Page 5 of The Watcher

Speaking quietly, Nathan and Naira pointed out each kid in turn, so Kateri could observe them before they noticed her.

Sitting closest to the fire were Jessica, Avni and Emily, the popular girls. They all wore the same mauve nail polish and stylish cowl-neck sweaters and thin black leggings, a silly choice for camping in the woods. Kateri could hear smatterings of their conversation, and it was as vapid as she remembered overhearing at the high school lunch table.

“Mrs. Harton actually snapped at me because I didn’t turn in my English paper on time,” Avni whined. “I mean, it’s not like the due date wasthatfirm.”

Jessica tossed her blonde bob around her shoulders. “She’s so annoying. She acts like English class is important or something.”

Emily nodded. Kateri guessed she was the newest to the popular group since her thick brown hair didn’t have expensive highlights in it … yet.

Naira noticed Kateri’s expression and hastened to say, “They’re a good group of girls once you get past … all that.”

Staring pointedly at the popular girls were Joe and Bryan, the oldest boys of the group and clearly jocks. They tossed a football back and forth with their T-shirt sleeves rolled up to show off their muscular arms. Their masculine posturing was epic, but something about Joe felt off, like he was trying too hard to prove himself. He was big for his age, bulky. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was already taking steroids. And she sensed a current of anger running beneath his easy smile. She’d have to watch out for him. Young men who hated the world made up a good portion of the criminals she dealt with on a daily basis.

Marie went to sit with the younger, co-ed group. They were playing a rapid-fire card game, flinging cards onto the middle pile, and they looked up and smiled at her before turning back to their game. If Kateri’s own childhood was any indication, it was Speed. She remembered being amazing at that game…

…If only she still had that kind of hand-eye coordination.

According to Naira, the card players ranged in age from ten to twelve and included Mariah, Samson, Kelly and Aidan. Kelly was beautiful with long chestnut hair flowing down her back, deep green eyes and a ready smile. Mariah was plain and serious. Her long black braid was smooth, and her eyes were a deep chocolate color, framed by naturally dark lashes. She was biting her lip in concentration as she slapped the cards down in front of her.

Holy shit! Mariah was Kateri at the same age. Native American heritage, fierce competitive spirit…

Samson was the dorkiest of the group, trying to hide his acne with one hand. Aidan was small and lithe, elf-like. His light hair fell haphazardly over his brow, and he continuously tossed his head to get the long bangs out of his eyes.

Nathan pointed to the last of the group, a girl standing nervously on the edge of the fire circle, watching the woods. “That’s Lily,” he said. “She’s been uneasy since she arrived, and she wakes from nightmares every night. We can’t get her to tell us what she dreams about, though. She’s quiet.”

Kateri studied Lily. She looked to be about eleven, was very tall, and Kateri guessed she must have recently gone through a growth spurt because Lily slumped as though she were trying to appear smaller. Her wide tawny eyes were hidden behind thick glasses, and she was studiously keeping her mouth completely shut over a set of new braces that made her speak with a slight lisp.

Nathan nodded toward the group. “They’re the same as every group of city kids we get. They’re polite enough, but they don’t really respect the camp or the leaders. Joe has tried to pick fights with Samson and Aidan already. Jessica has pulled Mariah’s braid and made horse noises. The usual bullshit.”

"You love them."

"Of course. No matter how jaded and cynical they are, I firmly believe every child should smell wood smoke from a campfire at least once in their lives." Nathan helped them to learn about the old ways and gave them knowledge of basic wilderness survival, even if it was just for two weeks.

"Where is this bunch from?"

"Southern California."

"Big change from home. They don't seem too nervous,” Kateri said. “They don’t seem particularly tense to me.”

“Wait,” Nathan replied ominously.

To the west, the sun was sinking lower, the shadows growing longer. The trees at the edge of the camp darkened to a deeper green until they seemed almost black. The temperature began to drop and the wind picked up, blowing through the tall grasses in the field behind the fire circle. The clouds went from rose and marigold highlights to cerulean to deep indigo within moments, and the wisps raced across the horizon as the darkness gathered. The woods came alive with nighttime creatures as the moon rose from behind the clouds into the clear night sky.

The change in the group amazed Kateri. The popular girls stopped nattering, and Jessica chewed her mauve nail polish off. Bryan and Joe abruptly stopped tossing the football. The card game came to a halt, Mariah and Aidan gathering the cards up while checking behind them every few seconds. All of the kids, including Joe, gathered closer to the light from the campfire.

Lily seemed especially panicked. Her eyes scanned the tree line and then, as darkness gathered, the line drawn in the dirt..

Swiftly Kateri assessed the situation. They were clearly frightened of the night, although that had to be fairly common among younger teens. But she had never seen a group this on edge. Usually some bantering and jokes accompanied Nathan's evening story.

Kateri turned away from the fire, too, and looked beyond into the gathering shadows. She smelled the rich scents of fresh growing evergreen, or old rotting leaves, of forest and sea and air. She felt the pain of her old injuries, the warning given her by their ache and their burn. She gathered her courage and her inspiration, and in a low voice said to Nathan, "I'll tell them the legend of the Frog God.”

"You're going to scare the hell out of them."

"I'm going to warn them." Kateri took a breath. "Play for me."

Nathan nodded, grabbed his wooden and deerskin drum and went to sit near the fire with Marie, Samson and Aidan. Naira had set up a cloth-wrapped folding chair near the log pile, and she took her place there to monitor the fire pit.

Kateri looked around the log pile near Naira and found a long thin stick. Picking it up, she began to walk in a circle around the kids and the fire, dragging the stick through the dirt and leaving a deep impression. The kids focused on her, their nervous murmuring finally stopping.

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