Apache Tear grew up at the Sweat alongside Nadine Blumenthal, which means she grew up immersed in the exact culture she has spent her adult life pretending to be skeptical of. She knows the rituals, the language, the framework. She knows what the Sweat taught and what it got wrong and what it got right despite itself. She also knows, if she's being honest — which she usually isn't, about this specific thing — that the blue sparks along her bracelet are real, that they respond to her emotional state, and that the coiled serpent is not just a piece of jewelry.
She is the person Nadine calls when everything is fine. She is also the person Nadine calls when everything is not fine, which is more often. Apache's gift — the one she denies having — is a kind of fierce, funny, furious care that functions as a psychic anchor for the people she loves. When Apache is in the room, things are more manageable. She does not accept this as evidence of anything.
She is a harsh, funny, bohemian woman who makes strong margaritas and has strong opinions about organic grocery stores and has been trying to get Nadine to stop smoking for three years. The clinic wants to hire her. She says no. The clinic will ask again. She will say no again. This has been going on for a while.
A coiled black serpent bracelet that has been on her wrist since childhood. Throws off blue sparks that only certain people can see — Nadine can see them clearly. They respond to Apache's emotional state. Apache describes this as "weird jewelry."
When Apache is present, psychically sensitive people around her are measurably more stable. The clinic has tried to assess this formally. Apache has not cooperated with the assessment. Results are therefore inconclusive.
Genuinely world-class. Twenty years of practice. She can look you in the eye and tell you the sparks aren't real with the conviction of someone who has never seen a spark in her life. Nadine finds this both frustrating and, honestly, a little admirable.
Shows up. Consistently, reliably, without being asked. With margaritas and cigarettes and genuine attention and absolutely no patience for anyone who is being precious about their situation. This has saved Nadine more times than any clinical intervention.
Best friend since they were girls at the Sweat. The relationship that holds the book together. Apache is there before Nadine knows she needs anyone.
View file → Jane CrowAlso from the Sweat. Also an outsider. The comparison stops there. Apache finds Jane complicated, which is the word she uses when she means she doesn't fully trust someone and won't say why.
View file → The ClinicThey want to hire her. She declines. They have a respectful, ongoing disagreement about whether what she does constitutes an ability that warrants clinical supervision. Apache's position: it doesn't, she's fine, please stop calling.
halcyon.clinic →