The Former Lover [Sequel To Military Minds]

Chapter 1

So this is the sequel to Military Minds. If you haven't read that book, I strongly suggest that you do or the events throughout this book will become confusing.

This story follows Rebecca's life after losing her one true love, and how she copes with it as well as other events that occur.

Chapter 1

Rebecca Hearthrome ducked behind the nearby convoy, as a bomb exploded merely inches from where she had just been standing. Sweat plastered her military uniform to her skin as she took a few breaths to calm her racing heart. She had been fighting the war in Afghanistan for just over five years, and the little progress that Australia made was not to be surprising: these soldiers were tough. They hardly needed to rest, they loaded magazines faster, and they always managed to cause explosions that resulted in the death of at least two Australian soldiers.

Opening her eyes once more, Rebecca leapt to her feet and ran out from her hiding place, firing a number of rounds at the three oncoming Afgan soldiers. They fell to the dusty ground, allowing Rebecca to make her escape to another area, where the Australian troops were told to meet up.

The interior of the tent was humid. Rebecca wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, before taking the empty seat beside the best friend she had made the first day of her career. Simone was twenty-two, just a year younger than Rebecca was. The two had bonded when Rebecca had saved Simone's life. Simone's leg had been trapped beneath a fallen tank, and she was about to be shot dead by two tough-looking Afghans, when Rebcca came to the rescue and threw a grenade at them. Precisely, the grenade that Megan had given her five years ago.

Thinking of Megan made tears dwell in her eyes. Rebecca had been in love with Megan, even though at most times they hadn't exactly seen eye-to-eye. Initially, when Rebcca had first been acquainted with Megan, she had thought the girl had hated her. Over time, though, Megan grew more friendly towards her.

Rebecca still missed Megan terribly. She thought that she would never get over her, for she had been the only one who had treated Rebecca with respect, care, and had loved her with her entire life. Literally.

"Right, troops," the sergeant spoke from the front of the large space, "the government has decided to withdraw us from Afghanistan. Mr Abbott realises that sending us here was one of the worst decisions that the previous Prime Minister ever made, so after this short conference we will be boarding the plane back to Australia."

There were murmurs exchanged between the soliders, before the sergeant added, "I know many of you will be disappointed, because you are quite the patriot, but this is mandatory. Over the years that we have been fighting this war, the number of Aussies that we have lost has been one too many."

Rebecca wasn't going to protest. She knew the sergeant was right, in every way. Every time an Australian troop was killed, she imagined her father sitting in front of the TV, worrying sick about her. She missed him terribly. Even though she was an adult, she still loved her father dearly. Glenn was all she had left, after losing the two most important people to her over the course of the same year.

"I see his point," Simone sighed from beside Rebecca, folding one leg over the other. Her golden waves fell over her shoulders elegantly, reminding Rebecca of a Loreal model. However, Simone was everything but. "It will be nice to go home, to see my parents."

All of the soldiers in the space stood. That was Rebecca's cue to copy them, as they all exited the tent and followed the sergeant. He was leading them all towards a small plane waiting patiently for their arrival. It wasn't a plane from a major company, like Quantas or JetStar, but it was better than nothing. Because of the confidentiality of the situation, the government couldn't risk their lives. The government was good in that way, but Rebecca still thought of them as an egotistic, self-centered, arrogant idiot. She hated politics.