Soldier

4. Battlefield

Chapter 4 - Battlefield

Emilia's Pov

*

Have you ever experienced the feeling of having your heart plummet into your stomach? The weightlessness of your throat that somehow renders you enable to talk? Like like the vocabulary you were taught in your early schooling years was shot to hell? Or rather swallowed whole and sent to your stomach for no return. To me, this feeling is very unlikable. I'm a woman of many words. I'm quick witted and I hardly ever endure this feeling. But today, now for example, I was no exception to that. Yet, it seems I wasn't the only quick witted person in this place.

"Shove it Benji." Harry shot back without so much as to glancing back at him.

"Styles, you unbelievably in deep on this one." This however, made Harry stop in his tracks, and face the man with a grin.

"How so, my dear friend?" Harry's sarcasm was obviously led to the man being older than him. Though Harry is in his twenty's, Benji seemed to just be hitting his mid-thirty's. His features showed showed an age much younger, but the way he held himself, and presented himself to Harry led me to believe his age was the only thing he could hold over this dominating green eyed giant.

"Well you were front row to little tousle she had with your uncle, and you were brought up as the accused. I say you're walking a thin line pal." Benji slowly walked towards us. Almost as if he was letting us -me rather- know he brings no harm, only a warning. A warning Harry didn't want or need.

"Benji, I get it, you're looking after me, you always have, and I thank you for that, but I think I'll take my chances. We're friends, it's not hard to believe, I'm a likeable person," Harry boasts with a triumphant smile. "but I'm tired of being controlled by my uncle all the time. By the time I turn 21, this camp will be handed for me to lead and I'll be making changes. He doesn't control me, the only person that can control me is my mother. He just sets rules I'm allegedly suppose to follow. I think I can handle it."

"I completely believe you Harry, you can handle it, but the question is can she?" Benji asked with a pointed finger towards me.

Can I? Well of course I can. We're only friends, what's the danger besides getting caught? It's not like we're going to get all friendly, having sleepovers and giving each other piggyback rides in the open.

But I know physically I am not strong. My muscle is about as little as it comes. And the extent to lift is about as much as Addie weighs. Maybe while I'm here I should start to build up a little so I won't be that weak. It probably won't help, but I'm sure I'll at least feel a little self-reassurance.

"I appreciate the concern, but I really think it's up to me to decide. I see no harm here anymore. Harry's just being nice...and looking around, I'm going to need someone nice here. General Styles don't scare me as much as he thinks he does. If I'm going to be locked away here, I'll pick my friends, whether it be my housemates, Harry, you, or other soldiers. It will make my life less dreadful here than I would like."

Benji let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his left forefinger and thumb across his forehead. "I'm not against this, first of all. Second, I'm just concerned about what happened out there before by General Styles, and that was just him thinking Harry was with you. You both need to keep this low, and keep the out-in-the-open talks to the minimum. Whatever happens between you two is safe with me."

It seemed like both Harry and I agreed with his input, but only thanked him a nod of our heads and a small smile from me. Thinking about this place now, I see not everyone here is a rotten soul like how I originally assumed.

"Why was he being so nice?" I asked aloud, mostly to myself. So I was startled when Harry had an immediate reply.

"Well he was my training officer when I joined about five years back. I was the youngest in the group of about a hundred and fifty or so because when my dad passed, I had all this anger and the easiest option for both my mum and Aaron was to get me training for war. It helped a lot, and Benji became my punching bag but never complained. He also knew my dad well even though he still was a good few years older. In those five years he grew on me. I never attempted to befriend any of the other soldiers either. He was a friend yet he gave me fatherly advice without me realizing it. It helped me clear my head and the anger within myself settled. He's been looking out for me ever since. And I'm not joking when I say that fucker has eyes in the back of his head, and everywhere else for that matter." He lightly chuckle in spite of his friend.