Part-time art teacher, part-time artist, part-time supermarket employee, part-time summer camp counselor (secretly Mutant with the ability of Memory Manipulation, and gay)
âHey⌠You wanna talk cursed and ticking time bombs? You werenât here the year I was a Councillor for a girl who released psychokinetic spiders in her sleep and a trigger happy pyrokinetic. Spent a lot of the summer running between the clinic for burns or running through the forest with a giant ax at spiders made of energy⌠â
âI think that was my toughest year hereâŚbut we figured it out in the end. And I still keep in touch with the kids from that summer⌠They turned out real great. Just really good kids.â He smiled broadly.
âHaha, well that sounds like a summer never to forget. Iââm hoping my shapeshifter never turns into an elephant, I would be shaking.â he admitted. âIâll probably end feeling sad at the end of camp having to leave them kids, so Iâll take my time nagging about their presence right now. Any more good mutant-kid-stories to share?â
There was a point to be debated there and normally Luc would take it. He liked that Tamhas had such firm ideas and yet could be so dismissive at the same time. The grin was returned. ââShooting arrows is about accuracy. A skill anyone can learn, itâs not creative.ââÂ
He continued to move through the pages of the sketchbook as Tamhas spoke.. somewhat dismissive again, but with a touch of pride lingering in the expression. ââRight, well.. you should be the official sketch artist of camp life. I bet your paintings are just as good. âLineyâ and âsketch-likeâ and all.ââ The book was closed and handed back. ââThank you for letting me have a look.ââÂ
While Tahmas seemed fairly open to sharing the sketchbook, the mutation appeared to be more difficult to pry the lid off of. Luc had to admit it was intriguing. Most definitely he could, in a certain sense, understand mental manipulations couldnât be labeled as harmless as say Pippaâs force field generation, or controlling fire, etc. Controlling oneâs surroundings and shaping someone elseâs core mental process of memory.. yeah, enough to scare the shit out of anyone.
The fascinating thing was that while Tamhas could rewind and rewrite an impression, he also shaped his own image. Damn, that was powerful.Â
So was the ambiguity, the haze around the description. But Luc had no reason to delve too deep, neither of them were at camp for that necessarily. ââWell, consider our shared space a shame-free zone. As is the rest of camp, obviously.ââÂ
He hoped he didnât sound trite or anything. There were points to be tallied in past interactions, but he no longer had patience for that sort of thing. Luc only wanted to connect with as many people as he could, in the limited way that kept him guarded at least. He didnât want to protect the gentle souls of the world he once picked apart either. But above all, not much fazed him and Tamhas should only be himself in Lucâs presence.Â
He shook his head slow, fingers weaving together in front of him. ââControl? Didnât take long at all. I had a lot of opportunities to practice.ââ May have sounded more ominous than it was meant, but it was also the truth.Â
âI disagree,â Tamhas told him, very intent on breaking this to him. âI think most things need some creative drive for people to be ambitious about learning something thatâs not taught at school, so in that, youâre creative,â he concluded. He didnât at all feel odd saying any of that.Â
The suggestion was a bit past his pride, but he smiled nonetheless, being the official sketcher sounded more like a job than a hobby, but he was going to sketch people around camp anyway. âIf the kids give me any time to draw at all.â He took his sketchbook back. âMy pleasure.â Looking at his old work always made him want to draw as soon as possible again, looking at any work really.Â
Although Tamhas was glad for Lucâs response, he couldnât help feeling ashamed one way or another, now about his knowledge of his power too. Not that he felt the urge to take away Lucâs memory of it, it never started with that kind of urge. He grinned. âThough you would never notice me taking away your memory, I do appreciate the gesture.âÂ
He could guess what Luc meant with practicing for control, probably scaring the shit out of people. Though that sounded like fun, Tamhas couldnât image the moral backdrop of such things, so as Luc didnât decide to share, he decided not to ask. âMaybe I should start practicing as well. Any horrible memories you want to get rid of?â he joked.Â
With the addition of the campers, Annie was in that transition period of trying to manage the new onslaught of work. It left her an hour or two longer in her office than sheâd like, making her just a little more tired and cranky afterwards. But at least it was raining. As terrible as the journey to the kitchen wasâ Wet and muddy and allâ She was looking forward to taking a hot bath, using her fireplace, turning on some show or maybe a movie, and just cozying up with a warm drink.
