Janet Sunflower never really thought of herself as lucky. In truth she never really believed in a thing called luck. She always thought of herself as one of those special people that was never noticed until she grew up and became successful. So it never bothered her when her teachers said she would amount to nothing.

She wanted to be a writer. That’s all she would do. Well, either that or sing. She always felt that their was a great story hiding inside her, and if she could just find it she could become a millionaire and then her family wouldn’t have to live in the old family house that was falling apart.

"Janet, would you please get your head out of that book and set the table." Ashley, my mother called from the kitchen. She had grown up in this house. After my real father, Christian, had died, Ashley had packed me and the twins, Jonathan and Dana, up and moved us to this god for saken town that gave no sort of entertainment for a girl like me.

"In a sec. just let me finish this page." I called back trying to read the page as quickly as I could.

"Your mother told you to do something, young lady. Now do it." John, my stepfather called from his study. Shortly after we had moved back to mom’s hometown, John McKenzie had started courting her. Well courting wasn’t really the word I would use, more like spending the night and practically forcing my mother to marry him was more like it. He was always bossing me around and I hated every minute of it. But I got up and went into the kitchen to set the table.

"Thank you sweetie." I just nodded to my mother, then after I was done I leaned against the door that led off to the back porch. My mother must have had a nice childhood. Our house stood about quarter of a mile back from the road and it consisted of several hundred acres of the "fine Montana soil" that my grandparents had always boasted of when ever they had come to visit us.

There was a big…no, huge barn that stood about 15 yards back from the house and that had enough room for 15 or 16 horses but at the moment it held only 10. It would hold 11 when my mother’s mare gave birth to its foal.

"Mom I’m going to go for a ride." I said as I pushed open the screen door.

"Alright. Be careful and please be home before dark, you know how you’re fathe-"

"HE is NOT my father. My father is dead. And that…that thing will never and can never replace him. I’ll be back when ever I feel like it." I stomped down the porch, letting the door slam behind me. I know it was a very immature and childish, it doesn’t sound like something a 17-year-old would do, but I did it. There’s something about losing you’re father, all you’re friends, and trying to start over in a two horse town that gives you the right to be five again.

I fled to the barn and stormed into the stable. Dana poked her 8-year-old face out of an empty stall and raced to the loft as Jonathan, or as I sometimes called JoJo, raced past my side to chase Dana, in their game of tag. They had been five when dad had died and they really had no chance to get to know him. When ever I thought about them and dad, and how little they had known him, that damn picture of the Kennedy kid saluting his father’s coffin as it went by him and his mother, always popped into my head. It always annoyed me how well they got along with John, it was so easy for them to just forget dad and trust the asshole that had taken his place.

"Jonas, hey baby, you wanna go for a ride?" I asked as I walked up to my horses stall. Jonas was a big horse, I figured that he was so tall because he had some Thoroughbred in him, as well as quarter horse. He was a light brown color, almost caramel but a little darker, His main and tail were an even lighter brown then his coat, almost dirty blond, but not quite. He had a white crescent moon on his forehead, and his forelock was so long that it fell in his eyes.

John had wanted me to take a different horse because he didn’t want me to ruin Jonas. My mother had to explain to him that back in New York, I used to ride as an exercise girl at the Belmont racetrack and took riding lessons in exchange for my help around the stable. John had to watch me ride several times around an arena (which was extremely boring thing to me by now) before he would let me take Jonas out on the trail, and even then he wouldn’t let me ride alone.

I walked into the small room that had once been two box stalls, which we had converted in a tack room. I grabbed Jonas’s grooming box and his tack and walked back to his stall. I quickly ran a brush over him, and picked out his hooves. I slipped his bridle over his head and placed the saddle on his back. After I tightened the cinch, I led him out of the stall. I grabbed my hat off the wall by the door and mounted Jonas.

"Janet!!! Daddy said you should never go out riding on your own! I’m gunna tell!!" I pulled back and to the right with my left hand and Jonas swung his hind legs around so that we now faced the stable. Jonas pawed the ground, stating to the world that he was ready to ride and did not appreciate being stopped. I patted his neck and gave my little sister the hardest look I could give her.

"Look, I know how to ride. I’ve been doing it since I was 7 years old, so get off my back. I just need some time all right? No go off and play your stupid game, Dana." Calling the game stupid was a bad move and I realized it too late. Dana’s face got all scrunched up and she stomped her feet.

"It is not!" I sighed, why did my family have to be so annoying?

