A Trail Ride and a Cryptex ((Brantley))

[Jasmine Anderson]

Jasmine ran a comb through her hair tangled dark hair as she got things ready. Glancing toward the digital clock on the other side of the room, Jasmine sighed with relief. There was still at least a couple hours before she had to get going. Brantley had sent her a letter the day before, asking if she wanted to go on a trail ride. It had been quite nice weather lately, still cold, but sunny days, which was strange for the winter. Of course, Jasmine couldn’t turn down an offer to go riding with a friend who shared the same kind of passion she did. Or maybe Jasmine said yes because she was actually starting to like him. He was everything that she liked in a guy. Intelligent, creative, smart, and he understood her, and most guys didn’t. Shaking her head at the thought, she hummed a tune to herself, opening the sliding door to the closet. Taking out a pair of jeans, turtle neck, jacket, socks, and riding boots, she shut the door back up and sat down on her bed. Pilling off her pajamas, Jasmine got dressed into the fresh clothes. She normally would wear cotton, black show pants to go riding in, but this was fun riding. Folding the jacket side ways, Jasmine sung it over her shoulder as she stood back up. Grabbing the boots, she was almost half way down the stairs when she stopped in mid step. Did she forget anything? Leaning on the back of the wall she thought for a moment. Jasmine had her wand, cell phone, and wallet. Yep, that was everything.

Dividing her hair into too small sections, Jasmine began to braid the right. Her fingers weaved through her hair as she entered the kitchen. Chad was sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal and reading the back of the box. Taking out an elastic band from her pocket, Jasmine tied it to the braid, making sure it stayed in place before starting on the other side. Opening the refrigerator with her elbow, she looked around for something simple to eat. Chad’s chewing began to become obnoxious as he made louder smacking noises just to annoy her. Rolling her eyes, Jasmine placed the second hair tie on the other braid before taking out some already cut up apples. Setting it on the counter behind her, she closed the door with her foot while plugging the cord to the toaster in. “Going out?” he asked, before sticking the spoon in his mouth. Jasmine shrugged and nodded her head while putting two pieces of bread inside the toaster. Pushing the down lever and seeing the red light blink on, she leaned on the counter. There was a little mini TV in the kitchen which was on and running. “Whose Brantley?” he asked as Jasmine head snapped up seeing Chad holding his letter from yesterday. Quickly making her way toward him, Jasmine tried to go after the letter, but it was too far out of reach. “He’s a friend. You don’t need to worry.”

Grinning as he got an answer from his cousin, Chad handed over the letter. “That’s all I needed to know.” Snatching the letter from his grasps, she stuck her tongue out at him. Jumping as the toast was ready she grabbed the two pieces, taking a bite out of on. Finishing the second piece, Jasmine pulled her coat on, fixing the collar of her shirt. “Tell Lana I’ll be back later tonight,” she told Chad as he puckered his lips into kissing motions at her. Rolling her eyes, she laughed, slipping her feet into the boots and tying it up properly. Making her way into the living room where the chimney was, Jasmine took a handful of powder. Once she was inside, she threw it down calling out the name of the café. It didn’t take long, until she was standing in another chimney, her head feeling very light. Rubbing her temples, Jasmine stepped out into the café. Wiping off any remaining powder her clothes, she looked up scanning the crowd looking for Brantley.

[Brantley Chapman R7]

Mademoiselle,

I figured you might like to accompany me on a trail ride. If you would, floo to “Le café d'aucune résistance.” It’s a lovely little café in a wizarding village close to my home. There I will meet up with you and take you to my house. You can meet Ellie, Newton, and Galileo.

Sincerely,
Brantley

Leonardo had returned from delivering the letter early that morning and Brantley was already awake and cleaning the house. It was easier to do when you had a wand available. He knew that Ellie wouldn’t pitch in and his mother was too sick to get out of bed, besides, it was his guest. Immediately the barn owl returned to its place and Brantley fed it an owl treat as he rubbed the towel on his head. He had just taken a shower. Brantley threw the towel into the dirty laundry basket, and ran his brush through his hair. He knew it would dry as he cleaned, so he didn’t worry about drying it. “Hoot!” Brantley looked up at Leonardo, a smile on his lips. He fed him another treat and then smoothed his feathers with his thumb. “I’ve got to clean now, I’ll be back later.” Leonardo hooted again and Brantley left his room. The house was quiet, not that it was ever really loud. His footsteps echoed as he walked on the wooden flooring in the hallway that led to the staircase. It was a rather large house, although they didn’t need it. It had seven rooms, four bathrooms, a kitchen, a formal dining room and a family dining room, a sitting room, and a family room. Brantley had always thought it was too expansive and liked their Spain townhouse much better.

Brantley made his way into the kitchen and stopped when he saw Ellie eating some eggs and reading one of her numerous equestrian magazines. She looked up, her blue eyes penetrating him, and then looked back to her magazine. “That girl coming over today?” She asked, sounding slightly apprehensive. Brantley grinned; he knew Ellie hated anyone that he got close to. Not that he really got close to anyone. “That girl has a name, and it’s Jasmine, and yes she’s coming over today. So I’d like you to make sure the stalls are clean and that Newton and Galileo are well groomed. She’ll be riding Galileo.” Brantley said as he made his way to the refrigerator and pulled out the orange juice. He could hear her glaring at him. “She will not! Galileo is my horse! Besides, I was going to work with him today.” Brantley grinned and poured the orange juice into a glass. He didn’t say anything until he had put the carton back into the fridge and taken a sip of the beverage. He stared at his sister and then shrugged as he set the glass down, “You’ll like Jasmine, and you’ll be begging her to ride Galileo.” Ellie gave him a look that said she didn’t believe him and rose from her seat. She left the kitchen and Brantley smirked after her. Now onto cleaning, he had a lot of work ahead of him.

Hours later, Brantley washed his hands in the kitchen sink, ridding them of the germs that had rushed onto them from the cleaning. The house was sparkling now, and he knew Ellie approved even if she didn’t say anything. Leaving last minute instructions with his younger sister about their mother’s lunch, Brantley apparated out of their house to le café d'aucune résistance. The first thing that let Brantley know that he was at the café was the distinctive smell of coffee. Brantley opened his eyes and smiled at the crowd. Le café d’aucune résistance was always bustling, and today just proved that. Immediately, Brantley spotted Jasmine with her back to him. He grinned and made his way over to her. When he reached her, he placed a hand in between her shoulder blades and whispered in her ear; “Would you like to grab something to eat here, Mademoiselle, or would you like to eat at my house?”