At the voice, Annie stiffened, stopping all shivering and thinking, even. Turning, she realized it was only Guru and she relaxed again, before smiling out of relief. âNo, thank you though.â She walked towards the shelf to pick up the packets of hot chocolate. The item Annie came for in hand, she walked towards Guru, not minding a conversation that came from the pure ease of knowing he wasnât Eats. âJust stopped by for some hot chocolate. Iâd offer you some, but youâre drinking tea, and wellââ Annie pointed to his shirt. âI might take you up on a biscuit though.â Which she promptly did.
Tamhas recognized Books as she entered, knowing only from Silver that she had an important role in the camp, and that at some point he was supposed to come in during office hours and ask her about some things. Which he still hadnât done, not even after two weeks. Good going Guru. That should be the quote on his shirt.Â
He laughed, his dumb shirt. Books was very observed though, something he admired about people, mostly because he himself wasnât very observed, not overall, just very into some details. âShirts are windows into the soul,â he offered dramatically, and pushed the biscuits her way. âEnjoying the weather as well, Iâm guessing.â The sound of the rain falling on the rooftop above their heads made him feel calmer than anything else in the world.Â
It was pouring, really pouring, which reminded Tamhas somewhat of his time in Great Britain, giving him a surge of feeling homesick for a home that hadnât been his for over a decade. He was wearing a short pants - because oddly enough it was still warm outside - and a shirt with some horrible quote on it:Â âLife is like a box of chocolates, I donât like chocolate.â To top it off, he was wearing sandals, which made for the best gear as he fast-walked through the rain towards the kitchen.Â
Desperate to overcome his feeling of homesickness, he made himself a tea and found some biscuits, while he had somehow hoped that Eats was in the kitchen. He looked around and noticed an other person entering the silent building, where the sound of rain was loudest on the rooftops. âWant some tea?â he called.Â
âThatâs some variety!â Pippa pointed out. Campers here were so cool, with their burgeoning abilities. âYou have the Traps this year, right? Because if there was one way to find a teen shapeshifter, it was to think like a teen shapeshifter. And when I was a Trapezoid, it was, like, the coolest thing to try and get to the top of Red Rock Ridge without getting caught. Is she the type to try that?â
âYeah, especially the toad was rather... odd. Yeah, I got the Trapezoids,â he admitted, still unsure what she was getting at. Until she mentioned some rock ridge that kids liked to run off to. âI think so, yeah. Where is this Red Rock thing?âÂ
Eat laughed âOh wow it sure sounds like youâve got some live onesâŚâ
âLike I said, you canât know everything with mutant kids⌠but noâŚnot doomedâ He laughed again. âThe best thing to do when youâre feeling overwhelmed like that is - well crowd source. Youâre not alone here yaâknow? Weâre hereâŚIâm here⌠and we all want to help.â He patted Guru on the back.
âHa! Cursed then, one way or an other. Thereâs so much I still have to learn, but these kids are not taking it slowly, theyâre like little doomsday devices ready to set off, little ticking time bombs.âÂ
âSo a playful shapeshifter? Okay, okayâŚâ Pippa trailed off, palms rubbing against her shorts. âHave you seen them change before? Usually little shapeshifters like to stick with their favorite shape. I was here one time, with a kid whose favorite version of himself was as an alpaca. Total sweetheart, we still write sometimes.â She blinked politely over at her fellow counselor, knowing sheâd wandered verbally far past the question but waiting for a response anyway.
