Chapter 2: Tuesday

Neil woke early and decided to take a walk around the camp before breakfast. The kids would be a handful this morning, for many it would be their first day ever at camp while the rest would be rebuilding friendships or rivalries. It would be easier when the older group arrived over the weekend. Neil headed down the hill into the tall pines, around the back of Green Dorm then circled the quad, intending to head toward the stables on the far side. There was a gaggle of young kids and their dorm-rep sitting around the big campfire near the picnic tables to the right, so he turned left and headed out toward the small paddock. As he walked he considered his interesting first day and wondered what it all meant. Harriet was teasing him, but why not tease Dave? She certainly knew who Dave was and he was, Neil forced himself to admit, better looking and more physically fit than Neil. Maybe she knew about Ruth, although since Neil didn't know about Ruth for sure himself, that seemed unlikely. He felt a tiny thrill at being the only focus of Harriet's attention, then moved on to other issues.

Mae was quite simply a puzzle. She had always been somewhat reserved but so far she'd been downright timid around him. He replayed the day in his mind, trying to tie together what was she might be thinking. She seemed genuinely happy to have his help moving her furniture around, but her mood kept shifting. Neil tried to imagine exactly when Mae had seemed receptive and happy, but the day had been baffling. Finally he simply let it drop and made his way into the western stable to visit with some of his favorite horses.

One of Neil's secrets was that he really wasn't particularly fond of horses, which was not something you shared when you worked at a horse camp. It wasn't that he disliked the animals, he found them powerful and beautiful, although perhaps not with the same level of zeal and sexual imagery that the girls at camp seemed to. In fact, he rather liked certain horses, finding they had personalities and quirks much like other pets. Unlike a family dog, Horses were large, smelly, difficult, moody, and although rare, they could be very dangerous animals. None of this paled to the real problem, which was the sheer amount of work required to keep a horse. The mucking, cleaning, brushing and vet care simply did not compare with the pleasure he derived from riding. For Neil, it wasn't a good tradeoff to work hours and hours shoveling horse shit, dealing with injury and sickness and fighting the temperamental moods of horses just for a few brief hours rambling through the woods. He'd started work at the camp on the advice of his neighbors back home. They owned a huge horse farm and he and his siblings had generally found easy summer jobs there cleaning up after all the boarders. People almost universally wanted to own a horse, but they never wanted to take care of one once they had it. He was good at his job and never found much else to do in the small community where he grew up, so summer jobs turned into full time jobs and finally he got hired on by Mom, who knew his neighbors pretty well through whatever social circles horse owners were members. So while he liked particular horses and had a great resume for a counselor, he kept his small secret frustration at the situation.

A handful of other counselors and a few escorted campers were also touring the stable, feeding small bits of oats and hay to horses through the interior doors. There were more than forty horses between the two main stables, and another dozen in the boarding stable next door. Colored markers along the stable doorframes indicated all sorts of things about each horse, from skill levels required to weight and diet limits. Andrea and Mitchell the stablemasters, and their crew of hands hovered nearby any campers, ensuring that horses only got small treats and that the kids didn't spook any of the more timid animals.

Neil spent a few minutes with a gelding named "Overboard" that he liked to use on trails. Overboard was an older quarterhorse who was strong, sure footed and generally placid and had the green and black flag on his stall that meant he was perfect for inexperienced riders. In the next stall was Arnoss, a big black gelding who had the checkered flag of a racer and the red and black striped flag that indicated experienced riders were needed to keep him in check. Arnoss was a runner and required a bit of attention to keep him in check. He wasn't inherently dangerous, just feisty and quick. Neil patted the both horses on their foreheads and reached up to scratch their ears.

After visiting a handful of other horses, Neil made his way out to the front pasture and followed the fenceline west, away from the commons toward the little arena and the lake. The main shows would be held at the main arena to the East, but this one allowed for group meets and practice without having to set as much gear up. Neil climbed the aluminium bleachers and sat, allowing the sun to warm him and looking out over the far pasture, then south toward the edge of the lake and the playgrounds, where a number of kids were already running around and exploring the equipment. When his back was somewhat warmer, Neil decided to head up to the counselor area and see if anyone was up and about.

Mae surprised Neil by sitting across from him at breakfast, even smiling brightly as she sat down. Breakfast at the admin and camp was always a buffet of items, allowing counselors to arrive whenever they wished and giving them a wide variety of foods so they could rush off to duties down the hill or to give them early preparation time. Neil wanted to try and talk to Mae, but his first class would be on equipment safety, and he needed to get all the gear set up before the young class arrived. Instead he packed up and told Mae to have lunch with him, which she readily agreed to.

