Horse King (Phantom of the Opera)

Chapter 4 - Missing

Alexis's POV:

"JEWEL!" I screamed. My voice was hoarse from screaming and there was nothing to show for it. I collapsed to the dusty ground and held back the tears. It was mid afternoon and my little girl hadn't been seen all morning. No one had seen hide nor hair of her. Plus, one of the horses was missing. The hands didn't know how she had managed to saddle the horse but I knew. My little girl was smart. She could catch a horse and saddle it if she wanted to. I shook with the fear of what might happen to her. She might be smart but she was just a young girl.

I looked up and saw the Richard Down drive up. I ran over to his truck and didn't even have to say a word before he start to order the whole group around.

"Alexis, I want you to go into the house. I organize a search party and we will go look for her." He pointed toward the ranch house and Grandmother started to drag me that way. I didn't even have the strength to fight. I kept trying to say that I would go with them to help but they wouldn't listen. Finally I gave up. Grandmother fixed my a glass of ice tea and said,

"Don't worry. People have gone missing before and Sheriff Down always found them. He is a expert tracker. Don't worry." She patted my leg and I didn't listen to anything more. All I could do was sit there and worry. Grandmother and some of the ranch hands kept looking around the property but there was no sigh of her. They had practically tore the place up but there was no sigh. The missing horse was the main proof that she wasn't around. I tried to listen to Grandmother as she told me not to worry but no matter how much I tried I had the nagging feeling that it wouldn't be. My fears were all proven true when after dark had fallen Richard walked through the door alone. I stared at him and he shook his head.

"Not a sigh was found of her. She is gone, I fear. If my men and I can't find her no one can. There are three possibilities. One: she fell into the hands of the rustlers; two: she is dead, and," he hesitated before saying, "three: she is in the Horse King's hands. That is the one that I would fear the most. I don't believe he had any morals. The rustlers would at least offer a reward." I stared at him without moving. He had suggested that my daughter was dead. That wasn't possible. She was mine. She couldn't be dead. I looked out the door and saw that the moon was full and the stars were out. I could see everything. I turned toward him and said,

"Why did you stop when you could still see? There is still light!" He placed his hands on his hips.

"Alexis, she is brilliant to be sure but you don't need that freak around you. You can get a husband or boyfriend much easier without her! You tired to find her and you failed. Let her go!" I turned on him and punched him square in the jaw. He had dared to call my daughter a freak and I wasn't going to stand for it. The punch did nothing more than to put a bruise but it got my point across. I got right up in his face and said,

"How dare you call my daughter a freak! She is just as human as you are. Maybe a little more and if you aren't going to after them then I will. I will not leave my daughter out there alone. She is out there for sure. You want her to get eaten by mountain lions or coyotes! And I would much prefer to have her over any man." I stalked away. Pulling on my boots, I ran out to the barn. The second day I had been here I had been given a horse. His name was Ash and he was a beautiful gray dun quarter horse with black points. He was also the second place prize stallion in on the ranch. He was a beauty. While he was a spirited stallion he was also gentle and easy to manage.

I quickly saddled him up and with only my pocket knife to protect me I raced into the moonlit night. I was going after my daughter and no one was going to tell me no. I could hear Richard and Grandmother behind me but I paid them no mind. They might not care much about Jewel but she was mine.