[h3]Cameron[/h3] 

[b]Location:[/b] Cafeteria 
[b]Allies:[/b] Maeve, Alistair, AJ, Vali  

Taunt after taunt washed over the distraught boy, but Cams didn’t absorb anything. He was adrift in the tide of fear which was choking the air out his lungs by the mouthfuls. White dots began swimming about in his vision and pretty soon the child was in danger of suffocating himself. His desperation manifested in the clawing fingers that left a trail of angry red running down his cheeks, some were even deep enough to have dots of blood bubbling from the center. 

[color=red][i]"Hush, you're going to be fine."[/i][/color]

The frightened child’s eyes cracked open and he stared into Maeve’s face. Usually he’d be freaked out at the sight of so much blood, but there was a soothing aura radiating from her kind face. Numbly, Cams nodded slowly then pursed his lips. He choked a sniffle while Maeve freed his feet from the self-made prison and, without thinking, the grateful child threw his arms round her waist. He buried, as he murmured “[color=darkkhaki]Dzięki[/color]” repeated before realizing what he said. Pulling away, he looked into her eyes with loads of admiration. “[color=darkkhaki]Thank you.[/color]”   

Cams paused, suddenly feeling a little more self-conscious. People, Asylums and students, were crowding round him and Maeve. All of them watching. An icy finger radiated from the center of his chest and Cameron’s eyes were pulled down to the floor. His cheeks grew warmer by the minute and his lips several shades paler. This unwanted attention sickened the quiet boy, who enjoyed nothing more than hiding away in the quiet library or the sanctity of his bedroom. Every single muscle in his body tightened in anticipation as Cams entertained the thought of running away until he could reach of his bedroom. He pursed his lips again. 

“[color=darkkhaki]I – I – I…[/color]” he stopped in mid-sentence, unsure whether he could stop stuttering. Somehow, with his whole body trembling so badly and his heart going at double (or even triple) its normal pace, he doubted he would. “[color=darkkhaki]I b-b-be fine…[/color]” 

The blue eyes that stared determinedly into Maeve’s eyes pulled away again. “[color=darkkhaki]Thank you.[/color]” He pulled his arms behind his back and wiggled his left foot, wishing he could find enough courage to run away right now. And he almost did, till a familiar monotonous voice spoke up. “[color=darkkhaki]AJ?[/color]” He whispered without even looking up. Cams’ arms dropped to his sides again and nodded briefly more to acknowledge AJ’s presence but it also served as an answer to Alistair’s question.

AJ was nice and familiar and his childhood friend since they were very little, so having AJ around always helped a lot. Sadly, Cams realized not everyone realized that. Based on the rumors he overheard occasionally among the students, many of them seemed to think his friend was a little cold and maybe too harsh. Cameron, however, believed otherwise. Maybe AJ wasn’t nice the way people thought a nice person should behave, but AJ was okay, really, if people gave him the chance. 

[color=f6989d][i]“There’s no need to be so rude. I thought it was rather impressive! Phasing through solid objects is something most veteran alchemists struggle to manage, and he even succeeded in making a fine recovery! Or at least I think he did. I see no pieces of rock protruding from his body, nor do the cavities his body appear to have filled with concrete… That can get very nasty."[/i][/color]

“[color=darkkhaki]… oh, I panicked and could do better,[/color]” Cams reminded the man dressed in pink who had joined the conversation too. He nodded again then pulled his head up such that his worried eyes met the man’s. “[color=darkkhaki]I – thank you.[/color]” He smiled a bit, rapidly thinking of a way to diffuse any animosity that continue towards his friend. “[color=darkkhaki]Can I actually get rocks and concrete mixed into my body?[/color]” The innocent question barely masked the curiosity that was beginning to replace the embarrassment the boy felt at being thrust into the spotlight soon after his panic attack. “[color=darkkhaki]We haven’t seen that many casts fail in class.[/color]”
 
The disappointment at being interrupted at what promised to be a very satisfying discussion translated into the crestfallen expression on Cams’ face, but luckily, he managed to push his true feelings under yet another mask, the one that he often wore whenever he came into contact with the esteemed instructors that were supposed to guide them towards being better soldiers. It wasn’t like he didn’t respect these old-timers, but he wasn’t entirely sure he’d ever be friends with them. They seemed too – [i]how should he put it? Too dead inside, although still human deep down.[/i] Their volatile personalities reminded him of soldiers suffering from PTSD after returning from the battlefield and that was more than enough to deter him from hanging around them too much. 

“[color=darkkhaki]Sir?[/color]” was the only thing Cameron ever said from the moment Geko began his sermon about understanding and mastering one’s fears. Cams remained silent, but his eyes shone brightly, while his overactive mind began absorbing and analyzing the words of wisdom spoken by the Lost Number. A part of him though remained aware of his surroundings, thus he snapped out of his current passive mode the moment he heard the change in Geko’s voice. “[color=darkkhaki]I – guys![/color]” 

The boy felt himself pulled along by his protectoress and he followed meekly, though he twisted his body a little, reaching out stubbornly for AJ. His eyes met Alistair’s again. “[color=darkkhaki]Please,[/color]” he mouthed, feeling the panic returning, but this time he was concerned about his friend getting lost in the crowd and possibly hurt – 

– light blinded them and a shrieks from the Chrono stirred something deep inside Cams, awakening the primal self-preservation instincts that had been honed in each student from Day 1 at Innocence and with it came a new found understanding.  [i]Yes, their group – him, AJ and their new friends – could run like frightened rats towards the safety of the burrows but get lost and hurt in the process,[/i] a stern voice reminded him, [i]or they could figure out a safer route.[/i] He screwed his eyes shut and took a deep breath to clear his head. Gently, Cams reached for Maeve’s sleeve. 

“[color=darkkhaki]We shouldn’t go into the halls,[/color]” he whispered. “[color=darkkhaki]There’s another route,[/color]” he continued, as he pointed towards the broken walls on the far side of the wreck. “[color=darkkhaki]Not many people go there but I went there once… me and MB.[/color]” He didn’t have the words to explain stuff now in this do or die situation, but his gut feeling told him that they’d be safer if they used this alternate route towards the underground bunkers.