Equipment safety was one of the courses that every camper had to take, and it was generally pawned off on the youngest and junior counselors to handle. The campers would pile into either a tack room, one of the three small open pavilions or the mess hall to sit and hear the counselors drone on about how the tack worked, knowing full well that they'd have to have their equipment double checked anyway when they actually rode. The older groups would go through the same routine, only they would be tested and certified so they could set their own gear.

Neil tried hard to make it amusing for the kids so they could get on with the rides. His class consisted of thirty kids, almost all girls, sitting around a pavilion on the western edge of the commons, near the parking lots. To keep them focused, he handed out all the tack and had them pass each piece around, then he'd ask "Who has the flat comb?" or "Who has the curry brush?" and would have them stand and explain what it did and how to use it. To amuse them, he'd regularly ask for nonexistent items like the "Wowee Handle" or the "Goober Button", eliciting giggles. Neil tried not to force anyone to stand and talk for too long, knowing it could be difficult. Occasionally he'd jump in and take items from particularly shy camper or he would help them by whispering clues. The worst part was that he'd have the same class after lunch, and again when the older class arrived.

At lunch Neil managed to track down Mae, but Harriet managed to track him down as well. She had obviously been out to the arena because she was covered with dust and started to discuss cleaning out the announcer's booth. Mae sat across from him again, next to Dave and Harriet sat down between Neil and Ruth, chatting with Ruth about a bit of broken fence.

Neil started to ask Mae about her first class, but he was distracted by Harriet's leg touching his. It wasn't hard enough to seem intentional, but she kept moving it over and gently touching his bare leg with hers, all the while discussing something with Ruth or Dave. Neil would finally manage to ignore it when it would happen again, just a brush or tap. It took his direct attention not to stop speaking when she touched him, but he set his mind to ignore her and looked across at Mae.

"Did you have a safety class this morning?"

Mae grimaced. "Horse safety. The kids were a real nightmare."

"They'll calm down by tomorrow. I have horse safety this afternoon."

Mae nodded. "I know, I'm helping you."

Neil blinked. "Really? I thought one of the Juniors was helping me."

Mae shook her head, paying attention to her food. "No, they're one short, I guess. Supposedly he's coming in next week.".

Neil smiled. "Great! I get to be in charge."

Mae looked up from her food and nodded seriously.

Neil was about to make a comment when Harriet reached down and squeezed his leg. "It's been fun, but I'm off to take a hot shower.". She stood and carried her tray off without looking back.

Neil sat in shock, his leg almost tingling from where she'd grabbed it. It hadn't been much, almost as if she just wanted to push up off his leg, but it was obviously not the easiest way to gain leverage. It was also the first intentional physical contact they'd had, and Neil savored it for a second. When he finally looked up, Mae was finishing her final bit of food and getting ready to leave. "I'll see you at the stable. We should start early... and we should use Overboard or Greylad."

Mae nodded and walked off.

Neil watched her go, then turned to talk to Dave and Ruth, who seemed to be in the midst of some unspoken joke. Ruth started talking about several guys she'd noticed in camp, either older campers or counselors and Dave would reply with descriptions of girls he'd noticed. At first it seemed normal, but each would start to describe in lurid detail someone's figure or physique, all the while grinning at each other. Neil watched in fascination. Ruth didn't seem angry when Dave described some girl named Amber and how she had a fantastic ass. Then Ruth started to say how big James the stablehand's package was, and how strong he looked. Dave grinned and started to further explore Amber's curves and Ruth replied that she had also noticed someone named Greg. It was either some odd game or a really weird way to get each other riled up, but Neil couldn't make out why. He finally broke into the conversation by rattling his silverware on the plastic tray.

"This has been... educational you two, but I'm going to go teach".

Ruth grinned and Dave laughed. Neil turned to go and overheard Ruth say "Now Neil... let me tell you about HIM!".

When Neil turned around, she assumed a look of mock innocence and smiled up at him. "I thought you were gone." she said.

Neil smirked and headed off, intentionally blocking out whatever conversation they decided to carry.

Neil arrived at the stable earlier than he expected but discovered that Mae had already arrived and was setting out gear and supplies. He smiled at her and started to pull bridles and a crop out of the old tack pile for demonstration. They worked silently for a few seconds, but Neil wanted to set up some visual bits, so he began to ask Mae to bring him things out of the tack room so he could set up in the standing room.

"Grab me an old lunge whip" he said, distractedly hanging a long lead to one of the pegs. He always brought out the whips and crops to discuss what they were for. Kids could see a lunge whip and be concerned people were actually whipping horses and hurting them.

When Mae returned, Neil told her to bring him an old bit so he could show them how it worked. He noticed that she bowed slightly when he finished, before he could add a "please". When she returned, she seemed happy, almost flush and bits and pieces started to slide into place in his mind.

