The Patriots

CHAPTER 19 (WELCOME PARTY)

COLOMBIA, 2017.

Cecilia made her move to show her gratitude to Kelvin. She managed to maneuver through the crowd to where Kelvin was, as they moved towards the bus.

"Hey," she called out to him.

"Heyy..." he replied feeling a bit awkward. He knew what was coming, he just didn't expect it so soon.

"Ermm...I just want to say thank you for leaving the note and also for catching me when I lost consciousness, so I wouldn't fall."

Kelvin was silent. He just didn't know what to say because he himself, didn't know why he did all that.

"I don't know why you did that for me, but I appreciate it so much. Thank you." Cecilia said, with a sincere smile.

"The note was all Vera's idea. But I guess that's what friends do. They look out for each other," he finally said with a faint smile. That was what he had learnt from his new exposure, and socialising with all these new people he never thought he would meet. Dan especially. He was a talker, but he was a good person. He never thought he would say this, but Dan was his best friend.

"Yeah. That's the term they use. Bestfriend," he thought smiling broadly now.

Cecilia almost freaked out when she saw his smile, and she had to smile widely to cover her astonishment.

"Yeah, you're right," she said quickly.

"Okayyy... I think I have to go join the other girls now." She turned to leave but was stopped by Kelvin.

"Esperar...." Kelvin said with uncertainty and nervousness. "I...was thinking...maybe if...you...we could hang out some time, to know each other well and since we stay closer?" he said looking away.

"Okayy...yeah sure," Cecilia giggled. She turned to leave but realised she had to ask him something.

"Wait, how did you know my house?"

"I know everything," he chuckled. He laughed in his head at the expression on Cecilia's face as she walked away, back to Vera's side.

Vera was way behind them pretending not to be looking, but she saw everything, even though she was too far away to hear them. She was shocked at how a guy could be so pretty, even prettier than her, especially when he smiled. She disliked him the more, though not in a bad way. She was tempted to question Cilia but stopped, because she knew what would follow. She had to wait for Cilia to open up to her instead.

They all boarded the bus and sat at the exact same seats they all took when they were leaving the country.

Kelvin also admired Cecilia a lot. Her eyes and voice could send shivers all over his body. He didn't know what the feeling was, all he knew was that, Cilia had eyes that glittered all the time, and it made him want to stare at them as long as he could. And her voice was so soft he wished it was a song, so he could listen to it anywhere and any time. Above all, she was intelligent and smart. He liked that, and he liked her. "So silly of me to push her away for so long," he thought

"Ooooh man. Finally." Dan bumped his shoulder into Kelvin's, startling him out of his daydream.

"Sí, finally." He rolled his eyes at his annoying friend. He always knew Dan was right, but Dan always stated facts in the most annoying way.

Cecilia also had a smile on her face while looking out the window into the dimly lit streets--the ashes and blood that had been washed off by rain. She was finally certain that all the rumours about Kelvin were false and she would soon find out the real truth. She couldn't stop asking herself questions. "That smile? How could he be soo pretty but so distant? Why was he hidden in the shadows for so long? Why was he hiding behind that hood when he could just live freely?"

It was already dawn when they got deeper into the heart of Colombia. The rampage had gone far, but it had not yet reached the capital. It looked like most people had already moved out of the area. They even feared their bus would be stopped on the way. They were not taken to their various homes, but to the camp where they used to have their meetings.

It was now 5:15 a.m when they arrived at the camp. There was a surprise awaiting them. Del, Anna and the rest of the soldiers were waiting quietly in the tent to welcome them.

The bus came to a stop and they all got down the bus, stretching and yawning. They were tired from sitting for hours. The camp was quiet, too quiet and they all wondered why they were brought there.

"Surprise!!" Del and his team screamed, startling them.

"Welcome home, my champion fighters." Del said proudly.

They all broke into laughter when they realised what was going on.

"We missed you guys," Anna smiled.

"Awww!" they all gestured and broke into another round of laughter.

They were led into the tent and to their surprise, there was a big table of food and drinks set for them. Only then did they realise how hungry they were. They ate with enthusiasm and had a lot of fun afterwards.

"There's no sleeping until day break. You can rest later when you're in the comfort of your homes." Del informed and they all laughed. He drunk just a little, but Miles and Peter gave him more than his liquor capacity could hold. So he was quite drunk. They would be in big trouble if he found out what they had done.

There was lots of dancing and singing, and even Del was moving his body to the beat of the music. Kelvin on the other hand refused to dance, despite the countless efforts Daniel made to get him to the dance floor. Cecilia noticed his seclusion and went to sit by him. They spoke about random things, laughing at the dancing crowd, and cheering those who did well. Kelvin would never had done any of this if Cecilia hadn't come to give him company. He was glad that he wouldn't die a loner after all.

The camp was far from town, at a secret location that was not far from the park. It looked like a construction site, but it was also a mini-fotress. The walls prevented the noise from getting out into the night, but because it was so quiet, some of the noise could be heard by neighbouring houses. But no one dared to venture out to satisfy their curiosities, so Del, his team and his recruits had the whole town to themselves.

"I have an announcement!" Del yelled and the music died down. "We have a new member I want to introduce to you. Well, he's not new, but most of us are meeting him for the first time. He has been our eyes and ears while we were away. He's our raven. Everyone, meet Charles."

Charles appeared beside Del after his short introduction and everyone applauded.

Cecilia was shocked to the extent that she couldn't stand up from her seat. She only had a glimpse of Charles through the crowd but she couldn't see him after that. Charles searched the crowd hoping he'd see her too, but he couldn't see her either.

"I know she heard my name. She should be rushing towards me by now. Why is she not here? Unless she knows another Charles or she is angry at me," Charles thought and sighed.

Charles couldn't stay away for long so he left after the introduction. He was also given a box, like the ones they were given at Base 9, before leaving. Charles went straight to his hideout to hide the box before daybreak.

The music and fun continued, and sleeping bags were passed around the tent. Sooner or later, they were all sound asleep on the tent floors, scattered like dried leaves that had fallen from a tree.

A/N: Hope you enjoy reading☺️
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