I'm Your Leader | Barns Courtney [Completed]

Chapter Eight | The Lion's Den

The bruises lasted for weeks, but eventually faded away. I got to know Bailey's girlfriend, Eva. She seemed nice and I was glad that she wasn't like the others. She wasn't obsess over Barns enough to hate me. I was grateful for that. A staff member was assigned to guard me whenever I went anywhere. That way no one could have the opportunity to beat me up again. During my walks back and forth to places, I got to know my guard. It was Henry, a staff member I had spoken to before.

He was very kind and he shared bits about himself. I like to say that he and had became friends. Barns switched my lesson schedule around; it was different every day, so no one knew exactly when I would be with him. But I always told Baily my schedule, just so she knew where I was. I didn't want her to worry about me. "Tonight is family night." Eva said as the three of us relaxed by the lake. "Shit, I almost forgot that was a thing." Baily said.

The two of them admitted that they hadn't really thought of thier families. And honestly... neither had I. Not after I called them, and that was a while ago. We talked about our families for a moment. It was strange how we all kinda lost interest in our loved ones. But then again, they all forced us to come to this place. Although it's definitely not what they all expected it to be. We all had finished the activities for today. Later tonight I would have to have my lessons with Barns.

All of us went our separate ways to get ready for dinner. The families would arrive for dinner and stay a while afterwards. I was nervous to see my family again. I wondered if all of them would show up, or just my mom. Henry met up with me to walk to the dinning hall with me. "Are you looking forward to seeing your family?" He asked curiously. "Kinda, but I'm a little nervous." I replied. "That's understandable. You've changed a lot since you last seen them. You might be nervous for them to meet the new you." He said.

I wondered exactly what he meant by that. He wasn't wrong though, I had changed. I was doing meditations that were boarder line witchcraft. I entered an astral plane and got beaten up by a crazed Barns follower. 'It sounds like we're in a cult.' I thought jokingly, but then a chill ran down my spine. 'What if we are in a cult and don't know it.' I thought as anxiety filled my stomach. Eventually we reached the dinning hall. Henry and I parted ways. I then went looking for my family.

I noticed that my mom, uncle Will and uncle Mike had came. We exchanged hugs and made small talk as we got in line. After we got our food we took seats at a table. Baily and Eva joined us; we introduced each other to our families. Our families talked and got to know each other. The place was buzzing with chatter and activity. A swatch of white caught my eye. I glanced over and saw Barns walking around the room. He was speaking to everyone, introducing himself to the families.

When he got closer I realized he was wearing a white suit. It was different; it wasn't floral or lacy like the one he wears all the time. There wasn't a trace of red eyeshadow or red lipstick on his handsome face. He was really keeping up appearances for the critics in the room tonight. It was like he wanted make sure they knew he had good intentions. That he was doing everything in his power to help his students. It was interesting seeing him have people eating out of the palm of his hand in minutes.

When he reached out table we said hellos. Then he worked his magic on our families. It was truly amazing to witness. I never saw my family members warm up to someone so fast. He worked his way through everyone before dinner was over. My mom and uncles went to my cabin with me where we talked alone. "So, are you really having a good time here?" My mom asked curiously. I assured her that I was. "That Barnaby guy seems really nice. At least he isn't a dick to people." Will added.

Mike agreed with him. I told them about the many fun activities we have done. I also mentioned the nature walks, etc. I left out the meditation and disappearances. I didn't want them to worry about me, but maybe they should have been worried. I really should have said something, but instead I stayed quiet about it. I told them I was safe and hugged them goodbye. After locking the door I wondered if Henry would open up to me.

I would have to be careful though. I don't want Henry to tell Barns or the others that I've been asking too many questions. But I wasn't quite sure how to start asking those questions. I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind for the moment. I left my cabin and Henry was waiting for me. We talked as we walked to Barns's place. He asked me about my family and felt that he actually cared. Like always, he left me in the meditation room. There were candles lit, but this time they were white.

I desperately hoped that Barns wasn't going to try astral projection again. I've been afraid of it ever since the time we got interrupted. It took me a while to actually feel a hundred percent again. I sat down in my usual spot and got comfortable. A few moments later Barns entered the room. I was surprised to see that he had an acoustic guitar with him. "I hope you don't mind if we do something different. I don't think I have the mental strength for meditation tonight." He said as he joined me.

"I don't mind. I kinda feel the same actually." I replied with a small laugh. He smiled slightly as he placed the guitar in his lap. It looked like he wanted to play some songs. He asked me what were some of my favorites that he has written. I honestly like everything I've heard by him, which made him smile. He played a few of my favorites. Then he started playing an acoustic version of Supernatural. It sounded so beautiful! It just hit different compared to the studio version.

It had totally different vibe even though it was the same song. I told him all of this too when he was finished. "It's such a campfire song, but like... a campfire during the fall." I said, hoping he understood what I meant. There was a cute smile on his beautifully plump lips. My eyes lingers on his lips for a while. When I realized I was staring I blushed and looked away. He put his guitar aside before moving closer to me. "I enjoyed meeting your mom and your uncles today." He said after a mom of comfortable silence.

"Really?" I asked curiously. He said that he enjoyed meeting everyone's families. Although I knew he probably didn't like most of them. When I glanced over at him he was already looking at me. His pretty blue eyes seemed to sparkle in the candle light. My eyes drifted down to his lips and back again. He did the same to me, which made me blush a little. "Can I kiss you?" He asked softly. Butterflies filled my stomach and my heart beat quickened.

It was the first time anyone had asked to kiss me. I nodded in reply, too shy to speak. We slowly leaned into each other. When our lips met my heart skipped a beat. A warmth filled my stomach and seemed to radiate through my bones. I shyly kissed him back, hoping I wasn't a disappointing kisser. His plump lips felt so soft, much softer than I imagined they would be. We slowly broke the kiss and I blushed when we made eye contact. "I'm your first kiss... aren't I?" He asked softly.

"Was I that bad of a kisser?" I asked, feeling nervous. "No, it's just... the way you kissed back. You seemed so shy." He said softly, brushing some of my hair out of my face. "Oh." I replied, blushing. "You've never been in a relationship have you?" He asked, gently rubbing my cheek with his thumb. "No, I haven't." I replied. "Well... how would you like to have your first boyfriend?" He asked softly. My heart fluttered and butterflies filled my stomach. "I... I would like that." I said, feeling slightly awkward.

I never really imagined this kind of thing happening to me. Let alone with someone like him. I had admired him ever since I first heard his music. It felt so strange. Especially when you considered everything that had happened to me the last few months. Who would have thought that Barns would be running a camp like this. A camp fronting as a religious reform retreat. I knew there were dark secrets being hidden. I knew that this camp was more like a cult than anything else.

Barns is the charismatic cult leader. A charming jester with a silver tongue. I fell under his charms, but I don't really think I had a choice to fight it. He had me the moment we entered the astral plane. But unlike most of the camp members, I don't think I had drank the Kool Aid just yet. Those who were jealous of me and wanted to hurt me were drowning in it. I knew I had to do something, but I wasn't sure what. I know I have feeling for him and I care deeply for him. On the other hand I didn't want anyone else to get hurt.

I had the advantage of being close to him. I needed to use that advantage in my favor. I just couldn't risk fucking up, or who knew what would happen. Even a fool would know to be careful when you're in a lion's den. "Are you okay?" He asked with slightly furrowed brows. Concern was obvious in his pretty blue eyes. "Yeah, I just... I never expected this to happen to me." I replied. Relief washed over him and a smile spread across his face. He left a kiss on my forehead before kissing my lips again.

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