Madison and Travis were at the front, driving them all to Strand's beach house, as the teens stayed in the back of the pickup truck. It was quiet between the four, only the rumbling of the engine sounding around them. Kamille felt awkward.
"So, how is everyone else?" Alicia asked, clearing her throat, finally breaking the silence. She looked between Chris and Nick curiously. "They back at Strand's?"
Nick's eyes cast down before sparing Chris a glance. Chris caught his gaze, returning the look with sad eyes. Kamille didn't know them too well, but she knew that look. Something bad had happened. She glanced at Alicia, seeing the regret in her expression. She knew something terrible had gone down, too.
"Ofelia and Daniel are with Strand," Nick explained, his voice hesitant, holding back. "Daniel didn't want Ofelia out and about whilst her wound recovered. Strand obviously wasn't going to come out, even to search for you. And unfortunately, not long after we lost you..." Nick went quiet, obviously unsure how to phrase his next words.
"She's gone," Chris said bluntly, looking to Alicia. "She was bitten and dad shot her and now she's gone."
Alicia frowned as the Manawa boy looked down to his hands. Kamille tried to pick up on his words. Didn't he have a mum that was travelling with them?
"Chris, I'm so sorry," Alicia said, but Chris merely shrugged and said nothing. His expression was blank.
Nick and Alicia exchanged glances, Kamille noticed. She'd noticed everything as this sad encounter had played out. Noticed Nick's knack for being unable to sit still. Noticed the sad, longing look in Chris' eyes. Noticed Alicia's efforts to make her feel comfortable with each smile she'd occasionally send her way. Kamille felt out of place, though, there in the back of a truck with people she barely knew. Alicia was the only reason she was there.
The remainder of the ride was silent, until finally, they reached Strand's beach house, near the edge of the hillside, overlooking the beach. It would have been beautiful if it hadn't looked so abandoned, Kamille thought. The truck pulled up just outside a relatively large, urban house. It looked very expensive indeed, and Kamille wondered just how rich this Strand guy really was.
"You all good?" Travis asked as he pulled down the tailgate to let them all out. Madison was behind him, keeping an eye on their surroundings. She seemed on edge and Kamille didn't blame her. Appearances were deceiving and nowhere was safe anymore.
Hums and nods came as a response and the boys waited for Alicia and Kamille to jump out first.
"Come on," Alicia breathed out as she jumped out the truck. She held her hand and Kamille accepted it, allowing herself to be helped out. Alicia smiled at the older girl, who brought herself to smile back.
Once they were all out, they headed to the front door. Madison seemed to have a key already and let them all in. The boys made themselves at home instantly, having walked right in and down the corridor, probably to their rooms. Kamille was looking around in awe however, joined by Alicia. The house was beautiful.
Wooden beams structured the building and large glass windows revealed the beach just outside. An open space for the kitchen and living-room was a nice change from cramped store-spaces and hidden basements, Kamille realised.
"Alicia! You're back!"
The two teens followed the direction of the voice and saw an older girl wearing a bandage on her shoulder run towards them. She grinned as she pulled Alicia in for a hug. Alicia smiled with satisfaction and returned the embrace.
"Ofelia, it's good to see you," she said, pulling away from her. "How is your injury?"
Ofelia laughed and waved dismissively. "I'm alive, aren't I? How have you been? You've been missing for a week!"
As the two girls caught up briefly, Madison, Travis and Kamille all caught sight of two men trailing in. The taller one approached first and Kamille recognised him as Strand, thanks to Alicia's descriptions of everyone not long ago. He took notice of Alicia's return and Kamille's presence; Kamille wasn't sure what he was thinking.
"Finally, you've been found," he commented, implying her disappearance had been a mere inconvenience, but Kamille swore she saw a tiny, tiny look of relief in his eyes. Maybe he wasn't as bad as he made himself out to be. "Now we can get ready to leave."
"Leave?" Alicia questioned with confusion, before looking to her mother. "What does he mean?"
"We're going to the Abigail," Madison explained. "Strand has a yacht and he's taking us with him."
Alicia nodded, forming an 'o' shape with her mouth. Kamille kept quiet but allowed Madison's words to sink in. That cleared a lot up, particularly with the whole 'Abigail' thing. Maybe things would be better elsewhere, since she knew firsthand L.A. was a deserted mess.
"Who is this?" the other man questioned suddenly, causing Kamille to avoid his threatening gaze.
"Papa, be nice," Ofelia scolded her father, but he didn't falter.
"No actually, I too, would like to know who this is," Strand agreed with Daniel Salazar as he looked to Kamille. "You brought someone extra in Madison?"
Kamille felt Alicia tense up beside her.
"I'm Kamille Ali," Kamille introduced herself to the three new figures before her, before settling her gaze on the taller man. "You must be Strand. Which means this is your place... it's wonderful, really."
