Keeya couldn’t blame her. She was an adult deep in the Petrification Zone completely unprotected once Keeya and the team went inside the warehouse. Well she did have a staff but still. Keeya’s list of people to protect had grown exponentially since she joined the company. 

Keeya stayed behind to look around while the others went in. She noted how run down everything looked. It was a hundred times worse than the first (official) warehouse. That place had been like an active war zone, with supplies and company personnel. 

Here it was overgrown, no supplies and just old tire tracks indicating anyone had been here at all. 

So how were the snakes being wiped out? 

“Keeya, come on,” Marco said. 

Keeya looked back at Ms Alba but she just had the same look on her face. 

Keeya followed Marco’s lead and went in 

To an empty warehouse.

“What the?!” Keeya said almost too loudly 

She covered her mouth then looked back again but thankfully Joy had closed the door. 

The warehouse was one of the few true warehouses near the river. Through a grimy window Keeya could see the skyscrapers cutting through the white overcast sky. 

The warehouse, with its shelves full of glass cases, echoed their footsteps as the team began to explore. 

With each step a waft of musty dust enveloped Keeya’s bright pink boots and tickled her nose.

“Did someone get here before us?” Keeya asked as she wiped a cage to peer inside. 

Marco shook his head. 

“No one on the official records.”

SLAM

A door on the opposite side of the building closed with a rusty metallic clang, making all four of them jump. 

Marco didn’t waste a second and ran toward the door. Marcella didn’t ask questions and followed her cousin. Joy and Keeya hesitated but then also followed. 

“Was that Ms Alba checking the perimeter?” Keeya asked. 

“Yeah no way she leaves the safety of the company car,” Marcella said. 

They made it to the door. 

Marco put a finger to his lips and unsheathed his sword. With his free hand he pushed down on the metal bar, the metal on metal squeaked like a dying mouse. 

A flash of dark clothes wooshed past the door. Marco threw the door open and all four of them rushed out, staffs out and glowing. 

It was a person, in a black hoodie and jeans. They ran down the side of the building then quickly turned into an alleyway. 

“Quick! After them!” 

Marco lead the charge and all of them raced after, leaving the warehouse behind. 

Thanks to Marcella’s training Keeya soon realized the person they were chasing was either an Olympic athlete or a magical kid. All four of them were using Dawns Light to power their legs and they still couldn’t catch up. 

Marco signaled and Keeya amped up her power. She jumped, higher than she had ever jumped before  and landed on an old rooftop. She searched frantically and found the black hoodie zig zagging between alleyways, knocking over trash cans and easily vaulting over old fences. 

Definitely a magical kid.

Keeya whistled and signaled the general direction the kid was going. 

She vaguely remembered Marco’s french fry map from the day before and realized they were heading straight to the dead zone they were going to investigate. She jogged to the end of the rooftop and jumped down.

“I think I know where they are heading. Just a few blocks away I thought I saw a bunch of tents.”

“Tents?” Marco asked. 

Keeya nodded and Joy patted  Keeya’s shoulder. 

“Good job Eagle Eyes.”

Encouraged Keeya turned back to Marco who was thinking.

“So what do we do?” 

“Do you think it coukd be a rival company?” Marcella asked. 

Keeya hadn’t thought of that. But it did make a little sense. Dawns Light Inc was certainly the largest company in Chicago due to the HQ being located there, but there were several smaller companies that  Keeya’s dad explained kept contract prices regulated. 

Keeya felt her eyes light with passion.

Rivals… how exciting was this?!

“Let’s go check it out!”

“We do have to hurry before the bodyguard starts looking for us,” Marcella added and Joy nodded in agreement.

Marco looked and realized he had been outvoted.

“Alright, but we have to make it quick.”

“Yes!” Keeya cheered and led them in the direction she saw the tents.

In a flash they came to the outskirts of the encampment and could hear voices. But not just voices, laughter. Kids, dozens of them lined the street talking and crafting, some were even training with magical staffs of their own at old paint cans lining broken walls. 

Keeya looked from kid to kid with amazement. Some were definitely too old to be magical kids anymore and yet they had this grizzled veteran aura surrounding them. 

“Is this a training camp?” Keeya asked. 

Marco frowned.

“No, there aren’t any adults here from what I can tell. At least no one older than their mid twenties. 

Marcella looked around with visible interest, and Keeya did the same. 

Marco ruffled his hair and groaned then moved out into plain view. 

“Hey! What are you-“ Keeya said but then followed behind, her curiosity getting the better of her. 

“Guess we’re doing this,” Joy said before following behind. Marcella shrugged but almost skipped after everyone. 

Marco walked down the street looking around. 

Pop up camping tents lined the sidewalks on either side of the street like some kind of outdoor enthusiasts convention. 

There were grocery carts full of “liberated” supplies from de local warehouses.

“Lost are we?” A feminine voice said from what felt like just behind Keeya’s shoulder. 

She turned her head and sure enough a head almost sat perched on her right shoulder looking at her with the bluest eyes and the biggest, whitest smile she had ever seen.

“GEEZUZ!” Keeya yelped and side stepped. 

The whole team turned around, staffs summoned.

“Oh HO more magical kiddos!” The teenager clapped with delight. 

“Pretty easy to tell from your outfit love but I wasn’t sure about the rest.”

They wore ripped light blue jeans, either faded from age or fashion Keeya couldn’t tell. 

Their cream colored shirt and black tank top were also ripped but the shirt looked like it had been purple stripped at some point. The word “Chesire” was still legible across their chest.

“Me name is Alice, welcome to Camp Hatter”

Marco walked forward and offered his hand.

“Marco, team leader of Team Garden.”

Alice looked down at the hand then slapped it like he had given a high five. Then snapped her fingers into a finger gun.

“Right-o, now it’s a real garden party,” Alice said enunciating the word garden. 

Keeya chuckled, feeling a bit more at ease. There was something, wild, about this stranger. 

It’s like they were a loose cannon, which was fine, so long as her team wasn’t the one looking down the barrel.