" Mae, bring me those old spurs" he said, intentionally making it sound like an order. Mae's cheeks started to blush, but there was no sign of anger. She seemed honestly pleased to be carrying out his commands, and the idea of it started to sink in for Neil. He knew he didn't need any more gear, so instead he searched for other ways to boss Mae around. When she returned with the old spurs and gave her little bow, Neil handed her the lead. "Go get Greylad and set his bridle, hook him to the far side so we can bring the kids in here first and walk him in.".

Mae nodded and started to walk off, but Neil had a sudden flash of inspiration. He was going to thank her, but that seemed to be out of the "mood" they were navigating. "Mae, you've done a good job". He said simply.

At first, he was convinced that he'd misread the situation. Mae turned a bright red, her face flushed completely and her freckles seemed to glow. Her chest rose and fell twice, and Neil was about to apologize when Mae bowed her head slightly and a huge smile appeared. She nodded slightly and rushed off to the other side of the stable.

Neal felt aroused, and was wondering what to do next when he heard the first kids stop outside. Their counselor was calling for them to stop and "follow the rules of the stable", which meant a single file, silent entrance.

For the next hour Neil worked around Greylad and talked quietly to the group of twenty-six ten year olds who were clustered in the standing area and an empty stall. As he made his way around the tall dapple-grey geld he gently dragged a hand along its flank, and spoke softly to the group.

"What am I doing now?" he asked gently.

A young girl raised her hand quickly, which drew a frown from her neighbors. "You're telling... the horse that you're behind it".

Neil nodded. "Old Greylad here probably couldn't care less.", he said with a shrug, removing his hand for effect. "He knows I'm here and he knows me pretty well." Neil replaced his hand and clicked softly. "But other horses, or even Grey if there's a lot going on around him, can get spooked. And if a horse is spooked, it can kick. And if it kicks you?"

Everybody nodded. It was almost funny, watching thirty kids suddenly so serious.

Neil smiled and patted Greylad's flank. "Grey here weighs a ton. He can carry three hundred pounds and he can bite your finger off. Of course, he doesn't want to step on you. He doesn't want to kick you and he doesn't want to bite you, but if you scare him, he might do something without thinking, and you might get hurt."

The kids nodded and looked at Greylad with a little caution in their eyes.

Neil smiled in reassurance and singled out one of the girls he knew from previous years. "Ask Kelly. Greylad ate her whole head last year. I think he thought her hair looked like hay. We had to wait until... well... until it came. back. out."

Shocked looks appeared throughout the group and Kelly laughed out loud, smothering her laugh with her hands. Laughter crept through the group and a chorus of "ewwws" started up. Neil patted Greylad to keep him from turning to investigate, then waved everyone to quiet down. "OK, I made that up. He didn't eat Kelly's head, just her left hand.". When Kelly held out both hands and gave him a mock frown he winked and ignored her. "The point is that Greylad, and the other horses are not dangerous if you know how to act around them, if you understand your gear and don't accidentally hurt the horse with a badly set saddle or by putting the wrong bit in their mouth."

As he spoke Neil would signal Mae to bring him things. To the group it looked like she was just silently helping, but Neil saw her eyes each time he signaled. There was something behind them, some ember that flared as if he were blowing on it with each order. Neil didn't understand completely, but he wasn't so dense as to miss it anymore. Whatever drove Mae to react to his commands, Neil was enjoying it.

When the counselor for the kids announced the time they herded together and started to troop out. Neil and Mae were left to clean up the stable for the next group. Neil was off duty until dinner, but Mae had a short ride scheduled with one of the more advanced groups. Neil knew she was risking running behind, but continued to have her help him clean up the gear and took his time putting everything away just-so. As the minutes passed, Mae seemed to become more and more agitated, although she never said anything. Neil couldn't say why, but he sensed that she was struggling with something, and that she wouldn't leave until she'd made some kind of decision.

Finally, Mae came close to Neil and stood just beside him. Neil could feel the heat of her as she stood there, waiting for him to acknowledge her. He intentionally spent a moment tidying some bit of harness and looked down at her face. She was sucking on her lower lip and making a face that reminded Neil of a child asking for dessert. She glanced up briefly, then muttered something very quietly. Neil heard some of it, but asked "Yes Mae, what did you want?"

"Can... can I go now?" she asked softly.

Neil paused, enjoying the sense of power. He didn't know why she needed to ask. She didn't need to in the sense that they were simply coworkers, but she had some inner need that required that she ask. Neil pretended to contemplate her for a second. "You've done a good job. You can go." he said.

The change in Mae was dramatic. She flushed and smiled broadly, fawning over his praise then nearly curtsied before rushing off. Neil watched her jogging with a new sense of appreciation, openly staring at her rear end. When she reached the end of the stable she stopped to look back and Neil had to prevent himself from waving. She beamed at him then ran off toward the other stables.