"I know it is," Strand said knowingly, studying the dark-haired girl, "but what are you doing in it?"
Kamille chewed on her lower lip awkwardly as she glanced to Alicia. Alicia nodded her way, understanding that Kamille was uncomfortable, and was about to step forward, but she stopped when Madison spoke.
"She's with us, Strand," she defended her, taking Kamille by surprise. "She saved Alicia's life and has nowhere to go."
Strand clenched his jaw, glancing at Kamille before staring at Madison threateningly. "Madis–"
"It's one more person," she cut him off, her eyes piercing through his. "Only one."
The air was tense as Strand and Madison shared a glaring contest. Finally though, he gave in and sighed heavily. He looked to Kamille with a stoic expression.
"You are not my responsibility and you will look after yourself," he stated reluctantly, making Kamille feel like a burden. "You cause any trouble and you're out, got it?"
Kamille nodded instantly. "Yes, sir. Thank you."
Strand seemed satisfied with her response and stepped back, straightening out his shirt. "Good. Now you all need to get packed up. We leave tonight."
Kamille watched as he walked away. He was tough, guarded, kinda scary, too, she noted. She couldn't piss him off – he seemed easily irritable. She had to make herself useful whilst she was there, it was only fair to all of them.
"And shower before you set foot on my boat!" Strand yelled from down the hall, taking them all by surprise. "Especially the Brit! She reeks of blood!"
Kamille felt uncomfortable as a silence surrounded them. She did smell of blood, and probably looked the part, too, hence the stares from everyone. The silence was broken in an instant though.
"Ofelia, we should pack, come on," Daniel commanded, his eyes still on Kamille. It sent chills down her spine, the way he was studying her, as if she would be a threat to him or his daughter.
"Okay, I'm coming," Ofelia replied, before smiling at Alicia. "I'm glad you're safe." She looked to Kamille and accepted her almost immediately, taking the brown-eyed girl by surprise. "It's nice to meet you, Kamille. I'm Ofelia Salazar."
Kamille offered a small smile, finding the older girl to be kind. "Lovely to meet you, Ofelia. I've heard much about you."
Ofelia grinned brightly, making Kamille feel at ease instantly. She was the first of them all to be so accepting towards her, excluding Nick, who was reluctant in his own way still. She appreciated the kindness.
Kamille noticed the small bandage on the older girl's shoulder and blurted out, "I've got some medicine for that, if you want it."
Alicia chimed in with, "She's good with that sort of stuff. She helped with my leg when I cut myself."
Ofelia nodded and smiled once again. "I just might take you up on that offer, Kamille, thank you."
"Ofelia, now!" Daniel called again, making Ofelia roll her eyes subtly.
"I should get going," she said, before adding, "I'll see you later though, yeah?"
Kamille nodded and smiled at her as she joined her father. Daniel glared Kamille's way, confusing the teen, before he and his daughter headed to their room to pack.
"She seems nice," Kamille commented, looking to Alicia. "Her dad looks like he wants to kill me though."
"Don't mind Daniel," Travis reassured, earning Kamille's attention. "He's like that with everyone, only trying to protect his daughter. He doesn't know you very well, but he'll come around."
Kamille nodded slowly, wondering how long that would take since Ofelia seemed nice enough.
"Mom, thanks for convincing Strand," Alicia said, sending a grateful look Madison's way.
Madison smiled at her daughter, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Of course, baby." She looked to Kamille. "You've obviously made an impression on Alicia if she wants you around. If you need anything, Kamille, let me know."
Kamille was appreciative and nodded instantly. "Of course, Madison. Thank you." She looked to Travis, too. "Both of you. I'll make my stay worthwhile."
Travis smiled. "We know you will."
Kamille felt slightly reassured knowing they trusted her, even a tiny bit, and looked to Alicia. The brunette was already looking her way, a toothless smile on her lips. Kamille was still awestruck at how someone could go out of their way for her like this. She hoped she didn't feel obliged to, with everything that had happened Adam.
"There's a spare room, down the hall at the end," Madison began to explain to the two of them. "The room on the right. There's a working shower, so you girls should get cleaned up and packed away. We leave for the Abigail tonight."
Both girls nodded and watched as Madison and Travis headed to the kitchen, looking as if they were about to have a long conversation. They were finally left alone and Alicia turned to Kamille, smiling at her kindly.
"I'm glad you chose to come," Alicia said softly, glancing at the older girl, before walking to their room.
Kamille followed her, her tiredness catching up with her. "I didn't really get much of a choice," she joked, but she was grateful. Being out there, all by herself, without Adam... she was lucky to have met Alicia.
When they reached their room, they dropped their backpacks on the floor before Kamille was taken by surprise as Alicia pulled her in for a hug. Kamille returned the hug, though raised an eyebrow with confusion.
"What was that for?" she asked the smiling teen before her.
