowballs, and that hard. "A-o-o-o-o-o! A-o-o-o-o-o-o!"

"Scrawny little skank." shouted Orion. "Bony bitch!"

"You are such a skinny and cowardly little bitch Ice." growled Eric. "Ugly little insect!"

"I am not a coward, neither am I little." Crystal raged, the words hurting her. "I've more courage than you in my entire body than you have in one hand!"

"You are Ice, you bitch." taunted Kansai. "Why else would you be on top of that wall and throwing snowballs at us?!"

"You are so ugly Ice, that I am surprised you have not broken anything yet. Like mirrors." smiled Otto cruelly. "Or even windows..."

"Ugly little bitch!" cried Damon. "Why would anyone want you?!"

Seth winced inwardly even as Crystal's eyes filled with tears. That had to hurt.

"I am not ugly!" she whispered, her voice shaking, almost pleading. "Right...? I mean... You don't mean that... You're just saying it to hurt me..."

"You are!" snickered Ryan. "Very Ugly."

"Yes, we do mean it, Ice." sneered Byron. "You aren't wanted!"

"Very much so." added Evan. "Or needed!"

"Not even a rat would lust after you, you are that ugly." leered Orion. "Or a cockroach...!"

"Go shag yourselves! Hard!" Crystal wept, throwing more snow at them as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I am not listening to you. Talk to the hand!"

Eventually they all, apart from Seth, backed out of range and she stopped throwing snow at them, crumpling in a heap, and crying bitterly.

Chad and the others stood glaring at her hunkered down shape, angrily.

"What do we do?" asked Damon. "We can't get near her and she will not let herself fall again."

Matthew flicked a look to Crystal and watched as the young woman cautiously and unsteadily hauled herself to her feet and began pacing, tears sliding down her face and cooling as she wept.

"She will slip and fall all the way down that wall, believe me. She really will." said Matthew, not looking away from her, sneering slightly, eyes cold. "And she won't be capable of stopping it from happening. Look at her. Closely. Read her visual signals, it's not hard. Watch how she moves. She is utterly and completely burned-out. Crystal is so worn-out and exhausted that I'm very surprised, that she has not fallen into our hands yet. But it will happen and that soon. We are debilitating her resolve and invulnerability, albeit slowly, the longer we keep her helpless on that wall with no way out."

They all snickered then, softly, watching as time slowly passed and Crystal started to sway slightly, trying to stay on her feet, clearly exhausted well beyond her normal limits.

"See?" whispered Matthew, cruelly. "I know her better than most of you. I know her better almost than she herself does. Not sure if she realises that though."

Crystal fell again, soon after but only half way down the wall, her hands clawing for a handhold, not realising she was well within grabbing reach.

Hearing the scrabbling, they looked over and smiled, nastily before sighing angrily.

"Goddammit!" raged Garret. "We missed her again!"

Hector peered at Crystal then at the wall before he smirked.

"There is one difference this time." he said calmly. "Ice is not getting any further up the wall."

Sebastian added. "There must be too much snow for her to get a correct hold."

Even as they watched, she slipped again, all the way down the wall this time before she panicked and sped back up, at least until she was almost out of grabbing range.

At this, they all hurtled at high-speed towards her.

"We will get you this time, Ice, you bitch!" Hector declared. "We can't go wrong in gaining control of you this time... You're making this too uncomplicated..."

Crystal whimpered lowly as Chad grabbed one ankle and tugged, almost snagging her thin hands free of the wall.

"Come on Ice." he crooned, his voice traitorously soft as he whispered. "Be a good girl and do as you are told. You don't want to misbehave. Not really. You want to make us happy, you like making people happy. I know you do." he sneered a little. "So be a good girl and come on down here..."

She quivered then; hard, whimpering lowly, almost surrendering to the very tall man before she, with a struggle, tugged

herself free. "Can't hold me..." she wheezed. "Never..."

Finding traction, suddenly, she sped up the wall, snickering coldly.

"No, you will not." she panted, ignoring Chad's words. "Half-Wits!"

"That was our shoulders Ice!" Chad and Matthew yelled together, glaring up at her. "How dare you use us to help you escape...! You will suffer for that."

"Thanks for helping me to climb up the wall then, chaps." Crystal snickered then, from the top of the wall. "Just imagine helping your hostile adversary to safety. Distasteful. You should be mortified!"

"Bitch." growled Chad, his voice was a breathy and soft roar. "I will get you and you will suffer. I can promise you that, and you know that I don't break my promises."

"You will die for that." promised Matthew, voice barely audible. "Painfully and slowly."

