if horse and rider were one being, and Stevie’s eyes wandered toward the stands where Chelsea was sitting. She wanted to make sure the other girl had seen how well Stevie and No-Name worked together—even if Chelsea didn’t realize No-Name’s true identity.
In that split second, Stevie’s concentration wavered—and in that split second, the flag slipped out of her grasp.
“Oh, rats!” Stevie cried, grabbing futilely at the fluttering cloth. Veronica glanced over and saw what had happened. She tried to help, waving her end of the flag to try to move the other end within Stevie’s grasp. But Stevie’s hand just missed it at every try. Meanwhile Garnet had started forward. If Stevie didn’t do something fast, thiswould be a disastrous round for the team—it could mean the difference between winning and losing.
But before Stevie could do anything, No-Name stepped in. The mare looked around to see what was fluttering by her head. Spotting the waving flag, the mare grabbed it in her teeth and snorted. The cheering crowd burst out laughing.
Stevie’s eyes widened. “Let’s go!” she cried to her teammates.
Glancing over, the others saw what had happened. At Stevie’s repeated urging, they surged forward, the four horses moving as one. No-Name kept the flag clenched tightly in her teeth. The horses cantered across the ring and over the finish line to loud cheers from the crowd. Even when the race was over, No-Name seemed reluctant to give up her end of the flag.
“I guess it must taste good,” Lisa said as Stevie gently forced the mare’s mouth open and dislodged the well-chewed piece of cloth.
“That’s not why she did it,” Stevie corrected, giving No-Name a hug and a kiss on the nose. “She was just helping out the team.”
The others laughed. They really couldn’t argue with that.
After scratching his head and checking his mental rule book, Mr. Baker declared that he saw no reason why a nonhuman member of the team couldn’t carry the flag justas well as a human one. And after all, the flag hadn’t touched the ground. The team ended up in third place.
“Not bad, considering the delay at the turn,” Carole said.
“I know,” Stevie agreed. “But we’ve got to win the last one. We’ve got to beat Phil.”
No-Name’s stunt had given the whole team a burst of additional energy. In the last event, the costume race, all four members threw the costumes on and off faster than ever before. Stevie and No-Name had the last leg, and they raced across the finish line a good six yards ahead of the rider from Fairfax, who came in second.
The judges conferred for a moment, then the results were official. The team from Fairfax was declared the day’s champion. Stevie, Carole, Lisa, and Veronica had finished second, and Phil’s team was third. Everyone cheered enthusiastically as the three teams lined up to receive their ribbons. Stevie shot Phil a triumphant look, and he gave her a mock salute and a sheepish grin in return.
As Stevie turned forward again, she noticed that even Chelsea was clapping and shouting for the winners. That made her feel a little strange, because it reminded her that this victory with No-Name, sweet as it was, would be her last. During the excitement of the last few races she had all but forgotten that.
“Congratulations, girls,” said Ms. Cleese, the director of Linton Stables, who was one of the judges. She presentedthem with their red ribbons, clipping them onto each horse’s bridle.
As she stepped away from No-Name, the judge glanced down at her hands, a slightly puzzled expression on her face. Lisa saw that Ms. Cleese’s hands had dark brown smudges on them. The woman stared at her hands for a moment, then shrugged and wiped them off on her jeans. Lisa stifled a giggle and glanced over at Carole and Veronica, who were trying not to laugh as well.
Stevie hadn’t even noticed what had happened, though. She was already getting ready to lead No-Name away, back to
In that split second, Stevie’s concentration wavered—and in that split second, the flag slipped out of her grasp.
“Oh, rats!” Stevie cried, grabbing futilely at the fluttering cloth. Veronica glanced over and saw what had happened. She tried to help, waving her end of the flag to try to move the other end within Stevie’s grasp. But Stevie’s hand just missed it at every try. Meanwhile Garnet had started forward. If Stevie didn’t do something fast, thiswould be a disastrous round for the team—it could mean the difference between winning and losing.
But before Stevie could do anything, No-Name stepped in. The mare looked around to see what was fluttering by her head. Spotting the waving flag, the mare grabbed it in her teeth and snorted. The cheering crowd burst out laughing.
Stevie’s eyes widened. “Let’s go!” she cried to her teammates.
Glancing over, the others saw what had happened. At Stevie’s repeated urging, they surged forward, the four horses moving as one. No-Name kept the flag clenched tightly in her teeth. The horses cantered across the ring and over the finish line to loud cheers from the crowd. Even when the race was over, No-Name seemed reluctant to give up her end of the flag.
“I guess it must taste good,” Lisa said as Stevie gently forced the mare’s mouth open and dislodged the well-chewed piece of cloth.
“That’s not why she did it,” Stevie corrected, giving No-Name a hug and a kiss on the nose. “She was just helping out the team.”
The others laughed. They really couldn’t argue with that.
After scratching his head and checking his mental rule book, Mr. Baker declared that he saw no reason why a nonhuman member of the team couldn’t carry the flag justas well as a human one. And after all, the flag hadn’t touched the ground. The team ended up in third place.
“Not bad, considering the delay at the turn,” Carole said.
“I know,” Stevie agreed. “But we’ve got to win the last one. We’ve got to beat Phil.”
No-Name’s stunt had given the whole team a burst of additional energy. In the last event, the costume race, all four members threw the costumes on and off faster than ever before. Stevie and No-Name had the last leg, and they raced across the finish line a good six yards ahead of the rider from Fairfax, who came in second.
The judges conferred for a moment, then the results were official. The team from Fairfax was declared the day’s champion. Stevie, Carole, Lisa, and Veronica had finished second, and Phil’s team was third. Everyone cheered enthusiastically as the three teams lined up to receive their ribbons. Stevie shot Phil a triumphant look, and he gave her a mock salute and a sheepish grin in return.
As Stevie turned forward again, she noticed that even Chelsea was clapping and shouting for the winners. That made her feel a little strange, because it reminded her that this victory with No-Name, sweet as it was, would be her last. During the excitement of the last few races she had all but forgotten that.
“Congratulations, girls,” said Ms. Cleese, the director of Linton Stables, who was one of the judges. She presentedthem with their red ribbons, clipping them onto each horse’s bridle.
As she stepped away from No-Name, the judge glanced down at her hands, a slightly puzzled expression on her face. Lisa saw that Ms. Cleese’s hands had dark brown smudges on them. The woman stared at her hands for a moment, then shrugged and wiped them off on her jeans. Lisa stifled a giggle and glanced over at Carole and Veronica, who were trying not to laugh as well.
Stevie hadn’t even noticed what had happened, though. She was already getting ready to lead No-Name away, back to
Similar Books
