Redemption: Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love, to work, to play, and to look up at the stars.
~ Henry Van Dyke ~

Sky Jamieson stared out the tinted window of the sleek silver BMW, listless and weary from the plane flight from Melbourne to Brisbane, and then the long drive to her aunt’s property. The endless line of tall smooth-barked gum trees on the roadside had ceased to be distinct shapes as her tired eyed stopped following them and they now moved past as a blur of greens and browns.
Sky blinked slowly, her mind far away, down south in Melbourne watching two coffins being slowly lowered into the ground. She’d felt as if her heart was being buried with them.
She did not wonder now that no more tears came. She felt as if she cried her whole life-times worth of tears; there could not possibly be any more.
First there had been shock and a kind of vague horror. She saw things like this on TV, read it in books and saw it in movies. It didn’t happen in real life; not to her. Police did not just turn up on your doorstep after school with, “I’m terribly sorry…”
Couples were not killed while driving to a restaurant for breakfast to celebrate their twentieth wedding anniversary. Who was drunk at 8:30 in the morning?
Then came the crippling grief, the crying, the well-meaning friends. The days spent shut in her room, curled into a fetal ball with nothing but her tears and the sound of her own agony.
And finally came acceptance. Her parents had been killed in a car accident by a lunatic drunk on his way home from a night of drinking and they weren’t coming back.
Her aunt Lydia had come to get her, brisk and business-like, and her belongings had been packed and shipped to Queensland. The house and its contents were sold and she had numbly said goodbye to her friends and gotten on a plane to Brisbane.
And that was that. Her life as she’d known it was over, encased neatly in polished mahogany and buried forever under layers of dirt.
A change in the pattern of trees gently rocked her out of her reverie and she looked up as the car turned off the main road onto dirt, tires crunching softly. A long driveway stretched before them curving around to disappear behind yet more trees. They rolled slowly past the tilted letterbox and Sky sat up straighter, eyes widening at the sight of a boy standing next to it. He was staring out at the road and the only thing she noticed before they passed him was that not only was he her own age, but he had a similar look about him. Similar to her in a way she couldn’t define, and then he was gone, just a dark blur in the rear-vision mirror.
“Sky,” Lydia said, “We’re here.”
Sky swung her head around to look at the huge two-story brown weatherboard house at the end of the driveway. Very country, she thought, but she liked it.
Her aunt owned this property and an apartment in the city, commuting between the two. When given the option of where to live Sky had opted for the country. As much as she liked the suburbs did not favour the crowded polluted air of the city. The constant noise and rush of people was not something she wished to live in.  Her aunt had told her the name of the town, but she had forgotten. All she knew was that she now lived in the country, somewhere in Queensland.
The car eased to a stop and her aunt looked at her briefly before climbing out. They had not spoken for the majority of the car trip. Sky had nothing to say and her aunt, she suspected, had no idea what to say to her grieving seventeen year old niece. Sky had the feeling that Lydia was slightly resentful that her perfect, neat, orderly life had been invaded.
Gathering her suitcases from the car boot, Sky followed her aunt up the steps of the porch, waiting as she slid the key into the lock. There was the click of a latch and a groan as the door opened. Lydia gestured for Sky to walk in.
The first thing Sky laid eyes on as she stepped through the doorway was the stairs, directly ahead and curving to the right as they lead to the second storey. To her right lay the kitchen and to her left was the large lounge room. On the far left wall was an open fireplace, a thick carpet rug sprawled before it and in front of that an old worn, leather sofa. A TV sat in the corner near the window that looked out over the drive and on the wall opposite were a wooden table and two chairs.
Floorboards covered the entire first floor and the one wall that wasn’t weatherboard was the brick wall that housed the fireplace.
Sky could see why her aunt didn’t spend much time here. Lydia liked the fresh modern look and this homey, ranch-style house was not her thing at all. It didn’t fit in with her sleek BMW, her crisp skirt and blouse or her neat bob-cut hair and flawless make-up. Sky wondered why she hadn’t sold it long before, but was glad nonetheless that she hadn’t. It was bare and very wooden, but it was better than some cold, neat apartment in the city that smelled of clean tiles and Lydia’s perfume.