Kamille watched as Alicia simply stared at her. Green eyes flittered between brown eyes before they studied her whole figure up and down. Kamille felt her face go warm as the younger girl seemed to be studying her for some reason. She wished she knew what she was thinking.
"It was a thank you for keeping your promise," Alicia said, her eyes sparkling in the light. "For bringing me home."
Kamille felt nervous all of a sudden, under Alicia's gaze. The younger girl was smiling, a soft smile with matching kind eyes, and Kamille was never good with attention. At least not from pretty girls with beautiful smiles.
"You're welcome, Alicia," she replied, finally, her eyes fluttering down to her feet, unable to hold her gaze.
Alicia chuckled and took a step back – Kamille was sure she was aware of the effect she had on her. "You can shower here. Get cleaned up. I'll go to my mom's."
Alicia didn't seem to wait for a response as she patted Kamille on her back before leaving the room. Kamille breathed out slowly, confused to why the younger girl had such an effect on her. Never mind that though, she needed to get herself cleaned up. Scrub off the remnants of that day.
–
"Look what I got," Alicia said in a sing-song voice, leaning against the doorframe. A smile was on her lips as she held two ice lollies in her hands.
Kamille was sat at the edge of the bed, drying her hair with a towel. She felt a lot better now that she'd cleaned up. A warm shower was a good feeling, especially with actual cleaning products. But the alone time, even if only short, hadn't done her too good.
The day had gone by quickly and so much had happened. The moments had replayed in her mind, like a film on repeat, and she couldn't quite believe how quickly she'd lost Adam. Alone with her thoughts wasn't good for her, and now she found herself thinking about what could have happened if he had survived. Would Alicia have brought both of them along? Would they have said goodbye and gone their own way?
She had wanted to cry, so badly, but she couldn't make the tears come out. All of her emotions were stuck inside and she knew they were building up – she didn't want to wait for the outburst. Her brain was still catching up with Adam's death and she didn't know how to feel aside from emptiness. Loss.
When she noticed Alicia's presence by the door, Kamille dropped her towel and forced a small smile. "Ice lollies," she noted, nodding to the frozen goodness in the teen's hand. "Awesome."
Alicia's smile faded, her voice quieter. She had sensed Kamille's mood. "Strand had a few left in his freezer."
She walked in the room fully and joined Kamille on the bed. She offered an ice lolly and Kamille kindly accepted, knowing the younger girl was trying her hardest to be there for her.
"How are you feeling?" Alicia asked, her concern coming through.
Kamille kept herself busy with opening the wrapper of her ice lolly. "Good. It was nice to clean up and get rid of all that blood..."
Alicia nodded. "Yeah..."
They both settled in the silence and opened their ice lollies. Even though the atmosphere was bitter, both girls couldn't help but smile at the taste of an ice lolly in their mouths. The frozen fruity goodness had made their situation a little more bearable.
"What flavour is this?" Kamille asked, a small smile on her lips. "It's bloody gorgeous."
Alicia chuckled and licked the fruitiness from her lips. "Raspberry."
Kamille kept her smile, the ice lolly in her mouth. "Mmm," she hummed with satisfaction, giving a thumbs up.
Alicia smiled and sucked on her own ice lolly before speaking again. Her voice was lighthearted as she said, "I was talking to Strand just before. He was telling me about the Abigail. It's a yacht. A home on water, as he likes to say."
Kamille nodded, her eyes cast ahead as she listened.
"He reckons it will keep us safe," Alicia continued. Kamille could feel her staring at her as she did. "We'll be on the waters, away from land. Away from infected."
Kamille cracked a small, sad smile. Finally, she brought her eyes up to look at Alicia. "Sounds too good to be true, love, don't you think?"
Alicia didn't know how to respond at first. Kamille was fed up.
"Maybe," she finally responded, before resting a hand on Kamille's knee. "No harm in trying though, right?"
Alicia's optimism made Kamille crack a small smile, for real this time. She didn't want to give up, not yet. Losing Adam was still something she was coming to terms with, and yes, she wanted to bawl her eyes out in the corner of the room, but she also wanted to keep going. For him. And that meant listening to Alicia. Not letting the younger girl get caught up in her sadness.
Don't bring Alicia down with you. She shouldn't have to deal with your problems when she is too busy trying to help you.
"Yeah, you're right," Kamille agreed, resting her hand on top of Alicia's and giving it a gentle squeeze.
Alicia smiled and the two sat there, holding hands and eating their ice lollies without a care in the world. Or at least, that's what Alicia probably thought.
//
The chapters are slowly gonna get longer, just a warning. Also, this is a slow-burn fic so be prepared 😂
Once again, thanks for reading/commenting/voting. Your feedback, or even just your thoughts as you read along, always motivate me and let me know you're enjoying, so thank you so much! I love reading what you guys are thinking 😊♥️