April 25

Ever since I was a teenager I’ve dreamt about owning a huge horse ranch -- but not to raise and breed a bunch of horses like Kay’s family does. For them, horses are a business, a way of life. They were born into it, their parents were born into it, as their parents. I came into the equine way as a teenager, so I don’t live and breathe horses as she does. I've never entered a formal riding competition. I enjoy riding, and I enjoy being around them. But I also see how they could help others, too. Heck I even saw my sister -- toughie that she pretends to be -- warm up to a stallion. She even took riding lessons.
So my current plan is, after I'm done with college, I'm hoping to find an old barn somewhere to convert into a ranch, to open up a horse camp. Sort of like what I went to as a teenager, but not for people like me who grew up with everything. There are enough of those places around It's for troubled kids, and for kids who are less fortunate.
I heard mom and dad talking. I can hear the frustration in mom's voice when she argues with my sister. A place like the ranch I'm describing might be able to help her. I know that Sierra is not who she is pretending to be. She's hurting inside.
I was still small when my two older brothers were sent away to Fort Starch Military Academy, and at the time I didn't understand what was happening. It took a long time for me to fully comprehend what had gone on, and more importantly, why it had happened.

It tore my family apart.

To this day, we still haven't figured out how to put it all back together.



I spent the whole day with my sister, Satis. Satis may not be related by blood but she is as much my sister as Sierra and Skylar are.





Satis was my first best friend, before Kay came along. We did everything together. I looked up to her and wanted to be like her. I missed her loads when she left.



So, naturally, with her back in town, I wanted her advice. It was too bad that our schedules the last semester prevented us from seeing much of each other -- her classes were all very early in the morning! -- but with the semester over we could finally catch up. I told her everything that had happened during the semester, about AJ and his 'love triangle,' about Kay and Samantha, and about my environmental science and art history classes.



"Well, AJ's definitely in a mess," Satis concluded. "He's the one who's got to sort it out, though."
"I feel like somehow I'm to blame for this, cause I made the suggestion that he and Kay should get together --"
"No, Sage, this isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself. This is AJ's and Kay's and Samantha's doing. No one else. They made this mess, they have to clean it up. AJ's got to realize at some point that mom didn't drag him to college for him to chase girls."
I took a deep breath and forced myself to smile. As usual, Satis was probably right.