I'm Your Leader | Barns Courtney [Completed]

Chapter Two | New Arrivals

A/N: The song above is the song that gets performed in the story.
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Since I didn't sleep well during the night, I was up early. So I decided to take a walk after I got dressed. The sun was breaking through the clouds. Golden rays of sunlight were shinning through the trees. It looked so beautiful. I saw a trail and decided to walk on it. I was quiet so I could listen to the birds and other wildlife. During my walk I spotted something white amongst the brown and green. I stopped and watched. It took me a moment to realize what I was looking at.

It was a man wearing all white. He was sitting on a blanket feeding the birds and squirrels. 'He must have seeds or something in his hands.' I thought. I stood there and watched for a few moments before continuing on my way. Eventually I reached the cafeteria. It wasn't as packed as last night, which I was happy about. "Good morning." One of the cafeteria workers said to me. "Good morning." I said with a small smile.

I filled my plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, toast with butter, and some fresh fruit. I also got a hot cup of coffee. I went to an empty table and sat down. As I ate I looked out of the window. Watching as the sun rose higher in the sky. After a while the cafeteria started to become congested with people. It made me anxious being around so many strangers. I was thinking about leaving. "Hi, may I sit with you?" A voice asked, taking me out of my thoughts.

When I looked up I saw a woman with long red hair. She was wearing a Nightmare Before Christmas t-shirt. "Yeah, you can sit here. I like your shirt by the way." I said shyly. "Thanks. I like your shirt too, I'm a big fan of Tom Petty." She said with a smile.  Her light green eyes filled with happiness. She had fair skin, dimples, and feckless. "Cool." I replied as I finished eating. "What's your name?" She asked after a few moments of comfortable silence.

"Lilly." I replied. "That's a pretty name. I'm Bailey, it's nice to meet you." She said happily. "It's nice to meet you too." I said with a small smile. We made small talk to get to know each other a little. Apparently her family wanted her to sign up for the camp as well. "Yeah, all because they don't like my boyfriend." She rolled her eyes and signed deeply. I told her why my parents wanted me to join. It's because they hate the music I like and think it'll have a bad influence on me. "That's stupid." She said and I agreed.

We actually laughed at our families intentions and worries. Talking to her made me feel a little more comfortable. I spotted a velvet robed man walk onto a small stage. The room was almost exactly like a school cafeteria. He had a microphone and tapped on it a few times. "Could I have your attention, please?" He said a couple of times before people got quiet. "Thank you. First off, I would like to welcome you to Scarlet Lake. We're excited to see familiar and new faces this year." He said.

"I feel like I'm in school again." I whispered, and Bailey agreed. He welcomed everyone, went over rules, etc. "Now, I would like to introduce someone very special. Our leader and our teacher, Barnaby Courtney!" He said. As the crowd erupted in applause, I almost choked on what was left of my coffee. Baily asked if I was okay and I said yes. I managed to regain composure before the clapping and cheering stopped. The man I saw in posters walked up on stage.

He was even wearing his white suit. Our table was close to the stage, so I got a close-up view of him. He had several strings of pearls around his neck. White lines ran down his cheeks from his eyes. Almost as if they resembled tears. His plump lips painted with red lipstick. I was shocked and excited at the same time. Excited that I was looking at one of my favorites musicians, Barns Courtney. Shocked that he was here and that he was the leader of this camp.

It felt like I was in some kind of fever dream. "Hello, and welcome. I'm looking forward to meeting all of the new arrivals soon. I hope to learn from you as much as you learn from me." He said. His blue eyes scanning the crowd of people. When his eyes landed on me I felt myself blush a little. I got butterflies too, and I hoped he didn't notice. I wasn't sure if I should say something about knowing him or not. The longer he spoke the more charismatic and charming he became.