[Jasmine Anderson]

Jasmine looked around the large café, her hazel eyes searching each face. There were quite a lot of people around that day. Well, people did like to just stop by a café before work to grab something to eat, or just for a lunch break. Turning her head in all directions, Jasmine felt someone’s hand between her shoulder blades. She froze there in her spot until hearing the familiar voice of Brantley. A sigh of relief escaped her lungs as she turned around to face him. “You scared me there for a second,” she breathed out, taking a deep breath to gain her composure. Once she was alright, Jasmine smiled at him. This day was certainly going to be fun. Though, the main question was whether or not they should eat there. Looking around the room once again, Jasmine made up her mind. Standing on the tips of her toes, she leaned in closer to his ear. “I think going to your house and eating there sounds better, monsieur (Sir). Its way too crowded here, and it would be nice to make something,” she whispered softly, hoping her could still hear her. Jasmine felt like eating alone with Brantley, so they could talk more about stuff.

Smiling at Brantley as she went down to her normal height, Jasmine spotted the door at the other end of the café. Taking his hand she weaved through the large crowd. Pushing the door open, the two walked out into the sidewalk. Jasmine hand was still holding Brantley as she turned her head in his direction. "Since I can't Apparate yet, and traveling by floo isn't fun, walking is the best option," she said realizing her hand was still on his. Quickly setting it down to her side, she looked away trying not to make a big deal out of it, even though it was for Jasmine. She didn’t exactly know what she saw Brantley as, maybe just a friend who shared many of the same interest as her. Her hand reached up to her hair, stopping as she realized it was in pigtails. They continued walking for a while until she felt him take her hand again saying something about him apparating them to his house. Jasmine couldn’t even argue, and with a pop she felt her breath get cut sort.

Before long, they landed on their feet in a living room. Jasmine had never apparated before. She was only sixteen, but her seventeenth birthday was coming up in March. Brantley than led her into the kitchen and Jasmine rubbed her temples. “You could of at least let me have a say if I wanted you too Apparate or not,” she began before grinning at him. “What’s on the menu, monsieur?”

((All God-moding was asked with permission))

[Brantley Chapman R7]

She’s even beautiful from behind, Brantley thought as Jasmine jumped and turned around to see him. She smiled and Brantley returned the smile just as brightly as she had given him. “I assure you, scaring you wasn’t my intention.” He waited patiently as Jasmine stood on her tip toes and answered his question with a whisper. A small smile crossed his face as he nodded in agreement with her. “It is far too crowded. Alright, we’ll eat at my house. I’m sure Ellie will be absolutely delighted to meet you.” Brantley smirked slightly at the thought of Ellie throwing a fit and followed Jasmine through the crowd out to the open air. She seemed to remember his hand and dropped it, and Brantley merely smiled at that as they continued walking. He tilted his head slightly to the side when Jasmine said they could only get to his house by walking. “Well, mademoiselle, that would be a long walk considering the distance from here to Cambridge.” He smiled over at her and looked forward for a few moments. Then, without warning, he reached over and grabbed her hand with one little sentence, “I can apparate.” They were gone with a ‘pop!’ In moments they were standing in his living room.

Brantley looked over to Jasmine who seemed to take apparating rather badly. “I’m sorry, I should have given a better warning. Apparating is gut wrenching if you aren’t used to it.” He smiled softly and then motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen. Jasmine asked what was on the menu and Brantley looked around the pantry. He shook his head and closed it before opening the various cabinets along the walls. Before he could respond, Ellie walked in with a tray in her hands. It had half eaten food on it. Brantley’s eyes darkened as he saw the amount of food left on the plate, she was eating less and less each day. “I tried to get her to eat, Brant, but she wouldn’t. I even made her favourite food.” Ellie tucked her blond hair behind her ear and set the tray on the counter. Brantley watched the tray a moment and then turned to look at Jasmine, who he smiled at. Ellie caught his line of gaze and followed it to the girl. “Oh, hi.” She said without any emotion. “What my sister means to say is, ‘Hello, I’m Eleanor, pleased to meet you.’” Brantley glared at Ellie who rolled her eyes, “Yeah, right. Hello, I’m Eleanor, pleased to meet you.”

There was a slight silence and Brantley turned to the tray on the counter. He hadn’t told Jasmine about his mother just yet, and he didn’t think he would today. Slowly, Brantley started to pick up the dishes and wash them and Ellie moved to get glasses down from the cabinets. She placed them on the table and poured some soda in them. “Has she met mum?” she asked in a quiet voice. Brantley shook his head. “Well, I think it would be smart to go upstairs now. She’s rather tired and I know she’s interested in meeting her.” Brantley stopped washing the dishes and then nodded. He turned the water off and dried his hands on the towel hanging from the oven. He turned and flashed Jasmine a smile, “Come on, Ellie’s right. She has been interested in meeting you.”

[Jasmine Anderson]

Jasmine nodded her head in agreement when Brantley said that apparating was gut wrenching. She didn’t really like many wizard ways of getting to places. It either made her light headed, have stomach pains, or just simply land in a hard area. Wincing at the thought, Jasmine leaned her elbows on the counter as Brantley looked through the pantry. She would help look for something, but Jasmine wasn’t quite comfortable with snooping around peoples kitchens. So far, she didn’t see anything that really sounded delectable. Noticing a packet of pancake mix, Jasmine stood up straight walking to his side. “How about we make some pancakes?” she asked looking in his direction with a small smile. “We can either make them from scratch, or use the pancake mix. I can also make something else....but deserts are my specialty.” Stepping out of Brantley’s way, Jasmine went back to the front of the counter watching her friend. Jasmine was a pretty good cook, since her job at the Cubby was baking. Noticing a younger girl walk into the warm carrying a tray with half eaten food, Jasmine looked back toward Brantley seeing anger flicker across his crystal eyes. She had never seen that look in them before, only understanding and patience. Smiling as the girl said hello to her with an unemotional voice, she laughed softly as Brantley corrected. “Hi, I’m Jasmine. You can call me Jazz if you like, but only if you let me call you Ellie. Brantley has talked rather a lot about you,” she spoke, her smile never fading.

There was silence between the three for a few moments. Brantley was cleaning the dishes as Ellie began to fill glasses with pop. They were whispering to each other about their mother. Jasmine didn’t know much about Brantley’s mother, he never really talked much about her. All she knew that his dad had died a while ago. Tracing circles on the counter, Jasmine stared at the marble, the light from the lamp reflecting off its surface. Why did he seem so angry that the food on the tray was half eaten? Looking up when Brantley said his mother was quite interested in seeing her, Jasmine silently stared at him. She didn’t know what to say. Looking back toward Ellie than Brantley, she returned the caring smile. “She is?” she asked standing up straight from the counter. What had Brantley said to his mother about her? “It would be nice to meet her. You rarely ever talk about her.”

