Soul Riders (Book 1)

by Helena Dahlgren

  “Hiya! Where did you sneak off to yesterday? Come on, I’ll take you to the office so you can get your schedule. If we have chemistry together, you could be my lab partner. My previous one got, uh, tired of my experiments. She preferred the periodic table to action, if you catch my drift. But you look like you like chemistry, too—am I right or am I right?”

  Before Lisa had a chance to answer, Alex firmly grabbed her arm and walked her over to the office. The principal was waiting to give her a welcome speech, locker keys, her schedule, and, almost certainly, a few words on the importance of being punctual, because that’s how it had been at every school she’d previously attended.

  Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. She seemed to have already made a friend on Jorvik . . . and, as she thought about the girl who she bumped into, possibly an enemy, as well.

  Alex seemed to read her mind: “Hey, don’t worry about Sabine. She’s pretty new here, too, but doesn’t exactly seem to be keeping a low profile. Proper weirdo, if you ask me. Same goes for her BFF Jessica; they act as it they owned the place, always stirring up trouble and picking fights.”

  Great, Lisa thought to herself. Two of them to watch out for. Sabine seemed like the last person in the world she’d want to end up in a fight with; the girl looked like she could punch through a brick wall.

  Alex continued, “They’re both bad news, but Sabine’s worse. No point speculating about who’s peed in her cornflakes this particular morning. Her horse is scary, too. His name’s Khaan. Did you see him yesterday? Seriously creepy. Tried to bite Tin-Can the other week, but he’ll live to regret that. No one messes with my little troll pony; he’s cockier than he has a right to be.”

  Lisa laughed. She noticed that it was easy to laugh when she was with Alex. She followed Alex to their English classroom to begin her first day of school in Jorvik.

  After her morning classes, which were mostly spent forgetting the names of everyone she met, Alex led Lisa over to a slightly younger boy wearing a Jarlaheim Mustangs baseball cap. During their journey over to the island, her dad had told her the Jarlaheim Mustangs were the local basketball team. A very popular team, apparently. The boy in the baseball cap was dribbling a basketball through the schoolyard.

  “This is my little brother, James,” Alex said.

  “Hey,” he grunted in a faltering teenage voice without dropping the ball. Lisa noticed that both siblings shared the same golden-brown eyes. And they both had that look she’d already caught several times in Alex’s eyes. It was a glint that seemed to promise pranks and mischief. It was also the very same glint she’d seen in Tin-Can’s eyes.

  On their way to the school cafeteria, they passed a girl with long, black hair and holding an enormous stack of books in her arms. She looked very serious but lit up when she spotted Alex.

  “Alex, would you mind opening my locker for me? I can’t get it open and I need to get a book out of it.”

  “Of course,” Alex replied, and winked at Lisa. “The ones you’re already lugging around clearly aren’t heavy enough. Obviously you’ll need more books!”

  They both jumped when Alex broke into the locker with a bang. Pleased, she folded up her pocketknife—which definitely wasn’t allowed on school property—and slipped it back into her pocket.

  “This is Linda, a future winner of the Nobel Prize,” Alex said. “Linda, this is Lisa. She’s new to Jorvik. She’s the one I told you about last night at the stable.”

  Linda Chanda smiled and held out her hand. Somehow, she managed to balance her stack of books, now taller by two—a history book and a thick novel—while giving Lisa a surprisingly firm handshake.

  “Welcome to Jorvik, Lisa! Why don’t you come to the stables with us after school? Though come to think of it, I should actually get started on my English essay this afternoon . . .”

  “As if you’re getting anything other than an A on it, Linda,” Alex said, nudging her.

  Linda waved her hand dismissively and turned to Lisa.

  “I hope you’ll like it here. Do you live near the stables?”

  “Not too far,” Lisa replied. “What about you?”

  “I live here in central Jarlaheim with my aunt,” Linda replied. “And my cat, Misty.”

  “And she has her own separate entrance!” Alex interrupted. “Extremely useful for parties, among other things. Shouldn’t we throw one soon, by the way?”

