The music from the festival fades as a buzzing feeling inhabits my temples, like power lines have been strung over my head and are now humming with electricity. I feel like my lips are floating off of my face as the breath catches in my throat. It's hard to breathe as the sickeningly sweet scent of cotton candy and popcorn twists my stomach into knots.

  Astrid must see the change in my face because she tilts her head, her mouth opening.

  "Kara, it's just a game, trust me, it's not-."

  "But that's what that woman said, that I'm going to be betrayed, what if she's like my mom? A real witch who is a Seer like her?" I say, unable to keep my thoughts from pouring out of me.

  "Kara-," Tessa reaches over and touches my arm and I pull away from her.

  "I need-, I need to talk to that woman," I sputter as I get to my feet, only to have Luke reach up and grab me by the wrist, his touch grounding me.

  I startle and glance down at him. A hesitant smile twitches at the corners of his lips, his eyes pleading.

  "Look, let's just take a walk so you can calm down," Luke suggests as he gets up and begins to guide me away from the table before he looks back at the others, "we'll catch up with you later."

  "Okay," Astrid says as she gives him a solemn nod.

  "Come on," he murmurs to me as he puts a gentle hand on my shoulder.

  I nod more times than I need to as he walks beside me and heads for the horse barns where there are less people and it's quieter. The musty scent of horses and hay helps my racing heart begin to settle and I lean heavily against the wall as soon as we step inside of the barn. No one else is around as Luke stops beside a nearby stall and pets a horse that pokes its head over.

  "Kara, you can't tell me that you really believe her," Luke says in a low voice and I glance over at him.

  He looks pale in the light cast from the overhead fluorescent light tubes, which makes him look older. He's changed over the year of us being apart and not going to the same high school and the realization pulls at my heart as it thuds heavily in my chest.

  "But what she said-."

  "Was exactly what that fortune teller lady said, yes, I know, but don't you think that Astrid is maybe messing with you?" he counters and I recoil at the thought.

  "Why would she do that?" I ask as I lean away from the wall and take a step toward him, "Why wouldn't I trust her?"

  I can't help but pick up on the thinly veiled disgust in his voice, the change giving me whiplash as to who he is as a person.

  He shrugs at this as his lips press into a line and he looks away and focuses on the horse that he's petting, "Tessa told me about how she got banned from her last boarding school, don't you think that she may not be the best source for the truth?"

  "Because she accidentally reanimated her boyfriend after he died in an accident?" I can't keep the shock and borderline anger out of my voice as disbelief sends me reeling.

  What is wrong with him?

  "We also used her to reanimate Finn so we could maybe get answers out of him, don't you think your judgement is a bit hypocritical?"

  He sighs and makes a calming motion, his eyes flickering with something unfamiliar.

  Anger.

  "Forget that I said anything, let's just try to forget about the tarot reading and focus on having some fun."

  I eye him warily and nod as I relent, "Fine."

  I approach the stall next to the one he's standing at and peer inside, needing most anything to distract me from the fact that he doesn't trust Astrid. I'm relieved when a dappled, gray horse whickers at me and puts its head over the stall door, the creature's dark eyes glimmering like pools of ink. I reach up and pet the creature, needing to feel its soft fur under my hand as I stroke its velvety nose.

  I can sense Luke watching me as he begins to inch his way over to my side and I step aside so he can look at the horse as I move onto the next one. Many of the horses are dozing, their noses in the corner of their stalls as they point away from us and sigh heavily, their breathing calm and even as they shift their hooves occasionally.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  The lights are low and dim, a few moths fluttering around them as the smoky scent of autumn billows through the open doors, bringing with it a chill that promises of the coming cooler temperatures. I shiver and pull the sleeves of my shirt down, wishing that I had worn a thicker one or even a sweater as I near the end of the row of stalls and stand at the other end of the barn where the doors are open.

  A tall, black horse that reminds me of Kashmir puts its head over the last stall, one of its eyes being a stunning shade of blue as its ears swivel in my direction. I reach over and touch its cheek as Luke walks up behind me and shrugs off his coat and drapes it around my shoulders.

  I carefully take the coat from him as the scent of his deodorant washes over me and I clasp the top button on the coat so it hangs like a cloak over my back. I turn and leave the black horse behind after a moment to head for the opposing stalls on the other side of the aisle.

  "Come on," Luke suddenly says, startling me as I flinch at his voice abruptly filling the space between us. "I want to show you something."

