Deerhill

Chapter10 - Indigo

Chapter 10 - Indigo

“Have you ever considered a therapy animal, Indigo” Chelsea asked, her calming nature about to send Indigo through the window with rage. “I think you would benefit from one.”

“I don’t need a dog,” Indigo said. “I need to be back on the road. I think that’s what’s wrong with me.”

“All by yourself?” Chelsea asked. She watched as Indigo struggled with that thought.

Indigo almost hadn’t gone to therapy. In fact, half of her session so far had been her considering getting up and leaving. But her need to prove Danica wrong was stronger than her will to leave.

“I’m used to being by myself,” Indigo finally said.

Chelsea didn’t seem impressed by that. Instead, she sighed and set her coffee mug down on the table, then folded her hands together against her knee. She was wearing zebra print today. A choice for sure, Indigo thought. “But you’re not alone. Not anymore. And from what I can tell, that’s been by choice.”

Ugh, Indigo hated her.

“No,” Indigo said. “I haven’t been. But just because I’m choosing to be around people now, doesn’t mean me being alone is uncomfortable.”

Chelsea shrugged. “Tell me about what’s been going on.”

“I have to meet Helia’s parents,” Indigo confessed after a moment of silence. “I don’t know what to expect.”

“I hear the Mathas’s are, intense,” Chelsea said, raising her eyebrows. Indigo watched her pick her coffee mug back up. “I’m assuming they’re coming home for the fireman’s barbecue?”

Indigo nodded. “This weekend. They’ll be here the whole weekend. I’m going to the barbecue with Helia as some sort of grounding rod for her. I’d rather go with her than let Jeremy go with her, though.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because he’s evil,” Indigo said. “She invites him over, drunk, and when I don’t let him past me he attacks me.” She left out the part where she punched him first.

“He attacked you?” Chelsea asked. “That’s scary.”

“Anyway, that’s why I don’t want her going with him.”

“You know Indigo, Helia is a big girl who can make her own decisions,” Chelsea said. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t go with her, I think you’re being a very good friend. But if she were to go with Jeremy, that would be her decision.”

“It would be a stupid decision.”

Chelsea just shrugged again and checked her watch. “That’s our time. I want you to really consider a therapy animal, Indigo. I think it will do you some good.”

Indigo would rather step on a cactus, but she kept her thoughts to herself as she stood and left the office.

Fully functional or not, Indigo didn’t trust Leo to drive while high, so she took the drivers seat for the day’s adventure. They were off to go to Leo’s grandfather’s camp, to meet the man himself so Indigo could beg for a job. They stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast and Indigo ate with one hand and drove with the other while Leo talked to his boyfriend on the phone.

“This way,” Leo said after hanging up with Drew, pointing at an abrupt turnoff from the highway into the woods.

“This way what?” Indigo asked nervously, hitting the brakes a little too hard in order to make the sharp turn.

“To the summer camp.”

“Oh,” Indigo said, slowing on the dirt road.

Maybe a mile in and three radio stations changed by Leo later, and Indigo’s nerves were starting to tighten again, anxiety bubbling up in her stomach. She’d never held another job in her life outside of working on the ranch, and she wasn’t exactly interview ready. She had no special clothes, and no special skills. Just her, the nicest T-shirt she could find, and the hope that Leo could nepo baby his way into getting her this job.

In the trees, there was a flash of a yellow bandana and a small, sickly body, and Indigo nearly crashed the car into a tree by how fast she turned to look. Leo’s surprised outcry did nothing to pull her attention as she put the car in park, swinging her door open and tumbling out after it. She didn’t bother to explain as she ran down the road, desperate to see Ducky again. She was sure she had seen her, small and wild and right there, instead of on a ranch in Idaho hundreds of miles away.

She only made it a few steps before Leo called to her, halting her in her tracks. She didn’t have the chance to reconsider what the hell she was doing, because when she turned to look at him, the concern on his face wasn’t for her. He was moving to the side of the road, to a bright red sneaker sticking out from the brush.

Indigo’s stomach hit her feet and she abandoned her search for Ducky, coming back to reality more and more with every step toward Leo and whoever it was he had found face first in the dirt. He was thin, and sickly looking, with skin that was ghoulishly pale, and badly kept up on bleach blonde hair that had red roots growing out underneath. He had on jeans and a sweatshirt that was much too warm, even for the cool summer morning. Indigo found herself being more surprised by the fact that the man was still breathing than the fact that Leo knew his name.

