Runaways (Orphans 5)

"Can't we just ride around in your Jeep?" Crystal pleaded.

"It's not the same. You want to feel what it's like, experience authenticity. You're the one who's learning all about us," Tommy kidded.

Crystal's face fell.

"Stop worrying," Tommy said. "You'll do fine. I'll give you Horse With No Name."

"No name? Why doesn't he have a name?" Crystal asked.

"He never stands still long enough for us to get him to understand one," Tommy said.

"What?" She cried.

Everyone laughed. Then we got up and helped carry the rest of the dishes back to the house. Afterward, Anita came out to watch Tommy saddle the horses and the pony for Butterfly. He began with a little lecture about riding.

"Your horses will all follow mine," he assured us. "They are trained to do that, so don't worry. The key is never panic, never transmit your fear to the animal. He will sense it and he will become nervous. You're in control."

He helped Butterfly mount the pony. She looked like she had been put on a throne. Never had we seen her look more radiant and happy. When I looked back at Anita, I saw her standing there, her arms folded, staring with a small smile on her lips.

Tommy shouted something to her in language we didn't understand and she shook her head.

"You just be careful with them, Tommy Edwards, policeman," she warned. He laughed.

"Okay, girls. Do what I told you to do," he said. We nudged our horses with the heels of our shoes and they started after Tommy. Everyone bounced a bit. Crystal was holding on for dear life.

"Tommy said not to hold the saddle," Raven reminded her.

"I know what he said," Crystal quipped. She held her breath, closed her eyes and continued to look terrified as we trailed along toward the mountains, the four of us, never expecting in our wildest

imaginations to be on horses with a Navajo Native American showing us his world of natural wonders.

Despite her fears, Crystal enjoyed the ride as much as any of us. She and Tommy talked about rocks and animals, the desert and the Navajo people. Raven was a natural and Butterfly looked like she could ride forever on her pony. We really didn't go that far, but it seemed that way to us. At one point we stopped to rest and Tommy asked us more questions about our life back at Lakewood. Crystal explained why we felt trapped. That was when Tommy revealed he had been adopted, too.

"I was still with family," he said. "My uncle and aunt."

"What happened to your father and mother?" Raven asked.

"My mother had me out of wedlock. My father never acknowledged me and my mother's parents were very upset. You might have caught Anita smiling a little when you asked if I was a full- blooded Navajo. Some felt I wasn't. I think the most important thing is what's in your heart. That will tell people who you really are. All the rest is superficial. You know what that means."

"If we didn't, Crystal would jump to tell us," Raven inserted. Tommy laughed.

"You have a different sort of saddle sore, girls. It comes from traveling with each other," he added, laughing. "But," he added after a moment of looking at us, "I bet you would fight like a trapped mountain lion if someone tried to separate you all from each other now."

"Yes," I said. "We would."

He nodded, and a look of sadness crossed his face.

"The sun's descent tells me it's about threethirty. We had better head back. I have some chores to do and a short patrol before dinner," he added.

We mounted and started back, watching the sun reach the top of the mountains The shadows grew longer in some places, filling the crevices and valleys with a soft darkness. Above us a hawk cut a wide circle in the sky. Tommy said it could see a desert rat even from that height.

What a strange and wonderful world this place was, I thought. For a while it had made us forget our dreams. Raven hadn't talked about being a singing star. Crystal didn't mention school, and I had stopped fantasizing about finding my real mother.

Anita was waiting for us when we returned. We expected to get off the horses and that would be that, but Tommy explained that we had to walk them a little and he wanted us to help put away the livery.

"You must take good care of the things you love out here or you won't have them long," he told us.

"Sometimes, that doesn't help," Anita commented. Their eyes met for a moment and he looked away. Butterfly was excused to return to the house with her so she could wash up and help Anita prepare our supper. "I'll get the beds ready, too," Anita said.