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Chapter One: Just A Dream




'Where am I?', Margret thought to herself. She was in a very familiar place, but she couldn't figure out what was so familiar about it. It kind of reminded her of a stage surrounded by a wall of impenatrable trees. The sky was cut off by a cathedral-like arch, made by the trees. There was, however, a small opening in the leaves, where the moon shone through, putting her in a spotlight. She soon felt as if she was being watched, but she had no idea of whom. Then, just before she called out to whomever was watching her, she heard hoofbeats. Turning towards the source of the sounds, she found herself face to face with a beautiful black mare. This horse, just like the clearing itself, made a sort of click in Margret's mind.

"Clearheart?" Margret cautiously reached out her hand to touch the horse's muzzle. She hesitated just before she touched it, and the horse, Clearheart, pressed her nose against Margret's hand. She smiled at the mare, and pressed her head against the horse's face. "It's really you! I can't believe I forgot about you. I'm sorry, can you ever forgive me?"

Clearheart nipped at Margret's hair and she heard a voice. Of course I can forgive you, it said. If not you, then no one. The voice was that of a teenage girl, and it had a shadow behind it. Not as if it was keeping a secret, but as if it was a secret itself. The sound warmed Margret, and her eyes welled up with tears.
"You saved me that day. Not just from my injury, but you saved me from my fear." Margret smiled. "Even if you are a Night Mare."

Ironic, isn't it? Clearheart rubbed her muzzle against Margret's cheek, in a horse-like kiss. This made Margret giggle, and she threw her arms around Clearheart's neck, running her fingers through the soft hair. It felt like liquid darkness, as if she were touching the sky. And her fur was so soft, it was like petting the wind. Margret rubbed her cheek against the smooth hide and enjoyed the plesant feeling.
"You've actually grown. And you were enormous before. How big do you get before you stop?" Margret compared her height to the height of the mare's shoulders.

I was only enormous then because you were very small. I haven't grown much since then, but I'm planning on reaching ten feet before I stop growing. There was a sense of pride in Clearheart's voice that made Margret laugh.

"Well, you've certainly gotten off to a good start." Clearheart laughed, making Margret think of a babbling brook. It was beautiful to listen to. "Clearheart, why is your horn clear? And your hooves?"

Clearheart looked at her, then said softly, They are clear, because it is your favorite gemstone, is it not? Diamond? She tilted her head, looking like a young filly.

"Yeah, diamond is my favorite, but...wow." She looked at the horn. "That's a lot of diamond. You know, you're lucky. You didn't have to pay for it. The only diamonds I have are two stud earings, and they costed a fortoune." She ran her fingers towards the top of the mare's horn, then let them slide back down.
She started to pet Clearheart's neck, when an annoying buzzing noise came from somewhere outside the clearing. It got louder and louder, until Margret had to clamp her hands over her ears to keep the sound out. She looked at Clearheart, just in time to see her rear, then run. She thought she faintly heard a, We'll meet again soon, Margret. She smiled at the thought, and allowed the buzzing noise to take her away from her dream, and into the world of the waking.

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Margret sat up and stretched her arms. 'Stupid morning', she thought. 'Starts too damn early.' She yawned and got out of bed, turning off her alarm clock. Walking over to her closet, she passed by hear painting easle, and decided that she would paint a picture of Clearheart. It was the best inspiration she'd had in weeks.
She threw on a black t-shirt and blue jeans, putting her hair up in a quick ponytail. Just then, her phone rang, and she ran to answer it, tripping over several books on the way. She picked up her cell phone and flipped it open, pressing it agianst her ear.

"Sophie? What is it?" Margret sat down on her bed, listening to the matter-of-fact voice of one of her best friends.

"Did you work on your part of the project last night, Margret?" Sophie asked, her tone hinting that she already knew the answer.

"Of course I did..." Margret paused, "well, most of it."

"Margret! You're never going to get out of high school like that! Finish it before tomorrow, and I'm not going to help you!" There was a click and the line went dead. Margret sighed.

"Yes, mother," she said to no one in particular. She got up and started packing her things, making sure to put her homework in a very easy to reach and easy to find place. She double checked and threw the bag over her shoulder. Running down the hall, she stopped just outside her younger sister's room. They were really close in age, since they weren't actually blood sisters. Opening the door, Margret stepped into total darkness, save for the computer screen, which was still on.

Margret rolled her eyes and flipped the light switch, causing Alice to yell at her.
"Turn it off!" She rolled over, clamping a pillow over her head. "You're gonna kill me!"

