On the Victory Trail Read online

  Skye sat in the dining room with Morgan and the Chambers during lunch break. Like a beaver chewing a log, Skye ate a row of corn on the cob then asked: “Mrs. C., could we go to the mall one day this week? I’ve got my eye on a new video game.”

  “Oh,” Mrs. Chambers replied, “I thought you said last week you needed new shoes for church and special occasions.”

  “Nah, the shoes can wait. I’ve got to have this game. Can we go?”

  Mr. Chambers swallowed a bite of his sandwich. “Now, Skye, don’t you think you should budget some of your allowance for important things — like a pair of shoes? I just realized that lately we haven’t discussed giving to the Lord. Have you been tithing? You haven’t for-gotten about giving that ten percent, have you?”

  I know God is real, but I’m sure he doesn’t need my measly couple of bucks! A faint smile disguised Skye’s thoughts.

  “No, I didn’t forget,” she murmured.

  “Good,” Mrs. Chambers said. “Don’t leave the Lord out of any part of your life, Honey.”

  “I remember how hard it was for me to get into the habit of giving my tithe at first,” Morgan said as she munched a potato chip. “But when I learned how God uses what we give to help others, I finally got into it. It’s so cool to see how my money can be used to help ­missionaries or families in need. I get as much out of giving as those getting the help. And God promises special blessings to those who tithe. I read about it in the book of Malachi, in the Bible. You’ll see.”

  Want to bet? Skye thought. “Whatever,” she mumbled.

  Mr. Chambers finished his glass of water and wiped his mustache. “Hey, where did Sooze go? She’s been gone quite awhile, and she hasn’t finished her lunch.”

  “She said she had to use the bathroom,” Mrs. Chambers said. “Skye, would you mind checking on her?”

  “No problem.”

  Skye pushed back her chair and headed down the hallway, knocking on the bathroom door. There was no answer, so Skye knocked again. Finally, she peeked in. The bathroom was empty, and the window was wide open!

  “Mrs. C!” Skye yelled. “Sooze isn’t in the bathroom, and the window’s open!” Skye called out, running back into the dining room.

  Morgan had just pivoted her chair to glance out the sliding glass doors. “Hey — how did Stormy get out into the big field?”

  Everyone turned to the window in time to see Sooze trying to mount from the far side.

  Mr. and Mrs. Chambers jumped up from the table so fast they almost toppled their chairs as they ran for the door. Skye was right behind them.

  “And no hard hat!” Mr. Chambers bellowed. He opened the door in one swift move and charged out. “Sooze, don’t get on that horse!”

  “She’ll kill herself!” Mrs. Chambers said.

  Skye ran toward the field with Morgan motoring along behind her.

  As Mr. Chambers raced across the lawn, Stormy pranced in tight circles with Sooze already on his back.

  “Watch me now!” she yelled. “I’ll show you I can ride!”

  Mr. Chambers took one courageous leap toward the fence. “Sooze, stop!”

  Stormy wheeled, and Sooze grabbed the horn with one hand and the reins with the other. She shoved her heels into the unsuspecting horse’s belly. Hard.

  “You idiot!” Skye screamed, running to the fence. “That’s no play pony!”

  “Sooze! Sooze!” Mrs. Chambers, out of breath at the fence, could not utter another word.

  “Sooze!” Morgan yelled. “Stop!”

  “Let’s go, Stormy!” Sooze whooped. “Let’s show ’em how it’s done!”

  chapter four

  Every muscle in Stormy’s powerful body tensed with the excitement of running like the wind. A kick that hard in such well-trained ribs meant only one thing: Go fast!

  In a split second, Stormy broke into a fast gallop and tore along the fence with Sooze hanging on for dear life. Like a rag doll tied to the saddle, she bounced with every hoof beat that pounded the ground. Pulling back hard on the reins, she screamed, “Whoa! Whoa!”

  As Sooze flew by, Mr. Chambers, balancing on the fence railings, reached out for her but just missed her. “Turn him in a circle!” he yelled as he cleared the fence and ran after Stormy.

  “Sooze!” Skye and Morgan yelled together, eyes wide with alarm. “Turn him in a circle!”