This girl knew a lot about shapeshifters, he concluded, while he wasnât even sure he remembered the girlâs name correctly. Both this girl and the girl he lost. âUh...â he was at a loss for words at first, her rambling caught him a bit of guard, especially the sharing of personal details. âSheâs been a bear, a wolf and a toad as far as I know.âÂ
Eats laughed as Tahmas pushed him towards the kitchen. Once again the kid had palpable waves of hunger hanging off him like a dark cloud â only now the gloom of frustration and exhaustion also hung about him as well â in short it was hard to not read Tahmasâs mood (especially since Tahmas was physically pushing him).  Before responding to any of  Tahmasâs complaints, Eats went to the fridge and pulled out some cut up cheese and some crackers from the cupboard â this was  an emergency after all. When Tahmas was finished his complaints, Eats put his hand to his chin and looked at the floor for a while, trying to figure out the best way to respond â the kid had a lot to learn about mutants, but Eats didnât want to come off as preachy as after all â no one was really an expert at this kind of stuff. Finally he ran his hand through his hair and took a stab at it, âDamn. That does sound like a handful⌠I can see youâre feeling like your in a pretty big deep ended pool at the moment.âÂ
He took another breath, âMaybe it would help if I gave you a little background⌠I donât know how much you know about all this but the Institute sees all kinds of kids and adults coming through⌠I mean, mutants are still a pretty invisible minority⌠which means a lot of us are at risk⌠a lot of the kids are runaways or from broken homes⌠even the lucky ones who have good parents â maybe even a supportive community â well the world at large isnât kind to us. Weâre all always at risk of exploitation or being targeted for unfounded fears and⌠And the Institute⌠well the Institute is a school. It adjusts every lesson every class to a seemingly infinite amount of mutations so that everyone gets a chance to learn â something a lot of us couldnât get on the outside.â
Eats broke into a big smile, âBut thatâs what makes this camp so special. This is one of the few times of year that those kids get to really open up and have fun â not just with other kids, but with their powers too. Itâs a great place to learn whatâs special about a very basic part of your identity as a mutant⌠even if your power isnât something glamorous like flight or x-ray vision or whateverâŚâ
âSo if a little girl likes to be a toad, get her some nice wet rocks to rest on⌠a kid feels self conscious so he goes invisible, leave an empty spot for him to join when he feels the space is welcoming⌠a slimy boy likes hugs⌠well⌠get some clothes you donât mind getting dirty.â Eats pulled on his old t-shirt meaningfully, âYou think I dress like this for fun? Heck no. If I couldâŚit would be tuxedoâs everyday.â
He coughed nervously, âGod, I donât want to sound like I know everything cause you just canât with mutant kids, but I have been around for a while and⌠if I can help in any way I will⌠and if I sound like a total know it all⌠well⌠you can punch me in the arm real hard⌠but trust me when I say these kids will show you things youâd never see anywhere else on Earth if you let them⌠and ya know, I really think its worth it!â
Tamhas had a hard time listening to anyone when hungry, but he tried his best with Eats, who spun words like wool and allowed nothing to discourage his many words. He also imagined Eats in a tuxedo, kept a grin from his face, and took some cheese.Â
âOkay, okay, sounds helpful. Say, what do I do with... a kid that keeps on creating illusions, like of his fellow students... and scary animals? Or the girl that keeps on taking down trees? Because I think Leaf will hate me if I donât come up with a way to avoid that fast. Or the girl that can walk through anything, because she keeps on disappearing on me, like standing in trees.â Oh, how desperate he was. âThereâs technically only... no wait, I also have the biting kid, who the others throw big fruits at just to see if he can bite them apart. So thereâs so far the only kid I can handle is the one that keeps on flirting with me.â He paused. âAm I doomed?â he asked melodramatically.Â
âI⌠have. I really have. Thereâs a bunch of squirrels that know the kids feed them. Like, at this point I think itâs ingrained into their DNA. So youâll need to be more specific in terms of animals. Is the camper indigenous to the area?â
âI have no clue, the only words I got out of that kid were âgrrrâ and âgrowlâ, pretty sure those were laughs.âÂ
A warm laugh, that was something at least. Silver smiled at the guy, and nodded in understanding. âWell, weâve got a whole summer, so when you feel like telling a long story, Iâm around.â He wouldnât push it too hard, theyâd only just met after all, but he liked to leave all doors open, all possibilities.
Silver hadnât thought that he was much of a people-person, at all, until he came to Camp and met other mutants for the first time. It had been a gradual transformation, but he knew what it felt like to be overwhelmed and out of place, and he hoped that for Guru, whatever heâd come from before, this experience would be a good one.
âOh, yeah, of course! Itâs part of it. Not everyoneâs comfortable with their powersâ I rarely use mine, and Books doesnât at all, so please donât ask her about it unless she prompts youâ but if you want to train yours, you can definitely do so.â He didnât inquire what exactly Guruâs gift was, but the implication was that he should be free to talk about it if he wanted toâor at least, he hoped that came across. âThe kids often find it reassuring if their counsellors talk to them a bit about their powersâ helps them, sometimes, especially if theyâre unsure or afraid,â he added.
