It was early in the morning when I rolled out of bed. We had campers coming in that morning and staying for the rest of the summer. I needed to get the horses brushed and fed before eight. I pulled on my jeans and a white shirt and hurried down the stairs to grab breakfast. I'd been doing this my whole life. My parents owned the place and when my dad passed away my senior year of highschool, I decided to stay and help my mom instead of going off to college. Now I was twenty three and still handling the horses. My parents had opened the ranch to teenagers years before I was one, it was supposed to keep teens out of trouble during the summer. I wouldn't know if it worked or not, since I was raised on the ranch and never really left. My mom was making breakfast in the kitchen when I walked in, it smelled amazing! There was nothing like farm fresh eggs and bacon for breakfast. I didn't have time to stop and eat much though. "You're behind schedule, you aren't gonna have time to sit down. You know that eating breakfast is important when you're going to be out riding horses all day." She scolded.
"Yes mom, I know. I'm sorry. I'll do better tomorrow and I'll eat a good lunch today." I said, grabbing a couple pieces of bacon and heading towards the door where I'd left my shoes. I shoved the bacon in my mouth, attempting to chew as I pulled on my boots.
I ran into the barn, to find my best friends waiting for me. "Goodmorning!" I called out to the horses and headed for the tack room to get my brush, curry comb, and hoof pick. I worked my way through the barn quickly, leaving the horses looking shiny and ready to ride. Then grabbed the wheel barrow full of alfalfa and fed them all. We had 11 horses, all of which I'd grown up with. My favorite though, was Mint, he was a dapple gray Lusitano. When he first came to the ranch, he was three years old and frisky. I spent hours working with him every day. Now, he was gentle and easy going, I saw him as my horse. I almost never let any of the campers ride him. They were rough on the horses and rarely knew what they were doing. I usually had to spend most of the fall trying to fix what the campers had screwed up. Mint snorted at me when I reached his stall to feed him. I made sure to slip him a treat before I walked away.
It was seven forty-five when I walked back in the house. The ranch hands were helping clean the kitchen up and set up breakfast for the campers when I walked in. "Damon, hurry up and shower. I need you back down here in fifteen minutes." My mom said as I reached the bottom of the stairs.
"On it!" I said breaking into a run. I had a love hate relationship with the summer. I loved it, because there was more to do than sit around waiting for my mom to give me chores. I hated it because I had to deal with annoying teenagers who didn't want to be here. I showered faster than I had in a long time, threw on some decent looking clothes and bounded back down the stairs with a minute to spare.
"You didn't comb your hair." My mom whispered as the bus pulled up outside.
"It looks the same either way." I whispered back. She just shook her head and started out the door. I followed as I do every summer. I rolled my eyes as the campers got off the bus dressed in everything from shorts to skirts, and every one of them in tennis shoes, except for one. She was the last one off the bus and she actually looked excited to be here. She had on jeans, a blue cotton shirt, and boots. But that wasn't the only thing I noticed, she was petite and had curves in all the right places. Her brown hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. And she had brown eyes that sparkled in the sunlight. She looked at me and I quickly looked away. My mom had a strict rule about flirting with the campers. I rarely did, but she didn't want angry parents calling her at the end of the summer, complaining about me.
"Welcome to camp Salvatore!" Mom said cheerfully. "There is a check in desk to your right. Find your name on the list and sign next to it. It's important that everyone do this, so that we know how many we have and if someone didn't show. After you have signed in, you'll be given a cabin number, a counselor, and a name tag. You're only required to wear your name tag for the first week, so we can get to know all of your names. Once you've recieved those things, you may head into the main house for breakfast. After breakfast, we'll meet in the banquet hall to go over some rules and sign up for different activites. My name is Mary and this is my son Damon, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask." My mother then motioned for them to head to check in and I took a deep breath, from here, I wouldn't have a spare moment to myself all summer. I walked into the main house and grabbed my things for sign up which consisted of a clipboard, a list of responsibilites that came with horseback riding and pictures of all the horses on a posterboard.
I walked into the banquet hall and set my things up on my assigned table next to Daryl, who ran the pig pen. "Wanna make a bet?" I asked as I set my stuff down.
"We go through this every year, Damon. You're always gonna get more sign ups because people love horses. No bets." He said jokingly and went back to what he was doing. I was set up in no time, and had a moment to relax before breakfast was over. I sat down in my folding chair and pulled out my favorite book, Dracula, and read while I waited.
"This way please." I heard mom say and set my book down. The campers filed into the room and filled the benches in the center of the room. This was my job, I grabbed the list of rules and headed onto the small stage.