Swallowing a whimper of fear then ignoring it she called cheerfully. "How will you do that from all the way down there?"

By that time, it was nearly midnight and the city was starting to quieten down as cities tend to do. Unfortunately for Crystal, she was in one of the many business parks of the large city, actually in the worst part of the city to be in late at night to be more exact. The only people that hung around those areas after all the businesses had closed were the savage crime syndicates, like Chad's.

Remembering that fact, she gulped hard and was unable to stop a low mewl of horror from escaping her drying throat.

"Shit...!" she whimpered. "I'm in trouble now..." she glanced around and swallowed hard. ~How do I get out of this...?!~

Matthew heard it and looked smug, celestial, his eyes glinting as he watched the young woman on top of the wall.

Flexing his fingers, he pushed one hand through his hair as he watched her.

"Worried Crystal?" he whispered lowly, so lowly only Seth and Crystal actually heard it. "You should be. Just think of where you are."

She raised horror-stricken eyes to Matthew's face then looked away, paling visibly.

"I..." she trailed off, into silence. "But..."

Contented, Matthew looked away, rubbing at one ear.

Seth meanwhile inwardly flinched, swallowing hard.

"There will be no-one, Crystal, to hear you entreat us as you beg for mercy." began Aaron. "Which you will do..."

"Apart from us." finished Hector. "Nobody who will even care if they did."

"No-one to hear or care and so help you when you are in pain and imploring us to stop and let you live, to have your life, and freedom." smirked Damon, cruelly, eyes hard. "Which we may or may not give you."

"It all rests and so depends on your behaviour towards us, Crystal." whispered Matthew, his back to her, but knowing she heard. "Be an exceedingly good girl, take orders from us as well as you can, no matter what they are, and you will live, enslaved, but at least you will be alive. Be a horrendously bad girl, disobeying us and you will die, enslaved or otherwise."

"All they may find might be your corpse if we kill you, if they are lucky." snickered Simon. "If they are lucky."

"You will likely die right here in this alley Ice. As stubborn as you are." purred Byron, darkly.

Crystal quivered then, swallowing hard and trying to stop crying with fear.

"And before first light tomorrow." grinned Michael coldly. "That... I think... I can promise... For sure... I think..."

Chad looked up at Crystal then, meeting her scared and dark eyes with his own sparkling ones, almost judging her. She flinched and lowered her head even as he sneered, cruelly.

"Say your words of farewell to the world quickly, Crystal sweetness." he said, coolly. "You will not have the time to do so later on. I can promise you that."

Crystal shuddered, sitting down, and curling in a tight ball, even as it started to snow again.

~If I get out of this alive and unharmed apart from, at worst, a cold, I am going to take up the martial arts...~ she thought, hugging herself tightly. ~That is if I get out of this alive and I remain free... Which may or may not be possible...~

Crystal could jump from the top of the wall, as high as it was, but she would be badly dazed on landing before leaving. During this recovery time she could be pounced on, so she did not want to risk it. Chad and the others, including Seth since he had moved, were too far away to see her face clearly and most especially her expressive gem-like eyes and so get a rough idea of what she was thinking.

"Well." muttered Crystal under her breath. "At least he can't hypnotise me any more, like he used to, least I hope not."

Matthew heard her and smirked, cruelly. Seth also heard her and winced, his breath slipping from his mouth in a soft hiss.

"Chad, try the long distance hypnotism that used to work on her when we were all kids." Matthew suggested, flicking a look to Crystal, making sure that she heard every word that he said, his voice turning cold and his gaze hardening.

"That might work to lure her down and into our clutches. I mean... It has in the past... No reason it shouldn't still work, none that I can see."

Crystal quivered and swallowed hard, closing her eyes tight and focusing her mind on defending itself as well as it could.

Chad laughed, nastily. "Okay. Want to join me Matthew?"

Matthew threw back his head and laughed himself, his voice cold.

"Of course, I do Chad." he snickered. "It will be a delight to do a little... Shall we say... Mind-breaking... Since we haven't done that in years. Especially not to her..."

Chad was silent for a second or two, but his smirk did not fade.

"Her mental defences are stronger." he warned finally. "Since she has toughened up over time, like everyone does. They are almost unbreakable now."

Matthew nodded as he smiled, slyly, inhaling deeply and he remained silent.

Crystal quivered and yelped raggedly, her defences crumbling before she swallowed hard and strengthened them, fending off the attacks, or at least Chad's easily.

Matthew snickered frostily as he watched her.

