Chapter 3
KADE ASHFORD
Kade thought many things looking at the massive, rust covered warehouse that Violet brought him to, but Wow, I love this! wasn’t on the list. Plus, he had already been here once. Last time he was here, things didn’t go too well, and this time probably wouldn’t be much different.
But before he could say anything to the overly excited Violet, she flung the massive doors open and yelled, “Welcome to camp eight!”
Inside the warehouse was a group of people, most of them probably cursed, all holding hostile gazes toward his direction. The place was something like a high-end homeless shelter, with a size big enough for a few houses to fit inside. There was one large cafeteria area to the side, lots of people, young and old, and there was even a place where kids were gathered in front of a small TV. On one of the walls was another large door, which Kade assumed led to the sleeping space Violet was talking about.
“Hey everyone! I brought somebody!” yelled a beaming Violet.
There was a long, awkward pause, and her smile slowly faded.
“Violet,” one of them called in a deep, strong voice. Kade traced the voice back to a big, sturdy man with short hair and a physique that reminded him of a large bear. The man stood up and walked over to them.
“I told you not to just bring strangers in like that. What are you going to do if you bring in an exorcist spy one day?”
His voice was more tired than angry, like this wasn’t the first time he had to talk to her about this.
“I can’t let him in just like that,” he continued.
“Wait, wait, wait, but we can trust him, I promise. He saved my life from exorcists earlier, too.”
That part was a bit of an exaggeration, but he decided it would be best to keep quiet.
“You guys were attacked?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “What happened?”
Kade and Violet started to explain that they were tracked by a group of exorcists and had to fight them off to escape.
“I think they were after Iris,” said Violet. “And also…”
She then whispered something in the man’s ear, and his eyes widened with surprise.
After a long moment of consideration, he finally announced to the others, “He’s joining us.”
Kade was just as shocked as everyone else in the room, and just stood in silence while everyone else protested.
“He could be a spy!” one of them yelled.
“We can’t trust him!” shouted another.
The bear-like man, who was clearly the leader, held his hand up, and the entire room fell silent. He spoke in a calm but commanding voice.
“I have uses for him. Plus, he’s already seen this place, so it would be too risky to let him go with this information. That being said…”
He turned to Kade with his bold, sharp eyes.
“We will provide you with food and a place to sleep, just like everyone else here. Try to fit in, but don’t make any risky moves.”
The man didn’t say anything else, but his eyes were clearly saying, ‘or we won’t hesitate to get rid of you.’
“Well,” he continued, this time with a small smile instead of a glare. “My name is Ajax, nice to meet you. And as Violet said, welcome to camp eight.”
“I’m Kade.”
After giving him a stern nod, Ajax turned around and walked away.
What a warm welcome, Kade thought bitterly.
***
Dinner time. Normally. Kade would have been delighted by these two words. But, of course, the people around him made it hard to find anything enjoyable. Even in the line to get dinner, everyone kept a good distance from him, as if he had some sort of viral illness. It also didn’t help that Violet, the person who brought him here in the first place, left within twenty minutes after dropping him off at the camp, saying she had things to take care of back home.
Anyway, the quality of the place itself was about as nice as it looked on the outside. The dining area was decently put together, with a bunch of foldable tables and food served on paper plates.
The food was nothing fancy, either. The only thing everyone got was a piece of bread, some sausages, and some water. Kade started nibbling at his bread in a little corner he found, but he knew it wouldn’t do much for him. It had nothing to do with the amount or anything like that; it was just that Kade got his energy from something else. But of course, he had to at least eat a little bit to fit in with the crowd.
He was starting to think of what to really eat for dinner when he saw someone staring at him. He had glistening, golden eyes, and hair that was so rich in its blonde color that it almost looked orange. The guy looked to be around the same age as Kade, with a slim body and a bright orange shirt. Of course, the weird look wasn’t unusual at all. Everyone was kind of glaring at him, so the staring was normal. But the thing Kade found weird was that, unlike everybody else, this guy was smiling from ear to ear.
It was actually making Kade kind of uncomfortable. He decided to try to ignore it the best he could and head to his small sleeping space he had chosen in a different room. The room was divided between male and female, and was entirely dark when Kade walked in the male side. He could hear the sounds of people snoring here and there, and obviously, there was not a single sleeping bag anywhere near Kade's.
At least I have all this space to myself, he thought as he slipped inside his sleeping bag. It really was a good thing, in a way. Kade had so much re-planning to do before sleeping. So many things were going differently than expected. He wasn’t even supposed to be let into this camp in the first place. He wasn’t supposed to meet all these new people. All of these unexpected changes were going to make it more difficult to keep his promise to that person. It was a headache, really.
So many events were already playing out so differently from the future he had come from.
Why are things so different in this timeline?
Kade kept racking his brain for answers to this question, but the only answer he could come up with was the fact that he had gained Violet’s trust quickly through the events that happened in the forest, which became his ticket into the phantom camp. Kade being let in here was huge. As he began to consider how to approach things from now on, a bright, clear whisper cut through his thoughts.
“Not really fitting in much, huh?”
Kade turned around to see the blonde-orange haired boy from the dining room earlier. He considered just ignoring him and going to sleep, but he figured it would be better to make allies where he could.
“You don’t seem too friendly with anyone either,” he replied, meeting the boy's eyes. He could tell the others were avoiding this person, though maybe not as clearly as they were avoiding Kade.
“So we’re the same, basically,” he said.
“Huh?”
“My name’s Nest, by the way.”
Nest had a bright smile as he held out his hand, which was rough and covered with calluses. Kade reached out to shake it.
“I’m Kade,” he whispered back. “So, what’s your reason for being alone?”
“Same reason as you. Nobody trusts me.”
Well, obviously.
“I’m asking why no one trusts you.”
Nest’s smile grew wider and wilder as he said, “Because I used to be an exorcist.”
Questions immediately filled Kade’s mind, but the one that came out of his mouth was, “How did you get in the camp?”
“I have some connections,” Nest shrugged. “Oh, I am a good guy though, in case you’re wondering. I quit working for the government a long time ago. Now, I guess I’m something like an ally?”
“They don’t seem to see you as one.”
And to be honest, Kade felt wary of him as well. But on the other hand, it wasn’t the first time he had seen someone like this. After all, the person who had raised him was also a former exorcist.
“It’ll just take some time,” said Nest. “But I guess it doesn’t help that I don’t have a curse or anything, either. I just need to show them that I can be useful, you know?”
Kade opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when someone nearby yelled, “Shut up and sleep!” in an extremely aggravated tone.
“Anyway, if you want, I can show you a nice way to sneak out of the camp without anyone noticing tomorrow morning,” whispered Nest before turning away. “Should come in useful. Good night.”
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