Eventually, it turned into a weekly thing, whether she acknowledged my presence or not. I'd stay later after all of my Wednesday lessons to watch her ride. And I admired how poised she was—how incredibly graceful she looked. I was mesmerized by the way she moved; the way she held her position perfectly in the air when Dawn had her knees flawlessly tucked over the jump that had been raised to three feet; the way that one corner of her mouth would turn upwards slightly while the two of them were airborne—because Kira Lian never smiled; even the way she would pat Dawn's neck longer than necessary upon landing, giving the horse extra affection for her efforts.

I was drawn to Kira, and I couldn't explain why.