After she left, Neil stepped into the small tack closet and closed the door. Dealing with Mae had him incredibly aroused, and he considered relieving himself right there. He worried about who else might be using the stable, though, so he just adjusted his shorts and waited for his internal thermostat to cool off a bit. Even after a solid minute in the dark and dusty room he could barely stop his mind from basking in the power trip, wondering why Mae seemed so aroused by his orders. He began to seriously wonder what other orders he could give and that nearly broke his resolve to cool down.

It was a long, slow walk from the stables up the hill to the admin loop. When he passed C-dorm, Neil could see Harriet sitting outside his window in her canvas camp chair. Her outfit was now red, but still seemed to be the same loose cotton gym shorts and sleeveless shirts from the day before. Neil actually considered heading into the admin building or looping around to avoid her and the teasing, but he'd eventually have to face her. So he squared his shoulders, adjusted his shorts and headed straight toward his door.

As he approached, Harriet sat up a bit and brightened. Although she wriggled a bit in the chair, Neil didn't notice anything intentional, but it was more than enough to stir his restless member. Harriet leaned forward with a grin and waved. "How was your class with Mae?" she asked slyly.

Neil paused. "How did you know we had a class together?".

"She volunteered this morning after breakfast. You'd already left for your first class and Mom came over and asked about it. Seems they had a dropout. Mae volunteered". Harriet let this sink in, eying her nails as if she was considering painting them.

"I... didn't know." Neil stammered. He managed to compose himself quickly though. "She did fine. Why are yooou so interested?" he asked, his voice dripping with accusation.

Harriet looked at him with in amusement. "She's got some thing for you. And who am I to turn my nose down on a little camp rooomance", she asked, adding a French accent to her voice.

"How about you, who's your romance for the summer?"

Harriet seemed to deflate. "I dunno. Nobody seems all that interesting. Maybe one of the older guys".

"The older guys are all married", Neil quipped. He wanted to accuse her of teasing him, but couldn't figure out what to do if she denied it... or actually what he'd do if she admitted to it.

Harriet shrugged. "I'm working a couple angles."

"Really? Anyone I know"

"No."

"So I'm not an angle?" Neil asked with some hint of mock hurt.

Harriet laughed in a high tittering burst. "Ah, Neil. You're not an angle. You're a -challenge-".

"A challenge?" Neil asked, sitting down on the concrete next to her.

Harriet slid the chair around to face him. "Of course. I'm going to break your will. I have ways of making you talk"

Neil grinned at the quote and tried not to look at her lap, which was now at eye level. The sag in the canvas chair prevented him from seeing much, but there was still a lot of bare leg on display. "I'm strong, you'll never break me!".

Harriet laughed evilly and leaned down, causing her shirt to open slightly. "You cannot resist" she said in a horrible German accent. "We will crush your will".

Neil laughed. "You sound more like Dracula than a German officer" he said with a dismissive wave. "You'll never make someone talk if you're a vampire."

Harriet faked a hurt look. "Vampires are probably better at breaking your will than Germans." she insisted. "They can suck... your blood. It gives them power".

Neil noted the pause and shifted as subtly as he could. He started to talk, but Harriet stood up, pushing the chair back as she did. He found himself sitting barely an inch from her crotch, and he jumped slightly in surprise. Harriet leaned down and winked at him, then turned and walked back to her door. "Gotta run, neighbor, I've got dinner duty on the quad tonight." Harriet paused and looked back. "You should put a chair out here, then we could whittle while we banter."

Neil just shook his head and waited to be able to stand.

Dinner was some kind of spicy chicken and more veggies. Apparently whatever dietitian Mom had this year was on a "big lunch - small dinner" kick, as Neal was a bit disappointed in the portion size. Walking back to his normal seat, he spotted Mae sitting across from his spot, with no plate.

"Hello Mae" he said cordially.

Mae smiled and nodded.

Neal considered her for a moment, then sat down across from her. He had spent some time trying to see past Mae's confusing exterior, and thought he understood some basics. Asking her questions was fine, but never ask her to do anything. Always order her to, or suggest in a firm tone. He wasn't sure if that was 100% correct, or if she followed these rules all the time, but he decided to try it out. "Are you hungry?" he asked levelly.

Mae nodded again, with no obvious change.

Neal nodded and took a bite of his chicken. He looked up at her and smiled. "You look nice". He said, noticing that she'd showered and changed clothes.

Mae's cheeks colored slightly, but she didn't speak.

Neal was getting the impression that she was nervous. Maybe she was still figuring out the rules herself, Neal thought. He took another bite, testing his next statement in his head. "Go get yourself a plate, Mae." he said with a tiny touch of authority. He kept his voice low, but knew she heard him. Her face flushed even more, and she stood to leave. When she had climbed over the bench, Neal spoke up again. "Sit next to me when you get back".