Free A Hundred Horses by Sarah Lean Page A

sighed away a deep breath and continued.
    “The girl took all the other ninety-nine horses to a safe place while she waited for the hundredth horse to come just for her. But then one day, while she was locked in the castle, some guards came and broke down the door and took her away because they said it wasn’t safe there anymore with the battle getting worse. They put her in another castle far, far away, and it made her wild to be away from the horses. But she was trapped and couldn’t climb out of the other castle.
    “Eventually, after a long, long time, when they thought she wasn’t so wild, they took her to another castle, and she realized she could escape from this one. She climbed out of the window and traveled for miles and miles and found the horses again. And she’s been waiting for the hundredth horse ever since.”
    I put my hand in Angel’s pocket. She was quiet again. She smoothed Belle’s neck. And I waited.
    “Do you think she’ll ever find it?”
    Angel’s voice was barely a whisper. “Of course she will.”
    I didn’t care that the story was made up, that it finished abruptly. I just liked that Angel had told it to me. Not many people tell you stories. And I sort of understood what it was like for the princess waiting for something just for her. It made me think of the carousel. It made me think that looking for the tin girl was just like waiting for the hundredth horse.
    I heard Belle’s hooves crunch on the stony track as she stopped near Aunt Liv’s.
    “You’re good at telling stories,” I said. “But when it’s real life, you should tell the truth.”
    Angel turned around, the moon shining in her eyes. “Some stories are true,” she said.
    What if it is true? I thought as I took my hand out of Angel’s pocket and looked down at the pale goose feather spinning in my fingers.

Twenty-Five
    A lfie, Gem, and I went up to Keldacombe village. Aunt Liv gave us some pocket money to buy Easter cards and chocolate eggs for one another. On the sweet shop door I saw a notice. It said: KELDACOMBE SPRING PARADE AND FAIR.
    “What’s the Spring Parade?” I asked.
    “It’s a celebration of springs,” said Gem.
    “She means the spring equinox,” said Alfie. “It’s when the nighttime and daytime are as long as each other. It’s our tradition; everyone comes out at night and dresses up.”
    “Do you want to be in the parade too?” said Gem. “’Cause we can ask Mom to make you a costume.”
    “What do you have to do?” I said.
    “Nothing much. You just walk up and down,” said Alfie. “People clap when you go past, and then everyone goes to the fair to eat candy.”
    “It’s next Friday night,” Gem chirped, “and we’re allowed to stay up late.”
    “We’ve got a cart to decorate,” said Alfie, “and Mom’s going to put some lights on it so we glow in the dark. Except she can’t find the cart just now.”
    “This year we’re going as peas,” said Gem.
    “Peas?” I said.
    “Yeah, peas,” Alfie said, his cheeks glowing, “because Mom is going to grow lots of sweet peas this year. She’s going to be making something from the flowers.”
    “What, like tea?” I said.
    “No, silly,” said Gem. “Soup.”
    “She means soap,” said Alfie.
    “No, thanks,” I said. “I hate school plays and things like that, where you have to be onstage with everyone watching. I’ll just come and watch you.”
     
    Aunt Liv said I could go to Rita’s to write out my Easter cards.
    I liked the way Rita smiled when I came in, made room on her bed so I could sit there. Mostly I was hoping Angel would be there, though.
    I thought about telling Rita that Angel and I had gone out riding on Belle and we’d found her now and all the stuff that had happened in the night. But it was our secret. It seemed to belong to us and nobody else.
    Rita chatted about the sheep and geese and horses and other animals she used to have on the farm. I tried to cover up my yawning so she didn’t think