Camp day is here.
Rhea was all packed. She checked her luggages over and over again to make sure she was not forgetting anything.
"Sweetheart, have you packed your cardigan, the cold is not exactly endurable" her worrisome mother said peeping through the door.
"I know mum, I am not a kid anymore" Rhea answered.
"Just for the record of it, you always forget things whenever we go on vacation as kid. Did you take enough panties already. A birdie told me there are no malls in the camp area" Daniel said as he stepped into his sister's room.
"Daniel!" Rhea fumed. "I am going to kill you today" She jumped from her bed and ran towards her brother but the teenage boy was faster.
"Mum, did you see that?" Rhea angrily said.
"Do not mind that sweetheart, he is still a kid"
"That is what you will say, he is not anything close to kid. You should let me smack his head once a while".
"Ah.. no in this life time, I do not want to suffer a brain loss". Daniel chipped in from behind his mother.
"It is not like you have brain in the first instance" Rhea mocked.
"Big sis, did you say something... I just can't hear you right now" Daniel retorted.
"Your ears are clogged" Rhea snorted.
"Children!" Laura clapped and the two turned to her with a glare.
"Ah.., Aunt Laura. This is what you call work. Are they Five?"
The all turned and saw Claire resting on the door in a relaxed manner. Her face was filled with amusement.
"Thank goodness you are here my dear, you see this little ones won't stop bickering" Laura complained.
"They are kids after all, it is very likely" Claire answered.
"Claire!" Rhea and Daniel yelled.
"I am going out of here" Daniel said and walked out.
"Are you going or we should leave you behind, students are already at the camp and the opening speech is by 9, this is 7:30 already" Claire voiced.
"I am ready also as you can see" Rhea rolled her eyes.
"Oh, I can't see. I am leaving" Claire said and started walking away from the room.
Rhea shook her head and carried her camping bag. She followed after Claire downstairs. She saw Carter sitting on the couch in the living room with Daniel entertaining him.
"Hey Carter" She acknowledged.
"Rhea, are you ready?" He asked with a smile as he stood up from his seat.
"Yeah"
"Okay then, we should leave now" He said. "Big man—" He turned to Daniel and gave did the bro handshake with him.
The three of them left the house.
"Seriously, we are taking a mini van?" Rhea asked as soon as she saw the mini van vehicle in her driveway.
"Yup, a particular someone said it would be a better ride for us". Carter answered and Claire rolled her eyes.
"Most of the students going for the camp will eventually try to show off their wealth, why not let us just reveal we are unique commoners" Claire explained.
"Okay... that should do then" Rhea laughed but Carter thought about Claire's words 'Commoners'. Was he actually a commoner?.
Carter brushed the thought off and entered the vehicle. Claire sat in the passenger seat while Rhea occupied the back seat.
"This Camp will be one of a kind really, even unexpected people will be there" Claire commented as she scrolled through her phone.
"Why did you say that?" Carter asked.
"There are many uploads already. Even Amelia has uploaded her picture" Claire said.
"You mean Amelia is attending this camp too, isn't she a picky person" Rhea chipped in. She really did not wish to cross part with Amelia ever again. Not even after what happened at the restaurant.
"Well, maybe she wants a change. It's a problem anyways" Claire answered.
The car became silent after that, Carter concentrated on the road, Claire kept on scrolling through social media while Rhea read a novel.
"Here we are" Carter said as the car pulled into a bushy road path. There were lots of cars parked and the place seemed like the way to a forest.
"This camp, is it in the forest?" Rhea asked unbelievably.
"Yup" Claire replied.
"You guys did not tell me!" She snapped.
"Sorry but you never asked" Carter said unapologetically.
"Hmph"
Rhea picked her bag pack angrily and strode away from her friends. She walked ahead of them, Claire who saw this quickly rushed after her.
"Rhea, you can't go ahead just like that, wait up!" Claire called after her as she walked fast trying to catch her pace.
*
"Clear all my schedules for the next five days"
"Eris, are you should you really want to do this, I heard the camp is in a forest. There will be things like mosquitoes and flesh eating animals" Taylor said.
Ever since he heard the location of the camp, he have been trying to talk his friend out of going but the hard headed man will not listen.
"You know we can just donate money as charity to the school. Your presence is not exactly needed" Taylor nagged on like a worrying mother.
'Is he even listening?' He wondered.
"Did you buy everything I will need over there?" Eris finally spoke.
"You really are going there?" Taylor really wanted to bang his head on the hard table.
"There is no need to book an hotel over there, we can just stay in the accommodation provided for us" Eris continued.
"You are so hard headed boss" Taylor finally agreed. He would be going with him after all. Now, he is really wondering if he was a friend, secretary or house boy.
Eris gave him a hard look and he shut his mouth for good.
"Everything is ready, I already asked Phillip to bring them from the house". Taylor said.
"Good".
After a short while, a knock was heard and the door opened revealing a young man.
"Everything is ready sir, you can leave now" He said bowing his head.
"You can take a break Phillip. I will not be around for the next five days" Eris said to the young man.
"Thank you sir" he said and walked out of the office. When he got to a corner where no one could see him, he picked his phone and dialed a number.
"He will be leaving for the camp today" He said and ended the call immediately.
Back in the office, after Philip left, Taylor looked at Eris for a really long time as if trying to pass a message across to him.
"I know" Eris said and stood up making his way to the door. Taylor followed him and they drove to the camp location.
The drive to the forest was not rely a long one so they got there on time. Taylor packed the car and the two of them got out. They surveyed the area. It was not a bad place they thought.
"You are sure you can be safe without any bodyguard" Taylor asked. He looked a bit worried.
"You think I am alone? Then you are dumb" Eris responded. Taylor was dumbfounded. Did he say anything about being worried before? Scratch that.
"It's you after all" Taylor mumbled.
Eris took a step forward with looking and bumped into something. 'This area is arranged for me alone right' he thought with a frown and looked down on the person that just bumped into him.
Rhea who hurriedly walked away from her friends eventually lost her way in the forest. She was not with the map and had foolishly left.
"Curse this damned forest" she groaned as she swat away mosquitoes from her opened arm. She concentrated so much on the mosquitoes feasting on her that she bumped into the person in front of her.
"So— what are you doing here!" She was surprised.
She had bumped into Eris unknowingly. Why was he at the camp. She could bet her life on it that he was not a student and this area she found him was not like the real camp ground.
Everything happened in fleeting moments and before Eris could answer, another man walked to them. Eris did not give Rhea the opportunity to see who it was. He emitted a cold aura that even Rhea felt chills.
"Ah, you are here. She had been waiting for you and she is very pleased you came eventually" The man said.
"I know" Eris answered. "Lead me to her already" he added.
'My boss is officially the dumbest man on Earth with the lowest EQ. He will have plenty explanation to give later' Taylor thought.
The man immediately walked forward while Eris and Taylor followed after him leaving behind astonished Rhea.
'She?' She thought. Was it Amelia again? She wondered. Why does she care anyways, it is not like she had anything going on with him.
"Found you!" Claire who just arrived said and heaved a sigh of relief.
"Rhea.. Christ, don't ever walk away like that" Carter joined them.
"Sorry guys. I didn't mean to get lost" Rhea apologized.
"You are so dumb. Let us go already, the opening speech is about to begin. I heard some big shot will be at this camp with us too" Claire said and the trio started walking to the camp ground using the map.