"Alright its not stupid, and when I get back I’ll play with you and JoJo ok? I just need to out and clear my head ok? Jonas wants to play with me anyway. I’ll be back in a little while ok?" Dana bobbed her blond head and flashed me a smile, her green eyes glowing with that happy glow that every eight-year-old I knew seemed to hold.

I shifted my position in the saddle and laid the right rain across Jonas’s neck. He spun and as he came to face the meadow behind the barn, I squeezed my legs and pressed down in the saddle and he broke into a lope. I let Jonas have his head and he increased his pace till he was almost at a complete dead run. I loved it when Jonas galloped. He had a long powerful stride and all I had to do was rock with the motion and I felt like I was flying. As we neared the woods behind the meadow I slowed Jonas to a slow jog that I could sit.

"Where do you want to go today, Jonas? Huh buddy? How about into town?" Jonas threw his head up and whinnied. I laughed and turned him so we would follow along the edge of the woods, "Ok Jonas. To town it is. I’m guessing you want to go to town because you want to see that pretty little palomino that Mr. Jefferson owns huh?" Jonas snorted and I laughed again.

My life had been going great in New York. I had been popular and I had had lots of things to do. Out here I had nothing, ‘cept Jonas. None of the kids around here liked me and that’s perfectly fine. I don’t need them or their backward ways. Finishing out my senior year at hick’s town high was not my idea of a great idea. They hadn’t even read Romeo and Juliet yet.

Out here I knew no one. Back at home I had a bunch of friends and a boyfriend that I had planed to date for a long time. But no, my mother had to go and decide that she couldn’t live in the big city without dad. Couldn’t she have left me back in New York? I could have gotten my jockey’s license and supported myself with the money I would make off of riding.

"Jonas, why does life have to suck so much?" Jonas only huffed out his breath and reached back with his nose to nuzzle my leg. And to think that John always says that horsed don’t understand English. Jonas huffed out his breath again, "Alright, alright. We can move faster. I know you love to run. But you know I did come on this ride to let me clear my head right?" Jonas half reared and snorted several times, I got the signal and squeezed my legs and leaned forward. Jonas shot off like a rocket.

I looked at my watch and hit the little button to start the timer as we passed the large rock that was about a mile back from the road that led up to the house. I leaned forward and it felt as if Jonas’s feet had left the ground. His whole body flattened out and I tried to assume the racing position that I had learned from doing my exercise riding back in New York. I could feel my body fall back into the old rhythms that I had once flowed through on every ride. Jonas’s feet pounded the earth and as the road flashed by I hit the button on my watch again, to stop the timer.

I stood in my stirrups and gently pulled back on the rains. Jonas slowed to a walk and I settled in to his gangly strides. I regained my breath and looked down at my watch. I could barely believe my eyes. Jonas, my wonderful and talented Jonas, had just completed a mile in two minutes and thirty seconds. I had never in my life rode a horse that had finished the mile in two minutes and thirty seconds, especially if they hadn’t been trained or conditioned for it.

"Hey Janet!" I pulled up and waited for Josh Marshall to catch up to me. He was tall, had sandy hair, and soft brown eyes. His skin was a dark weathered color and she was always glad to see him. I gently tucked a strand of my own Strawberry blond hair behind my ear.

"Hey Josh. What up?" He rested his hand on her leg and smiled up at her.

"Nothing. You look like you just rode through a tornado though. You two go for a run?"

"Yeah. I timed Jonas at a mile and you won’t believe how fast he was." Jonas nodded his head a few times and pawed the ground.

"Not as fast as those Thoroughbreds you used to ride at…Belmont?"

"Yeah, Belmont. But no he was faster then all of the ones I used to ride back home. He got a time of 2:30. Can you believe it?" Josh shook his head and looked back up at me.

"It’s a rather hard thing to believe." Josh admitted to me. I huffed out my breath and tried to think up a way to show him just how fast Jonas had really gone.

"I got it!"

"What?"

"Your dad still has that racer in his stable right?"

"Yeah, Mr. Walker just started breezing him in the field dad and me fixed up so that he could race his horse around. Why do you ask?"

"Has he started timing Black Magic yet?"

"No…Jan, you’re not going to suggest what I think your going to suggest are you?" I smiled and offered him my hand to help him onto Jonas behind me.