"Come on down here Ice, lass, like the well-behaved young lady you are." he whispered, suavely. "It's pleasant and warm down here, you don't really wish to be up there, all lonely and frozen. I know that you don't, remember how well I know you. Down here on the ground, you'd have us all here to keep you safe, hot and you'd have company. We all know how, deep down, you hate being completely alone... It scares you... Badly."

Crystal shuddered, slowly rising to her feet, and edging close to the edge of the wall, looking down at the ground, lower jaw trembling.

"I..." she whispered, voice shaking. "But you'll..."

Chad watched her as Matthew worked on her, silently, eyes hard and unforgiving.

"That's a good girl, you're such a good girl, Crystal sweetness, to obey us so well." Matthew wheedled, gently, his voice soft and calm. "Now just carefully climb down this filthy old wall and you'll be okay, we will take care of you. Confide in us, fille. Trust us. We won't cause you any trauma ever since... Y'know... We love you Crystal. We really do. We adore and love you, greatly. We wouldn't let anything unspeakable ever occur to you, believe us. Believe in me." he grinned, peaceably as Crystal met his glittering eyes, trustingly. "We'll make sure you remain robust, you will catch a common cold or most likely another worse respiratory disorder than that if you stay up there. You don't want anything to exacerbate your asthma. Come down and get warm, please Crystal?" Matthew inwardly snickered, knowing how coaxing he sounded. "I have a warming blanket waiting for you and a flask of African tea." the man dug into a pocket and pulled out a flask, waggling it slightly. "See?"

Swallowing hard, she sobbed, her voice shaking as she looked down the slippery wall to the ground before she blinked at the slim man.

"Really?" she asked, not looking away from the very tall and slim man that held her attention. "I'll be safe? You'll look after me? You won't hurt me for my actions?" she swallowed hard. "Even though I hurt you all by throwing snow at you? And insulted you?"

Matthew sniggered then nodded, telling her without words that she could trust him. Seth winced inwardly at how convincing the taller man could be, and how easily his cousin could be persuaded when she wasn't feeling too good and when she was scared.

"Are you frightened Ice?!" taunted Jeremy, not realising what Matthew was doing and not having seen the flask as well as not believing hypnotism would work. "Or are you frostbitten? If you are then come down here with us and we will warm you up. In more ways than one!" He eyed her obscenely. "You'd not be cold then!"

They all, minus Matthew, Chad, and Aaron, who all knew what Matthew was trying to do and had seen the flask, snickered broadly and wickedly.

"No way! Not on your life. I am fine!" yelled Crystal, bravely as she fought off Matthew's attack. "Really. I am not coming down until you lot have gone!"

"Fine then." snapped Jeremy, turning away. "Stay up there and freeze!" he snarled a little. "See if we care... Little One."

Matthew narrowed his eyes, glaring at Jeremy who cringed slightly before he turned away, rubbing at his head as it started to hurt.

"I almost had her." he whispered, putting the flask away again. "I was so close...! She was just about to climb down the wall and we would have had her... "

Chad snarled angrily before Aaron turned and thumped Jeremy hard.

"Idiot!" Aaron snapped. "Fucking moron!"

Jeremy winced in pain.

"Sorry." he whispered. "I didn't think Matthew's trick would work..."

"You should have complete faith in your friends and their actions, Jezzer. But still... Apology accepted." said Chad, grumpily. "But if you ever do that again. I will thump you. Got it?!"

Jeremy nodded, silently.

A little while later Crystal pulled her heavy winter coat tight around her slender shape and lay down, before she dozed off. When they all realised she was sleeping, they all leaned against a wall, facing the wall she was on, so keeping a constant eye on her and they even set a guard, just in case most of them dozed off. Seth volunteered to stay awake and Chad agreed to this.

Crystal woke at dawn, covered in a thick sheet of fresh snow and thankfully everyone but Seth was asleep. She climbed silently down the wall and into a warm blanket Seth had ready for her before she wrapped it tight about her shoulders and sprinted away after a soft whisper.

"Thank-you Seth." she muttered. "I owe you another one..."

Her running footsteps woke Chad and Seth simulated waking up himself. Chad was too slow to see which way she went, and Seth had turned away from Crystal as she made good her escape, so he did not know which direction she had gone in either.

"Damn the bitch!" yelled Chad. "She is gone!"

"Eh... What... Hmm?" asked Hector, sleepily. "What you talking about?!"

"Ice has gone!" Chad said, his voice a dull roar. "She's left!"

At that they all awoke and glared at each other.

"We will not find her at present." said Matthew, sleepy-eyed. "She is likely home by this time. And warm." he glared at Jeremy. "Of course, if some people hadn't interfered last night..."