“What do you think?” Her aunt asked, her tone suggesting that she didn’t expect her niece to think much of it.
“I like it. It’s nice,” Sky responded vaguely. Lydia frowned, not happy with Sky’s half-heartedness; concerned at her apathy. Sky knew even disgust would be more welcome; anything with some emotion, but she felt…well…she felt… empty. That was the word. And tired; she couldn’t summon up the energy, nor did she have the will to give a response that would please her aunt, to smile and make at effort at looking remotely happy.
Lydia pursed her lips and shook her head slightly.
“Come on then, I’ll show you you’re room.”
Her bedroom was large, but bare, looking out behind the house through a huge window at more trees in a large paddock. She dimly remembered Lydia saying something about horses.
There was a double bed sitting beneath with window, the head of it against the left wall, and Sky thought it would be nice to sit on it and gaze out at the beautiful view. She wondered if Lydia had put it there for that purpose, but she doubted it; her aunt was a practical woman
Next to the bed was a small antique-looking bedside table and next to that sat a matching desk. Against the right wall sat a large wardrobe and a rug covered the floor before the bed.
“Do you like it?”
Sky looked at her aunt, surprised to hear a hint of uncertainty in her voice. She had obviously put some thought into the room. Sky was touched and felt a slight warming for her aunt in her numbed heart. She smiled gently.
“I love it.”
“Good,” Lydia’s tone was brisk once again, but Sky could hear the touch of relief. “I’ll let you unpack your things and have some time alone. Dinner will be in half an hour.”
Sky nodded. “Okay. Oh and Aunt Lydia,” her aunt paused in the doorway. “Thanks, for the room, and letting me live with you.”
Lydia’s expression softened. “That’s all right.” She said softly, pausing for a brief moment before walking away.
For the next half hour Sky slowly unpacked her suitcases, placing clothes into the wardrobe and her other belongings on the desk. She had not brought much. A lot of her things had been sold after her parent’s death along with the house and its contents. She had cut down to a minimum of clothing and effects, keeping only the things that she couldn’t bear to part with: photos of her parents, an old soft toy dog given to her when she was a baby, some of her favourite old books; worn and dog-eared.
The dog, Woofs, named when she was two, got favoured place on the bed and the others were placed on the desk. All except her favourite photo, taken only months before, of he and her parents on Sky’s seventeenth birthday down at the beach. Sky was grinning happily, hair wind-blown and cheeks sun-burned. Her mother with her arms around her, gazing down at her daughter lovingly and her father with his arms around both, planting an exaggerated kiss on Sky’s cheek.
That she placed on her bedside table, in front of the old lamp, tilted so that she could gaze at it as she lay in her bed.
Unpacked and with nothing to do she flopped down on the bed, and closed her eyes.

Faint light across her face roused her, but it was not the dull orange glow of sunset but the white light of dawn. She opened her eyes, and sat up, blinking. Had she slept right through? That in itself was unusual; she had not slept well since that fateful day and she could not remember a night when she’d slept right through without waking up at least twice.
She looked down at her feet, noticing that her shoes were missing. Lydia must have pulled them off the night before. Yes, there they were, sitting next to the wardrobe.
Sliding her legs over the edge of the bed she stood and after pulling her slippers from the pile in the wardrobe padded softly downstairs.
The clock on the wall above the fireplace read six thirty. Lydia would be up and dressed by now. Indeed her breakfast dishes sat in the dish rack, already cleaned and drying in the warm morning sun, and Sky realised she could here the sound of a hair dryer coming from upstairs.
She found a loaf of bread in the freezer and pulled out a piece of toast, putting in the toaster. Lydia came down while she was waiting, bag on her arm, lipstick in hand.
“Morning Sky,” she said distractedly. “I’m sorry I’ve got to rush off, but something’s come up. I was going to show you around the house last night, but you fell asleep and now I have to leave. I’m sure you can find your way around and if there’s anything you need then just give me a call, ok?”
Sky nodded, “Sure.” Secretly she was glad; she preferred to be alone right now anyway.
Lydia put her lipstick in her bag, and swung it onto her shoulder, looking slightly uncomfortable. She had never really been close to her niece and conversation had been minimal, so she was at a loss at what to say, how to behave around her, more so now that the girl had lost her parents. She clasped her hands.