"Oh, go pull the other one. It won't kill you. It's good for you. Now get up and get ready for classes. It's not my fault if you're late. Alice mumbled something about Margret getting up too early, and then sat up grumpily. She stuck her toung out at Martha and got up to get dressed. Margret returned the favor and walked out of the room, smiling. She walked down the steps and into the kitchen,smiling at her mother and her step-dad. "Good morning."

"Good morning, love," Martha said and kissed her head.

"Good morning, Margret," Luke said to her and shot her a smile. Margret returned it and sat at the table across from him.

"What's the weather going to be like, today?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, dreadful. Says here we're going to have nothing but sunshine and warm temperatures." Margret giggled, and Luke smiled goofily.

"I wish," Margret sighed.

Martha looked at both of them fondly. She was happy that her daughter was able to get along with Luke so well.

"Margret, where's your sister?" She looked around the room.

"She's upstairs, complaining that the light's going to kill her. I think she was up all night on the computer again."

Just then, Alice came walking down the stairs, dressed and ready. She sat down on Margret's right and layed her head on the table, folding her arms beneath it. Martha looked at her and sighed. "Head up at the table, Alice. And keep your elbows off it." Alice groaned, but did as she was told. The table was soon filled with food, and Martha sat down with the others. Everyone started loading their plates, and then, the eating started.

Once Margret finished all of her food, she excused herself from the table and left the kitchen. She practically fell onto the couch, and glanced at the clock. There was about five minutes left until she and Alice had to start walking. She warned Alice, then retreated into her own thoughts. She thought of Clearheart, and wondered just how soon soon was. She hoped it would be tonight. She really wanted to see her again.

Margret looked at the clock again and gasped. "Alice! We need to leave! Now!" Alice came running into the room with her stuff and the two shot out the door. Once the door was closed, Martha and Luke looked at each other slyly.
"Think they'll notice?" Martha asked.

"Yeah, when all the doors are locked and the lights off. Ah, cancelled school days are so much fun." They looked at eachother again and burst into laughter.

The two sisters were running in three feet of snow, and after they got about a block away from their house, they gave up and ran back. They barged into the house to find their parents, lying on the floor, clutching their sides and laughing like
maniacs. The girls looked at them with confusion, then looked at each other. They shrugged their shoulders and walked past the two mounds of unstoppable laughter, pretending not to notice them.

Margret nearly tripped when a hand grabbed a hold of her ankle. She looked down to see her mom, trying desperately to stifle her laughter and get up at the same time. Margret stood in that spot for about five minutes before her mom actually managed to stand. She put her hands on her daughter's shoulders and leaned close to her ear. "School was cancelled today." Margret's eyes widened and she pulled away, causing her mother to fall on the floor again. She stood up more easily this time, and offered her daughter a sappy smile as an explination.
"Mum! You'd send your own daughter out into the freezing cold snow to go to school when there wasn't even school that day! I ought to murder you!" Alice heard her from her room upstairs and bolted down the steps, yelling as she ran.
"What did you do?! There wasn't even any school today? You're joking! We went outside for nothing?!" She wailed, looking accusingly at her father. "Daddy, were you in on this?"

Luke looked up at her, trying to feign innocence, whilst crying with mirth. "Of course I didn't. It was all her fault!" He pointed at Martha. She saw it and scoffed.
"Oh, really. And who was the first one to break into laughter?" She poked his cheek.

"Um......" He smiled and seemed to give up. "Can't I win an argument for once?" He looked up pleadingly.

"Not agianst three girls. Women always win, right?" Martha looked up at the two, and smiled. The two were still fuming slightly, but couldn't help smiling at their parents' goofy behavior. They often wondered who was really older. Martha and Luke weren't really doing much for their side. They just kept looking more and more childish. Margret sighed and shrugged her shoulders. She walked up the stairs and locked herself into her room. She let herself fall onto her bed, then shot back up when she remembered her promise to paint Clearheart. She sat on the stool in front of the easle, and got her paints ready.

After she sat staring at the easle for the good part of thirty minutes, she finally found her inspiration and began to paint. She started with a layer of thin light blue, darkening it ever so slowly. When it was a nice navy color, she added a dark green to the bottom of the easle, letting the brush dart up in thin blades of grass. Then, a dark brown was added to the painting, in long cylindrical shapes, limbs branching out in the irregular form of trees. She added another dark green to the trees, giving them lush leaves. When her background was suitable, she began work on Clearheart herself. First, a dark gray was painted. Then, came a darker grey, almost black, leaving space only where the moon would highlight the glossy hide.