[Brantley Chapman R7]

Brantley felt his sister’s eyes on him as he turned and lead Jasmine up the stairs to the second floor. “By the way, pancakes sound lovely. I’m sorry I didn’t say so before. I’ll just whip us up some when we get back down there, and then we can go riding.” He sent her a calming smile and slipped his arm around her in a reassuring way. When they reached the hall way to his mother’s bedroom, Brantley let his arm drop and motioned for Jasmine to step forward. When Jasmine had opened the door and entered the bedroom, Brantley followed closely. His mother’s room was a lively one, with yellow painted walls and dark hardwood floors. Her bed was in the center facing the windows that gave a view of their land. She had an old fashioned desk next to a large armoire with a vase of flowers on it. The saddest sight of her bedroom was the machinery that was set up to the left of her bed. Melina lay in her bed, her brown hair fanned out around her and her eyes closed. Brantley waited a moment and then leaned forward to tell Jasmine they should come back later when his mother opened her eyes, “Hello, dear.” She said in slight surprise.

“Hi, mum. This is Jasmine Anderson, the girl I told you about.” Melina’s eyes went from Brantley to Jasmine and when they saw her she smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, honey. I’m Melina, my son has told me lots about you. Of course, this is the first time he’s been home in awhile, but letters are always going back and forth in this place. No wonder Leonardo sleeps so much, Brant keeps him awake by sending me letters every thirty minutes.” Brantley blushed as his mother laughed heartily. Even for a woman with cancer, she was gorgeous and lively. It pained his heart to see her in such pain all the time. Melina started to sit up and immediately Brantley went to her side to help her. Once she was situated, she patted the foot of her bed and smiled at Jasmine, “Come sit with me, tell me about yourself. I’m afraid Brantley’s only told me things that have interested him… not much about your life. You must be a remarkable girl to have my son invite you out riding. That’s the one thing he won’t let anyone else do with him. Riding is for himself, he always tells us.”

Brantley smiled softly as he pulled up a chair so he could sit beside the bed and the two girls. Melina looked over at him and winked. She always knew how to make light of the situation. Brantley hadn’t told Jasmine about his mother having cancer, and that was evident by her look on her face. Melina had a certain way about her, though, that made everyone forget she was sick. Everyone except Brantley, that is. It was always plaguing his mind and he couldn’t think about anything else. That is, until Jasmine. Now there were two things that occupied his mind the whole time and they seemed to balance each other out. The good and the bad. He watched as Melina grabbed Jasmine’s hand and squeezed it gently, “Honey, don’t be afraid,” she said in reference to Jasmine’s look about Melina and the machines, “The machines are just there to annoy me every five minutes with a beep and I’m fine. I’m not in any pain and I feel like I’m healthy.” She smiled brightly and looked over at Brantley before turning her gaze back to Jasmine, “I assume my son hasn’t told you anything of my condition?”

[Jasmine Anderson]

Jasmine stared sideways at Brantley as he rested his arm around her shoulder. She felt that familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach that made shivers crawl on her skin. It wasn’t a feeling Jasmine was ever used to. In fact, she hated it, made her feel vulnerable for some reason. Smiling as he said pancakes sounded nice, she nodded her head. “I’ll help. You can’t expect me to just sit around and watch you cook….wait that actually sounds nice for a change,” she said her smiling never fading from her lips as she stared at Brantley in the eyes. Whenever Jasmine was cooking something for her self, Chad always knew and pestered her until she made him something. It was quite annoying, especially if she was running late for something. “If you have chocolate chips, we can add that in as well.” When they stopped by the door of the bedroom, Brantley dropped his arms from her shoulders. Jasmine looked over her shoulders at him, nodding her head slowly as he motioned for her to open the door. Staring at the door nub she took a deep breath before turning it and gently pushing the door opened. They entered the brightly colored room, Jasmine stopping, her gaze falling upon a woman in the bed. Her eyes were closed, but here were machines surrounding her. Why hadn’t Brantley told her about this?

They stood there for a couple of moments, Jasmine letting the shock sink one. When Brantley’s mother finally opened her eyes, she greeted the two. Jasmine smiled warmly moving out of the way so Brantley could help his mother sit up. A smile was still plastered on her face as Jasmine stood there watching the two. She wished her mother was still alive, but what really filled her up with sadness was that she was forgetting what her mother looked like. Brantley loved his mom it was clearly easy to tell. When Melina patted the end of the bed motioning for Jasmine to sit down, she nodded her head taking a seat on the bed. The mattress caved in slightly as Jasmine tried hard not to stare at the machines. There was a constant beeping that was probably driving everyone bonkers. Jasmine looked over at Brantley smiling as she heard his mother say that he wasn’t someone who asked people to ride with him. Did that make Jasmine someone special? Looking back at Melina, Jasmine smiled once again. “I’ll take your word on that Mrs. Chapman. Brantley is also quite remarkable.”

Following the woman’s gaze to Brantley, Jasmine looked away back at the machines. She felt her body tremble slightly, but Jasmine tried to keep it unnoticeable. Jasmine bit the bottom of her lip feeling Melina’s hands on her, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry…I,” she stuttered, drawling in a deep breath. “I’m just shocked that’s all.” Jasmine offered the woman a strong smile, squeezing the woman's hand back to reassure she was alright. “There honestly isn’t much you probably don’t know about me. I live with my aunt and cousin and my parents died when I was only eight….” Jasmine began her strong smile never leaving her lips. “Horses are my life, and I own two at a stable in Cheddar, England. I show a lot over the UK in the summer, maybe Ellie would like to compete in one, and maybe Brantley could come and watch.” Turning her head toward Brantley, Jasmine smiled at him. Vanessa was the only person who ever came to any of Jasmine’s horse shows. There were just too many to keep up with.

Turning back toward Melina, Jasmine was beginning to feel quite more comfortable. “Could you tell me about yourself and Brantley? He rarely ever talks about his personal life,” she said stopping to look back at her friend. “He talks mostly about his beliefs, ambitions, and love.”

