Chapter 26

A Chapter by BrynnaW.

Nobody really worked out in the fitness room before it was time for dinner because we were all too busy trying on our uniforms to see how they fit. The guys in the group started messing around and acting out what they thought it was like in the war. One guy acted as though he had been shot. He fell into an unexpecting woman and whispered to her that he loved her. The man pushed some of her hair out of her face while gently touching her cheek. Very slowly, he let himself go. Then, after being still for a couple moments, he stood back up with a broad grin on his face. It made me smile to see this but, also, brought me thinking about the possibility of death. Part of me said that I could look him in the face but the other part… the other part was afraid of what it’d see.

Aiden didn’t sit by me during dinner. I felt better and my skin was no longer sensitive. He hadn’t known about any of it from the beginning, though. Evie and Harriett talked to me but they couldn’t fill Aiden’s vacant seat. We went to the fitness room after dinner to jog. Then we went to bed. As the commander said, the next days, weeks, months, or years would be hell.

Around midnight I woke from a terrifying nightmare and wanted to wake Aiden to apologize. I didn’t move, I needed to see if he was already awake.

“Aiden?” I asked quietly.

“Yeah, Kit?” He replied.

“I’m sorry… Did I wake you?”

“No, I’ve been up…”

“Oh… Listen, I’m sorry about this morning. I didn’t feel very well. My skin was sensitive, I was burning up, and my hands were really sweaty.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I tried to but the commander was talking and then he yelled at me so… Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Are you feeling any better?”

“I have to when you’re around,” I laughed quietly, “Aiden, what do you think the war’s like? Are you afraid of dying?”

“I think everyone’s afraid of dying but everyone deals with it differently.”

“What about you? How do you deal with it?”