Chemistry. Her first class in an environment that was completely foreign to her. As she walked down the hall, she felt everyone's stare upon her, and she was very self-conscious about it. She tried to ignore it, but her ears picked up stunned whispering around her. This was getting harder and harder to tolerate. The cloud that had been hovering over her head all day was getting bigger and heavier. Her mind raced back to her first meeting with the Dean and the other school officials, and she remembered how hard it had been to convince them to let her in. But after passing a test, she had been admitted. "A Block". She turned and went down the hall, trying to soften her footfalls on the hard tile of the college floor. The sound was almost deafening. As she passed under the clock, she saw she would be just in time for her class. The door was closed. She knocked gently and the teacher answered. "Ah, Kimberly. The class is anxious to meet you. Come on in. She followed him in, and distinctly heard a communal gasp from her classmates. "All right everyone. Meet Kimberly." She smiled awkwardly. The teacher turned to her and asked "would you rather be called Kimberly or Kim?" "Kim, please" she said shyly, and immediately heard several thuds. Two girls had just fainted. "Oh dear. Eric, can you go get the school nurse, please." Shaking all over, Eric got up and squeezed himself between Kim and the desk, his eyes never leaving her. As soon as he had passed the door, he too fainted to the floor. Without saying a word, her eyes welling up with tears, Kim backed out of the classroom and trotted to the bathroom, sobbing uncontrollably. She entered her special stall in the bathroom, lay down and wept.

She must have been there for a good half hour before she heard a knock at the door. "Kim, are you all right?" asked an uncertain but caring voice. Kim sniffed "yeah, fine." "Do you want to talk?" asked the girl. Kim thought. "She's nice. Maybe I'll have a friend around here after all." She got up, shook the dust off and opened the door. The girl still showed surprise, but she overcame it easily enough. "Do you want a Kleenex?" asked May. "No, thanks. I'm okay." May hoisted herself up on to the counter and gave Kim a friendly smile. Kim returned the favor. "You okay now?" Kim nodded and wiped her eye dry. "I'll bet there was quite a bit of explaining that went on after I left, huh?" May smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, but we got half an hour before you came to digest the info." "You mean class started at half past ten?" "Yup. But only for the first week. Then it'll go officially to eleven. Just so everyone can get used to classes and the new school and..." "Me" filled in Kim. May nodded. There was a pause. "I guess we should go back to class, huh?" "No rush, Mr. Taylor told me to take as much time as was needed." Kim's eyes welled up again. May went to get some paper towels for her. "It's rough, but it's free. Here." and she wiped away the tears. "Thanks....May, can I ask you a question?" "Sure"... "Did Mr. Taylor volunteer you to come here, or did you?" May said "I volunteered. I know what it's like to be the new kid in school. It's rough." "Not half as rough as for me, though I'll bet" "Well...no. But don't worry about it. People here are nice. They'll love you once they get to know you." She reached over and gave Kim a friendly hug. Kim smiled, relieved and feeling happy once more. "Are you ready to go back, or do you want more time?" "Let's go." said Kim resolutely. Now it was May's turn to look uncomfortable. "Um...Kim. Could I...ask you a favor...?" Kim knew right away what May wanted, and she said "Sure. Hop on." May grinned happily and hoisted herself up onto Kim's broad back. "Whoa!" she said as Kim started walking. Kim just smiled happily and retraced her steps to class. May slid off and said "Thanks, Kim." and they both entered.

"NO? You're not serious?!" Kim asked in astonishment. May grinned and nodded. "He asked you OUT?!? He's so cute! You're one lucky woman, you know that!" May just nodded and giggled. Since the first day of school, May and Kim had become inseparable. Kim had found her best friend. In return for her loyalty, Kim gave May free riding lessons, explaining as they went along how different leg pressures meant and how to use the reins. On one of their daily lessons, after being brushed, Kim said to May "I'll meet you in the arena. I'm just going to get a drink of water" and returned to her stall. "Ok." agreed May. After quenching her thirst, and as Kim walked towards May, they both knew what the other was thinking. They were the luckiest in the world to have met and become best friends. "Shouldn't I get the saddle?" asked May. "Nah. It just dulls the feeling of oneness between you and me. Besides. You don't know how to ride until you learn to ride bareback!" May laughed and hoisted herself up. "Ok. Now. What's the signal for a side pass to the right?" "Um. Direct rein contact with the mouth, pressure with the outside leg, none with the right." "Good. Can you tell me why you use those signals?" "It tells you to move in a straight line away from my leg pressure." Kim nodded. At the end of each lesson, May would be "put to the test" by Kim. Once the bridle was on, Kim was no longer able to speak, and so had to rely on the cues that May gave her to perform her tasks. It went without saying that May did not tell Kim what she intended to do. "Yech. Dey sould make dese bits taste like mint. Dey're awhul!" said Kim as May slipped on the bridle. May laughed. Then the bridle was in place and Kim was silent. In the course of the four years that May and Kim had know one another, they had competed in countless events and competitions. They were always in the top five.

