Goodbye

Lucas Romano is drafted into the war against Eurotas by the Government.

 

Lucas Romano,

You have been selected to serve in the Government Military Defense Programme (GMDP).

This position will involve contributing towards defending our country, Roca, from the invading Eureans. Sufficient training will be provided before you are given any official title.

Please report to Oaktrail Military Headquarters within the next two days for further instruction, details and training. Failure to report to headquarters will result in an imminent investigation. We thank you in advance for you cooperation.

We are required to remind you that any form of alliance or communication with the Rebellion will be treated as a criminal offence, as Rebellion operations are not regulated by the Government.

We congratulate you on behalf of President Gates, and wish you luck in your new position.

_____________________

Lucas stared at the piece of paper that was slowly crumpling in his trembling fingers. His eyes skimmed over the words once more, the inky letters blurring as he started to cry.

He had been nervously awaiting this letter for many weeks, knowing that it would come, but Lucas still felt shocked as he let the letter fall from his hand and onto the floor. Wiping his eyes, he took a few deep breaths, concentrating on the peeling wallpaper in front of him and trying in vain to stop himself from shaking. He was desperately trying to push out the one thought that plagued his mind, that seemed to scream out at him: "You're going to die, you're going to die, you're going to die,".

Lucas moaned, curling up in a ball on the floor and squeezing his eyes shut, hugging his knees as his heart tried to punch its way out of his chest.

"Calm down," he told himself. "You're not going to die."

"I'm not going to die," Lucas whispered aloud, not caring whether it was a lie or not. "I'm not going to die."

________________________

By the time he had calmed down enough to force himself off the ground and start making dinner, it was getting dark outside. Lucas forced himself to take a few bites of the sandwich he'd made, only to have to rush to the bathroom to throw up.

His head swirled with thoughts of where he'd be in a few weeks, how long he was likely to survive. Fear of the future combined with the knowledge that he was powerless to do anything about it left Lucas feeling a despair that he did not know existed, one that seemed to tear his world apart and leave him with no hope to turn to.

Lucas knew that joining the Government Military was a death sentence. His friend, Emily, had been drafted in a few months ago, and was reported KIA only a few days after she had set foot on the battlefield. His father had also been missing for over half a year, but Lucas knew he was dead. The tactics used by the Government were reckless, and often involved sacrificing the lives of many of their own soldiers to reach various objectives that seemingly had no impact on bringing the war to an end.

Thoughts of his father soon led Lucas to think about his remaining close relatives: his aunt and uncle, who he'd seen about twice throughout his life, and his younger brother, Thomas.

"Oh god," he mumbled out loud. "Thomas..."

_____________________

The oak wood felt cold on Lucas' knuckles as he knocked on the door to the house in which his brother was staying. Thomas lived in a temporary children's home- since their father had gone to war, Lucas (being over 16) was allowed to live by himself, but was not yet old enough to look after his younger brother. The idea was, once Lucas turned 18, Thomas would move in with him.

Lucas felt a jolt of fear as he remembered that Thomas would probably never move in with him. He was most worried about how Thomas would react- he'd been going over speeches in his head for the last two hours, trying desperately to think of a way to break the news to him.

A creaking noise caught Lucas' attention as the door opened slightly, a chain stopping it from opening more than a few inches. Two eyes peered out from inside the house, glaring at Lucas suspiciously.

"What do you want?" the man snapped at Lucas.

"Um.. I'm here to see Thomas. Thomas Romano? He's my little brother."

The man sighed, shaking his head. "All visits must be arranged in advanc-"

He was cut off as something- rather, someone pushed past him and unlocked the chain on the door.

"Lucas?"

Thomas was standing on the doormat, a huge grin on his face. He looked very similar to Lucas in many ways- they both had the same dark hair, thin face and olive skin. The only difference in features that stood out was that, while Lucas' eyes were dark brown, Thomas' were green- a characteristic that he had inherited from his mother.

"Thomas!" Lucas exclaimed, picking his brother up and spinning him around. Thomas giggled as he was set back down on the ground, looking ecstatic at the idea of spending time with his older brother.