Margret was truly enjoying herself now. She added a very dark black in short thin strokes to the neck and rear, creating the mane and tail. She did the same for the thick feathers flowing over the hooves made of diamonds. A very dark shade of grey went to shadowing the muscles and other odd ends of the beautiful horse. A beautiful shining blue went to coloring the Night Mare's eyes. Lastly, white was used, in both thick and thin layers to make the horn and hooves of the beautiful creature. When she finally finished, she leaned back and took a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she took in the picture she painted with pride. Though it wasn't quite as beautiful as the real thing, she felt good about it anyway. She put her paints down and let her picture dry, then looked at the clock.

"Oh, crap! Did I really spend four hours doing that?" Her stomach growled, confirming what the clock told her. Margret sighed and left her room, heading to the kitchen. Martha was washing dishes and looked at her daughter with a sigh.
"Goodness, Margret. Finally out of your room?" She looked her over. "It looks as if you rolled around amongst your paints. Did you enjoy yourself?"

Margret looked at herself and gasped. She darted out of the kitchen as if the devil was on her tail, and returned mere moments later in clean clothing, with the paint wiped off of her face.

"Wow," Luke whistled. "Must be a new record. Twenty seconds and you're all cleaned up. Did you ever consider stage performing?" Margret stuck her tongue out at him and opened the fridge. She got out some turkey and cheese. After she layered them between two pieces of bread, she took a big bite of it and smiled. She finished it in six bites and sighed contentedly afterwords.

"I feel better." She reached for the pitcher of lemonade on the table, and poured it into the glass her mother set out for her. It was then that Alice came into the room. She looked at Margret and gave an over exaggerated gasp.

"It's alive!" She clapped her hand over her mouth and staggered a little. Luke laughed and Martha shrugged. Margret glared at Alice for all she was worth, and lunged at her.

"Don't call me 'it' like I'm some kind of object!"

"Girls, no fighting! Both of you go and feed your animals! It's about time they got some food!" Martha waved the soup ladle she'd been washing at the two girls. They ran off and got on their thickest clothes. The snow was three and a half feet high, so they would need it. Before they left the house, Margret looked back at her mother.

"Mom, if the animals get too cold, can we bring them in? They'll only stay until the snow melts, I promise!" Margret looked at her mother pleadingly, employing her puppy-dog eyes.

"Only if they get too cold and you promise they won't make any messes! We aren't taking care of them while you're out!"

"I promise! They'll stay in my room!" Margret ran out into the snow and tripped on something hidden beneath the whiteness. She lied in the cold for about three seconds, then shot up. Her face was all wet, and her hair was matted with snow. Alice couldn't help but laugh at her step-sister's comical appearence. Margret shot her a death glare and looked away. She got up and dusted the snow off of herself, and trudged towards the animal cages.

Dusti, Margret's dog, was barking at her like a maniac, and so was Alice's dog, Sadie. They were both leaping through the snow, their long legs carrying them like deer. It was then that Margret realized, that as huskies, they would be fine. Their breed often fared through snowy climates. The rabbits also looked fine. 'Of course. Mum's got a sort of knowing about these things. She knew that the animals would be fine.'

After the animals were fed, Alice went strait inside. She had a deep abhoring for cold temperatures. Margret, on the other hand, loved cold weather, so she stayed outside for a few more minutes. She inhaled the crisp, cold air, letting the freshness flow through her from the inside out. When she felt completely freshened, she went back inside and shed her outer clothing. "Mum, can you make some hot cocoa?" She trotted into the kitchen. She was smiling as if something just went her way. It put the two adults on edge, and Alice was on her guard. Margret looked at them with confusion. "What? Did I do something wrong?"
"You look a lot happier now than you did when you left. Why?" Martha looked at her daughter thoughtfully.

"The Prime Minister called," Margret said. "He says he's going to sign all of Britain to me."

"Liar." Alice looked at Margret, who faked a hurt look.

"How could you accuse me of such things?" She smiled and went up the stairs to her room. She looked at the project that Sophie had begged her so passionately to complete. Her other partner, though a little longer ago, also beseached her to finish her part. There was still a good week until the deadline, but the two seemed to want to get it done before Margret had time to procrastinate. She sighed. Sophie and Sarah could be so bossy sometimes. Margret sighed and sat down at the desk where the project lay. It was just a simple little model of the solar system. A little mobile, like the one that would be over a child's crib. Doing this made Margret feel as if she was five years old, doing an art project.
She had been working on it for the good part of two hours when sleep caught a hold of her, and she passed out on her desk.