Cayden's Crusade

Dinner At The Bunkhouse

They let us settle on the bunkhouse. It was nice and cozy. There were bunk beds for each of us. I choose the one right next to the window as the view reminds me of our yard back home. There was also a living room with a sofa, though there was no Tv, there were books about fighting and training exercises. The kitchen includes a fridge filled with different kind of foods and a 20 seater long table.

Holden's eyes reached his ears as he looked inside the fridge. "Wow! Look at all these foods. I don't even know most of them but they are all surely delicious . Hey, guys. Let me be the cook, okay."

"What?", Cassius said. "How can you be a cook if you don't even know what those foods are?"

"It's okay, Cassius. I think Holden can handle them just fine". I handed Holden the cookbook I found at the counter.

"Thanks, man. Let me just read this first and I'll whip up something really good", he said excitedly.

Holden kept his word. An hour later, an inviting smell of Holden's cooking fill the bunkhouse. The girls helped set up the table while the others read the books at the living room. Holden would sometimes call me to assist him identify the ingredients written on the cookbook.

"This is heaven!", Zinnia exclaimed. We were all seated at the table for dinner. "I haven't eaten anything as good as this, ever".

Everyone agreed. "How did you learn to cook, Holden?", Zinnia asked.

"I used to help my pap because we have this small eatery at our place. He would make something really good out of what my mam could find at the market ", he answered.

"If you live a good life at home, why did you come here to become a Ranger?", Clovis asked.

"It used to be a good life", Holden said. "Until my mam got sick, it was cancer the doctor said. My pap would not leave her side so the eatery stopped operating. The savings that was supposed to be for my education was used for the medicines. Even our house was sold, just to keep her alive. But in the end, she did not survive. When my pap learned about it, he got a heart attack and I was left alone homeless. So, when I heard that Copulo de Uno was recruiting, I immediately signed up because I have nowhere left to go."

"It's okay, Holden. From now on, you are not alone because you have us. We are you're family now", Naila said. "Right, guys?"

"Yeah", Cassius seconded with his mouth full. "and I will not question your cooking prowess ever again".

We all laughed.

"I wanted to join the Rangers because they inspire me", Clovis said voluntarily.

"Really? How?", Alouette said with raised eyebrows.

"When I was younger, some mercenaries got me. I've seen them do things I would really like to forget. I thought I was gonna die there, but I was saved by the Rangers. They even got me a foster home in Streams and made sure the family I stayed with understood my situation before they left me. My foster family did love me like I was their own child, helped when I have nightmares. They actually don't want me to leave when I told them of my decision to become a ranger. But they agreed when I explained them why".

"You're too good to be true, man", Cassius said.

We all laughed. "So we got a hero right here", Brick said. "Us, we don't have any choice you know. Living in the Circu is just so hard. Poverty isn't just just our enemy out there. Everything ugly just gathers in that place. Criminals, thugs, prostitutes, murders here and there, fights, you name it."

"Right", Nereus agreed. When we heard this place is recruiting, I just signed up. For me, coming here is an escape from there"

"Nereus did not even read the papers", Milo said laughing.