The camp must've gone on for half a mile, because it was massive. There were buildings that looked sturdy, and made from your typical, everyday building materials, but there were hidden by arching trees so that nobody would see them from above. Then there were smaller areas, and when I looked through one of the ajar doors, I saw a couple of beds all in a row. That must be the sleeping area, I thought to myself.
But I hadn't even mentioned all the people there. There were hundreds, all with something that made them special. Animalistic features that set them apart from the rest. They didn't look afraid or ashamed, though, because everybody else had something different about them, too. Maybe I'd actually get some respect instead of being ignored or harassed. Moone wouldn't find me, and he wouldn't even see me until it was too late.
I could see a huge training area in the distance, and there were a couple of people training there. I saw a flash of red, burning fire streak across the air, then saw a yellow shield-like thing deflect the blow, extinguishing the fire as it did so. I looked back over at Christina, who looked over at me with a motherly look.
"I will help you get settled in." Christina said. "The clan has been waiting for your arrival. Follow me."
Christina began walking, and I followed. All of a sudden, I could feel the gazes of hundreds of people resting on me. They had seen me come in, and they were watching me. It gave me a sense of nervousness, because I had never felt the sensation of being watched by that many people. Still, it was nothing to worry about, I told myself. They weren't going to attack or harm me. Nobody was going to take advantage of me or turn me into even more of a freak. I was going to be fine. I was safe. I was safe. I was safe.
We reached a house that looked like it could easily house four or five people. And I could hear voices coming from the inside, too. I looked to Christina, waiting for her to speak so that I would know just a bit more about what the heck was going on. She noticed, and spoke.
"You will share a house with two other girls around your age. I expect that you will get along well with them despite your differences. Training begins tomorrow, where you will learn to harness your power, because here is the only place where people will teach you. That Moone would never teach you how to reach your full potential. He'd just teach you how to hinder your own abilities, and how to stay away like some coward. Here, we will teach you all that you can learn, from necromancy to fire magic. Even shadow magic is within your reach if you train with my clan. There are many things inside of your shared household to occupy you when you are not training. You like books, correct?"
"I do. I have so many favorite series, and even just individual novels, too."
"Then you will have no trouble during your spare time. I will go now, and leave you to socialize with your fellow housemates."
She walked off, making her way through the forest areas that hid the small civilization. I looked over at the building, knowing that I'd never have to face humiliation again. I picked up my bag, and walked into the small house. There were four beds all in a row, and two of them had people atop them, doing some sort of activity like reading or drawing. They both looked up when I walked in.
"You're Adara, aren't you? Christina told me - told us, I mean, - that you were coming. " the girl on the right said. "I'm Lillian."
"And who are you?" I asked the girl on the left.
"I'm Isabelle." She replied before she went back to her book.
I took a seat onto one of the empty beds, then looked over at Lillian. "What's with Isabelle?"
"She doesn't.... How do I put this kindly... She doesn't like anybody."
"Ah... I understand." I replied before opening my bag and beginning to unload its contents. The note, which must've fallen out of the energy-bar-box, fell to the neatly made bed. I picked up the note and re-read it, still not even having a clue who had written it.
'Dear Lion-Girl,
I know that what Moone did really irritated you. What ended up happening to me wasn't pleasant either. I figured that you might need to go and cool off, so I packed this bag for you so that you wouldn't head out unprepared. There are enough supplies to last you a week or two, and more if you hunt. Don't stay out too long. When you come back, we'll welcome you with open arms. Don't go off and get yourself killed, alright?
-A Friend'
Lillian noticed my sentimental expression, because she brought it up. "Is something wrong?" She asked.
I shook my head before balling up the small, emotion filled note and stuffing it deep into the depths of my backpack. "No. Nothing's wrong. Hey, Christina said that there were some books in this place. Mind directing me to the said books?" I tried to sound as formal as I could, to direct from the note.
"Sure." Lillian replied.
She led me to the third room, which had a couple of massive bookshelves, each stuffed to the brim with books of varying lengths and heights.
"Just call for me if you need to. It's eleven now, which means we have lunch in an hour. Then Isabelle and I have training, and we won't be back for a good six or seven hours, and you'll have the whole house to yourself. Christina should be by soon to tell you when training is, alright? She said you were powerful, didn't she?"
She had.