  “In your dreams,” Linda muttered. “My aunt would never let me . . . I swear, that woman has a sixth sense when it comes to parties. Don’t you remember when we had that sleepover at your place last summer and she just happened to turn up with a freshly baked pie just as we were about to start watching a horror movie?”

  They continued walking toward the cafeteria. Alex suggested they sit out at one of the tables on the school’s large patio. While they were waiting in line to buy their lunches, they discussed the big upcoming harvest festival.

  “You have to do the Light Ride with us, Lisa,” Alex said, her eyes beaming. “It’s a Jorvik tradition. Everyone takes their horses out for a night ride during the Aideen Festival. Lanterns, horses, and people dressed up in old-timey clothes. It’s really fun!”

  On their way out to the patio, they said hi to a girl Lisa hadn’t seen before. She was tall, blond, and looked like she was in a hurry. She accidentally bumped Lisa’s arm, causing most of her milk to slosh over her tray.

  “I’m so sorry!” the girl exclaimed. Lisa could tell her apology was genuine. She nodded and smiled warmly at the other girl, who rushed on through the cafeteria.

  “That was Anne von Blyssen,” Alex said after they sat down at one of the tables. She made a bit of a face.

  “She’s kind of full of herself sometimes,” Linda explained. “Though she is an amazing dressage rider. You’ll see her and her horse, Concorde, at the stable later if you come with us.”

  “Our horses, Tin-Can and Meteor, actually seem to be best friends with Concorde,” Linda said. “You have to come with us after school today!”

  The stable. Lisa suddenly felt herself close up. Was she really ready? Last time, it had ended with her fleeing the scene. She didn’t think she could endure another panic attack, especially if Sabine and her monster horse showed up again. Maybe even Jessica, too. What if Jessica also had a monster horse? She wanted to ask the others but was apprehensive. Because if that was the case, then that alone would be a good enough reason to stay away from the stables. Despite her fears, there was something about these girls. Lisa liked being with them. It kind of felt like a new door had opened for her. Wouldn’t it be silly of her to shut them out without finding out what they and their beloved stables were all about?

  “Sure, maybe,” Lisa said slowly. “I just find horses a bit scary.”

  She paused to take a bite of her sandwich. She chewed it thoroughly before looking up, because she could tell the other two were staring at her as though she were completely insane.

  “You . . . don’t like horses?” Alex and Linda asked in unison. “But why?”

  “Seriously, Lisa, I’m not even sure it’s legal to move to Jorvik if you don’t like horses,” Alex said. “It’s, like, in our constitution, or whatever.”

  “No, I mean, I do like horses,” Lisa stammered, and wished she had something else clever to say. Something kind of funny to gloss things over, so they could stop talking about this.

  “I actually rode for years,” she continued. “But I was, um, kicked by a pony in the stable when I was twelve, and I’ve kept my distance from horses ever since. It probably didn’t help seeing Sabine’s horse yesterday. I thought he was going to attack me.”

  “Poor you!” Linda exclaimed. “That must have been so scary for you. But look, Khaan probably isn’t as bad as he seems. You know, those creepy scars and the scary, rolling black eyes, and . . .”

  “Yeah, thanks, don’t remind me!” Lisa joking
ly raised her hands as if trying to fend Linda off.

  Linda pressed on, “Come on, he can’t be that bad. He’s a horse, isn’t he? If I were you, I’d worry more about Khaan’s rider.”

  “So, he’s from Jorvik Stables?”

  “No. I think Khaan’s boarded at some private stable down the road,” Linda replied.

  Suddenly Alex got up from the table and signaled for the others to follow her. She looked like she had spotted something. Lisa and Linda left their trays on the table and followed her from the shady patio out into the verdant schoolyard.

  “Speak of the devil,” Alex whispered, tiptoeing over to the bushes that separated the schoolyard from the parking lot. “Look who has a visitor.”

  They saw Sabine standing by a monstrous, dark blue and green SUV with the letters DC on the sides and back doors. Sabine’s head only just reached above the door as she looked up at the driver.

