Rebuilding the World

16 Majella's Duties

“Nice dress Princess” I whispered to Jean’s ear.

She slapped my shoulder with an angry look. Yeah well, I always get that from her whenever I tease her dresses back in high school.

“Majella?” Carlene called out from the bamboo house’s front door.

“Yeah?” I shouted back at her because we’re almost out of the clearing.

“I’ll talk to you later!” she answered before going back into the house.

“What’s up with the two of you?” Jean asked.

“Nothing”

“Nothing? Holding hands and stuff, that’s nothing?” Jean asked, one eyebrow raised.

“She’s a little bit clingy, Carlene. She’s my best friend here in camp.”

“Yeah, I can see that. She pointed a knife on my throat yesterday after I left you, asking me why I’m with you.”

“She did what?!”

“She interrogated me so I answered her questions and she let me go.” Jean shrugged.

I face palmed in embarrassment. Carlene’s clingy; I mean, I understand why she’d go very protective on me and her friends and the camp but threatening Jean? She’s gone way overboard.

“I’ll talk to her.”

Jean stopped me.

“Majella, don’t. Zhane told me she’s protective because she lost everything before getting here. I understand her.” Jean said with a sad smile.

I couldn’t say anything. I want Carlene and Jean to be good friends, because they’re my friends and it seems that we’ll be spending a lot of time with each other’s company. Better have them in good terms because I would certainly not want to see a blood bath.

“Jean, I’m sorry if Carlene did that to you.”

“No biggie.” She answered.

When we got back to the cabins, the co-head councillors reported to me and to En.

“Wonder how that Cyclops got in.” En said, looking around the camp. The co-head councillors said they found no trace of the Cyclops’ tracks and how it got in.

“I would like to know that too.” I said

“Hey, Majella. You can go back to sleep if you like and we’ll take care of things around here.” Jimuel offered.

“I’d rather not. I’ll just go change and then I’ll look around the camp borders for clues.”

“You sure?” Jean asked a bit worried.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“You want me to go with you?” Jean asked.

“What, you’ll watch me change?” I joked

“No! Silly, I’ll go with you around the camp.” She laughed.

I’m glad that I can make her smile, the look in her face earlier when I dragged her away from her bed was kind of pitiful. She looked so scared and innocent of what was happening.

“That’s fine with me. Go change and meet me by the stables in a few minutes.”

We left the councillors in the middle of the field and I walked to my cabin.

I never really liked this place, it feels more like a temple than a cabin. I mean, marble? Seriously? With pillars and everything? I understand that whoever built Camp Makiling designed it after Camp Half Blood in New York but do they really have to make Zeus Cabin look like a temple? Don’t they understand that someone will live here and sleep here and not just pray or give tribute to their dad?! This is the reason I’d rather sleep in the forest by the lake, I feel more comfortable and at peace there. Although I usually sleep up in the branches because I know there are some monsters roaming the forest, I just took the risk of sleeping by the narra’s roots because I’m not sure Jean can climb the tree.