Dealt with by the ruthless hands of fate, Kayla and Travis finds themselves in the military, fighting rebels and insurgents, a path they never thought they would take. Find out what happens when these two meet and how they break out of the shackles...
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My life was perfect. With loving and caring parents and an adorable little brother, I couldn't ask for more.
Our family wasn't one of those auspiciously wealthy families, but was way beyond poor.
My father, a retired soldier, ran a coffee shop in the neighbourhood while my mum was a teacher in Lorries high, the same school I and Danny my little brother attended.
Asides helping my dad in the coffee shop every evening after school, I had dreams and aspirations, just like every kid out there.
I'ld sit outside the coffee shop with my drawing book and pencils and sketch people and anything that caught my eyes. It was no doubt I loved art.
To me, art was an escape from the cruelty and harshness of the world. I'ld sit with my materials and the rest of the world becomes a blur. Gone. Like it didn't exist, even though I was in it.
I had every part of my room covered in my artworks. My artworks, were my greatest and most treasured assets.
But fate has its way of laughing in our faces. Like a thief, it steals all your dreams, and let you wallow in the aftermath: pain, sadness and emptiness. One that sometimes, was irrecoverable.
October 1997
"Mum, dad, look what I made". I ran from my bedroom into the sitting room with my newest artwork, a big smile etched on my face.
My footsteps faltered, the happy smile on my face slowly, melted away. The hand holding the paper retracted down at the cold ambience.
Mum and dad were sitted on a couch, their faces and attention magneted to the large flat screen TV that stood in front of the room.
Danny sat between them, his attention focused on the Batman toy which sat in between his small legs, completely oblivious of what was happening.
The United States is under attack from the North Koreans. Report has it that, the state is suffering from high fatality rate as many of our soldiers have been killed by the North Korean soldiers. As a result, the president called for an emergency meeting and came to the conclusion that each family, donates a member to be recruited into the military. Failure to do so, will attract severe punishment. Remember, it is our responsiblity to keep this nation safe. Let's secure a better future and safe nation for our generations to come.
"Rubbish!". My dad cursed as soon as the words came out of the mouth of the beautiful blond newscaster . "How on earth do they expect civilians to fight against North Korean soldiers?".
"That's probably the best decision they could come up with. Jesus! This is alot worse than I thought". My mum said rubbing her head with her hands.
From where I stood, I could see her eyes were already welling up with tears.
For months, the United States and North Korean had been in a prolonged bicker over God-knows-what. Blame my ignorance on my sturdy disinterest in politics.
Nevertheless, no one saw it escalating into something as serious as a war. Atleast I didn't.
"Fucking crap. They should do better in training their soldiers instead of taking people with no military training to the warfront".
"Babe, your words". My mom reprimanded my dad. With hand running frustratingly through his hair, he looked at us and said, "Sorry guys".
I looked from my parents back to the TV where the newscaster was still reading out the news from her script.
Meanwhile, the president has ordered the closure of all schools, restuarants and public places. Parents, ensure your kids remain indoors until safety and peace is restored back to our nation. Thats the news for today. We promise to keep you updated on the...
I stared at the screen, as the newscaster's soprano voice and everyone in the room faded. Even the paper in my hands fell as if it knew that the end was near. No. That the end had come.