“Well, I guess I’d better go.” She took two steps, her high heels clomping on the floorboards, before she stopped again.
“Oh, I think I told you that there are horses on the property. Their owner is Callie and she’ll be coming around at about ten to see you.” And then she was gone.
Wheels crunched in the driveway and Sky stood where her aunt had left her, bewildered as to why this Callie would be coming to see her. She had never even heard of the woman before now.
She jumped at the sound of the toast popping from the toaster, the noise loud in the silence of the kitchen.
After breakfast she took herself upstairs to find the bathroom, deciding a hot shower was in order. It wasn’t hard, just down the corridor opposite her room. She stared in surprise at the reflection in the mirror. Her straight blond hair hung lank and greasy, messed from the previous night’s sleep. Dark shadows lay under blue eyes once bright, now dull and weary. Her cheeks were pale and she looked thinner. Stripping down to her underwear she looked herself over and was startled to realise she had lost a noticeable amount of weight. She had never been a slim girl, just average, but the figure that she was staring at looked lean, but not in a healthy way. Along with her sleeping problems she had lost much of her appetite and had not eaten well since the accident, often skipping meals, and it showed.
Sky grimaced at herself. She had not really cared or paid much attention to her appearance recently, but now found that she was alarmed and concerned for the first time about how she looked.
Twenty minutes later, washed, dried and dressed she felt refreshed and more optimistic. The clock told her that it was a quarter past seven and she was suddenly at a loss at what to do. Normally she would relish the time alone, in previous times she would curl up on the couch and read, or watch TV, go for a walk or cook. More recently she had just shut herself away and one nothing. She found now that she no longer wanted that. For the first time in weeks she found herself looking for something to do.  
Remembering her thin face in the mirror she decided on having something more to eat. After another two pieces of toast she began to search through the pantry and fridge and, on finding they were mostly empty started to write a list.
They had passed through a town not ten minutes from the house and she was sure they had a grocery store there. It was simply a matter of how to get there. Leaving the house she ran around the back, pleased to see a carport with a Ute beneath it. She doubted whether it was her aunt’s, Lydia would not be caught dead in a Ute, and she did not think that her aunt had bought it for her, despite the fact the she did not yet have her P plates. Finding it open she climbed into the driver’s seat and discovered the keys in the ignition.
“Must be a real bomb,” she muttered. “It’s just begging to be stolen, if someone could be bothered to walk all the way up the drive.”
Shopping list in her pocket she drove the Ute around to the front of the house, the old car groaning and spluttering in apparent indignation. She quickly grabbed her purse and locked the house then began the long journey to the main road.
It took her just under fifteen minutes to drive into town. Parking in front of a small IGA she crept inside, hoping that she was not pulled aside for driving illegally. The cashier stared at her in surprise and she blushed guiltily. Was it written all over her face? I drove without a licence! She had told herself that people in a small country town wouldn’t care, in fact most people probably wouldn’t, bar the police and tattle-tale types.
She walked up and down the isles slowly, collecting the items she needed and making mental notes of where things were and other things she would need in the future. Half an hour later she was done, and braced herself to face the cashier, a large middle-aged woman with a curious but kindly face framed by close-cropped dark curls.
Sky smiled tentatively and the lady beamed back. “You new here, love? Haven’t seen you about before.”
Sky nodded. “Yeah. I came up just yesterday. I’m living with – well I’m living in my aunt’s house, about ten minutes up the road. Do you know Lydia?”
The woman’s eyes widened in surprise. “Why yes. Didn’t know she had a niece though.”
“I’m not surprised,” Sky said without malice. “She’s not the chatty type.”
The woman grinned. “No, she’s not. I’m Betty by the way.”
“Sky.”
“That’s a pretty name.”
“Thanks,” Sky muttered self-consciously. Betty deftly bagged all her goods and handed them to Sky.
“I’ll see you around then, love. You take care.”
Sky nodded and smile. “I will, thanks.”
She walked out of the store, her mood much improved. It was amazing, she thought, how one cheerful person could light up your day. Checking her watch she sighed. Only nine o’clock.
