The Time of the Titans

Chapter 30: Fate

I did not know how long I had been asleep, neither did I know what time it was. I lit the oil-lamp and looked out of the window. It was dark outside but there was a large campfire in the yard where it had been before. Many boys seemed to be gathered there. I was wearing some of the new clothes, and I put on a long gown over them, since it might be cool outside in the night. I stepped into the corridor.

When I got to the exit, I bumped into Pablo, one of my housemates.

"Oye", said Pablo. "I was just about to knock on your door and ask if you wanted..." He hesitated, looking into my eyes. "If you wished to join us."

I saw a rush of emotions on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Pablo", I said. "I'm sorry for Casper and Oliver."

He didn't say anything, just grabbed my hand like an old friend.

"I know Casper was your chosen brother", I added. "Sorry for your loss bro."

"It's alright", he said. "He would appreciate that you remembered him."

There was some more noise in the corridor, in the direction of the little social room of the building, and I saw three more boys coming. Florin, Kim, and Alex – Oliver's friends. The Gimmit Gang.

"I'm so sorry", I said to them. "Sorry for Oliver. Casper and Oliver were great guys."

I felt somehow fake, although I meant what I said. They, however, seemed to accept my condolences.

"You come with us", said Florin. "We'll remember them tonight."

"Are you alright?" I asked Alex, who was one of the younger ones. "I last saw you on the wall."

"Yeah", he said. He looked a little lost, like he didn't know what to say to me. "Look man", he said finally. "Sorry I called you an idiot. But I heard you defended me, so it's alright, yes?" He had a Slavic accent, which I only noticed now, along with the twist in his logic.

"It was one of those poison arrows", said Pablo. "He woke up the next day."

I was happy for that. Alex's face had scared me when he got hit.

"Who's our house elder now?" I asked. I recalled it had been Oliver previously.

"I am", said Florin. "I was Oliver's chosen brother."

I shook his hand, but words didn't form. In any case, he seemed to understand me, and appreciated my gesture. Kim, with the baseball cap turned backwards, seemed impatient to get out, and was gesturing for the other boys to come already.

"Where's the captain's cap, man?" Florin asked me. "After all, you fought me for it. Though you lost, you should be wearing it."

I grinned at his hint at my defeat, and he grinned back. "It went missing when I was on the wall. Someone shot it from my head."

"Oh", he said, and looked at the other boys. "Did anyone pick it afterwards?"

They shrugged and made faces of ignorance.

"More important stuff than the fucking hat", commented Kim.

"Don't worry", said Florin to me, and wrapped his arm around my neck, brotherly, to usher me out of the building. "You'll come with us now. And we'll find out later if anyone picked it up."

*   *   *

When we came to the bonfire, surrounded by benches and stout trees, I let my eyes wander, registering some familiar faces, and some less familiar. After two deaths, there would be thirty-six boys left in the Base, plus myself and Brynhilde and Giovanna. The girls were nowhere to be seen, so they were probably confined in their rooms, as prisoners should be. I recalled my own first evening here. The night when I had looked out of the window, seen the boys around the bonfire, and later the custodians and Max had brought me some food and wine.