Their Light

Chapter 30

Hadley

I felt much better after my breakdown with Ryder. The steamy shower helped. Lately, I found myself seeing the world differently. I couldn't imagine my world without the guys now. I couldn't deny that I was attracted to them, but it was more than that. No longer did I want to be by myself. I craved their company, their friendship, and a part of me wanted more than that.

It was all so new. My reality had shifted. I think I was finally becoming used to that fact, used to the idea of being a Probus. Joe and Zeke were waiting for me in my bedroom after my shower.

"How's your mom doing?" I asked him as we walked downstairs. I snuggled into the comfy sweater I had put on. Caspian picked out the softest sweaters I had ever felt when we went shopping.

"She got back safely," He replied. "She said she misses you." We entered the dining room as the others were taking their seats.

"I miss her too," I told him with complete sincerity.

I've never had a motherly figure in my life before. It was nice to know that I could go to her for advice or comfort. I also knew that I was going to help her in any way that I could. We took our seats and everyone began dishing up the meal.

"You've outdone yourself on this," Isaac practically moaned. Everyone agreed, and Peter blushed at all the compliments. Everyone was almost done with the meal when Finn cleared his throat and stood up.

"We start packing tomorrow," he started instantly, making my mood dropped. I had forgotten that. He sent me a small smile, like he could tell. "I believe we should do something fun before leaving town."

"Seconded," Isaac announced proudly. I looked back and forth between the two, knowing they were up to something.

"What did you have in mind?" Kent asked him skeptically. Finn looked at me with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

"Ever been camping?"

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So we weren't actually camping. We were just in the backyard. I watched the others set everything up around me. Ryder and Zeke were building up the fire in the central pit. Caspian was helping Isaac setup all the chairs around said fire. Kent had pushed me into this one as soon as they set it up.

Immediately, a couple of blankets were draped over me, and Peter stuck a cup of hot cocoa in my hands. Finn even made a blanket pallet on the ground next to my chair for Joe. The old hound looked like he was in heaven. His legs twitched every so often. He was definitely chasing something in his dreams. Probably a squirrel.

I wanted to help, but every time I tried to get up, someone stopped me. Reluctantly, I stayed in my spot. The hot cocoa was delicious. The sun was still setting, offering a bit of light. Finn helped Peter setup various small tables amongst the chairs. They brought out skewers and bags of hot dogs, buns, and chips. I also saw all the ingredients for s'mores. I had never had one before, but I was ecstatic to try one.

With everyone working together, it didn't take long before everything was setup and ready to go. The guys settled around the fire, passing out drinks and snacks so everyone had what they wanted. I happily munched on some potato chips as everyone just relaxed and chatted. The fire flickered in the center of us. The warmth of it was nice as the cool night air danced around me.

"Okay, this campfire needs stories," Finn declared. I laughed as everyone remained silent. Finn groaned dramatically and flung his arms out. "Fine, I'll do it myself. You all are a disgrace to campfires everywhere."

"Okay, mister storyteller, knock our socks off," I challenged him. His eyes lit up, a smirk spreading across his face.

"My tale takes us back to the dark ages," Finn started, his voice low. Some of the guys groaned. It appeared that they had heard this story before. I even caught Ryder rolling his eyes. "Tenebris reigned across the world. Darkness and despair were all anyone knew. There was no hope. Friend turned on friend. The coalition of Pravus was close to achieving their goal of world domination. They had targeted the Kustos first. Without protection, the Probus were picked off or corrupted. Soon, any who remained had to go into hiding. The world was falling into more and more ruin. But there was no one to save them. Or was there?"