By the time she had driven home and unpacked it was nine thirty and she wasted the next half an hour watching TV.
There was a knock on the door right at ten. Opening the door, Sky found herself facing a pretty young woman of about twenty five with short brown hair and a round merry face. She was dressed in jeans and a faded t-shirt, very relaxed and her manner put Sky at ease before she’d even spoken.
“You’re Callie?” Sky guessed. The woman smiled.
“Sure am. You ready to go?”
“Um,” Sky hesitated. “Go where?”
“Oh, didn’t Lydia tell you? I guess not,” Callie rushed on answering her own question. “We’re going out to see the horses and I’ll tell you all about them. Lydia told me you liked horses and I figured even if you didn’t, well, tough luck.”
Callie grinned and Sky found herself smiling back, charmed by the bubbly brunette. They jumped into Callie’s land rover and drove around behind the house, turning onto a dirt path that lead along side the large paddock.
Almost straight away Callie started chattering away, and Sky found herself wondering if Lydia had told Callie why Sky had moved in with her aunt. Most people, knowing about her parents, became awkward around her and were very hesitant when they spoke, as if anything they said might upset her. The term “walking on eggshells” came to mind, for that was the distinct impression she got from most people who were game enough to talk to her.
There was none of this feeling from Callie though. From the look on her face and the way she spoke people would think that the sun never stopped shining. Some might have found it annoying but for Sky it was refreshing and she was happy to sit back and enjoy the cheerful chatter.
Soon the horses came into sight and Callie slowed the land rover right down. All three horses had their head up and were staring at the car with ears pricked. Sky felt the first stirring of interest and excitement for over a month. Callie stopped the car and jumped out, beckoning for Sky to join her.
“Right,” she began. “The two bigger ones are the girls, and the smaller one is the colt, although when he matures he’ll be bigger than both of them. He’s about two at the moment and I just call him Spaz because he’s crazy.” She smiled affectionately.
“The dark brown mare is called Gem, because she just is. She’s Spaz’s mother and about twenty. And that pretty girl,” Callie pointed to the last horse, a gleaming chestnut, “is Sunny. She’s broken, meaning you can ride her, but she’s still young and inexperienced, so for you I wouldn’t suggest it.”
Sky blinked. “Me? Ride them?”
“Sure, well Gem at least, maybe Sunny later. I pay Lydia to keep them on her property but recently I got a new horse and I haven’t had the time to give the attention they need. When Lydia told me that you would be living with her and that you used to ride a bit when you were younger I thought I would ask you if you’d mind looking after them a bit for me.”
“Um, yeah, sure. I guess.” Sky was a bit taken aback, but as she thought about it, the more the idea appealed to her. After all, there wasn’t much else to do and it would be fun to explore the property on horseback.
“Yes,” she said more confidently. “I would love to.”
Callie grinned her infectious grin and Sky beamed back, feeling happier than she’d felt in ages. Callie grabbed a halter and rope from the back of the land rover and, telling Sky to watch, went into the paddock to catch Gem.
The old mare watched her placidly, waiting for the woman to reach her. Callie stopped about a foot away from her and let the mare sniff her and then gently slipped the halter over her nose and buckled it behind her ears be fore leading her over to Sky.
“We’ll bring the horses up to the paddock nearest the house so they’re easier to get to. Sunny and Spaz will just follow Gem. You walk her, I’ll drive,” she said and jumped back in the car.
The return journey to the house was long but Sky didn’t mind. She had forgotten how much she had enjoyed being around horses, or maybe she had never enjoyed it as much until now. She had never really thought of herself as a “horsey” person. Like most little girls she had gone through the horse phase when the thing she wanted most was a pony for Christmas.
She had grown out of that phase by age thirteen and had since become caught up in the trends and fashions of her friends, forgetting the simple pleasure of a horse moving beneath her. Jeans had replaced riding pants and high heels took the place of old boots.
But most of those items had been sold, and now all that was left was jeans and tracksuit pants, t-shirts and runners; clothes suitable for the life she now lived. And suitable for horses.
She ran a hand down Gem’s sleek neck and inhaled the warm, musty scent of her, and for the first time since her parent’s deaths, truly smiled.