[Brantley Chapman R7]

Brantley could feel Melina wince when Jasmine called her Mrs. Chapman, “Please, Jasmine, Mrs. Chapman was my mother in law. I’m Melina, or Mel.” She smiled again and looked over to Brantley who looked away out the window. He watched birds flit around outside as his mother and his friend talked. He listened to what Jasmine was saying; trying to catch anything she hadn’t already told him. She spoke about her horse shows and nodded when she said he might want to join her sometime. His eyes locked with hers a moment and he smiled before breaking the gaze and looking back out the window. It was when Jasmine asked about their family that he looked to the two women. Brantley couldn’t help but smile as Jasmine said he only talked about his ambitions, beliefs, and love. Love most of all. It was the biggest thing he believed in. Brantley believed it was the greatest thing of all, and he knew it was a bit cliché. He looked at his mother who was smiling a secret smile before she even began to speak about their past. “I’m not surprised,” Melina finally said with a sigh, “Brantley rarely talks about himself. He really dislikes it, I think he feels selfish when he does.” Brantley shrugged, “Just self centered.” Melina rolled her eyes and looked back at Jasmine.

“Well, I’ll leave Brantley to talk about himself. I’ll tell you about me, though. I met Brantley’s father when I was at Beauxbatons. We literally ran into each other at Hogsmeade. He broke my nose, actually, and now it has this little crook in it. I used to tease him about it all the time, and he’d hate me for it. Anyway, he broke my nose and he fixed it with a very bad spell, the clutz. He didn’t know his left foot from his right, and trust me that was horrible when we were dancing.” Melina shook her head in disbelief and smiled softly. Brantley watched as memories seemed to waltz passed her eyes. She really missed Harvey. Brantley did, too, but he didn’t ever speak about him. It wasn’t something that he enjoyed to use as a conversation. “After he took me to the local healer, he asked me to dinner to apologize for my nose. So, I accepted because I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get a free meal. Little did I know that I wasn’t going to get the meal.” She ran her fingers through her hair and looked over at Brantley. “This is where you get your romantic side, darling.” He nodded, he knew. He had heard the story plenty of times.

“I get to the restaurant where we had agreed to meet up, and I step inside. The moment I give my name the concierge bursts into a song.” Melina continued, her eyes on Jasmine. She then closed her eyes and started to hum a silly tune, soon breaking out into song. “I’m so sorry for your broken nose, but I must say it’s still the prettiest I’ve ever seen. This dinner will not compensate, so please forgive me.” Brantley chuckled as he ran his fingers through his hair. “It was silly, but it captured my heart because after the song was finished Harvey appeared with a bouquet of red roses.” She sighed in contentment and leaned back in her bed, her eyes closing again. Brantley watched her a moment and then stood from his seat. With his right pointer finger pressed to his lips, he grabbed Jasmine’s hand gently with his left, and exited the room making sure to close the door behind him. Once they were in the hallway, Brantley turned to her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about her. I should have, I know it was wrong of me to just dump my mum’s illness on you. It’s just hard because I haven’t had to deal with anyone else knowing outside our family before. She’s really doing much better than she was a month ago… but I’m still worried.” Brantley offered Jasmine an apologetic smile that broke into a charming one, “Will I have to sing you an apology for you to accept it?”

[Jasmine Anderson]

Jasmine smiled softly as Brantley’s mom told her she would rather be called Melina then Mrs. Chapman. It was a pretty name. Better than being named after a flower and having the nickname of a genre of music. She nodded her head in agreement when Melina said her son thought talking about him self was selfish. No one was ever selfish if they talked about there past, unless they just went on endlessly about it. Brantley didn’t do that. Jasmine found herself actually wanting him to tell her more about himself. More about how his dad and mom and what was so special about them that would make him love them forever. She didn’t talk that much about her parents. It was a hard topic to bring up because she was forgetting about them each passing day. When Melina went right off into her story about how she met Brantley’s dad, Jasmine snapped out of her thoughts. Crossing her legs so she was sitting in a comfortable Indian style, she listened to the story. Jasmine could see in Melina’s eyes that she still loved her husband and she felt a wave of sadness flow through her body. How could anyone go on in life, losing the one that they loved so dearly? People do it everyday, but some got remarried or even found new someone. They were still probably haunted by the image of their former lover. Jasmine smiled listening to Melina sing the little medley. It sounded quite romantic, well not the whole broken nose part.

She watched Melina’s head lean back on the head rest, her eyes closing. There was silence in the room expect for the sound of beeping from the machines. Looking back at Brantley as he took her hand, she slowly stood up from the bed. When the door was shut and they were halfway down the hall, Brantley broke out into an apology. Jasmine smiled knowing she would never be mad at him, but then laughed when he wanted to sing it out so she could forgive him. Shaking her head slowly, Jasmine slipped her hands in Brantley’s, her thumbs gliding over the top of his smooth skin. “I just wished you would have told me sooner Brantley instead of throwing this all on me out of the blue,” she spoke softly, her thumbs still gliding over Brantley’s skin. When did she ever get to be this comfortable with him? Smiling, Jasmine hugged her friend, having to stand on the tips of her feet so he could at least hear her. “I’m sure she’ll be fine, Brant. You can always come to me if you ever want to talk about it. Ok?” Jasmine stayed there in his embrace for a little while longer until breaking away. She offered him a soft smile. “You can still sing if you want.” Brantley probably had a good voice. His mother did.

They soon walked down into the kitchen ready to prepare a meal. Jasmine remembered seeing the pancake mix in one of the coverts and went right to get it. Setting it down on the counter she turned back around toward Brantley. “So we need a measuring cup, spatula, two eggs, a big bowl, and one cup of water,” she said nodding her head before remembering what she said before about adding sweets into it. “Do you have chocolate chips?”

[Brantley Chapman R7]

Brantley smiled his charming smile when Jasmine held his hands. When she spoke, he looked down in slight shame and let out a long sigh. “I know, mon cher (my dear), I’m sorry. It just never really came into the right conversation so I thought I could avoid it in time. I didn’t realize you would meet her today. Though, I’m rather glad you did.” He looked back up and into her eyes sending a soft smile in her direction. Brantley nodded his head when Jasmine offered an ear for listening. He knew she would hold herself to her word, even if she regretted it later. His arms had encircled around her waist when she had hugged him. “She’ll be wonderful, and one day she’ll come riding with us. We’ll make sure of it.” He grinned with a twinkle in his eye before pulling away from her and holding her hands still. He kept her gaze a moment and then pulled her hands to his lips, planting a kiss on the backside of each. In one swift motion, he looped her right arm through his left and led her down the hall back to the kitchen.

He merely smiled when Jasmine went straight to the pancake mix. He slid into one of the stools by the island and watched her. His arms rested comfortably on the counter as Jasmine turned around and rattled off a list of materials they needed. Brantley got an idea, and pulled a napkin out of the napkin holder and took a pen out of his pocket. He began to write on the napkin the first code he had ever broken. It was called Caesar’s perfect square cipher box. Caesar was the first code-writer in history. Each message he sent in code so it wouldn’t get intercepted and understood always had a letter count that was a perfect square. The code would then be arranged in a square box and read top to bottom to reveal the actual message. It was the easiest code to break, or at least, Brantley considered it would be. Quickly, he wrote down the code. He knew Jasmine might consider the little game of find the chocolate chips by code silly and juvenile, but he wanted to get her ready for the cryptex he planned on giving her.

