Disconcerting: Day 3

Word Count: 18,090

Summary of Events:

Jada came by the school to test out taller horses that Mrs. Quincey judged to have the most similar temperament to Coraline; Jada disliked all the horses Mrs. Quincey had picked because none of them were bay, so she test-rode the four bays in the most suitable height range but found them all dislikable for reasons that even Caetline — who was observing and helping out — had expected her to dislike them. Having gone through them, Jada still refused to test out the horses Mrs. Quincey had chosen . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

"There's so many horses here!" Jada snapped. "Surely there's more than just these six I can ride! I'm a capable rider!"

"I won't deny you are," Mrs. Quincey replied. "But you are the student and I am the teacher, I am certified to have the knowledge of which horses suit which people the best, and on that knowledge I am certain that these are the six best horses for you, and don't you want the horses that are best for you?"

Jada looked at Mrs. Quincey sceptically. Caetline was actually surprised that Jada paused to consider Mrs. Quincey's argument. That wasn't really like her from what Caetline had observed in the time that she'd been in the same class as Jada.

"They can't be the best horses," Jada finally scoffed. "Bays are the best horses."

Mrs. Quincey sighed. "Jada, really. You need to pick a horse before your lesson next week, and these are your options. You've already eliminated all the bays."

"No she hasn't," Caetline said.

Mrs. Quincey startled and looked at Caetline.

"The browns are technically dark bays," Caetline said.

"I guess that's true isn't it?" Mrs. Quincey said.

"They aren't bays," Jada said. "They're brown."

"Technically many brown horses are very dark bay horses," Mrs. Quincey replied.

"I don't want to ride them," Jada said. "I want a bay horse like that," she pointed at the four bays lined up on the other side of the arena."

"Surely Sundae is the best horse for you, seeing as I've judged her the best and she is — even if very dark — bay," Mrs. Quincey said, walking over to the mare with the four stockings and a broad blaze down her forehead.

"She's brown," Jada said.

"Are you sure her mane and tail aren't black?" Mrs. Quincey asked.

"Yes," Jada replied.

"You can't tell from that distance," Mrs. Quincey said. "Come closer and look."

Jada stayed where she was for a few moments before finally walking over and looking at the mare who, because of her large and numerous white markings, had been described by Emeline as looking like a pile of ice cream covered in chocolate syrup, thus why she'd been given the moniker of Sundae.

"Are you sure it isn't black?" Mrs. Quincey asked.

Jada looked at Sundae's mane for awhile before finally shaking her head. "No, it's not black at all."

Mrs. Quincey sighed. "She's the closest horse to bay unless you choose Caramel, don't you want to try one of them?"

"No," Jada replied. "I want a bay horse."

Again Mrs. Quincey sighed, grabbing her head as she shook it.

"I'm going home." Jada said. "You'd better have a bay for me to ride when I come back for my lesson next week."

She whipped out her cellphone and — Caetline guessed — texted her brother before sauntering out of the arena and walking over to the parking lot to wait for her ride.

Mrs. Quincey looked at Caetline with exasperation. "Really? Bay matters that much?"

"Apparently," Caetline replied.