Fire in the Woods Preview

Chapter 2

Trumpets!

My eyes popped open as round after round of incessant choruses of Reveille echoed over the base PA system, shocking the world and demanding everyone get up and take notice that the ungodly time of O-six-hundred-hours had arrived.

A groan escaped my lips as I pushed up off my desk. Every muscle in my neck and back screamed at the same time. I must have fallen asleep waiting for my pictures to upload. Rubbing the back of my neck, I stood as the last trumpet bellowed its obnoxious call.

God, I hated that stinking song.

The screen-saver flicked off when I jiggled my mouse. The website from last night was still waiting for me to confirm my order. I smiled and clicked the button. I'd be a few hours before the store opened and I could pick up the pictures that would change my life. Once I added the best of yesterday's shots to my portfolio, no one would dream of refusing my college application.

The sun sparkled through my windowpanes. In the distance, three dark birds circled over the forest in a beautiful, blue sky. A thin tendril of smoke trailed from the trees, a small reminder of yesterday's chaos. The coolness of the glass enlivened my skin as I pressed my forehead against the window. Despite the unbelievable shots I'd taken, I was glad it was finally over.

I stumbled through the hallway and peeked in dad's room. His bed hadn't been slept in. So much for his day off. Ignoring the grumbling of my impatient stomach, I treated my sore muscles to a shower and got dressed.

The digital clock on my dresser blinked four-seventeen. So much for the fool-proof back-up battery. I made a mental note to fix the time later.

While liberating a few knots from my hair, I made a beeline to the refrigerator. Fruit, eggs, milk ... Boring. I shoved aside a few food savers and smiled.

"Bingo."

I slid out a plate of German chocolate layer cake. Smacking my lips in anticipation, I plopped back in front of my computer and scanned the photos I'd sent to the drugstore print shop. I could hear Dad now, "Why don't you just send the pictures to the PX. It's cheaper."

Yeah, they're cheaper all right—and pixely.

Not to mention the fact that they might confiscate a few of the shots I'd taken of the soldiers. My brow furrowed as I scanned the photos of the platoon gathered near the edge of the forest. In every shot, the soldiers were facing the woods. If they were there to keep the people safe, wouldn't they be facing out?

Swallowing down the last bite of cake, I walked downstairs and peeked out the front window. No sign of Dad yet, but I wasn't about to sit there and wait for him. I dialed up his cell, but his voicemail answered.

"Hey Dad, it's Jess. Everything's fine. No problems last night. I'm going to walk down to the drugstore to pick up some pictures, okay? Don't worry, I'm going in completely the opposite direction from where the fire was, so I won't be anywhere near the cleanup. See you later."

I hung up and grabbed a notepad and pen. Standard Major Martinez protocol dictated a note as well as a message. I flipped to an empty page and let him know where I was going, sealing it with a smiley-face.

Outside, a summer breeze caressed my face. I inhaled the crisp morning air and crinkled my nose at the slight hint of smoke lingering from the fire. Yuck.

Quiet greeted me throughout the compound, as if yesterday's calamity never happened. Funny, how quickly everything adjusts back to normal. I guess the fire really wasn't as big a deal as I thought.

The heaviness still hung in the air, though. Not that I thought a plane crash would take it away. Everything about Maguire, and the other three military bases I'd lived on, stifled me like a prison without walls, and the pressure seemed to tighten every day.