Brantley slid the napkin over to her and grinned. The letters read “INCOITUASHPRIEBD.” With a raise of his eyebrows, “If you can solve the code, your question will be answered.”

[Jasmine Anderson]

Jasmine rested her hands on the counter, her hazel eyes gazing at the white skin. Brantley was writing down something on a napkin in front of her. Was his mother really ever going to get better? She had only met the woman ten minutes ago, but already really liked her. Melina reminded Jasmine of her own mother with their tenderness, and vivid personalities. That was where Jasmine got her goofy side, which only some people have seen. How could someone live everyday knowing that they might die anyway and that a machine was helping them stay alive? What would happen to Brantley if Melina died? Brantley was a strong person, but someone could only take so much before completely breaking. Jasmine shook her head to get rid of the thoughts. She shouldn’t be thinking like that. Looking down at the white napkin in front of her, Jasmine saw a long line of words scrambled together. Raising an eyebrow toward Brantley she looked back down at the code. She could make out some of the words, mainly the word cupboard. Walking toward one of the cupboards, Jasmine opened it up seeing a large bag of chocolate chips. Grinning, she took the plastic bag, closing the door while setting it down on the counter. “Is there some easier way to figuring out that code?” she asked opening the bag before looking up at Brantley. “I could only make out the word Cupboard.”

Turning the napkin back around and slid it down the counter to Brantley she went to go look for a large bowl. Finding one in a small pantry, Jasmine looked toward the stove already seeing that a frying pan was out. She got all the ingredients needed to make the pancakes, even a spoon and spatula. Everything was all spread out on the counter ready to be used. Jasmine then began to mix everything together, trying hard not to make a big mess. There was silence in the room, mainly because Jasmine rarely ever talked while cooking. Her job at the cubby, she was normally the only one in the kitchen, expect for the bus boys and girls getting everything cleaned. She would normally just sing or hum a tone herself most of the time, or if she got extremely bored, Jasmine would make weird games up in her mind to do with the utensils in the kitchen. Jasmine was humming as she stirred the bowl until the pancake mix was smooth and thick. Taking the chocolates, she poured a little inside, placing the bag back down. Her hand went into the bag and took out a chip. She then threw it up into the air catching it soon again in her mouth. Grinning at Brantley she laughed. “Normally I try catching it in my mouth with popcorn, and nine out of ten times I miss.”

Picking the bowl back up, she placed it in a different spot by the stove, turning the knob until the blue flame flared up. She had to wait a bit for the pan to heat up. Noticing that there was a small stereo by the sink, Jasmine turned it on, turning it different stations. Finally landing on one that sounded interesting, Jasmine turned her attention back onto the pan. Pouring some pancake mix into the pan, she let it wait there for a while before looking back around at Brantley. “Can I ask you a question Brant?” she asked, her hazel eyes calm. “Why don’t you ever want to become close to someone?”

[Brantley Chapman R7]

“You aren’t supposed to be able to decipher it, just by looking at it.” Brantley replied with a chuckle as she came back to the counter with the chocolate chips. While she was setting up the kitchen for pancakes, Brantley explained how to decipher the code. “It was Julius Caesar who thought of this code when his messages kept getting intercepted by enemies during times of war. He also used another system, but that one’s a bit more complex. This system is very simple if you know what to do.” Brantley drew a square on the napkin and smiled as he lifted his eyes to watch Jasmine prepare the pancakes. “What you do, or what any receiver of the message would do, is make a square box and arrange the letters from top to bottom.” Brantley did this and put the letters from top to bottom, and soon it read:

I N C O
T T U A
S H P R
I E B D

He turned the napkin back to face Jasmine and smiled his charming smile. It was one of the easiest codes he knew of, and it was one that he figured Jasmine would grasp rather quickly once he had explained it to her. He watched as Jasmine tossed a chocolate chip in the air and caught it in her mouth. He laughed when she said 9/10 times she missed catching things in her mouth. Brantley had never tried, knowing full well that he would have missed it regardless of how good he was at catching things. His thoughts were disturbed when Jasmine had turned on the radio and was searching for a clear station. When she asked if she could ask him a question, Brantley smiled; “Of course.” The question she asked wasn’t one that Brantley had expected. He pondered the answer he would give her for a moment, and then stood up from the stool he had been seated on.

As the music flowed around them in the kitchen, Brantley reached past Jasmine and picked up the spatula. He checked the pancake and then set the spatula down. He leaned against the counter, his hands on the edge and his blue eyes staring right into her hazel ones. “Because no matter how pro-romance I am, I know there is no such thing as happily ever after. Everyone will let you down sometime and the only way to avoid that is to make it so no is able to let you down.” His answer was sincere, and it was one thing he had never told anyone. Brantley Michael Chapman was afraid of rejection. He was afraid of being turned away and hurt. Letting his gaze fall, Brantley reached over and grabbed Jasmine’s hand on pure impulse. He pulled her to him and held her at a dancing pose. From there he led her in a slow dance that matched the tempo of the music coming from the radio perfectly.

It was one of his favourite songs, ‘Your Song.’ As the lyrics to the chorus came up, Brantley smiled and sang along with it, “And you can tell everybody that this is your song. It may be quite simple but now that it’s done. I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words… how wonderful life is now that you’re in the world.”

[Jasmine Anderson]

Jasmine raised her eyebrow at Brantley said the code wasn't meant to just pick out words from. She cracked the egg on the side of the bowl until the yolk spilled out into the mix. Brantley was explaining how Julius Caesar used the system in times of war. He then wrote it down like it was to be interrupted, turning the napkin back around revealing the words in different columns. It was ten times easier to read than before when the code was all in one sentence. Jasmine hazel eyes red it from up to down nodding her head. "It’s in the cupboard," she read silently to herself before looking back up at Brantley, smiling. "Didn't Julius Caesar used to kill his messengers if he received a bad note? Or was that with different kings? I don't really remember too much about that kind of stuff," she began, cracking the other egg before mixing everything together with a spoon. “To add unto his sickness? No, my Brutus; You have some sick offence within your mind, Which, by the right and virtue of my place, I ought to know of: and, upon my knees, I charm you, by my once-commended beauty, By all your vows of love and that great vow Which did incorporate and make us one, That you unfold to me, yourself, your half.” Jasmine stopped her stirring to look up at Brantley, a secret smile on her face. “Julius Caesar was a great play. Portia has to be one of my favorite female characters until she killed herself. Cassius was also another great character. Though, what upsets me about some of Shakespeare's work, most of his main characters are men.”

