I've Had It!

I think I made a huge mistake coming to this island.  I thought I'd be training horses, but all Earl gives me is crap work around the stables.  Sheila and the two nurses cornered me and shoved me, telling me to stay away from Grady.  As if I'd even CONSIDER Grady.  When they shoved me, I fell in the brush and cut my face.  Thin scratches, but still...  When the doctor saw me, he knew something was up.  I skipped dinner.  I've just had it here.  So that's why I took one of the horses and bolted when Earl was away from the stables.

Jamie escaping  in Jackel Island's jungle

My heart pounded, but without further thought, I mounted the horse.  As I rose on the saddle, my heart lifted and fluttered.  I tested this animal by riding her in a tight circle, and she obeyed with ease.  Only minimum pressure on the bit was required to cue this pony.  I surveyed the surroundings once more, looking for the best escape route.  I then quickly gave the forward command, and the horse and I raced off along the white fence and beyond, traveling away.

We raced along a path in the woods that led to the heart of the island.  I had no idea where I was heading; I just knew I was heading east.  I bolted away from Earl, from Sheila and the nurses, from Grady’s looks and advancements, from this place not being all I had intended it to be, and from my past.  I plunged ahead through the fertile trail flanked by shoulder–high bushes, through this arboretum of wild jungle in this eminently foreign land.  I felt so very alive.