“Chris,” Leo said softly as he kneeled by the man, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder to give him a hard shake. He didn’t move the first time, but the second shake knocked him into consciousness, and he gave Leo a displeased grunt of acknowledgement.

Chris slowly pushed himself up and managed to sit up with Leo’s help. “Oh hey Leo,” he said through a yawn, then hanging his head back as if he was in pain. “Hey Leo, long time. No see.”

“What’re you doing all the way out here buddy?” Leo asked. “Can you stand?”

“Shyea man, I can stand,” Chris said, then proceeded to make no real attempt as Leo stood and tried to help him to his feet. Leo held onto his hand while Chris’s head slowly dropped again, his shoulders slumping forward with him until Leo had to shake him hard.

“Chris, can you stand?” Leo repeated. “Let’s get you in the car buddy, we’ll take you to camp.”

“Oh yea, I can stand,” Chris said, and with the grace of a newborn deer managed to get to his feet, wobbling and stumbling as Leo helped him to the car. He was dirty, and smelled like he hadn’t touched a bathtub in a week- not that Indigo could judge too harshly, considering her sporadic and unpredictable bathing schedule. Indigo opened the backseat door for him, and Chris collapsed on the seats sideways, immediately laying down.

Indigo wanted answers as she and Leo got back into the car, but she had the decency to wait until Chris was safe and out of earshot. The car was filled with a whole new kind of uncomfortableness. She was directed down another right turn, and then finally she saw the treeline end at a camp.

She parked outside of a smaller building that must have been an office for management, and Leo hopped out of the car once she shut the engine off. Chris was passed out again, and Leo had a harder time rousing him this time. Once he was up, Leo shuffled alongside Indigo, helping Chris carry his body weight as they made their way to the management office. Leo knocked once before pushing the door open and greeting the woman at the front desk cheerily.

“Good morning Mira! How are things today?”

“Leo you do know you have today off,” Mira said as she stood up, smoothing chip crumbs off of her bright green Camp Sherwood T-shirt. She was a short woman, with an elvish face and straight red hair that was cropped at her shoulders. It was hot in the office, despite a small oscillating fan blowing the warm air around, so Mira’s hand was sweaty when she shook with Indigo. “He loves us more than what we’re paying him for. I’m Mira, it’s nice to meet you…?”

“Indigo,” Indigo said, taking her hand back. “I’m new in town. Leo wanted to show me the camp.”

“She’s applying for the job offer that apparently opened,” Leo said. “Hello?? Why did no one tell me we were hiring?”

“Take it up with Ash, not me,” she said. “I didn’t know either until I came in and saw about twenty emails holding applications. Anyway, what’s wrong with this one now?” She crossed over to Chris, who was shamelessly nodding out in the chair.

“Who knows,” Leo said. “We found him face down in the dirt out in the woods, just off the road up.”

“Christ kid,” Mira said, shaking Chris awake again. “Hey, what happened? Why were you making yourself cougar bait?”

“Mathew kicked me out of the car,” Chris said, squinting up at her. “Oh you cut your hair.”

“Three weeks ago, kid. Alright, I’ll call your mother.” Mira set him back against the chair and walked around her desk again to her office phone. “I’m going to get ahold of Ryu to come get her son, Leo. Feel free to take Indigo around the camp, you’re all good.”

“I don’t even need a visitor sticker?” Indigo joked.

Mira gave her a half laugh and shook her head. “Oh honey, we’re not in here with you, you’re in here with us. That’s completely unnecessary.”

Indigo was a little disappointed by her joke falling flat, but it was covered by the confusion on whatever the hell that meant. She stored it away for later because Leo was already pulling at her arm to drag her back outside. There was a physical shift when Indigo stepped past the office building and into the actual campgrounds, she could feel it in her body. Like she had gone beyond a certain barrier. She wasn’t sure what had changed, only that something was different. She looked at Leo for answers, but he didn’t even seem to notice, pulling her further into the camp.

The campgrounds consisted of four boys cabins on one end, and four girls cabins on the other, the first cabin holding ages 13-14, and the other three holding ages 15, 16 and 17. There was an indoor mess hall, as well as outside tables for the kids who liked to eat in the sun. Indigo passed by archery lessons, and arts and crafts, and way at the far end of the camp by the girls cabins was a lake, with canoes stacked along each other on the beach. The forest air was sweet, and the camp was pleasantly loud.

The wet pop of a water balloon snapped against the ground and soaked the bottom of Indigo’s right pant leg. She stopped and looked down to assess the broken remains of the bright purple water balloon, and looked up to the giggling mess of three young teenagers. One of them was red in the face and not laughing with his friends, and Indigo assumed that he was her assailant. She bent and picked up the small rubber pieces scattered in the dirt and held them out to him.