âYouâll hear the story eventually,â he promised with a grin. âWeâll see if it does actually fit me,â he added. Because he had no clue if it did. Guru wasnât the most... power-related name anyone couldâve come up with for him, but then again, he had no clue of any power-related name for his memory mutation. âSpeaking about names, does Silver relate to your power in any way?â he asked.Â
He nodded along as Silver explained. He knew talking about powers with the kids he would be in charge off would be weirdest of all, since he barely knew enough about his power to tell them about his own. Then again, the idea of these kids being more in the zone with their powers than him, scared him the most. However, he was sure he could deal better with those unsure of their powers, might give him the confidence boost he needed.Â
âYeah well, training mine...â he felt a bit awkward talking about his mutation. âI donât think thatâs such a good idea.â in order to control it, he would have to take peopleâs memory away. He looked back at Silver, that gigantic puppy, and concluded he would have to elaborate if he wanted not to be vague. âI can erase peopleâs memories, but Iâm not sure if I can put them back,â he explained. He always thought talking about talking about his powers would be a relief, but it still wasnât. First week though, things could change.Â
It was Wednesday late after dinner and the kids had finally been put to bed (more or less). Eats took a big stretch in the evening air before. Another good day (Cat not withstanding). On his way back to the Staff House, he ran into Guru. Eats still felt a little embarrassed about how he had to literally walk out on their conversation the last time they met and hadnât had a chance to catch up with him much since then. âHey Tamhas! How have you been?âÂ
âHowâs working with the kids? Not quite the same as working with normalâs huh.. for starters, much more funâ He laughed. @gurutamhas
Tamhas had been waiting for some quiet time, which was hard to get around these parts, and he knew that tomorrow he would have to sleep in a cabin together with Maverick on night duty for the same annoying kids. He was exhausted, but kept on trying to convince himself that as the weeks went on, he would make the kids so exhausted that they had little trouble making him exhausted as well.Â
He looked up surprised when he saw Eats appearing near him. âHey Jay,â he replied, sounding a little tired. âFun? Ha!â he replied, as he skipped over the âhow have you been questionâ. âLittle devils they are!â he concluded with a harsh tone as he pushed Jay along towards the kitchen. He needed a snack of some kind. âIâve spend the whole afternoon looking for one of them who turned herself into a useless toad. The one kid thatâs invisible keeps on disappearing on me, but not because he feels like pranking me, but because heâs afraid of his fellow students. And I swear, next time I have to wash all my clothes because Slimy boy jumps in for a hug, I will stop wearing clothes at all!âÂ
Anyone can be an artist.. words heâd heard before. And Tamhas was right in a way. He could hear the teacher in him but also enthusiasm too. ââWell, I donât truly have the talent.ââ Not to his standards. He could draw but it wasnât anything earth shattering. ââMaybe Iâm lacking inspiration too. Thatâs key, isnât it? That sort of consistent, creative source. I guess Iâll have to be creative in other ways.ââ Â
Tamhas dug around for somethingâ many people donât care to share, or might be hesitant with a stranger. Much to his delight, there wasnât a modest artist under his roof. He took the book, always fascinated to see someone elseâs work. What details were noted, what existed in the play of the light or absence of it.Â
His new roommate clearly had both talent and creativity, and he thumbed gingerly through the pages with a smile. Even though some sketches were half-finished, there were loads of ideas and little stories drawn out. He thought he even recognized a few of the faces. ââVery nice. Do you mainly sketch and draw, or do you paint, sculpt, anything like that?ââ
And there were other interesting things to learn. Tamhasâ ability certainly wasnât one youâd run across daily. Some heâd met around camp so solidly summed up what they could do, but his roommate admitted he didnât know the inner workings of the mutation. The word shame hung like a weight in the middle of the explanation.Â
ââWhat do you mean by âshameâ?ââ It might be getting too personal, but he had always been curious. ââSo these memories.. are they ones that specifically involve your interactions?ââ He guessed so by picking apart the phrasing. ââDo you feel like you have a lot of control over it?ââÂ
