Break the Sky

He woke up, sitting up and rubbing his head. A hand was on his chest.

A female hand.

His clothes had been thrown on the floor. His bare chest was being groped by Ismene, who mumbled some words he could not understand. Rian was not there to translate for him. Alex dressed himself quickly and said goodbye to the girl who was holding a blanket to cover her chest. She was confused and so was he.

The men were outside, eating breakfast. Some of his comrades whistled, applauding him. Dawson looked disappointed. Merrick was surprised. "So, you and Irene?" Merrick asked, lighting his cigarette. "Thought you were going to be faithful to your girl back home. Whatever her name is." He passed Alex a letter. "Speaking of your girl, she sent you a letter. Kepler told me to give it to you."

"Ismene. Her name was Ismene," Alex replied, noticing the envelope was already open. His friends must have read the contents already, which would explain the looks on their faces. Alex felt a sharp pang of guilt when he realized Rose was back in a different country, taking care of his parents and waiting for him to return home. He unfolded the letter, reading the contents inside:

Dear Alex,
You haven't replied to the last letter I sent you, but I thought it was time that I wrote you another letter.

Your mother and father have been nothing but kind to me. I think they are two of the nicest people I have ever come to know. They miss you dearly, as do I. We cannot wait until you come home. I'm sure you have changed since we last saw each other in July, but no matter what, you will still be my Alex: The boy I have come to love very much.

As for our little town, not much has changed. Jack and I eat lunch together on Saturdays and catch up on everything. Jack wants to remind you that he still owes you an Indian Rug Burn, because you lost a game of Go Fish in June.

I hope you are well, and I would love to hear more about Zachary and Rian. They seem like a pair of interesting characters.Sincerely With love,

Rose

The guilt he felt now was much worse than before. There was no way she could ever love him as much as she did if she learned of his fling in Europe. Rose could never know of what happened between Alex and Ismene. Rose would never trust him again. And what would his parents think?

Wouldn't they be embarrassed by their son's actions?

The troops moved on, to Alex's relief. To him, Ismene would just be another girl in some foreign country. To Ismene, Alex would just be another soldier passing through her country. A romantic encounter to tell her girlfriends and children in the coming years.

But Alex had to somehow comprehend the blur of the night before: Kissing. Shedding of clothes. Somehow, finding their way to the bed...he stopped.

Having intercourse with Ismene was a mistake. His stupid hormones drove him to the point of cheating on someone who he, apparently, loved. This could not be worse for Alex.

But what if Rose was cheating on him with his best friend? Jack and Rose could have been together with out Alex, or anyone for that matter, knowing. Just the thought of them together made Alex's blood boil.

"Get down!"

Gun shots. Airplanes shooting at them. The chaotic scene left some dead while others scurried to find a place to hide. Alex sprinted to a bush, but he did not make it in time to be unwounded. A bullet drove into his arm, causing him to clutch his arm and keep going. Blood seeped through his uniform as a battle in the sky took place. Alex kept dashing towards a bush but was shot again. He fell, feeling the warm fluid drip down his forearm and from his chest.

He felt a pair of arms drag him to safety. "He's wounded!" someone shouted.

The rest was a blur.

}{

Another month, and no letters from Alex. Rose and Mrs. Gaskarth feared for the worst. Jack also started to find more time to visit the Gaskarths more often in order to console them. Jack and Rose still met for lunch every Saturday, catching up on each other's lives and such.

Early Winter

Rose was standing in front of the door, knocking. "Mrs. Gaskarth, I made you a cake." She opened the door casually, very used to entering the house without permission. "Because Alex's birthday--"

In the kitchen was a familiar face with a bandaged arm and an upset expression. He did not look up or greet Rose. Alex hung his head, standing in the middle of the kitchen, not bothering to notice what was going on around him.

"Alex?" Rose was shocked. The letters he never replied to. The things that occurred in Europe. The people he had met. The training he had been through. The words he wrote to her. Nothing about him being hurt.

The reality of war was in front of her, wounded and sad.