Caitlin set her camera on her lap, and she proceeded to wipe a week's worth
of dust of it. She could believe it had been that long since she had
snapped her last photograph. Today was the perfect day to ride Bandit to
the river and then take some shots of him in the wild. She quickly
reassembled her pride and joy and headed to the barn.
Bandit greeted her, eager to get some exercise. She had the saddle on in record time was soon riding him across the open fields. Nothing makes you feel freer than galloping on a horse on a warm spring day. Caitlin forgot about all the bad things going on in her life. She even forgot about the bad grades. Caitlin and Bandit enjoyed the rest of the afternoon together and headed home only when night began to fall.
Caitlin stepped into the house to the aroma of baking lasagna.
"Dori, dinner smells wonderful," Caitlin stated.
"Thank you, Caitlin," Dori answered.
"Oh, and Griff wanted to know when the grub was going to be done," Caitlin added.
"Fifteen minutes," Dori replied.
"All right, I'll tell him," Caitlin said going back outside to find Griffin.
"Dinner in 15," Caitlin told her cousin. "Have you made our sick notes yet?"
"No, I haven't made mine yet, and I wasn't planning on making yours," Griffin stated.
"You have too," she pleaded.
"I don't have to do anything, especially for you," he said.
"I'll remember this next time you ask me for a favor," Caitlin replied.
"That's fine because I'll never ask you for any favors," he responded.
"I helped you get out of going to school today," Caitlin explained.
"No, you tried to lead me down your delinquent path," he contradicted.
"Griff, get a life," she told him. "Oh, by the way, my excuse will be a thousand times better than yours." Caitlin turned away and headed back towards the house.
"We'll just see about that," he called after her.
Caitlin chose to ignore him, she kept walking. At dinner, Griffin wouldn't stop talking. Caitlin sat quietly in the background. She asked if she could be excused before everyone else was finished.
"What's the rush?" Jim asked.
"Homework, I don't want to get behind again," Caitlin explained. This wasn't a lie she had two pages of math, an essay, and a lab report to write. She set to work on the math first, which she finished in less than an hour. Halfway through her essay she laid her head on her desk and fell asleep.
The next thing Caitlin knew it was morning again. She woke up with a start and tried to recall what had happened. It came to her in a flash. "Oh, no," she groaned. This wasn't going to be good. She only had a few choices be to school and tell her teachers the truth, beg Dori to let her stay home, or she could just skip again.
The first one wasn't appealing; the second didn't seem likely, so Caitlin decided the third choice was her only choice. She changed her clothes and went down stairs. She was running late.
"Bye," she called into the kitchen.
"Caitlin, are you going to eat breakfast?" Dori asked.
"No, I'm late," Caitlin answered.
"Don't worry, I'll just have Jim drive you," Dori explained.
"No, really it's fine," Caitlin insisted.
"All right," Dori said giving up.
Caitlin walked out the door and down the driveway. She kept walking until she thought it was safe to hide.
Griffin was waiting at the end of the driveway for the bus. He looked back every few seconds to see if Caitlin was coming. The bus appeared over the horizon, and there was still no sign of Caitlin. "Oh, well at least I'm not late again," he said to himself shrugging it off.
Caitlin waited for Jim and Dori to leave. Jim left around 7:30, but Dori was still there around 11:00. By this point, Caitlin was hungry and bored. She decided it would be safe to take Bandit for a ride. Dori rarely went into the barn during the day, and she probably wouldn't notice if Bandit were missing.
Dori finished cleaning the bathroom and was about to leave when she noticed Caitlin's door ajar. She looked in to see Caitlin's math book sitting on the floor. Dori picked it up and decided to bring to the school on her way to see a cow on the other side of Highriver.
Dori entered the office of the school. The secretary looked up at her.
"I'm dropping off a book for Caitlin Seager," Dori said.
"Seager, Seager," the secretary repeated as she flipped through an index. "Caitlin Seager isn't in school today."
"Could you check again?" Dori asked.
"Yes, she is right here on the absence list," the secretary reported.
"Thank you," Dori replied.
She left the school rather confused, and she drove to the sheriff's office. Jim was outside talking with a deputy when she arrived. The deputy left soon after.
"Hey you," he said giving his wife a kiss.
"I'm glad to see you too, but," Dori started say.
"What is it?" Jim asked knowing this wasn't going to be good.
"I went to drop Caitlin's math book off at the school, and she wasn't there," Dori told him.
"Emm," Jim groaned, "and you have work to do and need me to find her."
"Exactly," Dori answered.
"I'll have a look around town and then go house," Jim said.
"Thank you," she replied.
"Not a problem, I needed to do some driving today," he joked.
~~~~~~ At the House ~~~~~~
Caitlin was working on homework on the floor with her headphones over her ears. She was amazed how fast the work was coming along, now that all the pressure was off. She was trying to decided on a closing sentence for her essay, when Jim opened her bed room door.
Caitlin looked up and the color left her fast. She was dead; there was no one to get herself out of this one. She raised the headphones from her ears and waited for Jim to say something.
"Caitlin," he started to say, "Why? What are doing?"
"My homework," she told him.
"You're supposed to be in school," Jim exclaimed. "Dori went to bring your math book to you, but you weren't in school."
"And you're supposed to be at work," Caitlin muttered under her breath.
"You're grounded, and we aren't through talking about this," he said.
"Aren't you going to let me explain," she asked.
"What is there to explain? You are supposed to be at school, and you aren't at school," he replied.
"Fine, I don't care either," she said slamming an open schoolbook closed.
"Stay in your room for now," Jim told her.
He left, and Caitlin sat on her bed. She smashed her face into the pillow before tears started to roll down her cheeks.