  A boyish grin twists up the corner of his lip, like he has a secret and I smile back at him as he leads the way out of the barn. I can't help but feel guilty about my bitter thoughts as I follow him around the corner of the barn, the air colder outside now that there are no walls to block any chilly, wayward breezes.

  But Luke doesn't seem to mind as he pauses around the corner and gestures for me to come over.

  There are stalls that face outwards so the windows and doors are on the outside of the barn, revealing that there is another row of sleeping horses. Luke seems to be particularly interested in the stall that we've just come across, which is the one on the corner.

  As I approach, an enormous, gray head peers over the stall and I gasp.

  "A Percheron," I whisper and the beautiful horse, whose head has to be the same length of my torso, turns its head to face me as its ears prick with interest.

  The nose alone on the creature is close to the size of my head as it stretches its neck in my direction. The stall obviously wasn't built to hold such a large creature, as the bottom of its chest is easily taller than the stall door. The only thing keeping the massive horse from stepping over the stall is the fact that the top of the stall is too low for it to be able to duck under.

  I put out a wary hand and begin to pet the horse, its large, dark eyes blinking slowly at me as it struggles against the temptation of sleep, oblivious to the loud music, flashing lights and screaming people on the festival rides. The horse is soft and its face is a light shade of gray while its body is a darker charcoal that is bled through with lighter dapples, like someone has come by and blotted the dapples there with a sponge.

  "I know that you love Percherons and I saw in a flyer that they were going to be having a pulling competition here at the festival," Luke admits as he watches me pet the horse.

  "Thank you, I've been wanting to see some for years," I say and it's the truth.

  Luke nods and steps up to my side then and I'm hyper-aware of the fact that I can hear him breathing. He touches a soft hand to my face and I turn to look at him, surprised by the gesture.

  What is he..?

  I've never kissed anyone before, but the prospect of having my best friend since grade school kiss me fills me with a burst of fear that refuses to go away.

  I don't...I don't want to kiss him, not Luke.

  In all honesty, I've never seen him as anything more than my best friend, someone I can entrust my secrets with and rely on like Tessa, the only difference being that he's a guy.

  But all the same I've come to see Luke as just that, a friend.

  A thrill of dread runs its icy finger up my spine as he cups my chin in his hand, his eyes closing as he leans toward me...

  And I lean away.

  His eyes snap open immediately, his pupils dilating as they focus on me and confusion roils in his gaze as guilt gnaws at me like a starving animal.

  "Kara...?" his lips turn down as he frowns at me, his eyebrows furrowing.

  "I...I can't kiss you, Luke, I don't want to," I whisper and shame washes over me and turns my stomach.

  I love him, that much is true, but I don't feel love for him in that way.

  It takes him a moment to register the words that I've said because the change in his face tells me everything. It's like a shadow has crossed over him as he sets his jaw and lets go of my chin like I've burned him. Disgust darkens his eyes, like I'm a dead frog for a lab experiment and am pinned to an examination tray for him to pick apart.

  "Kara, I'm a nice guy, why can't you just give me a chance?" he says in a low enough voice that I can almost believe that he hasn't said anything at all.

  "Luke, listen to me, I like you but-."

  "But not enough to date me?" he fires back, his voice shaking with barely contained anger.

  "Luke-."

  "What, you think you're too good for me? All the chatter of you being an Unfamiliar going to your head?"

  He narrows his eyes at me and I feel like I'm two inches tall as I duck my head, tears beginning to prickle in my eyes. My lip starts to quiver against my will and I bite down on it to keep it in place as he takes a step forward and leans down so we're eye to eye.

  You will not cry.

  But oh, how badly I want to.

  "I've stood by your side for years, waiting in the friend-zone for you to finally see me and realize that I've fallen in love with you," he counters, "I've done so much for you and you can't even take the time to stop being selfish and see that for once."

  My tongue is a wad of cotton in my mouth and I can't speak as I try to say something, anything at all to assure him that I do know what he's done for me. But I'm not fast enough as he shakes his head, his face contorting with disgust as his lip curls to the side.

  "You know what? I've stayed by your side for too long and it's time for me to move on," he spits.

  He reaches over and pops the button on his jacket and takes it from me, the fabric dragging harshly across my skin and I flinch against my will as he turns and slings the jacket over his shoulder. The difference is instant, the warm fabric torn away to leave my arms bared to the chilly air as goose bumps rise across them and I can only stare back at Luke, not quite believing what's happening.

  "I thought that you were different, Kara, but you're no better than Ava," he calls over his shoulder as he walks away.