Break the Sky

Alex hugged his mother, whispering goodbye. He turned to Rose, who was dabbing her cheeks with a lace handkerchief. He gave her a quick kiss and held her hands. "Don't worry about me, Rose." He took in a deep breath. "And if I don't come back--"

"I don't want to think about that..." Her eyes moved down to her brown shoes. Alex lifted her chin up, wiping away her tears with his thumb.

"And if I don't come back, I want you to move on." Rose started to sob, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Rose, I love you," he whispered into her ear. "I will always love you." He let go and said a final farewell to his family, Rose, and Jack. They watched him saunter into the induction building, praying that God would keep him safe.

"Jack, you weren't drafted?" Rose asked, breaking the awkward silence. She raised her eyebrows when he shook his head. She was relieved that at least one of them would still be in the same country with her. "Why not?" she asked, confused. Their graduating class along with two classes before them were drafted as well. Soon, Darren would be receiving a draft notice. He would be turning 18 in the winter.

"My father's part of the government, and I'm going to college," Jack answered. "Therefore, I don't have to wear a uniform and get shot at." He gave her a squeeze. "If you need anything, you know where my house is." Rose nodded as Jack waved goodbye.

Rose and Mr. and Mrs. Gaskarth exchanged a few words before departing. "You're welcome to visit whenever, Rose. I could use the company." Mrs. Gaskarth sniffled, her husband draping an arm around her. "We'll see you soon, Rose."

Rose nodded, murmuring goodbye to the couple. She headed back home to change into her work overalls. She hoped Alex would be okay.

}{

Crawling through mud, jogging in the early morning, marching in time: All of this took weeks to perfect. In Alex's squad were four former classmates along with three other men whom he had never met. The man responsible for all of them was Antonio Kepler, a man six years older than they, who had a sharp mind and a weathered expression. "We are fighting for our country. She needs us more than ever. Don't just fight for our beloved President, but fight for your loved ones, your siblings, your comrades...Don't forget what is at stake," Kepler shouted this speech during the rough ride in the vehicle.

Out the soldiers went into the camps, meeting and talking to their friends within the area. Kepler disappeared into one of the tents, which made Alex feel alone and awkward. He stood on the border, watching the trucks drive to and fro. The drivers must be incredibly tired. The drivers had been shipping soldiers over to this area since a week ago. Though they did have shifts, driving loads of men still seemed to take a toll on them.

A hand clapped onto his shoulder. "You're in my squad, right?" Alex turned around and saw two of the three men he did not know. They both had dark hair, but the boy in front of him had combed his back, while the other's was short. Alex nodded. "I'm Zachary Merrick, but you can call me Merrick. This is Rian Dawson." Merrick motioned to the man next to him, who waved.

"Call me Rian, or Dawson. Doesn't really matter."

Alex nodded again. "My name's Alexander Gaskarth. You can call me Alex, or Gaskarth." He shrugged. His new friends decided to drag him back to the camp area for some fun.

}{

Rose tried her best to weld the metal pieces onto the frame of the plane but was unable to. Her thoughts were focused on Alex, who had left a week ago. Her mind could not help but drift back to him, especially since she had received no letters from him, or any indication that he had received her letters.

"Rose, you look worried," Jamie, a new friend, pointed out. She grabbed the piece of iron from Rose's hands after putting on a welding mask and pulling up her curly blonde hair. She took the torch from Rose's hands. "I think you should take a break." Jamie gave Rose a reassuring smile, going back to work.

"Rose, we were just talking about you." Lauren pointed to a seat next to her. The other women were assembling bombs, fitting the pieces neatly together. It was more complicated than it seemed: More powder than needed, and the bomb may explode earlier than necessary. Too little, and it may not make enough impact.

"Your boyfriend went to war, didn't he?" The other women looked up at the newcomer and greeted her. They were very focused in what they were creating.

"Yes, he did."

"My husband went to war, too. So did Lauren's, Kathryn's, and even Tammy's. Honey, you're not alone." A woman smiled sadly. "We'll keep the boy in our prayers. What's his name?"

Rose took in a deep breath:

"Alexander Gaskarth."