Chapter Eleven - Oasis

Juliet helps me unload Marina from her horse trailer so that I can groom her before I have to get changed into my dressage competition attire. I quickly and carefully start braiding her mane into button braids. When I’ve finished braiding her mane, I check that her tail is properly pulled and trimmed. Once her hair is all properly groomed, I make sure that her coat is properly brushed and shiny and then I put hoof polish on her hooves. Once she is completely groomed, I collect my gear bag and head into the dressing room in the back of my horse trailer. I check that my shirt is clean and neatly ironed. I also check my breeches and coat to make sure that they are both clean and undamaged. Once I am certain that they are all in perfect competition order, I get dressed. Once I have everything on, I go outside and carefully sit on a stool to polish my boots. Once they are polished, Juliet helps me fix my stock tie. I start saddling Marina up ready to go, when they announce my name. I start fixing up her bridle, bit and reins, when I feel someone put a hand on my shoulder and I jump.

“Did I scare you?” I hear Nick say from behind me.

“No. Okay, sort of, I’m just nervous is all,” I tell him, as I finish fixing her head gear up. “I’m always nervous on competition day. I’m fine once I’m in the ring, but before that I always feel kind of nervous.”

“It’s okay, you’ll do great, I know you will,” Nick tells me with a smile and hug.

I hug him back before I pull back to look at his face. When I see his face he gives me a big grin, I nervously grin back at him. “I know I’ll do fine, I always do, I just always feel nervous no matter what,” I tell him as I nervously wring my hands.

“Oasis, you should finish getting ready to head over to the arena. Nick you should go and find Oasis’ parents in the stands,” Juliet says kindly. “I’ll meet you there in a few minutes after I walk Oasis to her spot to wait.”

“I’ll see you soon, good luck,” Nick says giving me a small kiss on the cheek.

“I’ll see you soon,” I say as he heads towards the stands.

“Come over here and sit down. I have to put your hair up,” Juliet says as I sit down on the stool.

She quickly and deftly puts my hair up in a tight bun, she puts my crystal hairpins in to keep it tightly held and checks it one last time. She also checks that my stock tie is properly done. I carefully pull on my gloves and grab my dressage whip. I gently and carefully lead Marina over to the spot where the other riders in my division are waiting.

“Good luck,” Juliet says giving me a big, heartfelt hug. “You’ll do great. I know you will, you always do great. I have faith in you.”

“Thank you,” I say hugging her back just as tightly as she hugged me. “I’ll do my best.” I feel more confident as Juliet heads off towards the stands to sit with my family and Nick.

I stand off to the side of the others shifting from side to side, trying to stay calm. I finally calm myself down as my name is called. I careful mount Marina, once I am in the saddle and have made sure that I am not sitting on my coat tails. I lead her into the arena and start in a slow walk, and carefully go through the routine. I am halfway through the routine, when I hear a loud crack like a gun being fired and then I feel a sharp pain shoot through my stomach. A second later I hear a second gun shot, as I fall off Marina’s back. I hear a scream come from the stands, as I hit the ground. I sit up and touch my hand to my stomach where the pain is, when I pull it away I see that my hand is covered in blood. Just then I hear footsteps and hear someone shouting for someone to get an ambulance and the police. I feel someone put their hands on my shoulders and push me down on to the ground. As the person pushes me to the ground, I see that it’s my friend Henry. I feel someone press on my stomach where I was hit and my vision starts to go blurry and I close my eyes.

“Oasis, stay with me. Keep your eyes open,” Henry says trying to keep me alert. I open my eyes and look at Henry while he talks to me. “Good girl Oasis. Keep your eyes on me.”

I hear sirens coming towards me, as my vision becomes more blurred and I feel myself losing consciousness. I hear more footsteps coming towards me. I feel whoever has their hands on my stomach takes them off and another set of hands start touching it.

“She’s losing consciousness,” I hear a voice above me speaking to someone else. Someone grabs my wrist and gently presses their fingers to my pulse there. “Her pulse is getting thready and slow.”

“She’s lost a lot of blood. We need to get her out of here, now,” I hear another person say to the first person.

I feel myself being lifted and being put on to a gurney. “I going with her,” I hear Nick say as they push me into the ambulance.

“I’m here, Oasis, I’m not going anywhere,” I hear Nick say, as I slip into the black world of unconsciousness.