Loyalties Lie [s. r.]

.15

Being home was something Camryn realized she desperately needed. It had been so long since she had seen her mother and father in person, and of course, like her parents always did, they made it seem like everything was going to be okay. Even if Camryn was left wondering what her future would bring since she quit Shield.

When she had gotten home, her parents didn't press the matter of why she was suddenly taking a break. They just welcomed her with open arms, waiting for her to make the move to tell them.

It had been nearly a month though, and she still hadn't talked about what had happened. She had come to terms with it, understanding there would have been nothing she could have done. And she forced herself to move past Wyatt, reminding herself how horrible he was and that she planned to break up with him anyway.

Camryn wasn't the only Simmons child home who was having a crisis. Her older brother Sammy was too, staying at their childhood home while he was waiting out his broken foot. He had been benched from his Football season, told to stay off his foot so it could heal. All he had to do was continue coming to practices and sit.

"Cami, mind helping me with the horses?" Her dad asked, knocking on the door of her old room.

It was nothing like how Camryn truly was anymore. It was a princess room, pink plastered along every wall. She had simple dreams before she left for Shield, but after losing Christopher, her dreams changed.

Hiding some of the pink was pictures of bands that had shown up as she got a bit older. The stuffed animals were still sitting on her bed, positioned there every morning when she woke up. It truly clashed with her personality now.

"Sure, dad." She said with a grin, standing up and pulling on her wellies. "What do you need?"

"They need a bath. I want to get it in before the storm in a few days." He explained with a shrug.

The Simmons' household was positioned on a fair bit of land. When they were little, the four Simmons children had managed to combine forces and beg for their parents to use the old stables and get a horse.

Somehow, they succeeded, and over time one horse turned into four. Then five. Then six. Their land turned into a mini farm with stray cats, three dogs, goats, chickens, and the horses.

Her mother wasn't as fond of the farm animals, but said that as long as Henry kept up with the maintenance they could stay after all the kids had left.

"Fair enough. How is Ginger doing?" Camryn asked, throwing her hair up into a ponytail.

"She's fine. Her age is beginning to show though. Maybe you should spend some time with her. Go for a ride." Henry suggested, giving her a knowing look.

Ginger was her horse and had been from day one. She was never the fastest horse, or the smartest horse, but Camryn didn't care. There was more to Ginger than what met the eye.

"Maybe you're right. Later though. Right now we have six horses to wash." Camryn laughed, filling a bucket with water at the pump. Her father tossed the bottle of soap at her, Camryn barely managing to catch it. "That was rude."

"You caught it, didn't you?" Her father taunted with a grin.

"Yes, but that's not the point."

"Oh I think it is, poppet."

Camryn rolled her eyes as she dunked a brush in the soapy water, her father moving to remove one of the horses from the stall.

It was nice getting to spend some time with her father. She had missed both her parents badly, and while she had never been really close with either of them, now was her chance to make up for lost time. It was never too late.