Chapter 5
Hestia
Istare out my window at the mountains, the tall peaks covered in snow. The view is so different from what I’m used to.
Below, Starsfalls glows in the darkness. The snow is falling heavier now, but I can just make out the lights of other towns in Arcandale Valley.
I’ve been watching the scenery change since we left Starsfalls, mountains growing ever closer as Orion drives us to the station.
Although, even if the view hadn’t captivated me so thoroughly, I’d be staring out the window regardless, a welcome distraction from the car ride.
It’s silent except for the radio playing some folksy holiday music.
I know Cato is going to be watching me if I turn around. He hasn’t taken his eyes off me since we met.
I didn’t realize it at first, but he followed me around while I shopped, like a cat tracking you for…
whatever reason that makes sense to his little cat instincts.
But with Cato, I have no idea what he’s thinking.
Is he watching me because he thinks I’m strange?
Because he thinks I’m an omega that needs protection? A third, secret reason?
I got the sense Cato doesn’t treat every trainee like this based on the few interactions I caught between him and his packmates.
Whatever they said didn’t stop him from tracking me though.
I tried talking to him, but everything Cato said felt like he was teasing me, a smile on his face all the while.
So, talking to him is out, and I’m too nervous to make small talk with Orion.
That leaves me alone with my thoughts, and all I can think about is them.
No one has gone shopping for me since I was a kid, so it was especially strange to have my new bosses helping me find clothes and bedding and other things.
To be fair, they didn’t pick things out for me, but at every store we visited, Orion found a salesperson and asked them to find me things. All I had to do was tell the salesperson the styles I like along with my size, and they whisked me away.
I ended up with overflowing carts everywhere we went.
I tried to put things back, but all of my teammates kept encouraging me to get more and more.
I don’t think I needed to get quite that much, but if they feel so strongly about it, then I figured I’d go along with it.
I did argue about paying for myself, but I lost that debate too.
Every time I got near the register, my teammates were there ahead of me.
When I protested, Orion just kept saying it was part of the station’s budget for personal supplies.
That’s not something I remember learning about in my classes on station management, but I suppose it’s possible I overlooked what counted as “supplies.”
By the end of our trip, we’d completely filled the SUVs, even the backseats, leaving just enough room for the six of us.
The car slows, breaking me out of my reverie.
There’s a huge multistory building lighting up the darkness ahead.
The station is even bigger than I imagined, looking like a castle grew out of the mountain made of stone and wood.
Balconies circle the upper floors, and there’s a tower on the right side, tall enough that it peeks over the trees. The large windows have storm shutters that can be closed in severe weather. Unlike most houses, it has a flat roof to serve as a helicopter landing in case of emergencies.
I love the way it looks like it’s standing guard, a fortress watching over everyone. That image is reinforced by the steep slope just below the station, providing a clear view across the valley.
I take it all in as Orion drives around the side and parks, the other SUVs pulling in next to us. The garage is huge too. There are several empty spots, I assume for visitors, while the other end houses jeeps, trucks, a firetruck, snowmobiles, ATVs, and other vehicles for the varied terrain.
Orion closes the garage door to block the cold before we get out.
Cato opens my door, and I’m too excited to see the rest of the station to care about his smirk.
I didn’t think I would care what my station looks like, but now that I’ve seen it, I love it.
We stop in the mudroom to shuck our outerwear. Henri shows me to an empty locker that’s reserved for me among the other lockers and shelves of boots and equipment.
As we take off our things, I get a good look at their physiques. They’re just as muscular as they seemed under their coats, although I’m not sure why I felt the need to confirm that fact.
I finally get to see Magnus’s face when he takes his balaclava off. He kept it on all throughout our shopping trip, even when we were inside.
I’m not shocked by the reveal. It’s like I thought, he has strong cheekbones and a square jaw. There are more scars too, one through his lip and other lines crisscrossing his face.
The one surprise is his short brown hair, since it was the only thing hidden under his winter wear.
I hope soon he’ll actually talk to me. Magnus lingered at the edges of the stores while I shopped, so I assumed he’s the quiet, shy type.
It wasn’t until he held the door open for me at one of the boutiques that I got close enough to catch his scent.
Magnus steadied me after it caught me off guard, but after he was sure I wouldn’t fall, he quickly released me and I hardly saw him for the rest of the trip.
But his scent lingered, or maybe he just smells so good I can’t forget it.
Magnus smells like gingerbread, a mix of sweet and spicy. Tangy ginger and warm spices baked into sugary sweet gingerbread cookies. No, sweeter than that, frosted gingerbread cookies or a gingerbread cake with lots of icing.
“We can show you around before bringing in your things,” Orion says.
“That would be great,” I say, bouncing on my feet.
I’d already forgotten about unpacking in my eagerness to see the station.
The first thing I notice is the lack of scent as they take me around the main floor.
Everything looks freshly cleaned and tidied, but there’s not even a hint of cleaning products, much less anything else.
Buildings, and homes especially, have a scent unless they have a strong air filtering system.
That must be the case here, because I can barely smell my teammates even when they’re right next to me.
I’m thankful for that attention to detail. Based on my reaction so far, I don’t want to imagine how overwhelming their scents would be without the filters.
The interior of the station is just as cozy as it appeared from the outside. The lower floor has a large living room filled with cushy couches and chairs arranged around a ginormous stone fireplace. The furniture is older, but it’s in good shape, well-worn and well-loved.
The kitchen is huge too, with lots of counter space and a big kitchen island.
I’m starting to gather that everything here is big, which makes sense as the station was built to accommodate a team.
This place is larger than most pack houses I’ve seen.
Yet somehow the station feels homey despite the industrial pieces, the multiple fridges and freezers, wide ovens and stoves with multiple burners.