"Hi, I'm Damon, but you already knew that. Hope breakfast was good." I said seriously but got a few giggles. "Alright, so everyone's favorite thing, the rules." I said sarcastically and got a few more giggles. " Rule number one: the upstairs in the main house is off limits. Rule number two: You are free to roam the ranch in your free time, but do not interact with the animals without an adult. And no none of you are consideredan adult. Adult here is over the age of 21." Total silence, usually someone whines about that one. "Rule number three: Leaving the ranch is a no no. We are held responsible for anything that happens to you, so no missing kids. Rule number four: Please listen to your instructors carefully. In order to keep you safe, we need to you to do as we say. Some of these animals can be dangerous in the wrong situation. That's it for the rules, any questions?" I hate this part because the questions are always stupid. If you ask me there is such a thing as a stupid question. Several hands go up and I prepare myself mentally. I point to a guy in the back who looks like he just wants to give me shit.
"Why is the upstairs off limits? What's up there?" Like we keep something amazing upstairs.
"My bedroom is up there, and it's off limits because I'd rather not have a bunch of kids going through my stuff." I say sarcastically. My mom shakes her head at me. "Seriously though, it's nothing special. No need to be up there." I repeat. I point to the next one, a blonde haired girl, sitting next to the one I noticed getting off the bus.
"How old are you?" She asks, clearly trying to flirt.
"Twenty three." I say, making it a point to not make eye contact with her. "Any questions about the rules?" I try to get them back on track.
"What happens if we leave the ranch?" I always get that one, someone hoping they've found a way to get kicked out of camp.
"You get to muck out the horse stalls for a week." The guy groans and no more hands go up.
"Alright, moving on. Breakfast is at eight, activites start at eight thirty. Lunch is at twelve followed by an hour of free time. And dinner is at six. Bathrooms are located near the cabins. If you'd like to shower, I'd suggest you get up early or hurry back from dinner. There are also two bathrooms in the main house. Using the restroom before starting an activity is suggested, because if you have to go during, you'll likely miss something. You'll meet with your counselor at eight every night and that is immediately followed by lights out at nine. There is no wandering around the ranch after nine as it is dark and you could be hurt. You're dismissed for sign ups, please do so in an orderly fashion and try not to trample each other." I salute them and climb off the stage, heading to my table. My mom signals the okay sign to me and I smile, cause that means no lecture later.
The first three to my table are the brunette, the blonde, and another chick. All three are giggling and whispering to each other. "We wanna sign up for your activity." I look at her nametag.
"Caroline, go right ahead. If you have a preference for your horse. Their pictures and names are posted here, you can request the one you like. No garuntees though." She smiles and writes her name on the paper and lists the horse, Bambi. I smirk, cause his name suggests that he's small and cuddly, when really he's huge, not that you can tell from the picture. She steps to the side and the next one to sign up is Bonnie. Bonnie picks Red, who is a gentle laid back old man. Then the brunette steps up. I read her name tag and smile, Elena, a very pretty name to match a very pretty face.
"Elena, which horse will it be?" I ask trying very hard not to flirt.
"Ummm, how about Starlet?" She asked tentatively.
"She's a sweetie, you'll really like her." I inform her. She signed her name and wrote down the horses name. The three girls move on to another table and I get the rest of my group signed up. I had twenty five signed up, now I just need to seperate them into groups. I took my stuff and headed out to the barn for orientation. I was waiting in the aisle when everyone who signed up walked in.
"Welcome to the barn. You'll be spending half your day here, all summer long. This is the most time consuming part of the ranch, next to planting and harvesting crops. Half of you will come in the morning, the other half will come in the afternoon. Five of you will unfortunately not be in this part of the program. You'll find out tomorrow if you are one of those five. Follow me and I'll introduce you to all of the horses. I took them down the aisle, starting with Mint and ending with Red. "You'll be responsible for cleaning your horses stall, keeping your horse clean and exercising it." I led them into the tack room and showed them the tools they'd be using and explained the proper way to use them. "Remember with a horse, you always comb with the fur, not against." After I was done with Orientation, I headed back to the main house to pick my group at random, which always took a little while. Lunch was in an hour, so I needed to get started.
I sat at my desk looking at my list, it went as follows:
Elena-Starlet-Nick
Bonnie-Red-Elijah
Caroline-Bambi-Rebekah
Jeremy- Bart-Mason
Zach- Comet-Tyler
Vickie- Zinger-Matt
Kol- Cotton-Stefan
Anna- Rocky-Lexie
Rose- Sunfire-Enzo
Jenna-Slider-Ric
I grabbed the paper and went down the hall to my mom's office. "You finished your schedule already?" She asked surprised. I usually handed it in late at night.