The man that Thomas had pushed past was shooting daggers at Lucas.

"I told you, all visits must-"

"It's important," Lucas intterupted. The man, furious at having been interrupted twice, took a menacing step towards Lucas.

"You cannot visit now!" he seethed, close to shouting.

"I need to," Lucas protested. "I won't be long, just please, this is vital."

The man was about to lecture Lucas on the importance of arranging these kinds of visits in advance, but was distracted by a loud crashing sound coming from inside the house, followed by laughter from the children.

"Crap," he muttered, running back inside to see what damage had been caused. Lucas decided to take this as a "Sure".

Thomas was still smiling up at Lucas, his emerald eyes sparkling.

"You're 18 now," Thomas said, as if this was news to Lucas. "And that means... I can move in with you!"

Lucas felt a pang of guilt as his brother jumped up and down ecxitedly.

"No, Thomas." Thomas frowned, looking up at Lucas carefully.

Sighing, Lucas held Thomas' hands. "There's something I've got to tell you."

Thomas recognised those words. They meant that someone had died, or that something bad was happening. He pulled away from Lucas, covering his ears with his hands and shutting his eyes. "No!" he yelled. "No! I don't want to know, whatever it is!"

Lucas gently pulled Thomas' arms down to his sides and rubbed his back soothingly.

"You have to listen, Thomas," he whispered, close to tears but forcing himself to appear strong for his brother's sake. He took a deep breath. "I got a letter yesterday, Thomas. I have to leave, and... and go to war."

Saying the words out loud was terrifying- not only was Lucas scared of Thomas' reaction, but it reminded him of the reality of the situation.

Thomas stared at Lucas, willing it to be a lie, some kind of sick joke, and when he saw that it wasn't, he started to sob.

"Shh, shh," said Lucas comfortingly, pulling his brother into a hug and allowing the tears he had been holding back to spill over his eyelids. "It's okay, it's okay, everything's gonna be fine," he murmured softly, trying to convince himself of the lie more than Thomas. Thomas said nothing, just cried silently on Lucas' shoulder, gripping onto him tightly, scared that if he let go, he'd never get him back again.

Eventually, Thomas pulled away, wiping his face with his sleeve and sniffing loudly. "How- how long until you have to...?"

"I've got to leave tomorrow," Lucas choked, ashamed that his younger brother was keeping it together better than he was.

Nodding slowly, Thomas sniffed again and then rushed back inside the house, yelling "Wait there!" as he sprinted up the stairs two steps at a time. He returned a couple of minutes later, holding a small box. Carefully lifting up the lid, Thomas pressed the object into Lucas' palm.

"It's a pendant," Thomas explained as Lucas held it up for inspection. It was a simple loop of thin rope, holding a piece of metal shaped to look like a dove. "I don't know what it is really, but I found it on the ground a while ago, and thought it was kinda cool, so... I thought maybe you'd like it."

Managing a weak smile, Lucas pulled the pendant over his head, running his finger over the smooth metal. "I- it's lovely. Thank you."

Lucas sighed sadly, giving Thomas a quick hug before forcing himself to pull away. "I've got to go," he said, feeling his hands start to shake again. "I have'nt even started packing, and I need to sort out where you'll stay... while I'm away," Lucas finished carefully. He was expecting Thomas to protest, but he merely nodded.

"I know," Thomas sighed, fresh tears springing to his eyes.

"I'll call as soon as I can, I promise," Lucas said guiltily, hating that he had to leave so soon.

Thomas nodded again.

"I'll try my best to come back, you know," Lucas said sincerely, though he doubted he'd be able to.

"I know."

"Goodbye, Thomas," whispered Lucas, gripping the dove pendant with one hand and hugging his brother with the other.

Thomas shut his eyes for a while, and then looked up at his brother one last time, his eyes watery.

"Goodbye."

Author's Note

Dialogue Okay? Too sappy? I know it's lacking in description right now, but I had to cram a lot into this chapter. Anyway, let me know what you think.