Finding Pony

Publisher Marketing: Living in Bravo Hills trailer park means learning to survive. Jesse Sampson has had fifteen years to figure this out with his meth addict mom and drug dealer stepdad. He's also been the only one to look after his four-year-old sister. Fine by him, because that's just what he's always done: protected Pony. One night, the cops break in and arrest his mom and stepdad for a mini-mart robbery gone wrong. Vowing to never get put into foster care again, Jesse hides Pony under a pile of clothes and escapes through a window. In the morning, he returns to find the trailer trashed, his mom and stepdad arrested, and Pony gone. His only lead is an aunt in Long Beach, but Jesse has no cash. His pot-head neighbor, Merlin offers him a bus ticket there in exchange for running a package of drugs for the local king-pin. Jesse reluctantly agrees, but the drugs get stolen on the way and Jesse finds himself in hot water once he gets to Long Beach: Pony's not there, his aunt's a tweaker, and Merlin calls, claiming to know where Pony is and threatening to kill her if Jesse doesn't come up with the money for the stolen drugs. Scared and desperate to find her, Jesse takes off again, only to be apprehended by the cops and taken to an emergency shelter. Life there is just as complicated and dangerous as outside: he becomes instant enemies with the resident gang banger, Tomas, friends with the emotionally fragile Tim Emmett, and falls in love with Aurora, who also happens to be Tomas' cousin. One night, Tim Emmett fatally overdoses on cheap heroin from Tomas. Murderous with grief, Jesse attacks him, narrowly avoiding a mortal knife wound, and ends up in solitary, where he's rescued by the mysterious Indian. They escape that night with the help of the Indian's pimp and a stolen car. Back in Bakersfield, they concoct a plan to kidnap Pony from whatever hellhole foster care placement she's in and then hightail it across state lines where they'll all be safe. But Merlin gets wind of Jesse's return to town, the upshot being a car chase, attracting the attention of the highway patrol. Unable to shake them, Jesse jumps from the car, hoping the cops will follow the Indian. They don't, and Jesse winds up in juvie until his life comes full circle-he's put back into foster care. His new foster parents are kind, yet Jesse struggles with his rage, still reeling from Tim's death and the fact that Pony will be adopted by her foster parents. Still, Jesse tries to make a go at his new life, goes back to school, and even begins learning guitar. On a foggy December day, Merlin drives up while Jesse is walking home from school, and demands the money. This time, he shows Jesse pictures of Pony and threatens to kill her. He gives him three days. Desperate, Jesse hocks a stolen guitar for the money and, just to be safe, kidnaps Pony from her foster home. But Merlin's tweaking hard when they meet for the exchange and he won't accept the cash. He wants Pony, too. In a final stand-off, Merlin attempts to gun down Pony and Jesse risks his life to safe his sister. He wakes up in the hospital to discover that Merlin was killed by the police. Though Merlin's death isn't what he wanted, Jesse can finally get started living his own life. With Pony safe and living with foster parents who truly care for him, he doesn't just have to survive anymore. He might have just found peace.