"Yep, here it is." I told her proudly, handing it to her. She looked it over and smiled.
"How many of them got the horse they requested?" She asked looking at me over her glasses.
"Twelve of them did." She always told me to try to please as many kids as possible.
"Very good. Alright, you're free the rest of the day." She informed me and I did a fistpump. Mom just rolled her eyes as I left the office. I went back out to the barn to exercise Mint. I walked him out of the stall. I only had thirty minutes and wanted to get out there as soon as possible. I saddled him and hopped on before leaving the barn. When I walked out, Elena and her friends were walking by on their way to the barn that held the cows. I smiled and nodded, before moving into a trot and heading to the feild. I picked up the pace at a canter and took off across the field. I loved to feel the wind whipping through my hair. When we reached the other side of the feild, we turned and moved into a gallop. I leaned forward, holding on tight with my legs. I felt like I was flying and there was no better feeling. We did one more round and came to a stop by the fence, where Elena was sitting on the fence watching me. I walked my horse up to where she was sitting.
"I get the feeling, you already know how to ride a horse." I said smiling. I dropped Mint's reigns and he put his head down, breathing in deep breaths of air.
"I've been riding since before I could walk." She said happily.
"Hey, me too. Aren't you missing lunch?" I asked curiously.
"I'm about to head that way." She said patting Mint on the shoulder. "He wasn't on the board." She commented.
"He's my boy. I started training him at the age of three, when I was nineteen." I explained. "I'm headed to the barn, but I'll walk with you back to the main house." I offer. She nods and hops down off the fence. I walk Mint out the gate and climb off. I take his reigns over his head and start walking back, Elena falls in step beside me.
"So, have you been on this ranch your whole life?" She asked, looking at her feet as she walked.
"Yep, my mom and dad used to run it together. Then when dad passed away, I took over for him. One day, I'll let my mom retire and I'll run the place." I explained.
"I'm sorry about your dad."
"I was nineteen, I had Mint to help me through it."
"Mint, that name suits him." I smile at her and she smiles back. We walk in silence the rest of the way. I stop Mint in front of the porch to the main house and turn to face her.
"If your quiet about it, no one will notice that you're late." I tell her.
"Okay, I'll be sneaky." She says quietly, then leans forward and whispers in my ear. "Thank you." I nod and she walks inside.
I took Mint back to the stables, brushing him down before taking him back to his stall. Then I headed outside to grab the wheelbarrow and pitchfork. I went from stall to stall cleaning each one and dumping it behind the barn. Then I put fresh sawdust in each stall. By the time I was done, I smelled horrible and was sweaty. But it made me feel accomplished. I walked back into the house to find it mostly empty. There were a few kids hanging out in the rec room, but other than that, they'd all headed to the cabins. I went upstairs to shower for the second time that day and then went back downstairs to have a late lunch. My mom always saved me some leftovers when I missed a meal. I took the plate out of the fridge and stuck it in the microwave. I stood leaning against the counter, my feet and arms crossed. "I saw you outside talking to Elena." I heard her voice before I saw her. She was standing in the doorway to the kitchen with a stern look on her face.
"Don't worry mom, I know better. She was outside and I wanted to make sure she didn't miss lunch." I explained, because I had no intention of letting it get any further than it did.
"The way she was whispering in your ear. These are teenagers, minors, they are absolutely off limits. The whole camp could be shut down if you make one wrong move." My mom knew me well enough that she knew that I wouldn't do something like that, why was she so worried?
"Mom, I wouldn't do that." I remind her again.
"I saw the way you looked at her. And Damon," She said before I could argue, "If you want to get involved with someone and settle down, you're free to leave this place whenever you're ready." She said calmly. She'd tried to convince me to go off to college years ago. But I didn't want to just leave her here all alone.
"I know mom, but I'd rather be here with you." I reassured her.
"Okay, I'll let it go a little longer, but I want grandkids some day. Don't put it off too long." She gave me a look and went to the fridge to pour me some milk. I took my plate out of the beeping microwave and went to the table. My mom brought me my milk and a spoon and fork. She'd made pork chops, mashed potatoes, and green beans for dinner. I smiled, knowing how good her cooking was. She kissed me on the top of my head and left me to eat.
