Free Charlotte and the Starlet 2 by Dave Warner

lot of flaws but it knew
how to treat a star. Leila exerted all her willpower to
stop giving Mark the Shark a spray right then and
there. O'Regan led her off, Leila struggling with the
writhing monsters on her back. She looked over at the
faded carousel, the flea-bitten Shetlands and the sad
clowns with make-up running in the heat. Suddenly
she felt like Laura Desmond or whoever that old babe
was in that movie classic Sunset Boulevard. Stuck with
freaks, forgotten. A tear snuck out of her eye. Please
Charlotte, she prayed, get me out of this.

    'I have to do something.' Charlotte paced her bedroom,
trying to think clearly. It wasn't easy. Every time
she tried to come up with a course of action all she
could see was poor Leila. Hannah suggested they try
to find Miss Strudworth.
    'The only person who would know where she's
staying is Chadwick, and he's the last person who
would help.'
    'On all those TV crime shows my mum watches
they say you have twenty-four hours to find the missing
person before the trail goes cold.'
    Charlotte shot her a look and Hannah realised she
had been insensitive.
    'Sorry, I wasn't thinking.'
    'No. You're right. We have to act fast. The good
thing is we have tonight and tomorrow off.'
    Tomorrow, Sunday, was the one day the girls had no
lessons. Normally they just mucked around, having
fun with their horses, but that wasn't a choice available
to Charlotte right now. She was so frustrated at not
being able to think her way through this. She needed
somebody who would be objective and think through
the problem logically. Hannah was smart but she
deferred too much to Charlotte. She needed somebody
who would tell her if she was being an idiot ...
    Snap. She had the very person.
    'Hannah, can I borrow Lightning?'

    It was dusk, the moon just beginning to glow.
Charlotte lay along the branch of a white gum tree,
still as wood. She had learned to do this growing up in
Snake Hills. Sometimes you needed to look out for a
stray cow, or to find the dingoes that were raiding the
pens. Lightning was tethered about a hundred metres
down the ridge in thick scrub, hidden. She checked
her watch. Nearly 6.30. Maybe they weren't coming?
And then what would she do?
    That's when she heard the faint but unmistakable
sound of galloping hooves. She checked her supply of
pebbles. Nice round ones that would go straight and
hit the target. The sound of approaching horses
increased. They were maybe fifty metres away, four or
five horses and riders. Charlotte angled down and
looked back along the track as the first of the party
appeared. She was looking for a big black stallion but
this one was brown. The rider passed below Charlotte
without ever knowing she was above him. A chestnut
then another brown horse followed. And then another
brown horse. All the riders were intent on what lay
directly ahead, not above them. Charlotte's hopes
plunged. There was no sign of the black stallion. She
would have to look elsewhere for help.
    Just as she was about to climb down, she heard the
drum of hooves. The black stallion came charging
around the bend, obviously in pursuit of those horses
that had already passed. His rider sat quietly urging
him on. Charlotte yelled but the sound was lost in
the horse's rhythmic gallop. No time for the pebbles
at the pace they were going.
    Which left no alternative. As the rider passed
beneath her, Charlotte dropped.
    Her arms wrapped around the rider, her momentum
toppling them both sideways.
    Crunch.
    They hit the dirt hard. The rider picked himself up,
confused and angry.
    'You idiot, what do you think ...' Todd's voice
trailed off. 'Charlotte?'
    Warrior had stopped just up ahead. Charlotte
struggled to her feet.
    'Sorry. I yelled but you didn't hear me.'
    He softened just a little.
    'You could have broken my collarbone. And your
own.'
    'But I didn't.'
    Todd's face cracked into a smile.
    'Okay. But you owe me.'
    'I had to speak to you.'
    'Ever heard of a telephone?'
    'This couldn't wait until