When Jasmine had asked Brantley her question, her hazel eyes stared at him for a moment before returning to the pan. It wasn’t something someone asked while making pancakes, but Jasmine was curious. She looked to her left, seeing that Brantley was standing right beside her. He flipped the pancake, checking to see if it was ready to be turned over. It was still thick and white, not even ready to be turned over. He had set the spatula back down on the table, his blue eyes staring straight in hers telling her why he never got close to anyone. Jasmine loved how Brantley would look her in the eyes when talking to her. She shook her head at his answer. He was afraid of being rejected and hurt. “That still shouldn’t keep you from making close friends Brant. I don’t know how I would get by every day without Nessa there. She knows me better than anyone and knows exactly how to cheer me up,” she said, her voice soft and gentle. Before she could even say anything more, Brantley took her hands and pulled her into a dance. Jasmine laughed at his impulse, her hand sliding up his arm, resting upon his shoulder.

The music was soft and enchanting as Jasmine swayed with Brantley. There was a smile on her face that grew even wider when he began to sing along with the lyrics. “I accept your apology Brantley,” Jasmine said, resting the side of her check on his chest. Her eyes closed as her body continued to move with his. For once in a long time she felt safe and calm standing in Brantley’s arms. She wasn’t making endless notes in her head about what to do, or worrying about her friends. It was just Brantley and Jasmine. Nothing else. “How about we make a deal,” she whispered into his shoulder, her eyes still closed. “If I learn to accept love, then you have to make new friends.” The music was still playing, the guys beautiful voice filling the kitchen. She then stopped hearing Ellie’s voice. Pulling away from Brantley quickly, Jasmine picked up the spatula flipping the pancake over. It was more darkish brown than it should be, but still good enough to eat. Jasmine didn’t look up from the pan hoping to hide her blush.

[Brantley Chapman R7]

Brantley raised an eyebrow at Jasmine’s question, “I don’t recall, but I don’t consider myself an expert on Julius Caesar. I just know a lot about codes.” He answered with a small shrug. Jasmine recited a familiar line from a play Brantley had read many times over. He smiled softly as she said it was a great play and stated her favourite characters. He looked her over, “Twelfth Night had a female main character. Have you read that one, mademoiselle?” Brantley had read too much Shakespeare, it was always hard for him to concentrate on the story, mostly because it didn’t have anything that really interested him. No codes, just betrayal, love, and death. “A lot of Shakespeare’s works make me tired, but I’ve made a point to read his well known plays at least once.” Brantley smiled charmingly again and crumpled up the napkin and slipping it in his pocket. She had gotten through the first code rather easily, but he knew the next code wouldn’t be as easy. He had planned on giving her the cryptex when they had reached his favourite spot in the woods, and then giving her hints as to what the word was that opened the device.

His eyes never left Jasmine’s when she responded to his answer to her question. He crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. “I’ve never had that luxury. Having a best friend has always been last on my list of priorities. There’s always been responsibility that I’ve had to live with. My sister, my mother.” He straightened his head and offered a small smile, “I’ve had friends, but none that were close to me. I’ve always figured if people got too close to me, I might do something that would drive them away.” Brantley shrugged and uncrossed his arms. “It’s really good you have someone you’re close to, though, Jasmine. I wouldn’t want you to be miserable and that’s what appears to be what would happen if you hadn’t met Vanessa.” It was then he had grabbed her and pulled her into a dance. They danced to the music, and Brantley savoured having Jasmine in his arms. He closed his eyes and wished nothing would interrupt them. Jasmine then said something, and Brantley felt a smile cross his face. “It’s a deal. A challenge with no easy feat.”

He knew that wish wouldn’t come true. Ellie entered the kitchen as she pulled her blonde hair into a pony tail. Jasmine seemed to leap form his arms and turn to the pancake on the stove as Ellie spoke, “Galileo’s all ready for her.” She told her older brother as she tugged on her pony tail to make it tighter. Brantley looked at Jasmine and then back at Ellie with a nod. Ellie sat down at the table and picked up her magazine again. “Galileo’s a sweetheart,” she was telling Jasmine with a tone of annoyance, “but he won’t hesitate to let you know if he doesn’t like you. He was much like Galileo Galilei that way.” Brantley smirked and looked at the pancake Jasmine had placed on the platter, “Ellie’s a Galileo expert, much like I am a Da Vinci.” Ellie snorted, “Galileo was better than Da Vinci and you know it!” Brantley chuckled. “Don’t get her started, because she’ll go on for hours.” He could hear Ellie roll her eyes and turn the page in her magazine. Brantley smiled and whispered in Jasmine’s ear as he leaned over to turn down the music on the radio, “She wants pancakes, it’s the only reason she’s staying in here. You can tell her no, if you want. I must say it will be amusing to watch her throw a fit.”

[Jasmine Anderson]

Jasmine bit her lip in thought trying to remember if she ever read Twelfth Night. She had heard about it, and read some summaries, but never really actually read the book. Shaking her head at Brantley she leaned on the counter mentally agreeing with the fact that Shakespeare work made someone quite tired. “Shakespeare was an amazing play writer though. Did you know that he used male characters for his female roles?” she asked chuckling at the mental image in her mind. “So in the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet, there were actually two guys kissing each other.” Jasmine looked back at the frying pan where the pancake was still upon still looking like it had been in the bowl. Maybe she should turn the stove up higher. It was on median low, but this stove was different from the one back at home or in the cubby. It probably required more heat to cook something. Turning the knob, she saw the blue fire rose higher with a loud crack.

She soon found herself feeling sorry for Brantley as he explained he had never really got close to anyone to care for his mother and sister. “You have gotten this close to me, and I haven’t run away from you….yet,” she teased, her hazel eyes still gazing into his blue ones. “I don’t know if I would be the same person than I am if I haven’t met Vanessa and became happy once again,” Jasmine added in as he took her hand to dance. She didn’t want to leave from his arms. Jasmine wanted to continue feeling the warm feeling she felt when in his embrace. When Brantley responded her challenge, Jasmine lifted her up slightly from his chest. “You’ve already made one close friend and probably another because Vanessa will most defiantly have to be your friend too. She thinks you’re positively romantic.” Resting her check back onto his shoulder she sighed. “Though, I’m not sure how I’m going to accept love. Unless you know someone, who’s a guy, likes horses, and is attractive, and then I’m going to have to wait on that challenge.”