“Pick up after yourself,” she said, and the teenager was pushed forward by his snickering friends.

“Yes ma’am,” he said, taking the rubber pieces out of her hand. “Sorry ma’am.”

“You should be sorry,” Leo said and nailed him in the back of the head with another water balloon, having snuck over to the other two boys while Indigo had him busy.

“Aw Leo, come on!” The boy protested, turning to glare at him. “Hey, that's not fair! You tag-teamed me!”

“Gotta be sharper than that,” Indigo said, unable to help the smile tugging on her mouth. “You should pick up that one, too.”

“They’re not tormenting you too much, are they?” A man asked, walking over with a woman at his side. They were both wearing the same bright green Camp Sherwood T-shirts, but the woman was wearing jeans, and the man khakis. The man had the same red hair as Mira had, only shorter, and shaggier, as well as a pair of beautiful sage green eyes. His face was warm, and kind, and splashed with freckles. Despite how young he looked, the creases of his eyes held crows feet, and his mouth had smile lines.

“Leo, you do know it’s your day off?” The woman teased, resting a hand on her hip. She had long, dark brown hair that was wavy and free in a way that made Indigo want to trust her. Her skin was two shades too dark to be tan, and her eyes were a dark brown that sparkled. She also looked too young to match the evidence that her face held a life well lived.

“Ah, what can I say?” Leo asked with a laugh. He gently took Indigo’s arm in his hand and gestured to the two camp counselors. “Indigo, this is Ash, and his sister Rowan. They own the camp.”

Indigo looked at Leo in shock. “Your grandfather?”

“We have good genes,” Leo said sheepishly, and Indigo put his reaction away for later. She’d dig into him when they didn’t have an audience, because there was no way ‘good genes’ could make the grandfather of someone her age look barely past his 30s. “Anyway, this is Indigo. She actually has an interview for the opening that we apparently have.”

“Oh, is that so?” Ash turned a bright smile to Indigo. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. Leo has a habit of finding people right when he’s supposed to. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, sir,” Indigo said, shaking hands with him. His hand was strong, and warm, and tugged at a place not quite healed.

“If you wanted, we could have the interview now,” Ash suggested, and Indigo’s heart sank a little.

“Yes sir,” Indigo said. “That’d be fine. I haven’t interviewed in years though, so I’m going to be a bit rusty.”

“That’s okay,” Ash brushed her off. “Let’s do it now. And if you blow it, come by Monday and we’ll start fresh. I mean it, I won’t hold today against you.”

“Sort of ignoble, right?” Indigo asked. “Asking me to bomb this as a first impression, and still expect to have a blank slate come monday? Isn’t that unfair to me?”

“So that’s a no?” Ash asked, his smile amused.

“No sir. It’s a yes.”

“Interesting,” Ash said. “Indigo, do you know basic survival skills? Are you CPR trained?”

“Yes sir,” she said, thinking about how many days she had spent half dead in the woods, or off the side of the road. Stitching her and her mother back up in their dingy motel rooms after too many close calls. “I’m not certified, sir.”

“But you can keep a kid alive?”

“Yes, sir. I’ve done it, sir, and under much more dire circumstances than anything that could happen in a camp.”

“You’ll have to go through orientation. You’ll have to endure basic training in the camp, including soft training, and fire safety.”

“I figured, sir.”

“Please,” Ash said with a light chuckle that threw Indigo. “Call me Ash.”

Indigo nodded after a moment. “I figured, Ash. I have a wide bandwidth, I learn fast. I had to, s- Ash. If we could get on with the interview?” She asked, confused as to why she hadn’t been brought to an office yet.

“Hang in there cowboy, just another question,” Ash said, and sobered up a bit. “If anything strange, or unusual happened, would you be prepared to handle it? If something dangerous entered the camp, and you had to protect the campers, will you be able to save lives?”

Indigo wasn’t sure if he meant wildlife or something more sinister, but her answer was honest, and was backed by so much truth it made her feel a bit sick from memory. “Yes, Ash. Better than I’m sure you’re expecting from me.”

“Then you’re hired,” Ash said. “You’ll start orientation on Monday.”

Indigo’s view tilted, and she barely shook it off before she stumbled. “I’m sorry?”

