It was Matt’s first day of school. The sun was nowhere to be found in the overcast sky, and the leaves were beginning to turn red and brown and crinkle at the edges. He peered out at the new Middle School building and his stomach jumped at the idea of a whole new world he must now navigate. Teachers, bullies, girls. He gulped. The bus screeched to a halt and he was forced to get off and face the mist of rain that started. No sooner had he stepped off but he trod into a mucky puddle. A group of girls started giggling at him, standing up past his sneakers in the mud. One in particular looked right at him and hid her laughter behind her hands. He blushed.
“Trina Hoefling, GroupONE solutions.” A voice right beside him said. Matt turned to look at a large stallion with sunglasses staring at the group of girls alongside him.
“Who? That girl?” Without taking his eyes off the horse, Matt stepped out of the puddle and onto firmer ground. An older boy whizzed by on a bike, knocking Matt off balance and he regained his footing before he tripped.
“Doug Odell, Odell Brewing Company.” Horse_ebooks turned to look at Matt now, who was overwhelmed by his morning. Was he seeing things?
“That’s that boy’s name? He has a brewing company? Isn’t this…Middle School?” He followed Horse_ebooks as the latter made his way slowly around to the side of the school. Seeing some kids playing a game of some sort on the pavement by the side entrance, Matt figured he still had enough time to listen to this kind stranger who seemed to know everything about the school. He really could use some guidance. “Who’s that, then?” He asked, pointing out a tall, gangly girl who looked like she could crush anyone on the playground.
“Lisa Blackstone, HorseAndRiderClub.com.” Horse_ebooks stopped and pawed the ground slightly, stooping to nibble some wet grass. Matt started to feel confident. So what if his new friend was a horse? He was, at least, a friend.
“What about those two over there? The boys sitting together on the same swing?”
The horse raised its head and looked to where Matt pointed, his sunglasses perched up high on his brow. “Brennan White and Matt Peters, Pandemic Labs.”
“But…this is crazy. These are just kids. We’re just entering the 7th grade. How can they have companies and websites?” Matt grew nervous, thinking maybe he had entered some kind of crazy genius school. He couldn’t compete with that. He was only here because his parents moved around a lot. It wasn’t his fault this was the only school in the district. And now, he was going to be the laughingstock of the entire county because he didn’t have a business partner, he wasn’t a CEO. They had just reached the back door when Matt noticed none of the other kids were still outside anymore. The starting bell must have rang.
“Well, anyways, thanks for the heads up. Are you coming?” He held the door for the horse.
“No more.” Horse_ebooks said mysteriously. Matt was confused. The horse continued quietly, “Ride the adrenaline surge of being the man in the thick of the action.” Almost conspiratorially, he whispered, “Discover how to trust the power of your subconscious mind to control the way you feel when nerves do set in.”
Matt was stunned, and felt a shiver run up his spine. Who was this mystifying new friend? So wise and knowing. He wanted Horse_ebooks to be with him all day at school. “Can’t you come in?”
Horse_ebooks lowered his shades slowly and puffed through his nostrils, seeming to take his time making his mind up about something. Suddenly, he exclaimed: “The one secret you can use automatically to handle what ever comes your way!” Matt froze as the horse reared and bucked. “What is the link between the alien agenda, Project Enoch and Revelation 9?!”
And with that, Horse_ebooks took a flying leap—
“What are you doing out here, young man?” A stern voice made Matt snap his head around. The principal stood with arms crossed, eyebrow raised, right behind him.
“I was just…there’s a horse…over there, a horse was here and…” Matt pointed to the spot where Horse_ebooks had just shouted about the alien agenda. The horse was gone. Nowhere on the playground. Nowhere near the puddle, or down the street. The principal grabbed Matt’s arm and pulled him towards his homeroom.
All throughout first period, Matt felt uneasy. What had happened? Had he hallucinated all that? Was he crazy? No, he had felt the stallion’s hot breath, heard his shouts of Project Enoch and the children’s names. Doug Odell was even in front of him in class. They were all going around the room, introducing themselves. Matt was still puzzled, and when Doug stood up to talk, he listened closely to distract himself.
“Hi, I’m Doug Odell. I have 2 dogs, Lucky and Chance, and two older brothers. I like karate and pizza, and when I grow up, I want to own a beer company. I’d call it, the Odell Brewing Company!”