"Come on. If I could get Mr. Walker to race Jonas on Black Magic, and Jonas wins, I would know if I should start training Jonas for the county fair. Come on I couldn’t hurt. Mr. Walker might want to start exercising Magic with other horses if he’s ever going to put him back into the racing circuit. Come on Josh Please?" I squeezed my legs and Jonas started forward at a lazy jog. Behind me Josh sighed and I knew that he would agree.

"Alright. I can’t believe I let you talk me into this but alright. We’ll ask and if he says no then you’ll just have to settle for racing me and Foxhunt." I smiled and Jonas slowed to an amble as we approached Josh’s family’s barn.

Josh hoped down and walked into the barn. I walked Jonas off to the side of the barn where the grass was longer and let Jonas lower his head and eat some of the grass. Neither Jonas nor me heard the other horse approaching. So when I heard someone say my name up close to my left ear, I jumped.

"I didn’t know you rode here, Janet." The voice was smooth and I narrowed my eyes at the sound of it.

"Go away, Fox." I hissed and turned to look at him.

"Free country. I can do whatever I want. Even buy your house right out from under you. Now that made me mad. Even though I hated living out here, the thought of Phillip Taner owning and living in a house my parents had owned since it had been build drove me mad.

"I suggest you leave before I hit you Phillip Taner. And trust me I can hit people and hitting you would be a pleasure." Phillip didn’t move, he just looked at Jonas.

"You know you’ve got a fine looking animal there."

"Jonas is not an animal. And don’t you even think about it, dickhead. Jonas is NOT for sale."

"Oh everything has its price. Everything." He trotted his chestnut horse away and I had less then a second to compose myself as Josh and Mr. Walker came around the corner of the barn, leading Foxhunt and Black Magic.

"So you’re the girl that wants to see if her horse can beat the great Black Magic."

"I’m Janet. And this," I gestured at Jonas, "is Jonas. And yes I do believe that Jonas has what it takes to beat your horse. I do know a great horse when I see one."

"Ahh. So you’re the one. Yes, Josh has told me all about you. Call me Fox, please. I like to be on a first name basis with the people I’m about to beat." Fox and Josh mounted their horses, Josh looked a little red and I wondered why.

"You’ve obviously never really seen a really horse then Fox. Foxhunt here could beat Black Magic." Josh said as we walked our horses out towards the oval. Fox laughed and patted Josh on the back.

"Good one, my boy. So tell me, Janet. Have you been training Jonas here for the county fair? Or just to have the honor of racing Black Magic and not losing by great numbers?"

"He’s never been trained for this a day in his life. When he was one year old he was trained to be a cattle horse. He’s a very good ranch horse and now he’s two and a half. He’s going to be three on January 1^st. I think that with his time he could start racing soon and if he does well then I want to take him to the Kentucky derby. I really think he’s got what it takes to be the first Triple Crown winner in twenty years."

"You timed him? When? Where?"

"In my meadow. The ground there is soft and cuppy like the tracks in New York. I know it’s a lot harder to run on a sandy track then t is most of the other so…"

"He’ll have stronger legs then Black Magic. Tell you what. If Jonas here beats Black Magic by more then a length and he wins a race at the county fair and you get your jockey license at the track over in Melborne County, and pass, then I’ll take you with me to Florida to train for the winter. And after that if he makes it into the Kentucky Derby, I’ll take you there. All you have to do is pay for you horse’s entry fees, and stabling, I’ll pay for everything else. You can ride under your own colors and under your own name." I stared at him.

"But why would you do something like that? I mean I’m just a kid."

"Well, I’m getting old and I want to get my name back into this business. Black Magic here is my only way back in other then you. I don’t want to buy Jonas I just want you to put my name under the trainer slot. You can do all the training yourself and Josh can even come along if he wants but if your horse is as good as he says he is I’d love to help you get into this business. Plus it couldn’t hurt to have an old pro hanging around. So deal?"

"Only if I get to stay here till October 3^rd. That when I turn 18. So my parents won’t be able to tell me I can’t do this."

"Alright. Deal. I’ll come back for you two days after your birthday I’ll come and get you and Jonas all right?" I nodded. By this time we had completed a lap of the oval and our horses were warmed up. Fox loaded Black Magic into the starter chute that Josh had build for Fox Walker. Foxhunt went in smoothly next to Black Magic, and then it was Jonas’s turn. Just as Jonas was about to step into the box, someone shouted.

"Mr. Walker!"

"Yes?"