âThereâs more than one source for drawing,â Tamhas said without really hearing what Bale was doing was trying to convey that he really didnât feel like being an artist. âI just draw random things, people, buildings, not much creativity there.â And truly, he wasnât the go all out kind of person, life drawing was his favorite, everything else he didnât bother with. âLike shooting arrows?â he asked with a grin.Â
He studied his roommate as he skipped through the booklet, it was always weird to see peopleâs reactions to them, since Tamhas was far more negative about his own works, while others appeared to praise it. But he never let it show, because sure, he also enjoyed the praise. âJust drawing,â he admitted. âSometimes painting, but I tend to get all liny and sketch-like.â He wasnât very clear about that, but he felt painting was a vague idea, because if people didnât teach you, it didnât make much sense.Â
Tamhas was silent for a bit. Maybe he had been a little to honest, or more like oversharing, because talking his way out of this one might be a bit difficult. He had barely given any of this a thought, putting it into words now proved more difficult than he had imagined.Â
âYes, they involve my interactions, things Iâm ashamed off, reactions that I canât deal with, thatâs when I feel a surge of emotion and for some reason I am able to take that memory I would not like to be recalled away.â He was being vague, but having to explain those most precious moments of when he told his parents he was gay, wasnât high on his list of subjects, even if it might give him a deeper understanding of his ability. âNada. I have the feeling my emotions do a better job of controlling it than I do.â He sighed. âDid it take you long to control it?â he asked.Â
Eats nodded enthusiastically, âWow! Three jobs! Iâve only really ever had the one⌠What are the other two? And what kind of dog? Whatâs his name?â This is exactly why he liked to talk to people over just reading them. It made conversations such a pleasant surprise. Eats nodded happily again when Tahmas talked about visiting, âOh yeah! Thereâs a lot to see so Iâm sure you wouldnât be bored⌠and if they donât have any spare beds⌠well my place is small but youâre welcome to itâŚâ He rubbed his neck when he said this â Actually it was a single quarters dorm room with no kitchen and a shared bathroom. Eats often offered his place to visiting mutants, but not everyone was comfortable with taking his bed as he slept on the floor. âWell maybe give me a heads up anyways and Iâll see what I can arrange.â
Eats ears quirked up at the mention of pencils, âOh do you draw? Thatâs amazing!â He looked at his hands and laughed, âI can only manage stick figures.â Eats put his fingers to his chin and thought deeply about Tahmasâs question â where would he want to go? The answer made him melancholy, but it was all he could think to respond, âHonestly, I donât really mind. Itâs more about who I would travel with and who Iâd meet rather than where I go.â He coughed nervously, hoping there was not going to be a follow up question to that.
âExcellent.â He clapped his hands, hopped of the counter, dug the kettle out and started boiling the water. He then got out an extra-large size mug for Tahmas and a reasonably sized one for himself. Eats was about to respond to Tahmas abput his little language joke when he suddenly froze as noticed the absence of a certain mind he had been tracking for the past couple hours â Of course he wasnât listening to what that mind was thinking (he didnât want to know), but he had occasionally reached out to check it was still in the lodge â it wasnât. Eats tried to not panic. It was possible Cat had just gone for a walk â but then he noticed the keys to his truck were missing.
Eats spun around to face Tahmas, made a mimic of looking at the clock on the wall and tried to sound casual, âOh⌠uhh I just realized the time⌠I⌠uhh⌠have to go check on something⌠Can you make your own cup?â Not really waiting for an answer, Eats tried to walk nonchalantly out of the dining hall, then broke into a run to get to the parking lot â no Cat, no truck. He hurried into the woods. Eats really hated that he was making her do this, but God knew what trouble she could get herself, the campers, him or the truck in out there. Eats found an isolated spot and reached out for his sisterâs mind and found it at the lagoon â so not too far, yet. Trying to stay calm and not scream at her (no matter how much he wanted to) Eats made the call.
