Meeting Ashlyn

Ashlyn fidgeted nervously with her long turquoise skirt as she approached the man carrying a file. As her feet met gravel, the man looked up and said, "Well hello there Ashlyn. I'm Johnathon. I'll be your counselor while you are here."

Taking a deep breath, she offered him a smile that was both shy and excited. "Hi," she replied, taking the outstretched hand. Not to hard, but not to soft. she told herself as she shook it. "It's great meeting you."

She was very well mannered. Johnathon smiled warmly at her before gesturing to the chair before his desk. "Alright then," he said as he took a seat behind the desk. "Let's start with a fun question, shall we? Who is your favorite superhero?"

As Ashlyn slid into the chair he'd gestured too, Counselor  Johnathon said,  "Alright then, let's start with a fun question, shall we? Who is your favorite superhero?"

Eyes lighting up, she had to stop herself from answering immediately. There were so many options. "I sort of have two," she finally said. "Spiderman and Robin. I love how they joke around while fighting the villains. All the other heroes are either really serious or dark." She hesitated for a moment, uncertain if her answer was acceptable. Then, curious, she asked, "Who's yours?"

John smiled once more at her answer. She refrained herself there, he noted as he wrote her answers down on his spiral for safekeeping. "Mine? Batman of course," he grinned as he replied. "Completely human, but can still be one of the best."

Glancing down at his list of questions, he nodded. "Alright then, what do you like to do most at a camp such as Camp Creation for the arts?"

"Explore characters and who they are," Ashlyn replied almost immediately. This was why she was here. This was what she needed. "You aren't trapped in a role and you can experiment without being...judged." She shrugged. "At least not a lot anyway."

"Interesting," he nodded at her with a smile. "You've got a good point about that. Ever thought about being an actress?" He glanced back at his standard set of questions he was asking and leaned back in his chair.

"Alright, maybe one or two left to ask. Tell me about someone in your family. Anyone at all," he requested.

A faint blush covered the girl's cheeks when he told her she had a good point. It faded quickly however as he mentioned being an actress. "I've been told I'm not good enough to act," she said, voice cracking a little.

When he glanced at his paper, she struggled to compose herself. "Alright, maybe one or two left to ask. Tell me about someone in your family. Anyone at all."

The words were like ice in her veins. She'd been hoping to avoid this question. Dropping her gaze, Ashlyn considered her family. "I have an older brother," she managed. "Seth. He's a junior in high school and at the top of his class." Pride and love slipped into her voice as she continued. "Even though he has a lot of friends, he still likes to hang out with me. He helps me with my homework or takes me shopping and even stands..."here she trailed away, horror flickering for just a heartbeat in her hazel eyes. She'd almost said too much.

Hmm. That was different. She certainly responded to that question unexpectedly. John frowned lightly and made a note beside his usual commentary on the answers before he looked at her when she trailed off to give a vibe he wasn't liking. He must be missing something about her.

"Ashlyn, kiddo, is everything alright?" He asked in some concern. He knew he needed to ask, in case someone was wrong.

The girl hesitated, mentally berating herself for saying too much. She peeked at Counselor Johnathon through her bangs. Seeing the concern in his eyes, she blinked back tears. "My p-parents," she whispered, hating how her voice cracked. "They think I'm a f-failure. They think I w-w-waste my time on writing and anyth-thing else creati-ve. They hate h-how I dr-dress, how I-I act, how I talk..." She buried her face in her hands. She had never meant for this to come out. "S-Seth stands up for m-m-me. He says I sh-should do what I l-like. He's the one who-who found this camp. My parents think I'm w-with him. If th-they f-find out..."

Her voice gave way as her thin form was racked with sobs.

There was definitely something concerning there, he knew. Nevertheless, it wouldn't do to cause some sort of panic attack because he pressed her too much, too soon. She was stammering, John noticed with a small hum of apprehension. "I'm sure they don't hate those parts about you, nor would they think you're a failure," he said hastily.

Oh crud. She was crying now. He sweatdropped and put a hand on her head gently, kneeling beside her. "How about we stop the interview for now, let you get your breath back, okay? Let's get you to your dorm room and we can pick this up at another day," he suggested.

Ashlyn sniffed and nodded underneath Counselor Johnathon's hand. "Thanks." Running a hand across her eyes, she gave him a watery smile. "Sorry. I'll be okay."

"We'll I'm glad you'll be okay," he chuckled. "I would hope you would be. No one has to know you're at camp with us, so I wouldn't worry too much about that." He nodded and proceeded to lead her out of the room and back to her dorms to get settled in.