CHAPTER 165: CHAPTER 160: ST. GEORGE’S PARK [II]

Dormitory Wing

3:25 PM

The dormitory building was modern and functional with rooms arranged along corridors that smelled faintly of cleaning products and new carpet, and Demien found Room 214 on the second floor near the stairwell.

His key card worked smoothly and the door opened to reveal a standard setup—two single beds on opposite walls, desk and chair by the window, ensuite bathroom visible through a half-open door, and England crest mounted on the wall above each bed.

His kit bag had been delivered and sat on the floor beside the nearest bed, while the other bed showed signs of occupancy—a different bag already unpacked with training gear laid out neatly.

Demien dropped his carry-on and sat on his bed heavily, and the exhaustion that had been building since his five AM alarm finally crashed over him completely.

He needed to unpack, needed to shower, needed to use those compression boots Dr. Patterson mentioned, but for just a moment he sat still and let his body rest.

A knock came at the door—firm and confident—and before Demien could respond it opened to reveal someone he recognized immediately.

Kayden Muir stood in the doorway wearing an England tracksuit with Manchester City training shorts underneath, and the eighteen-year-old midfielder’s presence filled the space naturally because this was someone comfortable being the center of attention.

His light brown skin and styled hair matched every photo Demien had seen in transfer rumor articles, and his smile was easy as he leaned against the doorframe.

"Alright? Just checking in on the new faces." Kayden’s tone was casual and welcoming. "You settling in okay?"

Demien stood instinctively before responding.

"Yeah, all good. Just got back from medical."

"Cool. I’m Kayden, by the way—though you probably already know that." He grinned without arrogance. "Welcome to the squad, mate. First camp?"

"First England camp, yeah."

"Serie A though, that’s cold. Different level from what most of us are doing." Kayden pushed off the doorframe slightly. "Anyway, just wanted to say welcome properly. Most of the boys have known each other for years through the system, so it can feel a bit cliquey at first. Don’t stress it though—everyone’s sound once you’re around for a bit."

The gesture felt genuine rather than obligatory, and Demien appreciated the directness.

"Appreciate that. Thanks."

"Dinner’s at six if you’re hungry. Some of us usually head down around five-thirty before it gets busy." Kayden nodded toward the corridor. "Your roommate’s Owen, the Everton left-back. He’s new too, so you’re both figuring it out together."

"Good to know."

"Safe." Kayden raised a fist and Demien bumped it before the Manchester City midfielder stepped back into the corridor. "See you at dinner, yeah?"

"Yeah, see you there."

Kayden disappeared toward the stairwell and his footsteps faded, leaving Demien alone in the quiet room.

He sat back down and processed the interaction, recognizing it for what it was—the squad’s most prominent player making an effort to welcome the new arrivals and ease the transition into an established group.

He finally stood and began unpacking properly, hanging his formal England blazer in the small closet and organizing his training gear on the desk, and the routine movements helped settle his mind.

Team Briefing

4:30 PM

The briefing took place in a modern conference room on the ground floor with chairs arranged in rows facing a presentation screen, and Demien entered to find most of the squad already seated in small clusters.

Reece Darlow sat with Jamal Whitmore near the front, both leaning back casually like they’d done this a hundred times, while Tommy Grayson occupied an entire row by himself because his height made sitting comfortably difficult in standard conference chairs.

Kayden Muir was surrounded by what appeared to be the Manchester City contingent—three other players Demien didn’t immediately recognize though their body language suggested club familiarity.

Demien took a seat near the middle in an empty row, and within a minute two other new faces sat nearby—both looking slightly less comfortable than the established squad members.

The coaching staff entered at exactly four-thirty and the room quieted immediately, and a man in his mid-forties wearing England coaching gear stepped to the front.

"Good afternoon everyone. For those who don’t know me, I’m Lee Carsley, head coach for the England U21s. Welcome to camp."

His accent was distinctly English and his demeanor carried the confidence of someone who’d played professionally before transitioning to coaching, and his eyes scanned the room while he spoke.

"We’ve got two important matches this window—Italy away on Friday, then Germany at home on Tuesday. Both are competitive fixtures, both matter for our qualifying campaign, and both will test us properly."

He gestured toward the screen where the schedule appeared.

"Training starts tomorrow morning at nine. Full session, high intensity, tactical work in the afternoon. Wednesday is lighter—recovery and set pieces. Thursday we travel to Italy. Friday we play. Saturday we return, Sunday recovery, Monday prep, Tuesday we play again."

The information was delivered efficiently without unnecessary elaboration, and several players made notes on their phones while others simply listened.

"Now, introductions. We have three new call-ups joining us this window." Carsley’s eyes found each of them in turn. "Harvey Keane, center-back from Brighton. Stand up, Harvey."

A tall player near the back stood briefly—sandy hair, athletic build, clearly uncomfortable with the attention—and the room gave polite applause before he sat quickly.

"Owen Blake, left-back from Everton. Owen?"

Another player stood two rows ahead—shorter and stockier with dark hair—and the applause repeated before he dropped back into his seat.

"And Demien Walter, midfielder from Atalanta in Serie A. Demien?"

Demien stood and several heads turned to look properly this time rather than the brief glances from earlier, and the applause came with what felt like slightly more interest because Serie A carried different weight than the Championship.

He sat back down as Carsley continued.

"All three of you have earned your place here through strong performances for your clubs. We’re looking forward to seeing what you can do at international level."

The coach moved through the rest of the briefing—tactical philosophy, behavioral expectations, media protocols—and the meeting ended at five-fifteen with instructions to be ready for breakfast at seven-thirty tomorrow.

As the room emptied, players broke naturally into groups that revealed the existing social structure—Premier League boys gravitating together, the few playing abroad forming a smaller cluster, newcomers hovering uncertainly at the edges.

Reece Darlow walked past with Jamal Whitmore and Elliot Ford, the three of them laughing about something while completely comfortable in each other’s presence, and their conversation switched seamlessly from English banter to discussing Bundesliga tactics when Jamal mentioned something about Dortmund’s pressing system.

Near the door, Leo Merrick was demonstrating a skill move to two younger players who watched with genuine interest, and his voice carried enthusiasm as he explained the mechanics.

"You sell it with your eyes first, yeah? Look left, body goes left, then boom—right foot takes it right. They’re already leaning wrong."

Tommy Grayson stood alone organizing something on his phone, his height making him look isolated even in a crowded room, though his expression suggested he preferred it that way.

Kayden Muir was at the center of the largest group—five or six players listening to a story he was telling with animated hand gestures, and whatever the punchline was it triggered genuine laughter that echoed across the room.

Demien walked out alone and headed back toward the dormitory wing, passing other players in the corridors who nodded politely without engaging in conversation, and the dynamic was clear—almost everyone here had come up through England’s youth system together, had shared rooms at U15 camps and played alongside each other at U17 tournaments and developed relationships over years of international windows.

He was one of the few faces from abroad—an outsider, but with eyes watching him.