"Is it alright if I ride with you sir?" Phillip trotted his horse up behind an already spooked Jonas and Jonas kicked out with his back legs. "Watch your horse! If your beast hurts my prize wining Thoroughbred I’ll sue you for the amount he was hurt for." I grumbled under my breath and calmed Jonas. Carefully I eased him into the chute and nodded to Joshes concerned looks.

"Is it all right with you if this young man joins us?"

"Fine with me." Josh and I said at the same time. Phillip loaded his horse, White Lightning, into the chute next to Jonas. Josh waved his arm to his father, who was siting on a tower with the chute opener and a timer in his hand. I settled down on Jonas’s back and grabbed a handful of his mane.

A small buzzer sounded and the chute door’s swung open with a bang. I could see all the way down to the first turn. I had only a split second to react as Jonas and the other horses flew from the gate. Black Magic was a split second ahead of Jonas and the horses fell into a sort of line as the raced away from the chute. As we passed under the wire for the first time Jonas slipped past Black Magic.

I leaned forward and just rode the horse I was on. I could hear a horse gaining on me and I glanced back under my arm and saw white lightning on my tail. There was no way I was going to let Phillip’s horse beat my Jonas, so I urged him on. I could feel the response in Jonas almost immediately. His stride lengthened and the surrounding world became a blur.

As we swept into the turn I could hear less and less of the other horses hoof beats. I glanced back again under my arm and saw that the horses were several lengths back. I turn around and stared to ease up on driving Jonas towards the finish. But then when I was only about a quarter of a mile away from the finish I heard hoof beats. I leaned forward and started driving Jonas on, again. Jonas again responded as if he had just come off a three-week layoff and was ready to get back on the track. The hoof beats kept coming closer and closer. Janet was forced to ask Jonas for another gear and he responded same as before.

I felt Jonas leaning into the turn again and I stood in my stirrups. I gently pulled Jonas down from his run. We circled back towards the group of horses and stopped in front of Black Magic and Fox. He looked at me and Jonas with his head tilted. Jonas reared slightly and pawed the ground, signaling that he still wanted to run.

"How far ahead of us was she dad?" Josh asked his father as the older man climbed down from his seat.

"Oh I’d say about 15 lengths at the end and still going strong. You’ve got one fast horse young lady." I just nodded and smiled.

"What was her time, Mike?" Fox looked over at Mr. Marshall.

"You’re not going to believe this but it’s the fastest I’ve ever seen a horse run a mile and a quarter. Jonas did it in a minute and fifty seconds, flat. I have never seen any horse run that fast." A low whistle escaped from Fox’s lips.

"How fast did you say he ran it before?"

"2:30,flat."

"We’ll Janet. I think we have our knew Triple Crown hopeful."

Chapter Two

It had been two weeks since that day at the Marshall farm. Mr. Walker and Josh would come over occasionally and we would train in the meadow behind the barn, and sometimes I would go over to the Marshall farm and we would practice on the oval there. Mr. Walker had said that tonight we would go to the racetrack in Melborne and work our horses on a real racetrack.

"Come on, mom. Please let me own him. He’s already my horse. He won’t let anybody ‘cept Josh and me ride him now a day’s. Please. Could he be my 18^th birthday present?" My mother looked up from her rocking chair. God she looked bad. Her blond hair had several knots in it and she had a large bruise on her cheek. She had told us that her horse, Daisy May, had kicked her when she had been careless in the mare’s stall. I had a feeling deep down inside that Daisy May had not done that to her face.

"Talk to you’re father."

"He is not my father. He never will and never can replace dad. He doesn’t own Jonas anyway. You do." She looked at me and her green catlike eyes spoke to me. At the time I wasn’t sure what the message was but later on I figured out what it was. My mother was pleading to me to help her. She couldn’t get away from John and she had gotten that bruise form a fist not a hoof.

"Actually Jonas is yours. Your grandpa was going to make Jonas your graduation present. So he’s yours I’m just giving him to you a little late and for your grandpa." She smiled slightly at me. I could barley contain my happiness.

"Really? Jonas is mine?"

"Yes, sweetheart." I flew across the room and my mother rocked at the impact. I hugged her so hard she had to push me away, "Now can you tell me why you want Jonas?"

"I want to race him. I timed him mom. He’s so much faster then any horse that I’ve ever ridden. He’s faster then Thunder Gulch. Remember how fast he could run?"

"Like hell your gunna race my horse." My stepfather’s voice made my head ring with alarm bells. ‘He’s been drinking! Watch out!’