One side of the kitchen has a cute eating nook and a long wooden table with benches and chairs. The bay windows look out over the forest and the little glowing lights of the towns dotting the valley below.
The opposite end has a walk-in pantry. Henri says it’s not uncommon to get snowed in for weeks at a time, but that’s not a problem since they’re prepared for it. The pantry is full of shelf-stable food, cans and jars and huge buckets of things.
I carefully avoid stepping on the trapdoor that leads to the cellar. I’m sure it’s safe, but I avoid walking on any hole in the floor, just in case.
The gym, infirmary, and equipment storage rooms are also on this level.
We wind our way to the center of the building, where stairs lead to the upper floors.
I notice something strange next to the staircase.
I follow Orion, not wanting to interrupt the tour, but look curiously at the shiny brass pole as we go past. It looks like one you’d see in a firehouse, but I never considered that a rescuer station might have one.
Cato slinks up next to me, making me jump and clutch at the banister.
“Do you want to do it?” he asks in a velvety tone, almost a purr.
My eyes widen and mouth drops open, but I don’t know how to answer.
Will he be able to tell if I lie? He seems like he’s good at reading people, and I’m not sure I’m a good liar.
His lips quirk, pleased by my reaction.
“Don’t listen to him unless we’re in the field, Hestia. Cato likes to tease, and it’s best to just ignore him. That fire pole is an old relic, not something we actually use. He’s the only one who plays around with it. The rest of us use the stairs,” Charm says comfortingly.
Right. Of course. Cato was talking about sliding down the pole. Not sliding down other things.
“I can show you how to do it whenever you want,” Cato says like Charm didn’t interrupt, and walks off before he can say anything else.
I narrow my eyes at his retreating back until he disappears down the hall.
Charm is right, I should just ignore his ribbing.
Orion mentions that their personal rooms on this floor, casually adding that all the doors have locks, but no one will enter without permission regardless. If there’s an emergency, they’ll knock, but the station has an alert system for when we receive a call, plus we get phone notifications.
We stop in front of tall double doors. Charm and Henri open them to reveal row upon row of bookshelves. I gasp, delighted. I’ve never seen a library like this outside of an actual public library.
“A lot of the books are non-fiction, but we have a decent section of novels. You can borrow anything you like,” Charm says.
“There are bookshelves in your rooms, but you’re welcome to add to the library too. We can order anything you want. We have a catalog system, and you can use the tablets to look up books or scan a barcode to see where to shelve it,” Henri says.
“That’s amazing,” I say, already taking note of which books I’m going to check out.
They have an extensive shelf on local history. I need to read all of those obviously. I also spot some Big Tex books that I’ll have to borrow. I read a few of the Big Tex books I bought from Pen and Tellem, and they’re riveting.
Most of the walls have more shelves reaching up to the ceiling with rolling ladders attached. At the back of the library are large windows with cushions and blankets on the window seats. I run my hand over a particularly soft looking blanket.
While looking out the window, I spot a small, snow-covered building and ask, “What’s back here?”
“We have greenhouses so we can grow food year-round, even with the shorter growing season in the mountains. In the warmer months, we have a big outdoor garden too,” Charm says.
I lean over the bench and put my hands on the window, trying to see if I can spot the other greenhouses.
Charm makes a strange noise and when I look back at him, he stares me in the eyes and asks, “Do you like gardening?”
I realize I’m probably getting smudges on the glass, so I stand up.
“I enjoyed the horticulture classes I took at the academy. It’s interesting to watch a plant grow from a tiny seed,” I say.
“Magnus does most of the gardening, though the rest of us pitch in as needed. I’m sure he’d welcome your help if you’re interested,” Charm says.
I look over at Magnus, who is standing on the other side of the room, and he gives me a minute nod.
That’s not very encouraging, but I guess I’ll go for it and see if he’s okay with me being in his space.
“Sure, that would be great,” I say, smiling tentatively at him.
He gives me the same tiny nod back.
Charm, however, returns my fragile smile with a genuine one.
“Great! We each have a few areas we’re responsible for. You can try them out and let us know where you’d like to spend your time,” he says.
“Of course, I’m happy to help wherever,” I say.
“There’s no rush to jump into anything. We’ll let you get settled in for a few weeks first,” Orion says.
As the tour moves on, I have that prickly feeling like I’m being watched.
Cato still hasn’t reappeared. I surreptitiously peer around, but don’t see him anywhere. I’m not sure where he could be hiding that he can see me but I can’t see him.
Maybe I’m just imagining things and he’s in his room doing whatever it is he’s into, already bored with the new trainee.
It doesn’t matter if they’re visibly avoiding me (like Magnus) or not. I’m sure I’ll win over my teammates when they see how dedicated I am.
I hold in my sigh as we go up to the third floor. At least no one is being actively hostile.
This level has several offices along with an archive with file cabinets full of reports and information about our area. Our paperwork is all digital now, but the comprehensive monthly reports are still printed and saved as a hard copy.
The focal point of this level is the room that I mentally dub the Command Center.
It has all kinds of equipment, like weather radars, a seismograph, and several other things to monitor acts of nature.
There are multiple radios to pick up every frequency.
Since service is spotty in the mountains, it’s not uncommon to receive calls by radio or satellite phone.
“We track storms and note the days that we’re likely to get emergency calls.
We also send alerts to the people living nearby and check in if we don’t hear from them,” Orion says, showing me the map of houses dotting the mountain slopes.
“We keep track of thru-hikers and they touch base with the stations as they travel through the Fossfells.”
I wish I could dive into the reports and data right away, but the tour keeps moving. I comfort myself with the thought that I live here now, so I can delve in whenever I have free time.