Life for both of them had improved dramatically. Kim felt comfortable and had many friends, and May had never felt more at ease with a new school and friends as she did now. Kim would often let people ride on her back as they walked to and from class, people jumping up and sliding down as they felt like. She always had someone to talk to and so far, there had been only a few incidents of people treating her badly because of who she was. Once, she was walking down a quiet hallway when a boy jumped up on her back and growled "I'm late for class. Hurry up." Kim stopped and refused to budge, and said "get off". The boy grabbed his umbrella and gave Kim's rump a smack. Startled, Kim reared, thus dumping him unceremoniously on the ground. She turned her head and hissed "I am NOT a pack animal!" and walked off, leaving him to get up, more embarrassed than hurt. The same boy tried that again later that week, but Kim dislodged him by "startling" to the left. She then flicked her tail in the boy's face and left, proud of herself for twice defeating the "enemy".

People were very happy to have a friend like Kim. She was friendly and gentle, but had an aura of "I can kick your a** anytime if you make me mad" about her. Being who she was, Kim was always ready to help others. She had even helped her parents design a sort of harness that she could wear, and to which people in wheelchairs could hitch themselves up to so that she could get them to class faster. Kim was a horse, and thus travelled faster than her fellow college students did, and they took advantage of this when she travelled to and from the bus terminal. She would allow two people up on her back at a time, and would walk, trot, canter or gallop to the terminal, depending on how much time they had to catch a bus. She always wore a rope that acted as a bit/reins for the less secure riders, and so that she could know when they wanted her to slow down or stop, if she couldn't hear them over the sound of her hooves on the gravel and concrete. One one occasion, with an experienced rider aboard, Kim was made aware that the person's bus was passing them, and, since they had reached a gap in the concrete division that separated the pedestrian walkway and the bus lane, Kim went through it and stopped. Her rider checked behind them for oncoming traffic. There was none. So he leaned forward, brought his reins up and forward and yelled "yah" as he gave her a hearty kick. Kim's forelegs raised off the ground involuntarily and she lowered her head. Then, scrambling, she set off as fast as possible in chase of the bus. With every forward lurch, she gained fast on the vehicle until she was lined up with the door. The driver opened it and the rider stood on her back, balanced and jumped into the bus. Then, the rider turned and waved to Kim as the door closed. Kim pricked her ears and then folded them back as an answer. Those that had witnessed it could have sworn they were in a far west movie! Kim could have kept running this way for hours, loving the feeling of wind whipping at her mane and her hooves barely kissing the ground before they shot up again, but she knew she was in the bus lane and had to get out, so she checked behind her for oncoming traffic. Seeing none, she swerved to the far side of the lane, rushed and leapt the barrier with ease. Then, she broke to a trot and trotted to her waiting trailer, enjoying the enthusiastic applause of the bystanders as she passed.

However, her life was to take a very wrong turn that would last for the better part of 5 years. On her way home late from school one night, she was walking down a quiet and dark street when she felt a rope tighten around her neck. "What the?!?" She jumped up and to the left in surprise and stood there, frightened and pulling against the rope. She saw a form emerge from the darkness which she didn't recognize. She saw a piece of cloth and a bridle in a man's hand and knew she was in trouble. She reared and lunged against the rope, yelling for help. She tried to intimidate the man by charging him. He fell backwards and she made a break for it. What she didn't know was that the rope had been tied securely to a large tree. The rope went taught and literally knocked her off her feet. She landed hard on her side and lay there, wheezing, waves of pain pulsing through her body. She heard footsteps approaching and tried desperately to get up, but she was in too much pain to escape in time. She felt one person kneeling on her outstretched neck, thus pinning her down. She kicked with her legs, trying to get up, but in vain. Large hands came towards her and pried her mouth open. Moving with lightning speed, she lunged and felt her teeth sink into human flesh and crush bone. The man screamed in agony and hit her repeatedly to make her let go as she shook her head from side to side, grinding what bones were left into oblivion. One blow landed on her eye and she let go immediately. Despite his intense pain, the man grabbed her forelocks and lifted her head. A bit was forced into her mouth and she could no longer call for help. With one mighty effort, she got up, and her head was immediately pulled down. The cloth covered her eyes and she was blind. She reared and bucked but she was caught and she knew it. She pulled back as she felt pressure on her mouth. Whoever it was wanted to take her somewhere. She balked. A sudden, very painful surge of electricity went through her rump as someone applied a cattle-prod. She jumped up and forward and immediately was led forward again. She balked and again was hit with electricity. She felt her front feet hit the wooden ramp leading up to what she assumed was a trailer. Now terrified, she pulled back on the bit and turned in circles, trying desperately to evade to prod again. She was lathering so much that her Arabian chestnut body was almost entirely white. She felt the surge again and this time, she lowered her head and unleashed a powerful kick that she felt hit home. Immediately, the pressure on the bit was released and disoriented, she plunged forward, right into the waiting trailer. The door slammed shut so loudly that she jumped again. She was trapped. She kicked and neighed and tried to shed the blindfold, but to no avail. It was no good. She heard voices behind her saying "Jerry, get over here. That little nag did lots of damage! Marge, can you hear me?" Silence. "Get her in the truck. She needs a doctor!" There was scuffling, then several car doors slammed shut and the truck shook to life. Kim started neighing and kicking again, but nearly lost her balance as the ground moved out from under her. "Where are they taking me? What's going on? Why are they doing this to me?" were only a few of the several questions that pulsed through her head. She suddenly felt dizzy and lay down just as she felt herself slip out of consciousness.

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