“We’ll supply your uniform, but you’re expected to keep it washed and undamaged, unless you decide to work a swing shift, or stay for multiple days. You may be expected to work rotating shifts as well, depending on staff, or circumstance. You can choose your own hours, but we try to keep it no more than forty a week,” Ash explained, setting a hand on her back as he and Rowan started to walk again, most likely to continue on what they had originally come over for. “It isn’t healthy to work more than that. We start at twenty dollars an hour, but we are open to negotiation.”

“Hold on,” Indigo said. “No background check? You don’t want to know about any previous experience I’ve had? What if I’m a freak?”

“Are you a freak, Indigo?” Ash asked, looking at her.

Indigo swallowed her confusion for surprise. “Um, no. But-”

“Believe me, we are entirely prepared to handle any kind of crazy you could throw our way. Don’t worry about our capability to keep our kids safe. That’s our job. Now, Washington is an ‘at-will’ state, which means you can be terminated- or fired, I mean- at any time for any reason. This keeps staff and campers safe from, as you put it, freaks. We are also nondiscriminating against race, s****l orientation, or gender identity.”

“I feel like it would be easier to just give me a handbook,” Indigo said, and Ash laughed.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get one at orientation,” he said. “All you have to do right now is tell me you accept the job.”

“I accept the job,” Indigo said with a nod. “I’ll be here Monday for orientation.”

“Good,” Ash said with another smile. “I look forward to it.”

“She’s got a good soul,” Leo said with a nod. “I really think she’ll be good here. Quick question; why did a spot open up?”

Ash was quiet for a moment, but Indigo didn’t miss the way his kind face tightened a bit. “We’ll talk about it later. I’ll tell you, just later.”

Leo’s face straightened as well, and he nodded. “Oh, I found Chris out in the woods. I brought him in to Mira’s office. He said that Mathew kicked him out, so the triplets are- I’m assuming- here? I think they should meet Indigo.”

“By that you think Adonis should meet Indigo?”

“Adonis is their brother, right?” Indigo asked.

“Chris’s brother, my other grandchild,” Ash said. “Their mother and Leo’s are half sisters.”

“Just out yourself as a slut why don’t you,” Rowan piped up and Indigo almost choked. Ash didn’t look what she assumed to be his age, but it didn’t make the image she had conjured up any easier to digest. Leo cringed also, so she knew whatever he’d seen in his head was just as bad.

“Oh, Rowan, gross!” He said. “To me you guys just sprout off new kids like plants. You don’t procreate like that.”

“Oh, okay,” Rowan said with a laugh. “Whatever you have to tell yourself to sleep at night, kid. But your grandpa is a who-”

“Okay, Rowan, thank you,” Ash said, sounding less amused and more annoyed now. “No need to get colorful with my.. extensive, dating life.”

“He’s bashful,” Rowan said to Indigo, giving her shoulder a nudge. It didn’t help to settle the awful awkwardness of the conversation, and she desperately grasped at a way out.

“Do they work here, too?” She asked. “Your other grandchildren?”

“They volunteer,” Ash admitted. “But they’re grown now, they’re Leo’s age. Mostly they come by for some peace and quiet, or to hide from their mother after they’ve made another questionable choice. My daughter is the strongest woman I’ve ever met and an excellent mother. That being said-”

“They can’t get away with anything,” Indigo finished for him. “My mother was the same way.”

Ash’s smile was back on his face. He stopped at a dirt packed court with a net, where a man she and Leo’s age was playing badminton way too hard against a group of teenagers. “Adonis!”

The man turned and missed the birdie smacked his way, and it whacked him in the back of the head instead. He swore and touched his head where it had hit him, then found it on the ground and grabbed it. The game paused, and when he popped back up he was all smiles. His hair was also red, and Indigo was starting to see a theme. Only his eyes were almost honey colored, so warm they were gold, and seemed to shimmer in the bright sunlight. He was heavier, but strong. Indigo could tell immediately that he was an athlete, and an impressive one at that, even if she couldn’t nail down what role he played.

“Oh hey,” he said with a wave. “What’s up guys? And, new girl?”

“This is our new camp counselor,” Ash said, gesturing to Indigo. “I was wondering if you would vet her.”

“Oh yea, for sure,” Adonis said and his gaze zeroed in on Indigo. The feeling that overcame her wasn’t fear, but she definitely couldn’t go anywhere. She was held there, and it felt like her brain was moving, or being filed through. Memories flashed out of order in a way that made her dizzy and disoriented, and her head fogged up until she was out of control of how to think. When she broke through the haze, Adonis was holding a thumbs up to Ash.

“Appropriately traumatized, but not a pedo. She’s cool.”