"Let's just go home and get some sleep." yawned Chad, too tired to really care by that time. "We can discuss this later... When we've all had some decent sleep."

They all started to walk home then, tiredly. Meanwhile Crystal was just starting up the Ferrari.

~I am so bushed.~ she thought, yawning widely, a soft whine escaping her as she did so. ~I am just going to go home, feed the horses and go straight to bed and sleep.~

She passed Chad and the others on her own way home, smirking as they all looked far colder than she did.

~Serves them all right, they deserve it.~ she thought. ~Apart from dear, sweet Seth. To whom I owe my life again.~

She blushed a little then and giggled softly.

When she had gotten home and fed the horses, as well as putting them out for the day and mucking out the two stables, she went to bed and slept for five hours! Chad and the others were worse, they slept for six hours, but not well.

When Crystal woke she had a bite to eat then sprawled in her living room, watching the telly.

~I think I will go for a ride on Pearl later.~ she thought, yawning slightly. ~Only a short one though since I am so tired...~

At three o'clock she brought both horses in then tacked up Pearl before she left, riding the silvery coloured mare. She returned a bit later, un-tacked then groomed her before leaving the stable yard and entering the house, going for a hot shower.

After her shower, since it wasn't anywhere near dusk and she was starting to waken a bit more Crystal decided to go and see the family that were selling the Arab stallion.

Sometime later she pulled into a large but neat stable-yard in the recently bought Ferrari since the Jeep had a flat tyre and so was in the garage getting the tyre fixed.

"Can I help you?" asked a young woman of medium height with raven black hair and startling blue eyes.

Crystal nodded then smiled warmly.

"I am Crystal Blackwood, I have come about the stallion you have for sale?"

"I am Katie McDonald. Please come this way." the woman smiled, warmly. "Come very far?"

"No. Just the city." she smiled a little. "Least the weather is better today."

Crystal followed Katie into the stable yard as the other woman asked. "Your name suits you, it sounds very elegant to me. So, may I ask what other horses you have?"

Crystal blushed at the compliment then nodded, smiling gently. "I have just two currently. A mare and a gelding. I am thinking of building up a herd."

Katie nodded. "So, you came here."

Crystal chuckled then and nodded. "Yeah. What is your stallion like?"

Katie was silent for a second, thinking. "He is strong, as all stallions are, ride-able and 17.3hh. Are you still interested?"

Crystal went wide-eyed and nodded furiously, grinning widely. "I sure am."

"Kim?" called Katie. "Lead out Midnight Fear."

"Are you sure boss ma'am?" called a tall blond-haired woman with grey eyes and a nice curvy figure. "He is in one of his ballistic moods again."

"Just do it. Please. This young lady might be buying him!" Katie called.

A short time later, Kim led out a fiery stallion that was plunging on the end of a lead-rope. The stable-girl was clearly struggling to hold him back and with one final twist the stallion pulled free. He stood there, looking around before he lunged at Crystal, his eyes gleaming and his nostrils flared.

Katie watched, looking worried.

"Move!" she whispered. "Please."

Crystal shook her head. "It is okay, really, I will be fine."

She did not look away from the stallion, even as he whirled around behind her and nipped at her calves, him treating the female like one of his mares. She flinched a little at the slight pain then smiled, thinly before the horse curled about her to stand in front of her, snorting.

Katie and Kim watched, entranced.

"Good lad." Crystal whispered, her eyes shining. "Lovely horse. Such a handsome, stunning horse. Yes, you are." She grinned then, rubbing at the stallion's forehead gently.

Midnight Fear calmed, sniffing gently at her hands before nibbling on her fingers, captivated by the tall woman in front of him.

"I..." Kim whispered. "Don't believe it..."

Katie just nodded, awed.

"Would it be okay if I rode him?" Crystal questioned, softly.

"Yeah, sure." Katie replied, stunned.

Without further ado Crystal swung herself up on to Fear's back.

"Do you have... Some sort of Arena, please?" she asked, shyly.

Katie nodded.

"Please follow me."

Crystal rode Fear after Katie, deep in thought then, pondering.

"Here we are." Katie said, some minutes later, opening a gate.

"Thanks." Crystal said, calmly as they passed through the open gate.

Katie closed the gate again once the two had gone through then leant against it to watch, Kim close by.

Crystal put Fear through his paces, concentrating intently, nodding in approval every so often, and murmuring under her breath as she did so.

"Would you like some jumps put up, Crystal?" Kim asked finally, after a nudge from Katie.

Crystal was silent as she thought, bringing Fear to a stop in the middle of the Arena.

"Please." she finally replied.