  Stormy rounded the corner, charging toward the bottom of the field. As he scraped against the fence on the turn, Sooze leaned over to her right and managed to wrap her arms around a fence post. Stormy continued racing down the field at full speed, leaving his rider dangling. Sooze dropped to the ground, badly shaken but unharmed.

  Mr. Chambers joined Sooze, steadying her shoulders before looking into her eyes. “Are you all right?”

  “What on earth were you trying to do?” Mrs. Chambers puffed as she and Skye approached.

  “That was dumb!” Skye panted. “You could’ve killed yourself!” And who else pulled a stupid stunt like that on a horse not too long ago? immediately popped into in Skye’s mind.

  “Stupid horse!” Sooze complained as she glared at Stormy, who was now munching grass down near the pond. “It wasn’t my fault. Something spooked him.”

  “Yeah, right,” Skye retorted. “I think the spook was on his back.”

  For the rest of the afternoon at Keystone Stables, the mood was somber and tense. Sooze’s disobedience put pleasure on the back burner, but the business of running a ranch took over. While Mr. Chambers cut hay on the lower fields, Mrs. Chambers and the girls blanched twenty dozen ears of corn, bagged them, and stored them in one of the basement freezers.

  While Sooze sulked and complained about the work, Skye and Morgan tried to eat as much corn as they bagged. They told silly jokes, determined to change Mrs. Chambers’ disgruntled mood.

  “Man, is Mrs. C. ticked.” Skye whispered to Sooze over a boiling pot of corn. “You are going to get it. Big time!”

  “Watch me!” was Sooze’s smart reply.

  The mood at supper was somewhat lighter, however. (If they had been practicing to eat politely before the Queen of England, everyone would have passed with flying colors.) Mr. Chambers reviewed the next week’s activities, and Mrs. Chambers talked about a shopping trip. After supper, the family met in the living room for devotions and a family discussion.

  “Just remember, girls,” Mr. Chambers said as he glanced up from his Bible, “you can’t earn your way to heaven. In the book of Ephesians it says that eternal life is a result of God’s grace — his undeserved favor. It’s a gift you can’t see but you can receive by faith. All you need to do is believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again for your sins and ask him to forgive you.”

  Skye fixed her gaze on a vase of flowers on the end table beside Mr. Chambers.

  “My life has never been the same since I did that many years ago,” Mrs. Chambers added. “Girls, God gives you a peace in your heart that’s hard to understand.”

  Morgan smiled and directed her words at Skye and Sooze. “I accepted Christ as my Savior after I moved in here, and it’s so cool having the Lord as my best friend. He’s always there to help me through tough times. Now I finally have my head screwed on straight instead of making stupid choices that get me in trouble.”

  Skye stared at the floor and couldn’t help but notice that Sooze was doing the same thing.

  “The Lord does help us with our decisions, girls.” Mr. Chambers laid down his Bible. “Eileen and I pray daily that we will lead you girls down the right cow path,” he added with a smirk in a show of his returning humor. “Right now we need to discuss what happened earlier today with Stormy. Sooze, since you disobeyed in front of the whole family, everyone is included in this discussion. We value all of your opinions on decisions we must make. We want you to tell us how you see things.”

  “It wasn’t my fault,” Sooze snapped. “I told you I know how to ride.”

  “She has been to riding camps a ­couple of times, Mr. C.,” Sk
ye added in support.

  “Skye,” Mrs. Chambers leaned forward on the sofa, “you know our horses are not like camp horses and ponies. We’ve warned you all well in advance how much training it takes to handle one of these show horses. It’s a big deal. We’re talking about your safety and the horse’s safety, not to mention thousands of dollars.”

  Mr. Chambers sat back rigidly in his chair with his elbows on the armrests, one finger absently stroking his mustache. “Sooze, I’m afraid you’ve broken the alltime record for the kid to get grounded the quickest after moving in. If it were a lesser offense, we might go a little easier. But we just cannot tolerate reckless behavior around the horses. Somebody could get killed.”

  “But I told you it wasn’t my fault!” Sooze whined, slumping in her chair.

