all too well [druig]

thirteen

It had been a few days after Sam broke his nose, sending him to the medical camp, and Mara was feeling depressed, once again.

Not only was she upset about her whole situation with Sam, but now she would have to deal with her mother's upcoming visit.

Over time, she had finally begun to tolerate this camp and it had become a safe place for her, a place where she had escaped the toxicities of her real life.

Mara had missed out on many projects and chores, simply because she could not leave her bed. 

It was as if the weight and stress of her mother's soon arrival were holding her down, so much that she could not move.

Druig would occasionally check up on her, making sure that she was okay and was staying healthy.

Their troubled relationship had diminished and they had been getting closer.

She had seen the way he had interacted with the other campers and how she seemed to be the only camper that he tolerated.

It seemed that he liked to be around her as much as she did.

Just the thought of this would cause butterflies in her stomach.

---

It was a rainy, gloomy day when Mara's mother finally arrived.

She was dressed in a black pantsuit and an ironed white, button-down shirt. Her blonde hair was pulled in an extremely tight, low ponytail. She looked incredibly intimidating.

A fearful-looking young girl was carrying an umbrella over her head praying that she wouldn't drop it on Mara's mother's head.

"This place is filthy, it's a good thing that I'm only staying for a day. There is no way that I could've lasted the whole summer in this disgusting heat," the head Astor stated with disgust as she sniffed the new environment, her face twisting with contempt.

Mara greeted her mother with a half-hearted hug and a small smile.

"Mara, you look so commonly dressed. Have you lost any of your standards?" her mother laughed as she gestured to the overalls and the dirt-coated shirt Mara was wearing, her hair sticking to the sides of her face from the drizzle.

Druig stood behind Mara with his hands placed behind his back, watching the scene play out in front of him.

He could practically feel the dread coursing through Mara as she nervously confronted her mother.

Her mother shifted her gaze, catching Druig watching the two.

"Who are you?" she asked, her gaze running up and down his body in a judgemental manner.

"I am the leader of this village, my name is Druig," Druig offered a hand out to the woman who curled her lip upward, letting out a hum of acknowledgment.

"Mother, he's my friend. He is impartially delightful." Mara reassured her mother, followed by an awkward laugh. She was attempting to take in the scene, glancing from her mother's strong figure to the man for who she was starting to develop feelings.  

"Friend? Where are Sam and Kinsey?" the blonde looked over Mara's shoulder to try and see if they were anywhere in the distance.

"Oh. They won't be here anytime soon, mother," the girl said calmly.

"Why? Do not be so rude, I'll be sure to report that you were leaving them out to their parents later this evening!" the older woman shook her head slowly as she fished her phone from her pocket. She began to aggressively tap her long, red fingernails at the small, glowing screen.