While the jumps were being put up, Crystal was putting Fear through every dressage move she knew, those that he did not know, she taught him.

"She is good." muttered Kim. "I am sure we have seen her before. I just can't think where."

Katie half-smirked. "She is called Crystal Blackwood. Do you remember her?"

Kim nodded, startled. "Yes. She was at that three-day event two months ago!"

Katie nodded, grinning widely then. "And she had a beautiful silver mare called Ice-Pearl."

Kim smiled a bit. "I think she won that if I remember rightly."

Katie nodded, as they lay out some trotting poles. "She did yes."

Crystal had heard the entire conversation, but did not make any sign that she had as she took the stallion over the trotting poles, several times. Once she was happy she started taking him over the jumps, focusing only on the strong horse beneath her and the jumps, as well as the pacing between them.

Katie gasped, awed.

"I can't believe that she is doing this with being completely bareback and with no helmet whatsoever. Go, fetch Mark, Kim. He has to see this. Crystal here has our supposedly semi-wild stallion eating out of the palm of her hand."

Kim nodded, sprinting away.

Some-time later Kim and Mark, a tall and slim man with dark hair and grey eyes, arrived. Crystal by that time was taking Fear over the jumps, which had been raised a couple more feet, so they were at five feet in height with Katie and two other stable hands watching.

Mark narrowed his eyes as he watched Crystal.

"What is wrong Katie? And who is that riding our stallion?" his voice was cold.

"That is Crystal Blackwood. A prospective buyer." Katie replied.

Mark narrowed his eyes further. "She is crazy, riding Fear as she is!"

Katie shook her head. "No. Just in love with him I think. She trusts him."

"Will she be buying him?" Mark demanded to know.

Katie narrowed her eyes.

"Try asking her." she snapped.

Mark winced a little. "I am sorry Katie, I am just anxious."

Katie nodded, understandably. "I know."

Mark spoke then. "Miss Blackwood, will you be buying Fear?"

Crystal brought the stallion to a stop, thinking.

"Yes, I will be." she finally stated, walking towards the gate, and sliding down from Fear's back.

Katie asked. "Do you have a horse-box with you currently?"

Crystal shook her head, smiling.

"No. I came in my Ferrari. I would be willing, if he could be brought down to me tomorrow, to pay extra."

Katie sniggered. "Okay. We will bring him down tomorrow at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon."

Crystal smiled gently as she passed her address to Katie. "Thanks."

Mark said. "Kim take Fear back to his box."

Kim nodded, leading the tall stallion away.

Crystal, Katie, and Mark walked towards the yard, slowly.

"Would you like the money for him in cash or a cheque?" Crystal asked, calmly.

Katie gasped lowly. "... Mark...?"

Mark scowled, eyes gleaming. "A cheque will be fine Miss Blackwood."

Crystal nodded, writing out a cheque and handing it to them.

"Would you like to take what you can of his things?" asked Katie. "Will not be much most likely, but it may help. It will be something anyway and less for tomorrow."

"Please." Crystal grinned.

Surprisingly Fear's tack, four bags of feed, and three of his rugs fitted into the car.

"Bye." called Katie. "See you tomorrow."

"Adieu." chuckled Crystal.

Crystal then returned home to Vancouver before going out to buy a horse-box.

The following morning was spent buying up mares for the soon-to-be herd, returning home for her lunch and to feed the horses.

After she had eaten, Crystal turned all six horses into two different fields, one on either side of the drive before she moved on to tidying the tack and feed rooms

At three o'clock the McDonald's horse-van entered the yard, them having notified Crystal that they had arrived, and she had opened the gates for them.

"Hey Crystal." grinned Katie. "How are you?"

"I am great." Crystal smiled. "I bought some new mares earlier, so I have been busy."

Katie chuckled.

"We saw them on the way up. A silver, a black, a bay, a palomino, and a grey in one field and a blood bay in another." "The blood bay is Finch. The mares being Pearl, Holystone, Wombat, Sunrise, and Gift," Crystal explained, eyes shining. "Only got the last four recently."

Katie grinned. "They are all beautiful looking creatures."

Crystal nodded, grinning.

Fear was taken out of the `van then and led into the biggest loose box the little yard had before Crystal and Katie started to put away the feed and the rugs. Katie left a long time later.

Crystal fed Fear, went to feed the mares and Finch before she swept the yard, locked everything up, putting the alarms on, before going for her own dinner.

~I am very lucky to live where I do.~ she mused while eating.

Once she had eaten she grabbed her archery gear then left to go to aforementioned club, deciding on taking the Jeep. Some-time after that she arrived at the club's hall. The club went well, and she had a wonderful time.