Jim stood in the middle of the kitchen. He didn't know what to do. Was he supposed to yell at her? Was he supposed to talk to her? He decided to wait until Dori came home, so he wouldn't screw this up.
Bandit greeted her, eager to get some exercise. She had the saddle on in record time was soon riding him across the open fields. Nothing makes you feel freer than galloping on a horse on a warm spring day. Caitlin forgot about all the bad things going on in her life. She even forgot about the bad grades. Caitlin and Bandit enjoyed the rest of the afternoon together and headed home only when night began to fall.
Caitlin stepped into the house to the aroma of baking lasagna.
"Dori, dinner smells wonderful," Caitlin stated.
"Thank you, Caitlin," Dori answered.
"Oh, and Griff wanted to know when the grub was going to be done," Caitlin added.
"Fifteen minutes," Dori replied.
"All right, I'll tell him," Caitlin said going back outside to find Griffin.
"Dinner in 15," Caitlin told her cousin. "Have you made our sick notes yet?"
"No, I haven't made mine yet, and I wasn't planning on making yours," Griffin stated.
"You have too," she pleaded.
"I don't have to do anything, especially for you," he said.
"I'll remember this next time you ask me for a favor," Caitlin replied.
"That's fine because I'll never ask you for any favors," he responded.
"I helped you get out of going to school today," Caitlin explained.
"No, you tried to lead me down your delinquent path," he contradicted.
"Griff, get a life," she told him. "Oh, by the way, my excuse will be a thousand times better than yours." Caitlin turned away and headed back towards the house.
"We'll just see about that," he called after her.
Caitlin chose to ignore him, she kept walking. At dinner, Griffin wouldn't stop talking. Caitlin sat quietly in the background. She asked if she could be excused before everyone else was finished.
"What's the rush?" Jim asked.
"Homework, I don't want to get behind again," Caitlin explained. This wasn't a lie she had two pages of math, an essay, and a lab report to write. She set to work on the math first, which she finished in less than an hour. Halfway through her essay she laid her head on her desk and fell asleep.
The next thing Caitlin knew it was morning again. She woke up with a start and tried to recall what had happened. It came to her in a flash. "Oh, no," she groaned. This wasn't going to be good. She only had a few choices be to school and tell her teachers the truth, beg Dori to let her stay home, or she could just skip again.
The first one wasn't appealing; the second didn't seem likely, so Caitlin decided the third choice was her only choice. She changed her clothes and went down stairs. She was running late.
"Bye," she called into the kitchen.
"Caitlin, are you going to eat breakfast?" Dori asked.
"No, I'm late," Caitlin answered.
"Don't worry, I'll just have Jim drive you," Dori explained.
"No, really it's fine," Caitlin insisted.
"All right," Dori said giving up.
Caitlin walked out the door and down the driveway. She kept walking until she thought it was safe to hide.
Griffin was waiting at the end of the driveway for the bus. He looked back every few seconds to see if Caitlin was coming. The bus appeared over the horizon, and there was still no sign of Caitlin. "Oh, well at least I'm not late again," he said to himself shrugging it off.
Caitlin waited for Jim and Dori to leave. Jim left around 7:30, but Dori was still there around 11:00. By this point, Caitlin was hungry and bored. She decided it would be safe to take Bandit for a ride. Dori rarely went into the barn during the day, and she probably wouldn't notice if Bandit were missing.
Dori finished cleaning the bathroom and was about to leave when she noticed Caitlin's door ajar. She looked in to see Caitlin's math book sitting on the floor. Dori picked it up and decided to bring to the school on her way to see a cow on the other side of Highriver.
Dori entered the office of the school. The secretary looked up at her.
"I'm dropping off a book for Caitlin Seager," Dori said.
"Seager, Seager," the secretary repeated as she flipped through an index. "Caitlin Seager isn't in school today."
"Could you check again?" Dori asked.
"Yes, she is right here on the absence list," the secretary reported.
"Thank you," Dori replied.
She left the school rather confused, and she drove to the sheriff's office. Jim was outside talking with a deputy when she arrived. The deputy left soon after.
"Hey you," he said giving his wife a kiss.
"I'm glad to see you too, but," Dori started say.
"What is it?" Jim asked knowing this wasn't going to be good.
"I went to drop Caitlin's math book off at the school, and she wasn't there," Dori told him.
"Emm," Jim groaned, "and you have work to do and need me to find her."
"Exactly," Dori answered.
"I'll have a look around town and then go house," Jim said.
"Thank you," she replied.
"Not a problem, I needed to do some driving today," he joked.
~~~~~~ At the House ~~~~~~
Caitlin was working on homework on the floor with her headphones over her ears. She was amazed how fast the work was coming along, now that all the pressure was off. She was trying to decided on a closing sentence for her essay, when Jim opened her bed room door.
Caitlin looked up and the color left her fast. She was dead; there was no one to get herself out of this one. She raised the headphones from her ears and waited for Jim to say something.
"Caitlin," he started to say, "Why? What are doing?"
"My homework," she told him.
"You're supposed to be in school," Jim exclaimed. "Dori went to bring your math book to you, but you weren't in school."
"And you're supposed to be at work," Caitlin muttered under her breath.
"You're grounded, and we aren't through talking about this," he said.
"Aren't you going to let me explain," she asked.
"What is there to explain? You are supposed to be at school, and you aren't at school," he replied.
"Fine, I don't care either," she said slamming an open schoolbook closed.
"Stay in your room for now," Jim told her.
He left, and Caitlin sat on her bed. She smashed her face into the pillow before tears started to roll down her cheeks.
Jim stood in the middle of the kitchen. He didn't know what to do. Was he supposed to yell at her? Was he supposed to talk to her? He decided to wait until Dori came home, so he wouldn't screw this up.