  You better cool it, Skye thought, or they’ll tack on another week for griping. Skye caught Sooze’s eye and shook her head in silent warning.

  Mr. Chambers spelled out the sentence. “Young lady, you will be grounded for two weeks. No mall, no trips, no recreation room, no phone. You will still be expected to do your household chores and yard work, but the barn and the horses are off limits. The rest of us will cover your chores down there.

  “Skye and Morgan may still visit you in your room each night for a half hour, and you will still go with us to church. Other than that, life will be crawling a little slowly for you. Now, you don’t have to lock yourself up in your room. You are not in jail. We want you at every meal and in all the family devotions and discussions. But your other activities will have to wait.”

  “That’s so not fair!” Sooze griped. “You’re not giving me a chance. I hate this place!”

  “Sooze,” Morgan said, “why don’t you give us a chance — and this place?”

  “We love you and want you here with us,” Mrs. Chambers said. “But you have to cooperate.”

  “All your rules are stupid,” Sooze said. “My mother doesn’t make me do anything. I can do whatever I want!”

  “Does that make you happy, Sooze?” Mrs. Chambers asked.

  “When I get what I want — which is most of the time,” Sooze answered smartly.

  “Can’t you give her another chance?” Skye pleaded, turning to face Mr. Chambers.

  “Oh, but we are,” Mr. Chambers reasoned. “She’s getting the same chance as you and Morgan. We’re trying to help you girls learn what’s most important in life. Sooze, you’ll get nowhere thinking everything that hap-pens to you is someone else’s fault. We’re praying that you accept this discipline and learn from it. You may go to your room. Morgan and Skye may visit you later for a while if they’d like. And remember,” he said, “we’re doing this to help you, not to hurt you.”

  “Yeah, right,” Sooze replied sarcastically.

  Sooze hurried out of the room and ran down the hall. She slammed her bedroom door so hard it shook the whole house.

  Uh, oh. I smell trouble, Skye thought. Almost getting bucked from Stormy was going to be the least of Sooze’s complaints.

  Before bedtime, Skye knocked on Sooze’s door with Morgan trailing right behind.

  “Hey, what’s up?” Skye asked, as she gently pushed open the door.

  “Nothing. Just go away and leave me alone!” Sooze fumed, leaning up against the headboard and planting her sneakers firmly on the bed. She pressed her head with her hands. Obvious pain shrouded her face.

  “No problem,” Morgan said, pivoting and heading out the doorway. “I have better things to do than listen to this baloney.”

  “Another headache?” Skye asked as she turned toward the door. “No wonder you’re in such a lousy mood. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “No — wait,” Sooze whispered. “C’mere.”

  “I wish you’d make up your mind. What’s up?” Skye asked as she sat on the edge of the bed.

  Sooze ignored the question, sliding next to Skye, “I’m out of here tonight. Are you with me?”

  “Are you crazy?” Skye whispered loudly. “Where would you go? And how? Sooze, think! This might land you in Chesterfield for good, and you’ll never get to ride Stormy again.”

  “Well, big deal!” Sooze growled. “What’s the difference? They are not going to tell me what to do — here or anyplace else.”

  “Where are you going? And how?”

  “Skye, sometimes you are as thick as that wall. The Chambers have a piece of junk with four wheels they call a truck. Right?”

  “Yeah — so?”

  “I’m taking that truck, and I’m history. I’ve watched every time Mr. C. has parked it, and he always throws the keys under the seat. So, are you coming with me or not?”

  Skye chewed her lip, trying not to let her face show her fear. “Sooze, this is so not a good idea. You can’t drive. You’re only fourteen.”

  “Hey, been there, done that. There’s nothing to it,” Sooze said smugly. “I’m only asking you one more time. Are you coming or not?”

  “Where to? And for how long? Where will you stay? How will you eat?”

  “I told you I have friends all over the place. Some of them live just an hour from here. They’ll hide us until I can think this through. I don’t need this goody-two-shoes life.”

  “I — I don’t know. It sounds really stupid to me.”

  “Fine,” Sooze mocked. “If you never want to see me again, that’s fine. But if you want to help me, meet me down at the truck at midnight.”