  “Wow, you could fit an elephant in there!” Alex whispered. “What do you think they’re talking about?”

  The girls could barely breathe. None of them said a word. It felt like they’d accidentally strayed too close to something dangerous. A silent understanding hung heavily between them.

  The driver had rolled the tinted window down enough for them to see that it was a man. The distance made it difficult to guess his age. His face had sharp features that looked as if they’d been carved from stone, and his skin was almost sickly pale. He was wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and an old-fashioned, red bowtie. Was he some type of businessman? That’s what he certainly looked like.

  While the driver spoke softly to Sabine, his fingers moved over the steering wheel like long, gangling spider legs.

  The girls were too far away to hear what Sabine and the man were saying. Linda silently pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. Alex gave her a thumbs-up.

  Suddenly, Sabine looked up, straight at the bushes where they were hiding. She sniffed the air like a predator. For a split second, she no longer seemed like a teenager in a parking lot, but rather something ageless and menacing. A cloud blocked the sun. Lisa froze when she noticed that Sabine’s eyes were black and expressionless. Just like Khaan’s.

  Lisa shuddered. Were the others seeing the same thing she was?

  The SUV suddenly drove off at high speed, skidding out through the school gates. The enormous tires left smoking tracks on the pavement. Sabine hadn’t moved. She was still staring straight in their direction. Could she see them all hiding in the bushes? She quickly slinked toward the bushes. Sabine made Lisa remember a very strong tiger she had seen in the zoo when she was little. Sabine was tall and powerful and prowled along the bushes just like an animal stalking its prey. Lisa recalled the tiger’s triumphant look when he proudly displayed his lifeless prey.

  They held their breath, preparing to run.

  “She’s coming this way!” Linda gasped.

  Just then, the bell rang. A group of loud students walked past them and moved toward the school entrance. Sabine gave the shrubbery one last look, then turned toward the other students. Finally, she started walking back toward the school building.

  Lisa, Linda, and Alex exchanged looks. Linda slipped her phone back into her pocket.

  “Do you think she saw us?” Lisa whispered breathlessly. They huddled together, giggling nervously. What was going on?

  7

  When the bell rang after their final class, most of the students were in a hurry to get home. Everyone except Lisa, who lingered by the entrance to watch her new classmates rush out, toward lives, activities, and interests she knew nothing about.

  She had nowhere to go other than home, and on her way there she thought about what to do about going to the stables. When she said goodbye to Linda and Alex after lunch, they exchanged phone numbers and agreed to get in touch later. She was grateful they didn’t demand an answer about the stables right then and there.

  As she slowly passed the bushes where she, Alex, and Linda had hidden during the lunch break, she thought about what they had witnessed in the parking lot. The strange way Sabine suddenly resembled a wild animal. Lisa thought back again to the menacing tiger from her childhood experience before shaking her head to clear the thoughts. It was probably just her imagination running away with her.

  When she got home, she finished her application to The Jorvik Academy for the Performing Arts and clicked the “submit” button. It felt good to think about something other than the strange events of the day. She texted her dad to ask what time he’d be home and what they were going to have for dinner. It was a while before her phone dinged.

  Hi Isa! Checking things out on the platform today. Might be a bit late. Around eight, at the latest. Will pick up burgers on the way home, okay? Love Dad.

  Lisa sighed loudly and replied: Okay. LISA. No love at the end.

  She made herself a couple of sandwiches and ate them standing up in the kitchen. After putting the butter and cheese back in the fridge, which was empty aside from some leftovers from the weekend, she ran her fingers over the kitchen counter. It was already dusty. She could see the imprints from her fingers on the shiny marble countertop.

  A silent and suffocating feeling came over her. She needed a distraction.

  She should check her schedule and try to catch up on biology, where she was apparently behind. But that was going to have to wait.

  She finally decided to ride her bike over to the stables after all. She tried to calm her nerves by singing all the way there, an old country song. She figured it might work as an audition piece if she ended up being called in to the Academy.

