Ryleigh glanced at the clock We have to hurry and finish Layla will be here any second She swooshed the rest of the straw to one side Don’t forget to reuse the straw if it’s clean I stared at the manure in the wheelbarrow and shuddered I didn’t come to camp to muck out stalls all day long I said Take me on the trail ride I feel like the only one not invited to the ball Ainsley curled her lips Dramatic much Cinderella I gave her my evil eyes I haven’t seen you muck out any stalls since you’ve been here said Ainsley Everyone has to do their share Aunt Jane likes them cleaned twice a day And no offense but how can you go on a trail ride when you don’t ride a horse yet That doesn’t make sense Khadija repinned her hijab to tighten it Ainsley’s right And just so you know mucking 8
out stalls is part of stable management If you don’t do it your horse could get sick That’s why Aunt Jane takes it so seriously Aunt Jane is the owner of Storm Cliff Stables She says we’re like one big happy family here so she has everyone call her Aunt Jane But I wasn’t feeling too happy right now I felt lonely I kicked the ground with my boot Ryleigh and Ainsley were right I had to stop being a drama queen if I didn’t want to blow my cover Most people here think I’m just a twelve-year old girl who wants to try camp for the first time But I’m actually an actress And a model And a famous singer A triple threat My real name is CeCe Monroe I convinced my parents to let me come here undercover to get ready for an audition for a huge movie role But I lied I’m not planning to audition for any role I came just to see what living like a normal kid would be like Camp’s like an extra-long 9
vacation but without helicopters and paparazzi chasing after me If it were up to me I’d give up acting for good No one here knows my true identity except for Ryleigh Aunt Jane and Layla my counselor and I plan to keep it that way Ryleigh leaned over and whispered You wanted to be a regular kid This is what regular kids do At least regular kids at horse camp I picked at my chipped nail polish Maybe I wasn’t cut out to be a regular kid after all You have to be realistic said Ainsley You can’t go on an overnighter You haven’t even been assigned a horse yet because you’re not comfortable on any of them She shook her head Overnighters are for intermediate and advanced riders because we have to travel all the way up to Ridge Rock and Seneca Falls It’s tough terrain It’s rocky and some of the hills are steep There’s not much open land There’s no way you could do it 10
Khadija patted my back Maybe you can go next year But Ainsley’s right about this year You need to be a really good rider Then she corrected herself Actually you need to be an excellent rider to go on to Clearwater Creek in the morning This is the first time I’m going that far and I’m nervous She tugged on her hijab again I’ve been working on my voice commands Aunt Jane said I’m finally showing Silver Moon that I’m in charge of her I can keep her calm and confident even when she’s spooked Khadija beamed I’ve waited two years for Aunt Jane to bump me up to advanced I stomped my foot Congrats I guess But I’m still jealous that you get to sleep by a waterfall under the stars It’s only one night said Ainsley You could sleep outside here if you wanted to By myself No thanks 11
