A/N. So, I read The Scorpio Races, and I was enchanted by the story. It is one of those stories that is so miraculously well done that there is the reader's infinite craving for sequel coupled with the knowledge that there will never be one because the first story was so perfect. But one thing that captured me was how alive Sean was, so I thought I'd try to capture some more of that.

These characters are obviously not mine. My name is not Maggie Stiefvater; I am merely studying her stories so that I can improve my own writing.

People die on that beach. Hearts that were beating moments earlier, intertwined with the heartbeat of their capaill uisce, have ceased. Their blood has stained the sand, and their spirits have joined those who died in the previous races. Thisby is a wild land, and the sea a strict mistress; both are cruel instructors, demonstrating how precious that heartbeat is.

Corr and I are as intertwined as the moon and the sea: dependent upon each other. Corr is the wild sea, the wild heart in which I see a reflection of my own being. Years upon years of my life have been invested in him-my father's life is invested in him-and he is as much a part of me as my right arm. His heart pumps the blood through my veins. The same magic that draws him to the sea draws me to the
capaill uisce, the same wild heart, the same thirst for freedom unattainable by humanity.

Puck once asked me if that's why I do it, if that's why I race. I couldn't answer her then because I couldn't answer the question myself. Being in the Scorpio Races is who I am. It is the fire that courses through my veins, fueled by the beating of Corr's heart.

I am so, so alive.

I think she is right about me. When each heartbeat could be your last, that is when you truly know that you are alive. In the races, where death rides behind you in the saddle. In the quiet, when the call of the sea sings to Corr and to me. When I feel Puck's pulse beat, and mine skips a beat to meld with hers, and my heart pounds so strongly that I feel my heart may beat out of my chest. It is those moments, living from one heartbeat to the next that I come alive.

A/N. So, yes, it's pretty short. But, drop me a review and let me know what you think.