The lights of the tent brighten, and I hear Mystice announce “Here comes Mystery Park Circus’ very own Gemini Twins, with their amazing talents with animals!” Ellie and I rush to the giant, purple circus tent. “Ready, Sakura?” Ellie asks. “Of course!” I reply. We enter the tent. Cheers and applause greet us, as always. As Ellie rides Pepper into the ring, her brown hair waves along with Pepper’s chestnut tail. “What a beautiful Connemara!” Shouts a lady in the audience. “Not as beautiful as the Clydesdale!” Another yells as I catch up with Ellie, Raven trotting along with a look of anticipation. I see Biscuit’s long ears tremble with excitement as a child shrieks, “Look, that’s the rabbit I was telling you about in the brown-haired girl’s saddlebag! It’s so cute!” Cries and bellows fill the tent. “Look at the lovely cat in the Clydesdale’s saddlebags! I heard she’s called Frost.” An 11-year old girl tells her friend as Raven, Frost and I canter past proudly alongside Ellie, Pepper and Biscuit. “Hello, ladies and gentlemen!” We call out in unison. “Tonight, we are going to preform many of our best tricks. First, we will jump our horses through rings of fire!” I ask the audience, “Who do you want to go first, Ellie and Pepper…”
“…Or Sakura and Raven?” Ellie finished. Many chants filled the air. “Ellie! Ellie! Ellie! Ellie!”
“Well, I guess you’re going first. Good luck!” I murmur to Ellie.
“Thanks.”
Ellie gets on Pepper and I press a red button with a flame on it. Hoops rise out of the floor and ignite. The anxiety in the audience intensifies, Ellie gallops and leaps through every blazing ring. The crowd gasps. Now it’s my turn. Nervousness fills my body. I leap from one hoop to another.

“Thank you, and goodnight!” Ellie and I say, after an hour of jumping, leaping and bounding.

We make our way to the circus’ stables.
“Goodnight, Pepper.”
“Sleep tight, Raven.”
They weakly neigh, exhausted and settle down to sleep. We stay with them for a while then walk to our trailer. I lay in bed, looking at the green and pink walls. Posters of singers, celebrities and horses litter them. I fall into a deep sleep.

When I wake up the next morning, I look at Ellie’s bed and there’s no one there. I stroll out of the trailer, thinking she has gone for a morning ride. I get Raven out of the stable and tack her up. It starts to rain. I put Frost in the saddlebag and place the waterproof cover over her. She settles down in the leather bag and falls asleep. It makes me feel warm inside. She looks so cosy! I mount Raven and we set off to find Ellie. I search all morning before today’s show. I still can’t find her. I tell Mystice and he shouts at me. When I come back to the trailer, she’s there! “Ellie!” I bark, making her jump.
“Oh, hello Sakura! You made me jump!”
“Where did you go running off to?!?! You missed our show!”
She looks ashamed.
“I’m really sorry. It’s just that…” Ellie trails off.
“Just that what?” I ask, irritated.
“Doesn’t matter…”
A week goes by and Ellie keeps on acting suspicious. I decide to stay up all night to find out where she’s going so I go shopping and buy fizzy drinks, chocolate bars and other sugary treats to keep me awake. I make a cosy space under my bed so I can keep an eye on her without her noticing. I take Raven to the back of the trailer and make a temporary stable for him there, so I can follow Ellie when she runs off again. I tack him up with a dark rug and black saddle and bridle. I spray-paint all the metal on the tack black, so I can hide him easily. When the night comes, I put a mannequin under my duvet, get my snacks, notebook, camera and a book and squeeze under my bed. Suddenly, Ellie enters, not suspecting a thing. “Night, Sakura.”
“Night.”
The stake-out begins.
I must’ve fallen asleep, because I wake with a start when I hear movement coming from Ellie’s bed. She climbs out drowsily and puts her slippers on. I look at the clock on her nightstand. 3:45. She heads for the door and puts her riding boots on and goes out. I realise that I have some time before she disappears because she always feeds Pepper before riding her. It normally takes her about five minutes. I quickly wake Frost and get my bag with the sweets and my camera. Sprinting out of the door, I nearly get seen by Ellie, but luckily, she didn’t see me. I put Frost in Raven’s saddlebag, feed him some quick straw, mount him then wait. The little white bundle in my saddlebag meows hungrily so I hurriedly feed her some treats from my bag. Ellie trots past after a while, and I follow her. We weave through trees in an unfamiliar forest. Ellie reaches some fields and gallops across them as if she is late for something. I gallop after her at a distance, so she can’t hear me. She reaches a small house and slows down. She dismounts and smiles at something. I quickly and silently get off Raven and hide behind a bush. I can’t see her, but I can certainly hear her.
“Hallo Edith. Wie gehts?” She says. I remember that she learnt a language a year or so ago, I have forgotten what it is though. Then, to my astonishment, I hear another voice.
“Nicht so gut. Meine eltern sind wieder gemein zir mir…” Ellie and the foreign girl keep talking for what seems like forever. I then hear footsteps coming towards me. She’s coming! I think to myself. I duck further down in the bush I’m hiding in. Then I hear Ellie mount Pepper and galloping hooves fading into the distance. So, I follow and sneak into bed.

The following morning, I think about what to do next. I’m going to follow her again tonight I think while I do a stunt at our show. I’m going to catch her in the act! Yes, it’ll be perfect! I’ll ride behind her then when she least expects it- I fall off Raven onto the floor. I then feel a blinding pain and everything goes black.
I wake up in a hospital room. There is a life support machine next to me and an oxygen mask on my face. I try to sit up but it’s too painful. A nurse then rushes into the room. “You’re awake!” She says cheerfully. “How do you feel?”
“Lousy. What happened…?”
“Well, you’ve been in a coma for a year or so.”
“A year?!”