𝙱𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙰𝙶𝙴𝚂, 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴

𝟎𝟎. 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄. 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

"You know, you're going to make me proud. I'm sorry your mother couldn't make it," Frank Lane spoke, hugging his only daughter as tight as he could. It was unknown the pain she'd endure, how long she'd be gone and when-if- she made it back.

Dorothy closed her eyes, inhaling the scent of her dad's cologne- the same one he had used when she picked it out at the age of four. "I'm glad she's not here. She'd ruin it. I love you," She said, squeezing him just a little tighter and releasing him from her grip.

He looked at her for a moment, soaking up her appearance as though he'd never see her again- just as he did for her twin Wilson. "Both of my kids are in the military, one legal and one- is this even legal?" He asked, his brows furrowed together as he rethought any laws he might know.

"Of course, and if not, then I'm an exception," Dorothy said, pride shining through her as she thought of the idea of being an exception.

Frank smiled goofily, "As you should be. I love you."

Dorothy smiled faintly, slightly nodding her head as he began to leave. Katie and Joe were beside her, excited as one could be to say goodbye to their friend. Dottie and Kathryn shared a look, one mixed with sadness and pride with the corners of their lips drawn down. "Oh I am going to miss you too much," Katie cried, pulling Dottie into a tight hug.

"Alright, alright, you'll kill her before she even leaves," Joe stepped in jokingly, after hearing Dottie fake gag from how tight the hug was. "My turn," He pulled Dottie out of Katie's arms and into his.

"You'd better write to us as often as possible," Katie said after Dorothy was released from Joe's hug. Dottie soaked in their appearances, hoping that if she died she wouldn't die alone. That she'd die surrounded by people who make her feel how Joe and Katie make her feel; loved.

Dorothy nodded, "Well of course, as much as possible."

The horn sounded through the station, and the conductor yelled for travelers to board the train. Dorohty tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, picking us her small bag of personal items. She knew she wouldn't need it, but they told her to bring something to wear in case. "I'll miss you guys," She spoke to them for the last time.

She ran to the front of the train, just as the conductor was about to turn away. "Wait, wait I'm here," She yelled, luckily catching his attention.

He raised his brows, tilting his head and shaking his head no as if debating whether or not to allow her on. "You're lucky miss, a second later and you'd be stuck," He said, reaching for the ticket that she held out. "Dorothy E. Lane?" He asked, reading the name on the ticket.

"That's me," She said, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

He nodded, turning around and then spinning back around. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get in," He spoke to her as though she was the most stupid thing in the world.

"Right," She agreed, passing him and finding a seat away from all other passengers. Her train was set for Taccoa, Georgia from Providence, Rhode Island. She was stuck on the train for hours, give and take, switching trains and going to other stations. She hated it, she sat with a great anticipation the whole way.

It was eight'o'cclock when she left Warwick, and eight thirty when she left Providence, she had already been sitting for nineteen hours and the time was three thirty in the morning. She would draw flowers in her pocket sized sketchbook, her boredom seeping through the pages. She had slept peacefully for six hours at around five, just after dinner. There was only ten minutes left of her travel, and she had no clue what she would do for the two hours before she met with Colonel Sink.

Dorothy had been so wrapped up staring at her sketched rose, thinking about the possible experiences she'll have in Toccoa, the airborne unit, all of it. "Ma'am, did you hear me?" A man's voice filled her ears. She jumped, meeting eyes with the conductor.

"Oh, my apologies," She said, gathering her items and leaving the suffocating train.

The sky was darker than the black coal used to fuel the train, stars glittered the sky to let it's viewers know they weren't alone. It was rare to see anyone out at this hour, unless you were leaving or arriving. Familiar people from her travels littered the streets, laughing and sharing final words with others that they had just met.

Dottie could always make friends easily, just as quickly as her rash decisions to participate in risks just for adrenaline rushes. She remembered on a vacation to Paris when she was nine, she had all the adults in Hotel Lutetia wrapped around her innocent little fingers. She knew exactly how to speak with them, and she befriended the children in the hotel fairly quickly and that was because they all wanted peace and that peace was as well found in each other. Her ease with others dissipated throughout the years, and while she held onto her carelessness attitude towards life experiences never changed, she struggled to acquaint herself with strangers.

She huffed, adjusting her bag and looking for any street names that she could use to find her way. It was near a two hour walk to Camp Toccoa, there was a bus stop thirty minutes away she had to walk to in order to catch her four twenty departure. She groaned, glancing at the bus ticket in her hand.

It was four thirteen when Dottie arrived at the bus stop, she sighed in relief as she threw herself down onto the small bench. The walk felt long, it was on a long road that was pitch dark, she needed her flashlight for most of the way- that was until she reached a small town where the stop was located. She felt safer sitting on a lifeless road with shells of homes with ghosts of families in them, rather than the dark road surrounded by wood.

She smiled brightly when the little red bus pulled into its place. "Camp Toccoa, eh? You realize that is an army camp," The plump man with a graying mustache said, putting his thick cigar back into his mouth.

"Oh, yes, of course. And, to my understanding, you can only take me as close to it as Davis Mountain road which is perfect," Dottie said, ignoring any more comments of his and heading towards the back of the bus. She despised the way he had looked at her, like she was a pathetic school girl with no business in going to Camp Toccoa.

Dottie hardly had any time to relax, within ten minutes the bus driver was kicking her out. She mumbled a few profanities upon leaving the bus, she had almost thirty minutes before a certain Second Lieutenant Winters would pick her up.

And so she waited, for the first time in her life she had to play a tremendous waiting game- and that would not be the last.