  This time, she had an easier time finding her way. As the tall gates loomed ahead of her, her stomach contracted into a cold, hard ball. She hesitated for a second and then took a deep breath before walking her bike through the stable yard.

  Linda was in the aisle of one of the stables, grooming a slightly rotund, chestnut-colored horse with a shiny white mane. The horse was chewing on a hay bale that had slid down onto the floor. A saddle, bridle, and a saddlebag of the same distinctive model that Alex had were all lying on the stool next to them.

  “Oh, hi, Lisa!” Linda called out happily and waved to her. “I’m so glad you decided to come! This is Meteor.” Linda stroked the horse tenderly. “My best friend.”

  Meteor didn’t notice her and continued to chew.

  Lisa decided to move a little closer to Meteor. Have courage, she thought, gritting her teeth. One step at a time. Baby steps. Linda smiled encouragingly.

  “Meteor is the world’s cuddliest horse. Would you like to groom him? He loves being groomed. He’ll even fall asleep standing up. If you want to put that old fear of yours behind you, you won’t find a better horse to practice on.”

  Lisa hesitated, but Meteor really did look friendly, and he was so busy munching down on hay that he barely gave her a nod. Meteor looked a bit older than the other horses in the stable, with gray streaks in his tail and mane. Even so, he still seemed healthy and strong.

  He’s probably a good jumper, Lisa thought.

  She took the brush and curry comb from Linda and started grooming Meteor with long, even strokes. Her muscles methodically remembered what to do before Lisa herself did.

  “You’ve done this before,” Linda said.

  “I guess they say it’s like riding a bike,” Lisa replied. “But I never understood that expression—I’m terrible at riding my bike! But this feels like something I did yesterday. Even though it’s been three, almost four . . .”

  She stopped, wondering if she should tell Linda the truth about why she avoided horses. Lisa felt like a novice when it came to the whole friendship thing. She’d never had a close friend. She wanted to open up to Linda, but she didn’t know how. But she’d seen enough movies and TV shows to get that this was one of those pivotal moments. An opportunity to actually tell someone who wanted
to listen.

  Lisa braced herself. She blurted it out quickly, before she could stop herself.

  “It was . . . a riding accident. I was okay, but my mom wasn’t. That’s why I’m afraid,” she whispered.

  Her tears came pouring out. At first, Linda looked slightly uncomfortable, like she wasn’t sure how to comfort Lisa. Then she put her arms around Lisa and simply told her, “I’m so sorry.” As Lisa continued to cry, Meteor stood motionless next to them, as if he were guarding the girls. They could both feel his warmth, his reassuring smell. Linda didn’t let go, and Lisa was surprised to realize she didn’t want to either.

  “Thank you,” Lisa said eventually. For a while, Meteor’s stubborn chewing was the only sound in the quiet stable. Then the silence was broken by a few riding students leading their ponies into the stable after a lesson.

  Lisa bent down and picked some straw from her sneakers.

  Her eyes were swollen. Her voice wavered as she desperately tried to switch the topic to anything else but her.

  “I’ll tell you what happened another time. And thank you for the equine therapy. He really is super sweet, your horse. Actually, is he yours?” she asked. “I’m not completely sure how that works here yet.”

  “Meteor’s mine,” Linda said. “My parents bought him for me when we moved here as a bribe so they could keep working all the time.”

  “I know how that goes,” Lisa replied. “My dad operates in a different price range, though. Takeaway food and ice cream money and such. In a year or two, I’ll probably have eaten a pony.” She paused. “I mean, not literally.”

  They both laughed a little.

  Linda studied her horse lovingly. “I was born in Pakistan and we moved here when I was just seven years old. Jorvik is so completely different. It’s like a fairy-tale island. We really loved it here, my family and I, but then my mom and dad both got offered jobs in the UK. They obviously wanted me to come with them.” Linda paused briefly. “But I liked my school. I had friends. And I had just met this one.” She patted Meteor tenderly. “I just couldn’t go with them. So, they arranged for me to stay here in Jorvik with my Aunt Amal.”