Deerhill

Chapter7 - Indigo

Chapter 7 - Indigo

Saturday night, upon Leo’s suggestion, Indigo followed the trio across the water to Seattle. She’d come to the bar to watch Drew, Helia and Leo perform, and couldn’t bring herself to tell them no when they invited her to come with them to go party. Indigo had always been good at navigation, having spent years on the road with nothing but a map and her instincts to get them a bed for the night or a full tank of gas. Getting them around the bustling city was like second nature.

The first bar they went to was loud, and Indigo was cautious to hand over her ID to the bouncer. Everything on her was fake, and it was a struggle to not hold her breath while he looked it over. She barely relaxed when she took it back and stuck close to Leo’s side while they walked as a group into the building. The group settled at a table, and Leo was gone in the blink of an eye.

Just as Indigo was about to ask where he’d gone over the loud music, he came back in a sashay with an armful of drinks. Helia snatched her drink up first, a short glass full of honey colored liquid that Indigo immediately recognized as whiskey. That was a surprise to see.. It was cowboy liquor, made to keep you warm on cold nights, and every horrible memory of her old life had been laced with it.

“Just straight whiskey, huh?” Indigo couldn’t help herself but ask, hoping that Helia didn’t notice the disdain in her tone. She covered it with the quick addition of “Not even on the rocks. I’m impressed.”

“Indigo, yours is the only one with an umbrella,” Leo said, and Indigo looked down at her drink before shooting Leo a lethal glare.

“You literally ordered for me,” Indigo said. “This, is going to give me a sugar migraine.”

“Your fault for letting him pick, really,” Drew said. “The worst part is that you’ll like it and never want anything else. Why do you think I’m drinking a moscow mule? To look cool?”

“No one looks cool drinking a moscow mule,” Helia chimed in and Drew gestured to her. “It looks like he’s drinking piss water. Worse if it was in one of those copper cups. Then he’d look like a virgin loser.”

“By the grace of god,” Drew agreed. “You’re being kind for that one.”

The corners of Indigo’s mouth pulled in a near smile and she bent her head to take a sip of her drink from her straw.She hadn’t been aware Leo had left to order them drinks until he was gone, but even then Drew would have been right. She would have had Leo pick for her. The sugar hit her tongue with a rush and softened the bitter alcohol underneath. It was good, especially for a shot in the dark, and she tried to keep a neutral expression as she shrugged.

“It’s alright,” Indigo said, and she knew everyone else could see right through that lie.

“Well, there’s more where that came from, so drink up,” Leo said to her as he took the tiny umbrella out of her drink and tucked it into his pocket.

Indigo immediately shook her head. “One is enough for me, thank you.”

“I’ll get you blackout drunk one day,” Leo said. “I will get your ass on a mechanical bull at some point. There’s one in a bar a block away. I say we go there next.”

“Drink up Helia, I want to see you on that bull,” Drew said, making Helia scoff into her drink.

“You’re funny, Drew. You’re really, really funny. I didn’t even bring my cowboy hat,” she said.

“You have a cowboy hat?” Indigo asked with a tilt of her head, enjoying the thought of that a little too much. “Oh cowboy boots too, I hope.”

“And little daisy dukes to go with them,” Helia confirmed.

Indigo wasn’t typically a flirt at heart, and it had been years since she had even kissed another woman. But her eyes glanced purposefully over Helia’s body, and it was nice to watch the blush crawl up Helia’s neck into her face. Helia’s eyes moved away from Indigo, and right onto a stage.

Helia reached over to get her friends attention and pointed to the stage. “Comedy hour, or soul sucking live music? Place your bets.”

“Oh god, what I would give for it to be for stand up,” Leo said. “Oh my god please, please I would give anything for that.”

“No, you don’t actually enjoy stand up comedy, do you?” Indigo asked. “Oh, Leo.”

“Who doesn’t like stand up??” Leo asked, shocked and appalled. “Everyone likes stand up comedy!”

“No,” Indigo said. “No, I promise you, that’s not true.”

“I think it really depends on the comedian,” Drew chimed in with a shrug. “I’ve never seen a lesbian comedian miss the mark. They’ve got it down to an art form.”

“Okay,” Helia said, reaching over and picking up Leo’s drink to get his attention. “This, needs to get in there,” she pointed from the drink to his mouth. “Do not make me out drink you tonight.”

“I’m driving, so go wild,” Drew said to Indigo. “It’s okay, I’ll take care of us. I promise.”

Indigo didn’t know how much she trusted that, so she pointed to his glass. “You’re drinking too.”

“No, this is a mocktail, unfortunately,” He said, glancing at his drink with an easy shake of his head. “I’m stone cold sober, I don’t drink or smoke. So, I’ve got it. I’ll take care of us and get us home. Seriously, drink something, have a little fun.”

Indigo shrugged in response. It wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t an outright no either. She wasn’t sure how much she trusted Drew, but the idea of letting loose for one night while someone else was the responsible one was a siren song she wasn’t sure she could resist. Either way, she found herself two drinks in by the time the stand up comedian had Leo in tears.