Scraping the spatula under the cooked pancake, Jasmine set it down on a plate before adding some more mix into the pan. Her face had returned to its normal pale color as Ellie told Brantley that Galileo was ready to be ridden. She smiled as they bickered about the two famous historical figures. The Chapman’s certainly had a thing for great enlighten thinkers. Flipping the second pancake over, Jasmine listened as Brantley whispered in her ear about Ellie only wanting Pancakes. Smiling she turned around leaning in to whisper in his ear. “I’m not that mean. There’s enough mix for at least twenty pancakes.” Turning back around Jasmine scraped the pancake off from the skillet and onto the plate with the other one. She did this same routine until finally the mix was gone and there were six pancakes stacked upon each other. Smiling as Jasmine took out three plates from the cupboard she set one of the plates down in front of Ellie dropping two pancakes onto it. “I’m sure Galileo will be fine. Horses are always just a little off in the winter.”

Taking a seat in one of the stools by the island, Jasmine silently ate her pancakes next to Brantley. She couldn’t wait to go riding. Horseback riding was one of the only things in life that made Jasmine excited. Once she was done with the two pancakes she stood up from the stool looking back at Brantley. “Are you ready?”

[Brantley Chapman R7]

Brantley smiled, “Well of course, women weren’t meant for anything except keeping house and having babies. At least back then. The idea of a woman being a thespian was highly looked down upon.” He ran his hand through his hair and laughed when Jasmine said there were two guys kissing during the balcony scene of Romeo and Juliet. “Ah…” Brantley breathed as his eyes lit up, “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun! Arise fair sun, and kill the envious moon who is already sick and pale with grief that thou, her maid, art far more fair than she. Be not her maid, since she is envious.” He let the words hang in the air a moment and then shrugged. “It was one of his plays that didn’t put me to sleep because it was so full of romance.” Brantley’s eyes sparked, thinking about his favourite play of all time. Oedipus was his second favourite play, but Romeo and Juliet took the cake. He looked down at Jasmine and smiled softly, gently pushing a strand of brown hair from her face that had fallen from her braid. “Accepting love can be done even by the simplest person.” Brantley said in a whisper with that smile still on his face, “It doesn’t take falling in love to appreciate it.” He had never fallen in love, but he did appreciate it more than he’d every appreciated anything.

He laughed lightly when Jasmine told him she wasn’t that mean and they had enough mix to share. They all sat down at ate their pancakes in silence. Just as he took the last bite of his, Jasmine asked if he was ready to go. He stood and placed his plate in the sink before nodding, “Yeah, I just need to run upstairs and grab something. Ellie will you clean these up?” he asked with a tone that told her he was really telling her to. She nodded and stood to do just that as he left the kitchen and bounded up the stairs to his room. Once there, he pulled open the drawer to his mahogany desk and grabbed the box that held the cryptex. Closing the drawer again, he left his room and decided to check on his mother. She was still sound asleep and had slid down so her head was on the pillow. Brantley smiled and closed the door before heading back into the kitchen. Ellie had finished the dishes faster than usual and had retreated to the den to watch the telly. Brantley grinned and slipped the cryptex into the jacket that had been on the chair, he then slipped the jacket on over his shirt. “Let’s go, then.” His hand grabbed Jasmine’s hand and led her out the door in the kitchen.

The crisp outside weather struck Brantley dumb for a moment and he had to gain his composure before continuing to lead Jasmine to the barn. It was viewable from where they were standing and it was a nice size and had a nice paint job. It had been a project of the Chapman’s the past summer. Brantley smiled at Jasmine and they started the walk to the barn. They were there in a matter of minutes, and once inside the cold was fought away because they were indoors. The familiar smell of horses welcomed the two. Two stalls down, Brantley unlocked the door to Newton’s stall. “Hey, boy.” He greeted the white Andalusian with a smile. He silently thanked Ellie for grooming him as he turned to Jasmine. “Jasmine this is Newton. Doesn’t he bear a resemblance to the great Sir Isaac Newton?” Brantley joked as he pat Newton’s neck lovingly. The horse neighed in response and stomped his hoof. Brantley laughed and then led Jasmine out of the stall again, making sure to close the door even though he knew Newton wouldn’t leave even if he kept the door open.

“And this beauty,” Brantley stated as he moved to the stall across from Newton’s, “is Galileo. I don’t think he looks too much like the actual scientist, but Ellie begs to differ. It’s no secret here that Galileo is just as intelligent as Galileo Galilei.” Brantley opened the stall door and waited for Jasmine to enter before he did. The horse was already done up and was patiently waiting to be ridden. The Hanoverian was a gorgeous horse and Brantley could sit there and stare at it for hours, but it was to be ridden today, not to be stared at. “Why don’t you get acquainted with Galileo, here, while I prepare Newton?” Brantley kissed Jasmine on the cheek and left the two. Few moments later they were both leading the horses out of the barn and getting hit with the cold weather once more. Brantley mounted Newton and smiled at Jasmine, “There’s a trail that weaves through those woods,” he pointed to the forest behind the acres upon acres of land, “shall we ride it?”

[Jasmine Anderson]

Jasmine smiled looking from Brantley to Ellie as he asked her to clean up. Well, he wasn't really asking her, more like telling her. Watching as he disappeared back up the stares, Jasmine took a couple of plates from the table to the sink rolling up her sleeves to help. "Think you enjoy all this fun to yourself?" she asked Ellie with a grin as the girl turned on the facet to warm water. Picking up a plate from her side of the sink, she took one of the sponges whipping the glass clean. It only took the two a few seconds until everything was cleaned. Jasmine whipped her hands on the towel by the stove, before using some lotion. Her hands always got so dry after she washed the dishes or even took a shower. It was even worse during the winter time. Noticing Brantley walking back down the stairs she turned her attention back on Ellie who left without a word. His sister certainly was the definition of sweet. Maybe it took a while for Ellie to warm up to people. Shrugging she followed behind Brantley, her fingers slipping into the caress of his. “What did you have to get?” she asked slipping her other hand into the pocket of her jacket. Maybe he was only checking on his mom, but he did say he had to get something.

The cold air greeted the two as they walked toward the band in the distance. It looked ten times nicer than Bridgemont stables. Maybe because the Chapman’s barn had a fresh coat of paint instead of old, worn out color of blue that was on her stables. They were soon inside, the familiar fragrance of hay mixed with other horse aroma in the air. Smiling as she took a deep breath, Jasmine followed behind Brantley to one of the stalls. He unlocked the latch, opening it to reveal a beautiful white horse. Jasmine stared at Newton, her hazel eyes admiring the beautiful horse. She smiled at Brantley comment reaching out a hand toward the white coat. “He most certainly does. Maybe if horses could talk, Newton would be reciting all the laws of gravity,” she joked, her happy smile never fading from her face. Jasmine followed Brantley across the isle, reaching another beautiful horse inside. Entering the stall she held out a hand toward the gelding, a soft smile on her lips as he sniffed her hand. Brantley dropped a kiss on her check leaving to go get Newton ready.