“Thank you, Adonis,” Ash said. To Indigo’s questioning and alarmed expression, he rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. “This camp is a bit… different, Indigo. The kids here are gifted.”

“As are the counselors, I’m assuming,” Indigo said accusingly.

“Some,” Ash admitted. “Not all of them. Adonis is telekinetic, and his brothers also have clairvoyant based powers. These are traits our family holds, all different but tied together. It’s one of the reasons I started this camp. My family knows what it’s like to cower and hide, and be afraid of what is unknown about ourselves. Here they learn how to use their powers, as well as forgive themselves for having them. We help to shape people, not monsters.”

Indigo could have cared less about his ‘good for us’ speech and turned to Adonis, jabbing a finger into his chest. “Don’t you ever go poking around in my head again without explicit consent from me. Do you understand? Ever.”

Adonis held his hands up. “Noted, and understood. The first and last time, I promise.”

“Good,” Indigo said and held her hand out. “I’m Indigo.”

“Adonis,” he smiled and shook her hand.

“Your brother’s in the front office with Mira,” Ash said. “You should go take care of that before your mother gets here. God knows what she’ll do to him.”

“Off to mediate, you got it,” he said with a salute and turned another smile to Indigo before he left. “It was nice to meet you Indigo! I’m sure we’ll see each other again shortly.”

“Likewise,” Indigo lied, and Adonis was off, jogging across the camp to the front office. Indigo didn’t like boys, but she had been intimate with them enough to know which ones were gentle in bed, and which ones weren’t. She wondered only for a moment if Adonis’s partner, if and when he had one, knew how lucky they were. Tall, handsome, and gentle.

“Sorry Indigo, he’s into boys only,” Leo said, pulling her attention back to him.

“I’m into girls only,” Indigo said absently before she could catch herself. “We covered this, you know that. Still, sometimes a girl can appreciate a work of art when she crosses one.”

“I have rounds to do, and I’m sure there’s a million places we need to be,” Ash said. “Indigo, I’ll see you on Monday. Have a nice weekend, and hydrate. You’re going to be spending a lot of time in the sun.”

“You got it,” Indigo said, forcing what she hoped was a cheery smile. Ash took that as a good enough farewell and left with Rowan, who gave Indigo an excited wave.

“Oooo, how exciting,” Leo said. “This is cause for a celebration I think.”

“Oh yea? And what would that entail?” Indigo asked.

“Getting drunk,” Leo said.

“What is Mathew doing here?” Indigo asked. “I thought he was stuck being vampire chow for Cecil Adley.”

“Sometimes he manages to sneak over,” Leo said. “Especially if he has stuff to do across the water. He misses his family. This is the only way he’s able to see them.”

Indigo nodded. She could understand missing family as much as the next person. She too would go through any measure to see her family again. She would kill for it to be as simple as being out of the way. “Getting drunk, you said?”

“I said it,” Leo said. “Come on, let’s head back to my place and celebrate.”

As they walked back to the car and left the treeline into the forest, a woman was walking Chris out of the office cabin, and they were arguing quietly to each other. Again, Indigo was met with red hair, golden eyes, and pointed ears. She only gave them a second of her time, waving at Leo and Indigo.

“Hey Leo! How are you, baby?”

“This is Ryu, my aunt,” Leo said to Indigo. “She’s the triplets mother. Ryu! This is my new friend, Indigo like the color!”

“It’s nice to meet you Indigo,” Ryu said as she shoved her son into her car. “Have you met Lisa and Rick? I’m sure I’ll see you over the summer at one of their barbecues. They have a million of them while he’s home.”

Indigo was trying too hard not to throw up to respond. It had been a long time since she had been face to face with a mother who had obviously been put through the wringer by her children. The softness in her tone harbored a patience that Indigo knew was only granted through time, and the comfort it brought her nearly brought her to tears. She choked on her words, then stopped trusting what may come out of her mouth. She didn’t want to be there anymore.

She didn’t want to be five years old, pretending to be asleep so that her mother would carry her to her room. She didn’t want to be thirteen, sitting obediently still while her mother brushed her hair and braided it back. She didn’t want to hear that honest voice, full of love and experience and tenderness. Her mother was dead in the ground in Montana, and Indigo didn’t find it fair to see what she could have right there in front of her, holding up her son the way that Margot used to hold up Ducky.

“Maybe,” Indigo finally said, her voice sounding hoarse and pathetic. She bit her shame and got into her car, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves again so that she would be safe to drive. Somehow, Leo knew better than to ask, and the drive back to the house was silent.