My Step Brother's Obsession - Carly #2

Sergeant Caspian Hollingway

Caspian

I wasn't intending on spying on anyone, but when I saw Charlie head up to Star Point, I had to go and check if he was okay. He didn't talk much and was reserved. Kyler and Bulldog JR came to me and told me how well he was interacting with Carly Evans. I just wasn't in shock. I was downright surprised that he was actually talking and taking the time to get to know someone at the camp. All the other kids seemed to stay clear of him. He was a reserved kid who didn't like to mingle with others. The other kids thought he was an oddball and voiced it often though they were supposed to respect other kids here and they were taught they were no different than them.

To my utter surprise, he had taken Carly, though not completely surprised she had this way of getting under your skin and staying there. I'd noticed it with Kyler and Bulldog JR. They were besotted with her, even Curtis had praised her abilities and never said a wrong word against her.

I had to admit what I'd heard about her mother. I can see where she gets her kindness from her mother, who wanted to make a difference after all the shit went down with Carly's father. My brother, Bulldog and Hayes had shown, her mother the respect and admiration she was worthy of.

This was one of her many facilities to help children like she once was. She wanted to prove to everyone that respect is earned not given, after everyone who she trusted and respected had let her down; she never saw the camp the same way after that. She had felt betrayed by the people she respected and looked up to, it took years for her to forgive and more to respect those who had done it to her. Bulldog and Hayes left shortly after pursuing other jobs. Bulldog is the head of the high school where Carly attends. And a damn good one.

Hayes is in internal affairs. No one hardly sees him anymore. As for my brother, he still thinks he's the boss of everything because Carly put him over 30% of the camps she has, the other 70%. The ones that aren't army run are those which are open during summer months for kids to meet new people and make friends. They deal with a range of topics no one clearly looks at, which include self harm, bulimia, anorexia and anxiety. She also has offices and help for those who are dealing with PTSD. She's a truly amazing woman and if Carly grows up to be like her she'll be so proud.

I follow behind Charlie, not too close but far enough that he isn't aware I'm there. I saw Carly heading that way around twenty minutes ago but I haven't seen her return as yet. I followed behind, walking up the steep hill to the top. The sky is clear tonight and you can see the stars flashing in the sky. No wonder the kids and my regiment come up here to relax and push the shitty day they've had away. It's peaceful and calming. I stood watching from a distance as he approached her. She looked mildly surprised to see him but didn't say anything about him being there disturbing her peace. I smiled as I listened to their conversation flow. She had this way of wording her sentences appropriately to the subject, which I found most intriguing for a girl of her age. She sat and listened to him intently and with interest she didn't seem bored of his conversation or what it was about. I smiled as she gave him her advice, something I never had once expected her to go through or be going through. She was being bullied for being the person she felt most comfortable being and now I understand she was angry and lashed out because she'd simply had enough. Now we at least had something to work with.

The words I was most proud of were her saying he was unique. Not once had I heard that word before coming from a teenager's mouth telling another teenager they were unique, but she had and the smile on his face was worth a million stars in the sky.

They parted ways. This conversation gave me my final decision. Although I had watched her during the training and was making the effort to bring the team together and share their thoughts as a true team leader, then I knew we needed someone like Carly to be here working with kids who didn't feel comfortable talking to us because they found us scary. This had made the final decision, watching her with Charlie and saying the things she'd said to him to make someone smile that brightly was an achievement on its own. Carly was unique, even if she disagreed, she was.