Grabbing the halter from outside the stall, she pulled it over the horse’s head gently clipping the cross ties on. “You know what?” she asked brushing the horses bay coat. “I think you look like scientist. Think you can turn into a human?” she asked with a soft laugh picking up the horses feet to pick out his hooves. Jasmine soon put the saddle and bridle on and was leading the horse outside stopping beside the white horse. She had grabbed a helmet from the tack room and put one of them over her braided hair. Gathering the reins, she climbed into the saddle adjusting the stirrups to fit the length of her legs. “Sounds like a good plan,” she told Brantley with a smile, gently kicking the horses side. Galileo picked up into a smooth flowing trot, Jasmine rising up and out of the saddle to match his rhythm. Looking over to her right to see Brantley next to her she smiled at him looking ahead. “Where exactly does this trail lead to?"

[Brantley Chapman R7]

Brantley trotted next to Jasmine and Galileo as the four made their way down the trail toward the woods. Jasmine had asked where the trail lead to, and Brantley just smiled a calming smile. The trail actually wound deep into the forest until it came to a split. The road on the right lead deeper into the forest and would eventually bring you back to the other end of the woods where you would exit to return to the barn, and the road on the left lead to Brantley’s secret place. During the summer it was prettier because the small lake wasn’t murky and there were flowers in bloom and lush trees served as a canopy to block out the harsh sunlight. Brantley continued to ride in silence, wondering how long they could go without Jasmine going completely insane because she didn’t know where the trails lead. It was probably a bad idea to just leave her in suspense, so Brantley kicked Newton’s side gently and broke off into a gallop toward the edge of the forest. He turned Newton and headed down the trail where the road split into two separate ones. He pulled Newton’s reigns back a little and the horse obeyed. Soon Jasmine was beside them and Brantley smiled charmingly at her.

“Let’s follow the left one, there’s something I want to show you.” He led Newton down the left trail, concentrating on the path making sure there wasn’t any ice or something of the sort. There was a slight silence between them, the only sound coming from the horses’ hooves and the birds that were fluttering through the trees. Brantley cleared his throat loudly and then smiled sheepishly, “I hate silences. We’re almost there, though.” Just as he finished his sentence, they came upon a clearing. The small lake didn’t look nearly as murky as it usually did during the winter, and the ground didn’t look dead either. Brantley directed Newton to the edge of the small lake and slipped off the saddle. He pat Newton’s neck and turned to Jasmine who had gotten of Galileo, “We can ride them more later, but first…” Brantley took out his wand and waved it over a patch of grass, a blanket formed over the grass and a fire popped up in front of it. He smiled at Jasmine, glad he was of age, and then led her to the blanket. Once they were seated, Brantley leaned back on his elbows, slipping his hand into his pocket that held the cryptex.

“I’ve got something for you. As you know, I’m into codes and puzzles. I like to delve deep into the magic of mind and see how other people solve them.” Brantley pulled out the cryptex now and looked at it in his hand. His eyes flew to Jasmine as he smiled, “This is a cryptex. Inside it is a message, your job is to find out what the message is. In order to get the message you have to know the code and put it in on this lock pad. It’s a five letter word that we both have in common. Also, don’t think about breaking it open with a wand or a tool, there is a vial of potion that the parchment is wrapped around. One forced entry, the vial will break, and the potion will vaporize the parchment and the message will be gone forever.” Brantley stared at Jasmine a moment, and then handed her the cryptex gently so it wouldn’t be dropped. “It’s a Da Vinci invention,” he said with a small smile.

[Jasmine Anderson]

Jasmine looked over her right shoulder at Brantley, waiting for an answer. Galileo’s pacing was lively, matching Newton’s perfectly. So far, the gelding seemed to be behaving himself. Maybe Jasmine should have asked Ellie more about her horse’s personality, but Jasmine got the feeling the girl didn’t like her to much. It was going to take time if she ever wanted to be friends with Brantley’s sister. Glancing back over at her friend, Jasmine sighed as Brantley wouldn’t say anything. What was so special about this trail that he wouldn’t even tell her where it led? If Brantley was meaning to put her in suspense, he was most certainly doing that. Glancing down at her outside leg, Jasmine checked to make sure she was on the correct diagonal. It was just something that came naturally, because she always hated it when her trainer would sing the words, check your diagonal. Her head shot right up seeing the galloping white horse pick up the pace. Shortening her reins, Jasmine clicked her tongue, and with a nudge of her hells, Galileo was speeding off after the horse. The two caught up real quickly, Jasmine bringing the horse down into a walk.

Nodding her head when Brantley said to follow the trail ahead, she lengthened her reins, Galileo’s head lowering a little. Their horses moved together at a reasonable pace, and there was silence between them. Well, there was the occasional fluttering and chirping of birds nearby, and the sound of their horse’s hooves on the grass. Jasmine loved trail rides. She didn’t have to worry about keeping her heels down, making sure the arch in her two point was perfect, or keeping the horse attentive. It was just nature bringing together the spirit of the horse and rider. Hearing Brantley clear his throat and say a comment about silence, Jasmine just smiled and nodded at him. She normally always kept quiet when on trail rides. It was just a habit of hers, and she wanted to take this time to just clear her mind. Loosening her grip on the reins some more, Jasmine’s hand gently petted the geldings neck. Galileo ears perked back slightly before returning forward when the horse stepped on a twig, making a loud cracking noise.

They soon stopped by a lake and Brantley dismounted from his horse. Dropping her stirrups, Jasmine leaned forward until her feet touched the ground. Smiling as Brantley conjured a blanket and a fire by the lake she began to pull her stirrups up, unbuckling the girth so it wasn’t as tight, but tight enough to keep the saddle on. Walking to the front of the horse, Jasmine also unbuckled the nose band so it could be easier for the horse to graze. Gently rubbing the horse’s forward, she watched as the two horses walked forward looking for green grass to graze on. Unbuckling the helmet, Jasmine set it aside while taking a seat down on the blanket. The fire was warm, but her hands still felt frozen. Rubbing them together vigorously, she turned back to Brantley as he took something called a cryptex from his pocket. Blinking a couple times as she took it in her hands, Jasmine found her self wondering what the note inside was. What was a four letter word they had in common? Trying out the word love, she sighed as it wouldn’t click open. “You really do like to challenge me, don’t you?” Jasmine asked a small smile on her face. Leaning back, she rested her head on Brantley’s shoulder while trying to figure out the code.