Freak

3

3.

The water was cold. Blue sat in the shallows of the creek that ran not far from the camp and let Miss Grimshaw scrub her skin raw. Weeks and weeks of dirt and blood clouded the once clear water around her.

Her hair had been washed and somewhat untangled from the messy bun it had been put into a few days prior and her long blond locks now hung like a wet curtain around her head. Because her hair was so long if floated around in the dirty water while her roots were scrubbed clean.

"There we go all clean, stand up so we can get you dry." Doing as she was told she stood up, shivering she followed the woman out of the water. At first Blue had been horrified when she realized the older woman was going to bathe her, being naked out in the middle of nowhere wasn't really something Blue liked very much. But in the end she felt so much better when she was clean that she thought it was worth the embarrassment.

Now standing up and dried off she was unfortunately put back in her old dirty clothes and led back to camp to have her wounds looked after and hair brushed, something Blue did not look forward to...

Miss Grimshaw ushered her back to the log where, as promised, the three men still resided and sat her down.

"Feel a bit better now doll??" Dutch sounded amused and Blue couldn't do more that nod and blush as she felt their eyes scanning her. Focusing her stare at her bare feet she waited for the older woman to come back.

***

If Blue had been wearing a dress, Arthur thought, she would have looked like a little princess. Her long blond hair reached down to her thighs and as it dried curled into loose coils that bounced slightly when she moved.

Miss Grimshaw and the other women of the camp had gushed about how pretty it was for several minutes eventually he, himself, had to swoop in and save the poor girl. She was trying terribly hard to keep her eyes either shut or stuck to the ground as the women tugged at her hair, trying to agree on what was best to do with it before she left.

"Why don't you leave the poor girl alone? I'm sure she'll be just fine keeping it like that" Blue gave Arthur a quick appreciative glance and nodded. "See she agrees!"

"No she won't Mr. Morgan if she goes riding like this her hair will be all tangled up from the wind!" Tilly explained.

"Well here's a revolutionary idea" as always Dutch's voice caught everyone's attention "Why don't we let Blue decide what to do with it?" this idea didn't seem to sit well with Blue at all as she started nervously fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

"I doesn't really matter, I'm sure Blue is just fine with something quick and simple so we can get going, right Blue?" Arthur got an almost inaudible 'yes' form her and sent the women a look he hoped was stern enough to make them understand.

In the end Tilly had made a simple braid and though she would have wanted to spend some more time on it she fully understood that it was time for the girl to get home to her parents.

"You all ready to go then?" Arthur put his hand on her shoulder and after receiving a nod he gently pushed her in the direction of his horse. Dutch was already waiting for them and took it upon himself to lift her into the saddle of Arthur's horse.

"It was a genuine pleasure to meet you Miss Blue, now you go on home and give your mama a good apology for being gone for so long" Dutch said, looking up at her, probably seeing her eyes properly for the first time "and don't you forget about good ol' Dutch" sending her a wink he patted her on the leg and turned to Arthur

"you get her home safe son" Dutch had always had a soft spot for kids and this time was no different.

"You know I will!" and with that he got up behind Blue and left camp.