"He’s mine. I can do what I want with him." I stood and glanced behind me. I was between my mother and the twins, and the asshole across the room that called himself a man.

"Oh fine. Little bitch. But when you kill it don’t come crawling back here because you won’t get any help here. You two," he pointed to the twins, "Get to bed…NOW!!" They ran for the stairs and raced up to their rooms. That left my mother and me downstairs.

"Ash get your ass to bed. I want to have a talk with Janet." My mother stood and walked towards the stairs. I expected her to turn around to come back down the stairs and kick him out of the house and tell him to never come back. I want to run up the stairs and hide behind her, but I didn’t have long to watch her go. I had problems of my own.

The back of his hand came out of nowhere. It smashed across my face and I had barley a second before he swung a fist at me again. I’ve been in fights before. The kind every kid gets into, the rumbles and tumbles after school with the girl or guy that talked to much shit. But this, this was something new. I’d never fought to save my life before. All I knew was to avoid being hit with a fist. So I ducked.

His fist connected with the top of my head but I barley felt it. I balled my fist and slammed my hand, witch held my great grandma’s wedding ring on it, right into where I hoped was his dick. He doubled over and I jumped up and back. I spun on m heal and jetted. I ran to save my fucking life. I felt hands grab my arms and I was swing around.

"Listen to me you little cunt rag. I’m sick of your shit and you’re going to pay for hurting me." He reached down and started undoing his pants. I kicked and screamed and he was slowly losing his grip on me.

"NO! Oh God no! Somebody help! Please!" I screamed and sobbed at the same time. And right that moment I remembered all those movies about girls being raped and how they just sobbed and let it happen and how I always thought that if it happened to me I would kick him and beat the shit outta him. But the truth is, you can’t do anything. You can’t fight back and win. And then my brain kicked in. It did the one thing that it could think of.

"JOSH!!!!!" I screamed it over and over slowly my screams turned to sobs. His hands were all over me. Groping and squeezing me everywhere. And then I head it. Hoof beats, someone was coming for me. Oh thank god some one had heard me. And then I felt John get off me. He balled a fist and hit me once in the jaw and once in the face. I rolled away and covered my face.

I stood and saw Jonas standing between John and me. John was staggering back towards the house and I stumbled over to Jonas. Jonas looked at me and he laid down. I grabbed his mane and fell on his back. I swung my leg over his back and rose to a sitting position.

"Where am I going to go?" And then Jonas took off. I tried as hard as I could to make him stopping. But he just kept going and I was so tired, just like with John, I couldn’t make him stop. I couldn’t make anyone stop. I was worthless.

And then I heard the rhythmic beat of hoofbeats on blacktop. I didn’t dare open my eyes to look where we were going but I could pretty much guess where we were going. To the one place that Jonas would know to go. Josh’s. He was taking me to Josh’s house.

"Jan? Janet what happened?" Josh’s voice filled my ears as I slid off of Jonas’s back. I tried to open my eyes and found one was swollen shut.

"My God. Casey go get mom." I heard him say to Casey, I couldn’t see her but I could hear her footsteps growing weaker, "Jan?"

Josh again. He was closer, on the left side of me leaning down to talk in my left ear. I could hear him breathing in fast and short breaths. I could hear a shuffling and then I felt his hands on my head. He gently lifted it and then I left something warm surrounding it. Must be his lap. I felt something warm on my stomach and without thinking my body reached.

My hands balled into fists and swung. I felt an impact in my fist and then I swung in that direction again. This time I hit nothing but air. I rolled on my stomach and pushed myself up. I still couldn’t see but I could feel and hear. First thing I felt was wetness on my cheeks, tears, great I’m crying. Then I heard a shuffling the dirt and moved towards it. I swung blindly, until I felt arms come around mine own and a soft shushing in my ear.

"Relax, child. You’re safe" Josh’s mother whispered in my ears. I finally collapsed into my own tears. My mind wouldn’t stop spinning. All I could think of was to get away from John, I had to get away from him or I would die.

"No…please…josh help me, please." I whispered the same thing over and over again. I heard Josh’s mother, Kaliy tell Casey to get a wet cloth and then I felt her arms leave mine. I opened the one eye that wasn’t swollen and saw Jonas’s beautiful face.

"Jan?" a voice said quietly. "Are you alright?"

I turned my head and saw Josh. His eyes looked so sad and scared. He had a bruise on his cheek. ‘oh god,’ I thought, ‘I did hat to him.’