His Darling (John S.)

part 2- Bright Blue

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It was a nice day as a boy laid on the ground blending into the trees and bushes as he looked through his scope.
The boy hasn't moved from his spot in 3 days only moving to do his business or to readjust his 'eyes', he hasn't slept and it was starting to get to him.

He thought the weather was too nice for what's going on.
Made him think of home, his family, he hasn't seen them for almost half a year now, only having come to this war with his older brother-
Liam Darling

Admittedly it was expected he would follow after him, he's been doing that ever since he could walk and as they grew the boy would try to be like him and Liam let him with amusement.
He looked up to him (both literally and figuratively) so much he followed his brother into war....even though it hurt to say goodbye to the rest of his family not knowing if it would be his last time seeing them or not.
God...he could remember when the letters for him and Liam came...

They had only moved to Small Heath two months ago.
The morning was like any other, their mom in the kitchen making breakfast, their dad in the dining room drinking coffee which Caleb would never understand his love for whenever he saw him drink it he'd ask "how's your hot shit water?" And his father would respond with "great, how's your Mother Nature's piss?" Referring to the tea he would drink, his brothers Liam who was 24 and Anthony who was 12 would also be sitting at the table talking about something either the kids at Anthony's school or whatever has happened at Liam's job, his little sister Edith would be walking to the dining room all groggy like, she was going to be turning 8 in two weeks which she argued she technically already was because it was another year the family found sense in it but his dad would playfully argue with her about it, and lastly a 18 year old Caleb would still be in bed.

It was so normal that they would never have expected the day would take such a turn into heavy grief despite no one dying.
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Caleb had just got back from school he was in a generally good mood but wanted a nap before dinner the day had made him tired.
However when he came upstairs to his family's living quarters above the store he was met with his father sitting on the couch in quiet contemplation, Liam in a chair looking stressed, and his mother pacing. The only sound being made was her heels clicking on the wooden floor.

*Click**Click**Click**swish**Click**Click**Click**swish**Click* "Uuh"

Immediately everyone looked at him, the air felt thick with tension, he didn't understand why just yet but his heart sped up in pace and breathing became difficult.
"are you seriously going?..."
Asked his mother, her voice was soft but she sounded furious, he was confused "what? What do you mean?" He asked before she grabbed one of the two pieces of paper from the table and almost shoved it into his hands, he looked down and read-

"Enlistment Notice..."

Two days ago, him and Liam saw a flyer saying that they needed soldiers to help fight and to report to enlist their services, that day Liam had been encouraged to go by his boss and coworkers to enlist and Caleb was encouraged by his teachers and classmates to go, it was like the world was telling them where they were needed.

With reasons both similar and different they signed up.

They knew neither their Father or Anthony would be going, Anthony because he was too young, their father because he had asthma so he wouldn't have lasted long in the training portion to begin with.