Chapter 14

                                    

                                          
Returning to the Van der Linde camp makes Ada feel a little queasy. Even though it's a different location, the atmosphere of the place is still the same. When the view of it emerges between the trees, it's a similar layout to their previous camp except for the addition of a lake over to the right. The perimeter is surrounded by tall trees, hiding its existence well. It's nice, Ada has arguably done them a favour. The darkening sky acts as a blanket over the area, where the majority of the camp's members are seated in the middle around an inviting campfire.
                          
"The hell is she doing back here?" John scoffs at her arrival, leaning on his repeater while he stands at his guard post.  
                          
She's too drained to argue back and instead throws a glare his way. Dutch dismounts and claps a hand to his back to lead him in the direction of the campfire. "You wait here," he adds as an afterthought over his shoulder to Ada. 
                          
She dismounts from his horse and walks round to his front. Admittedly, he is beautiful. She strokes down his nose and the scratches behind his ears, just like she used to with Tula. He doesn't appear to enjoy it quite as much as she did. Looking over to the campfire, everyone is listening to Dutch as he talks animatedly, hands gesturing expertly to convey whatever message he has for them. A few of the faces spare a glance in Ada's direction. 
                          
The only woman that doesn't look like she's in her twenties stands up and Dutch holds his hand up for her to sit back down. She does, and he grabs something she passes to him before walking back to Ada. 
                          
"We'll put you over here," he motions to the left. 
                          
"Is that a bedroll?" she asks and nods at what's in his hand. 
                          
He nods once. "You'll even get a tent if you behave." 
                          
"Behave?" she scoffs. She'll be damned if he's going to make her sleep outside on the floor like an animal. "I have an entire home back in Goswal, Van der Linde." 
                          
"Like Arthur said," he sighs, "they'll be after you now. You can't go back." 
                          
"What about my stuff?" 
                          
"Tomorrow." He stretches his neck to the side. "I'll send someone out with you and you can get whatever you need. You can contribute some of said stuff to camp, too." 
                          
His unbounded bossiness grates on Ada, already needling under her skin despite her residence totalling all of five minutes. "Oh, can I now? How kind of you." 
                          
He gives her a look of annoyance before beginning to walk to where he wants her to stay. 
                          
"Wait," she says and he stops to turn around, likely bracing himself for whatever she's going to argue about next. "Can I at least go on that side?" She points over to the right. 
                          
"Why?" 
                          
"I... I wouldn't mind at least being close to the river." With so many sleepless nights, being able to look out over the water will make this whole thing much more tolerable. 
                          
He raises his eyebrows and looks to the river before shrugging, "I don't see why not." He walks past her and she follows him, surprised he didn't disagree out of spite, to the side of the camp where he places down the bedroll. 
                          
"There's a pot over there with stew. You can help yourself, might sober you up a little too." 
                          
She furrows her brow at him. Half his camp is drunk and he wants her to sober up? "I'm okay," she shakes her head. 
                          
"You need to eat," he says. 
                          
"I'll eat," she sits down on the inane bedroll with her legs crossed, "when I feel like eating." She's mainly being defiant for the sake of it, she just doesn't want him to tell her what to do.