Rachel smirked, bobbing her knee as she eagerly stared at the race track. The bleachers were full today, and she was ready to make some money. She had a front-row seat near the end of the track to watch the horses cross the finish line. She brushed her long, platinum-blond hair from her face with a sigh, the smirk on her face lessening as she was forced to adjust her bra. It was a hot, humid summer day without a cloud in the sky. She was excited to see her plans come to fruition but wished it could be a few degrees cooler. Red-faced and sweaty wasn't a look she preferred for herself.
It only took a few seconds before her lips curled into another sly grin, once more recalling the plans she laid out. Her plans were perhaps a bit too intricate; there was plenty of room to fail.
"Please hold onto your seats, ladies, and gentleman!" A bombastic male voice called through the intercom. "Our horses will be out shortly. We have a few difficulties, so it's taking a little time, but the races will go on!"
As the men and women around Rachel began to whisper and groan, she tried her hardest not to burst into laughter. Her estranged twin sister worked with horses and tended them before the races. It was easy enough to lure her away and then sneak in as an impersonator to tamper with the steeds. She was confident she had used just enough tranquilizer to sedate all but one of the horses into a state where the least favorite would win. She even had a few of her friends helping. The small town she picked was in the middle of nowhere, but many people showed up for these races. She heard rumors of strange activity during these events but wasn't worried.
She hadn't thought this plan through too hard. Would it be suspicious if most of the horses were acting odd? Would they test the horses for drugs after the race? Rachel didn't consider any of this. She put all of her money on a single horse and was going to make absolute bank with her best friends, who were sitting elsewhere out of paranoia toward drawing suspicion. Why did my sister move to such a weird town anyway?
As the minutes passed, sweat continued to pour from Rachel's body, her clothes growing damp and sticking to her body. Shouldn't they have started by now? She shifted in her seat, increasingly nervous. Maybe they caught onto her plan? No, they couldn't have. The tranquilizers shouldn't be too evident until the horses began to run. At least, that's what she assumed.
"We have another announcement for all of you!" The masculine voice called once more. "It is with much sadness that I must report that the usual races today are canceled! Money will be refunded to all guests. It seems our lovely horses have been tampered with in an attempt to fix the race!"
Rachel blinked, sitting there completely dumbfounded as she processed this new information. Wait-- what? Was this a joke? Was her plan ruined? Adrenaline surged through her body as she clenched her hands over her knees.
"Instead, we will be doing one of our special shows today for our high-spending guests! Please return to the main lobby for more information," the man continued.