âIâm an art teacher, and I work at the supermarket,â Tamhas explained. âItâs one of those little beasts with fluffy hair, I have no clue what itâs called, but itâs cute.â He had to admit to that. He stopped noticing he was mostly talking about himself, but the way Eats asked questions drove him to forget what his sisters was always trying to make him remember.Â
âIâll keep you posted,â he promised with the slightest smile. First week of camp and he had already made an appointment for after the summer. Was he getting better at this whole social thing? He smiled further. âyes, I draw, And I guess youâre right, the company is much more important than where you end up.âÂ
He was surprised when Eats suddenly had other things to do, and he didnât know what the reason was, what drove him to give up on tea. How could anyone? âOh, no, sure, not a problem. Iâll see you later then. Might be Iâve already left with the tea,â he said with a small grin, and watched Eats leave as he started the hot water.Â
âHeâs the incompetent we like to pretend is a lifeguard,â she said without hesitation. âSinks like a rock, so in any other camp heâd have lasted less than a week, but loâ No Mutant Turned Away!â She paired the camp regulation with a haughty voice and too-sunny smile, but her attention was quickly redirected.Â
His hand reached out, and if not for the look of honest trepidation he had, she wouldâve drenched him. But even for her, that was a bit too mean. Instead, she let the water drop in a wide circle around them both, making an added, dead-panned, âKa-plooshâ for good effect. But she made sure not a drop got on the newbieâ and was smiling, despite herself. âCouldnât resist,â she said, almost apologetic (but not quite).
âWe have a person who canât swim as a lifeguard?â Tamhas asked confused. âRemind me not to jump into the lake right after dinner.â He was glad though, no mutant turned away rule had gotten him into this camp at the first place. Then again, he was... kinda fit for the job. He wasnât a rock. Although he shouldnât be having opinions on someone he had never met, he could never help it when others told things about others to him.Â
Tamhas laughed, maybe for some reason he had been afraid that she would drop it on him, and when she didnât he was heavily surprised to find himself still dry. âWith your power, I understand. Remind me also to never get into a water balloon fight with you. Unless if youâre on my team.âÂ
My little Pranksters... uhm... I mean Campers (Self Para)
Tamhas was an art teacher, he taught similar years at high school, students of 15 and 16 year old among them. He had dealt with his share of high-schoolers. He was sure he could deal with seven mutant ones as well.Â
He was wrong.Â
During their first minutes together, the little pranksters had already decided to test their counselors limit during whatever activity he could come up with. Luckily for them, Tamhas wasnât much of a creative mind or just lazy. He went with them to an open place in the forest, and told them to make tree huts with whatever they could find. And he also had some wire.Â
After an hour of them making little fuss about anything, they started their plan.Â
âGuru! Guru!â - yes the name had sadly made an impression. âBear!âÂ
Tamhas jumped up from his spot against a tree and ran up to Jaha and Charley, shielding them behind them as indeed, a bear ran out of the woods and up to him. How was he going to protect seven dumb campers from a bear? He didnât sign up for this shit!?Â
âEveryone! Get here, and run back to camp, now!â he yelled to the campers, seeing everyone freak out, or at least so he was hoping, and running behind him. The bear just stared at him. He took one daring look behind his back when he thought all his campers had run, and then back at the bear. It was staring at him, with big teeth, and hungry eyes.Â
He gritted his teeth, collected up all his strength, and then took a run for it. The bear, to his luck, didnât follow him. Annoyed and tired, Tamhas returned to camp to find his campers sitting at the picknick tables.Â
âOkay, headcount!â he called, and all the little campers got into a line before him, but he was too tired to look at their faces. âWhy are you with nine?â he asked, leaning on his knees. He finally took a look at his campers, and he noticed something was off.Â
âJaha, Iâm pretty sure you werenât triplets, and certainly not four of you.âÂ
The kids started laughing.Â
Tamhas barely noticed them laughing. âWhere is the little kid? Canberk?â he asked. âAnd the girl? Emma? Guys?âÂ
The kids continued laughing.Â
âWait, wait? Emma was the bear?âÂ
âYes yes!â Amy called with a grin.Â
The two other girls; Wiam and Nathalia were giggling behind her.Â
Tamhas sighed, shaking his head. âOkay, but where is the invisible boy?âÂ
The little pranksters raised their shoulders. Okay, so great, he had already lost a camper it would seem. âNobody talk about this, kay, get back to your dumb treehouse, go, all of you! No more pranks, because the next time it happens, Iâll have you all on a ten kilometer hike through the forest in your undies. Understood?â
They looked at him with wide eyes, and then walked in duos back towards the sight where they had left Emma.Â
âWhatâs a kilometer?â Canberk asked Jaha while still invisible.Â
From that moment on, Jaha was convinced there was a ghost a camp.Â