  Skye pulled the curtain back on her bedroom window. The clear night sky twinkled with a curtain of stars, and a full moon lit up everything outside with a soft white glow. She studied the backyard intently, focusing on a figure creeping down to the barn and slipping into the front seat of the old pickup. Skye lifted her window an inch and listened to the engine grinding. With headlights out, the truck crawled along the dirt road from the side of the barn, past the house, and onto the main road. There it sat idling.

  Sooze, you are so dead! Skye couldn’t let her go like this. She inched her window up a couple of feet, slid out quietly, and darted across the lawn. Panting, she reached the road and ran around to the door on the passenger side of the truck. Carefully, she squeaked it open and slid in.

  “So you’re not so chicken after all,” Sooze whispered. She pulled the knob for the lights, jammed the gearshift into drive, and crept down the road away from Keystone Stables.

  “Sooze, this is so not the way to do this,” Skye said. “Maybe you can be placed in a different foster home if you hate it here so much.”

  “I am so sick of people telling me what to do!” Sooze’s voice rose in anger as the truck’s speed increased. “I have had it up to here with rules.” She lifted her hand and made a slicing motion across her neck.

  In an instant, with only one inexperienced hand on its steering wheel, Sooze jerked the truck and the tires caught on the gravel shoulder of the narrow road. The truck spun out of control

  Skye’s body jolted against the door. As she righted her-self, her eyes fixed on a fast approaching horseshoe turn.

  “Look out!” Skye screamed in horror. “You’re going too fast! Slow down!”

  Sooze fought the wheel to steady the truck, which was now completely out of control.

  “Oh no!” Skye screamed. And then everything went black.

  chapter five

  Skye lay on a hospital bed with a gauze patch taped above one eyebrow. Scrapes and bruises covered her body. She ached as though she had been twisted into a pretzel and tied up for days.

  What happened? Where am I? she wondered. Then it all came flooding back. Groaning, she finally managed to turn her head just enough to see a clock on the wall.

  Three o’clock! It’s been hours.

  Time to think often found itself on the bottom of Skye’s priority list. Thinking left her feeling depressed and alone, even in the middle of a cheering crowd at the Madison football games. But now, for the first time in her short, thirteen-year life, Skye allowed herself to consider what could have happened,
and she felt terribly alone.

  God, thank you for sending someone to help us. Skye gasped a sudden breath. Did I just thank God for saving me? The God I have no time for? What if I’d died? What if this had been my last day on Earth? Skye wondered. What would I have to show God, so he would let me into heaven?

  “Nothing,” Skye whispered out loud. “Nothing but a rotten attitude and a record of trouble as long as my arm.”

  A flood of tears drenched her cheeks, and an over-whelming sense of guilt flooded her soul.

  God would never want me! she thought. I’m too rotten!

  Then it was as if Mr. Chambers was standing right beside her. She remembered what he’d said to them: “You can’t earn your way to heaven. It’s God’s gift. Just ask him to forgive you of your sins, and you’ll be a new per-son, inside and out!”

  Then Skye remembered Morgan’s words: “Jesus is the best friend I have. He’s always there when I need him.”

  I need you right now, God! Skye’s heart cried out.

  Just then, a pretty nurse with dark hair and kind eyes came through the doors. “So you’re awake, are you?” she said. “As soon as the doctor checks you out, some ­people here are anxious to see you.”

  Again, the doors opened, and a man in a white lab coat, with straight black hair, hurried in. Reading glasses were perched on his nose as he glanced at a clipboard.

  “Skye Nicholson,” he said, flipping through some papers. “I’m Dr. Wang. You are one fortunate young lady. You and your friend both hit your heads on the windshield. It seems that someone’s been watching out for you,” he said as he gently examined Skye’s head, neck, and shoulders.

  The doctor nodded at the nurse, who walked to the door and waved. Mrs. Chambers rushed into the room with her husband following close behind.

  “Honey, are you all right?” Mrs. Chambers asked.

  “You sure know how to scare the wits out of us,” Mr. Chambers said, forcing a smile. “What were you two trying to do?”

  “Where’s Sooze? Is she okay?” Skye rubbed her swollen, tear-soaked eyes.