Leo was still chuckling as they made their way to the next bar, where Indigo watched as Helia threw back three more shots before riding the mechanical bull that Leo had previously mentioned. Indigo tried valiantly to watch respectfully, but the way Helia’s hips rolled in an attempt to stay on had her stomach aflutter with butterflies.

She was thinking about how much she wanted to see Helia in a pair of little daisy dukes when the bull operator got tired of her show and flung her off. Helia was still a giggling mess when she climbed out of the pit and made her way back over to her friends. Attraction aside, Indigo was impressed that the ride hadn’t made her nauseous. In fact, Drew stuck another drink into Helia’s hand at the same time Leo heavily pat Indigo’s shoulder.

“Alright,” he said. “You’re next.”

“Nuh uh,” Indigo said, eyeing the bull again. “No way.”

“Oh come on,” Helia said, leaning on Drew. “I’ll buy your next drink for you.”

Indigo loved a bet, and she also loved the idea of another free drink. With a heavy sigh she passed the drink currently in her hand off to Leo, and tied her flannel around her waist as she walked over to join the line of people waiting to ride. She felt a little better by the excited smile the operator gave her when he gave her the go-ahead to climb into the pit, and she tied her hair up while he explained the emergency pull-plug. She took a breath, then swung her leg over the bull and gave the operator a thumbs up after getting situated. The pressure under her legs made her stomach twinge with the syrupy feeling of homesickness, and she was relieved when the bull gave its first hard kick.

When Indigo was five, her parents took her to her uncle’s rodeo, where she enjoyed barrel racing, tie-down ropings, and rodeo clowns and royalty shimmering under the blazing Arizona sun. That was also where she had become obsessed with bull riding. She’d gotten one autograph from a cowboy and decided that was the life for her. When she was ten she got her own horse and started learning how to barrel race. When she was thirteen, her mother allowed her to start learning steer riding. Indigo had spent a lot of time out in the hot sun breaking new horses for the ranch, and working out with the cowboys to get fit enough for competitions.

When she was sixteen, she won first place in the county steer riding competition. Two weeks later, she shot her father in the head, and uprooted their entire lives. Margot had dumped his body in the river and stuffed her kids in the car all within twenty-four hours. For the next five years of Indigo’s life, she’d used her talent as a money grab, betting middle aged men that she couldn’t stay on the bull for X amount of time.

The memory wasn’t exactly a warm one, but her body knew what to do. It had been a long time since she had been given a remembrance of home, and for a moment her problems melted away. All she had to focus on was staying on the bull, and she did a damn good job. That is, until the operator bucked her hard enough that the whiplash hurt her neck, and she let herself be thrown.

Indigo was breathing heavily and smiling when she made her way back over to her friends. Drew greeted her with a high five, and she happily smacked his hand. “I think I earned that drink.”

“A million times over,” Leo said. “I got that on video.”

“Send it to my sister, she’ll love that,” Indigo said with a nod. She couldn’t help but notice the intense way Helia was staring at her, and she shifted to lean on the table. “Something sweet again, please.”

Helia shook herself out of it and nodded, as if suddenly remembering their deal had been her deal. “Right, yea. Okay. I’ll be right back.”

“How’re you holding up?” Leo asked, making Indigo peel her eyes from Helia to look at him.

She gave him a half shrug, not really sure how to answer. “I’m okay. Drunk for sure. Little nauseous from the bull ride. I used to steer ride competitively, I used to work on a ranch as a kid. My uncles owned one. Got used to being thrown around by horses specifically.”

“Wow, country girl,” Leo teased her. “How fun is that?”

“Trouble in paradise,” Drew said, getting Leo’s attention before Indigo could launch into the topic of her old life. Her relief was cut short however when she noticed why Drew had pulled Leo’s attention.

Indigo watched as a woman walked over to them, her smile wide, two sharp fangs jutting down from her top row of teeth. She stood too tall, and moved like it hurt to walk. Indigo wasn’t sure if it would have been noticeable to people who weren’t familiar with vampires, however, because her composure hid the rigor mortis well. Her eyes were sharp, icy blue, and glassy. Indigo hated vampires. If not for their bloodthirsty nature, then by the fact that they were literally walking corpses.

August was with her. Nearly as tall, a healthy 5’8. Her straight blonde hair could use a touch up and cascaded down her back, and her brown eyes were so dark they were almost black in the club lighting. She was wearing a pair of y2k sunglasses that pushed her hair back like a headband, and a little red, glittery shirt that showcased the bite marks over her neck and chest. Some were long scarred over, and others were fresh, like she had been bitten that morning.

Leo stiffened beside her, and Indigo immediately realized that these people were not here for a friendly back and forth. Indigo didn’t know much about vampiric society, but she did know that her mother avoided them and their companions as best she could. Margot always told her that vampires weren’t common for a reason, and if Indigo saw one, to walk the other way. They were the only monster Margot avoided, rather than hunt and kill. Margot said that the ones killing in the street would be taken care of by their own. There was a reason for that, and a reason they didn’t socialize.

