Nineteen-year-old Judith Sanders, a talented photographer, is sent to the front lines to capture the unfiltered reality of war.
Assigned to Easy Company, Judith follows them through Toccoa and into the horrors of war in Europe.
As time goes on, Ju...
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Chapter 2:
The cool morning air stung Judith's cheeks as she stood at the station, her fingers gripping the worn leather handle of her suitcase. The train station was crowded with soldiers, their loved ones, and the echo of last goodbyes, lost in the noise of the crowd talking. But Judith barely heard any of it. She was too focused on her own thoughts.
Her family stood beside her, a small circle of warmth in the cold. Peter clung to Susan's coat, his little nose red and dripping from the cold, while Annie stood beside her father, eyes wide with worry about what was to come.
Judith adjusted the strap of her camera bag. Her father had already said his part the night before. In a quiet moment after dinner, he had taken her aside, looked her straight in the eye, and told her again how proud he was, despite his fears. His words hung in her mind, a quiet reassurance. He had gifted her a necklace. It used to belong to her real mother before she had passed. The piece of jewelry was made of gold and hanging on the fine chain was a small cross.
Judith had already started fiddling with the little pendant, a habit which reminded her father of Judith's mother.
Now, Thomas Sanders merely nodded, his jaw clenched, eyes fixed on the small golden cross, a golden reflection of light on this cold and gray morning. Susan, on the other hand, wasn't holding back. She hugged Judith tightly, whispering a thousand small reassurances in her ear.
"You write to us, okay? And eat well, don't skip meals just because you're busy snapping photos. Show them what you're made of. "
Judith managed a small smile, nodding as she pulled back. She bent down to ruffle Peter's hair and then turned to Annie, who gave her a tight hug.
"We'll be fine," Annie said softly. "Please come back soon." The fourteen-year-old girl tried to hide the silent tear that found its way down her rosy cheek.
Judith smiled, trying to keep her own voice steady. "I will."
The whistle of the train echoed through the station, a high-pitched reminder that it was time to leave. She turned toward the train, giving one last glance to her beloved family before she stepped aboard. Her heart thudded in her chest as she found her seat by the window, gripping her camera bag like a lifeline. The knuckles on her hand white from the firm grip on the leather.
As the train lurched forward, the station slowly disappeared from view. Judith watched her family grow smaller until they were nothing but specks on the horizon. She exhaled slowly, the realization that this was really happening sinking in. Judith already missed her family, but she didn't regret her decision to go.
The train hummed beneath her, the rhythmic clatter of wheels on the tracks lulling the other passengers into quiet conversations or daydreams. But Judith wasn't in the mood for conversation, especially with strangers. She pulled out her notebook and began drafting a letter to her contact, Nora, back at the magazine.