The sun was starting to go down and the horses were all fed and watered. Tomorrow, we would start the actual camp, it was after eight, so the campers were with their counselors right now. I always wondered what they talked about. Was it normal teenage drama, or did they do crafts and sing songs? I walked down to Mint's stall and handed him a treat, then started the walk back to the house. That's when I saw Elena and her friends, sitting outside their cabin, talking about something. Elena saw me too and we made eye contact for a second, she didn't stop smiling about their conversation, but she held my eyes for a moment. I smiled at her and she gave me a little wave, then looked away. I walked inside and went upstairs to get ready for bed. I had my pajama pants on when I saw the light on in the stables, I hadn't put on a shirt yet, but all the campers were in bed anyway. I shrugged and started back downstairs, I could've sworn that I'd turned that light off. I reached the front door before my mom made an appearance. "Why is the barn light on?" She asked, also in her pajamas.
"I guess I left it on." I said, still trying to remember if I had or not. "I'll go turn it off, go back to bed." I said opening the front door.
"Okay." She turned and headed back upstairs. I walked quietly and quickly out to the barn. I really needed to get to bed, I had an early day tomorrow. When I walked in, the first thing I noticed was that the light was coming from the tack room. The second thing I noticed is that someone was talking, somewhere in the barn.
"Hello?" I whispered, and it got quiet. "I won't tell anyone that you're out here. I just want to make sure everything is okay." I say a little louder.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause problems. I was just visiting with Starlet." She walked out of the shadows and blushed ten different shades of red.
"Elena." My mind went blank for a minute. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I thought I'd left the light on." I explained.
"Why are you apologizing, I broke the rules, not you." And then I remember that she's right.
"You can spend a little more time with Starlet. I won't tell anyone, just turn off the light, so no one knows." I tell her and I realize that my mom was right. I need to stop my mind from even going there. "I wouldn't try this again though, next time I might not be the one that finds you." I warn her and turn to walk away.
"Wait, Damon, will you sit with me. I really hate the dark." Every part of my mind is screaming no! But that's not what comes out of my mouth.
"Only for a minute. I could get in a lot of trouble if we're caught alone together." I tell her as I reach into the tack room and flip the switch. Elena lets out a little squeal. "Let's go out behind the barn so the moon gives us some light and we'll talk." I said, talking her hand and leading her out of the barn. We walked to a hay bale in the back and sat down, it was only then that I realized I was still holding her hand. I let go slowly, and then used my hands to move further onto the hay bale. "So, what were you and Starlet talking about?" I ask curiously, trying to ease the tension.
"My sister." She states simply. So she has a sister.
"Your sister? Is she here?" I ask curiously. I hadn't seen anyone who looked anything like Elena.
"No, but she was supposed to be. I got lucky because they let me sign her in and pick her activities, she called on the way here and told me she wasn't coming till tomorrow. She always does this to me. I wanted to go to camp and my parents suggested she come along. You know what she said?" I could tell by her tone of voice that it wasn't good.
"What?" I ask anyway.
"Sure, I bet there'll be a lot of hot cowboys. I saved for a whole year to come here and my parents just pay her way because she does exactly what they want all the time. She's a cheerleader and makes perfect grades. My grades are almost as good as hers, but because I'd rather read a book or ride a horse, my parents think that I'm wasting my time on activites that won't help me get into college." She rants and I just let her.
"Reading will totally help you get into college." I point out, somewhat confused.
"Not the books I read. It's all supernatural stuff, my parents think it's the devil's work. I can't tell you how many of my books they've thrown away." She says defeatedly. I shake my head and think for a moment.
"Do you want to go to college?" I ask curiously.
"Not really. I want to get married and settle down, have a few kids. And I want to own lots of horses. I could spend all day on a horse. But none of that really helps you make money." She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and stares at her feet.
"It does here. It's a grand per kid for the summer. We have sixty kids right now, that's sixty grand, just for the summer. But we also have a couples retreat in the spring and the fall. We get about forty couples, and that's another sixty grand for the fall and spring. The winter is the only time we don't have any money coming in." Elena is grinning the whole time I'm talking. "Of course you have to factor in costs of help, and feed, and food. After all that, there's enough to pay bills, make repairs, and a little spending money. But I think it's worth it, which is why I've never left the ranch." I realize that I'm rambling and stop myself.
"You are an interesting guy." She says but doesn't elaborate.
"We should get to bed, we have to be up early." I suggest, even though I could spend all night out here.
"Yeah, okay, I'll see you in the morning. I'm gonna walk myself back so we don't get in trouble. Well, so you don't get in trouble." She says smirking.
"Sometimes, being an adult sucks." It slips out before I can stop it. The look on her face says it all. Fuck!
"Goodnight, Damon." She says simply, then hops down and walks away.
"Goodnight, Elena." She's too far away to hear me now, but I say it anyway. I hurry back to the house, hoping that my mom is asleep and already thinking up excuses for taking so long if she isn't. When I walk inside it's dark so I quickly make my way to my room and plop down on my bed. Tomorrow was gonna be great