“Molly,” Leo greeted the women as they stopped in front of them. “To what do we owe the displeasure?”

“Who’s your new friend?” The dark haired woman asked, her Polish accent thick and cold. “I haven’t seen this one yet. She’s still sweet.”

“Molly, this is Indigo. Indigo, this is Molly. She’s Helia’s ex girlfriend.”

Indigo remembered the long scarred over bite marks she’d seen on Helia at the lakehouse, that Indigo had originally thought were from Jeremy. Her stomach plummeted and she had to take a deep breath to not be sick. Molly didn’t look offended by her less than polite acknowledgement, seeming instead to be entertained by the way the mood between the friends had tanked.

“Oh, I see I’m still a rather delicate topic,” Molly said, holding her hand out to shake with Indigo. Indigo fought all instinct to stay put and forced her hand to clasp Molly’s, barely managing not to pull away at her freezing cold, clammy grip. “I didn’t think they picked up girls. Typically just sad little twinks having the worst night of their lives.”

“Mean,” Leo said. “Mean and untrue.”

Molly tilted her head to the side in a shrug, her rock hard muscles grinding at the movement. She dropped Indigo’s hand in favor of watching over her shoulder as Helia rejoined them. “Hello sunshine. You changed your hair.”

Helia gave Molly a tight smile and passed Indigo her drink. “Here.”

“Helia.”

“Hi, Molly,” Helia reluctantly acknowledged her. “I see you.”

“Leo here was just introducing me to your new friend,” she said, farming for any sort of abject reaction. “Here you are, serving her drinks, too. A hunter. How, fascinating is that?”

“Molly, Indigo’s my friend, not Helia’s,” Leo intercepted. “Leave her alone.”

“You never learn, do you?” Molly asked after a moment, staring Helia down as if she could break her into looking up and meeting her horrible, dead eyes. “You never learn to not put your nose where it doesn’t belong. How many more near misses until someone finally takes off your head, Sunshine? How many dangerous situations will you put yourself in until someone finally kills you?”

“Molly, that’s enough,” Leo said. His typical lofty attitude had been smothered down into a serious expression that looked alien over his otherwise warm face. And through what Indigo would have expressed as anger, he looked at Molly with pity. Like she was a dog, laying half dead in the snow. Evidently Molly got tired of his attempts at remaining civil and switched tactics.

“You led a wolf to a lone sheep,” Molly said to Leo. “I assume, of course, this new girl was your idea. This, hunter.”

“You think I don’t know what a hunter looks like? I sniffed her out as soon as I saw her,” Leo said. “She was there at Richard’s one of the nights we were performing. I have been well aware of Indigo being a hunter since I picked her up. I know what I’m doing.”

“What are you doing cohorting with hunters, anyway?” Molly asked, turning her sharp eyes back to him. “You have opened the door for your own death. Surely you are not so naive as to think that being her friend means she won’t turn her gun to you when it comes down to it.”

“Can you stop talking about me like I’m not here?” Indigo asked and gestured to August standing beside Molly, who had been silent the whole time. “I would worry about your own life. It’s only a matter of time until this one snaps.”

“Are you gonna snap and kill me?” Molly asked with a wicked smile, grabbing August’s face by her jaw. “No, I don’t think so. August is mine, I own her, and she knows that. They all know their places.”

“Sickening,” Indigo said. “I shouldn’t be surprised your walking blood bag hasn’t fought back, if she’s loving the fix you give her. Is it parasocial, or parasitic? Not that you care, I’m sure so long as you’re fat and happy you couldn’t give less of a f**k how everyone else feels. Does it feel good, to have a walking IV? Does it make you feel safe to know that your next meal is never far away? Your luxury of money proceeds you to the point of being a f*****g leech. Literally. A literal, blood sucking leech.”

“I would be mindful of how you speak to me, hunter,” Molly said, her glassy eyes sharp with barely concealed anger. “You have no idea who you’re messing with.”

“I don’t care who your daddy is,” Indigo said. “Unlike you, my hands are warm. So long as that stays true, we will always be better than you. Even your meal on wheels.”

“Well it was good to stay and chat,” Molly said to the group. “I hope you all rot in hell. Now, I need to get this one nice and drunk so that I can get nice and drunk. Have a good night.”

“And make sure to tell your father where you’ve been tonight,” Drew called as Molly walked away with August, earning him a mean glare from her over her shoulder.

“Drew,” Leo said.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it,” Drew said and looked at Helia. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I think I want to go home now.”

Indigo agreed. The night had started off great, only to tank with Molly’s presence and mean words. Her head was still spinning over the fact that she had come face to face with a vampire and hadn’t heeded her mothers warnings. She was going to get it for her smart mouth, just as she always had. Going home was a good idea.