Sea of Embers

A Hard Day's Work

Song: Cruel Intentions By Valerie Broussard

(Song doesn't go AMAZING with the chapter...but I love it anyway!)

I am a soldier

I Fight Where I Am Told

And I Win Where I Fight

-George S. Patton

One Year Later

"Again."

The squad responded immediately, dropping obediently to ground. The muscles of every arm, and every leg tight as they did their exercises

.

First, pushups. Then jumping jacks. Next, an hour cardio.

Once the warm-ups were finished, and every man and woman was panting heavily, the combat training would start. Four hours of the day were spent learning gun uses, different combat moves, what weapons were and how to use them.

Then, and only then, did I give one of them a chance to fight a Captain. Which I just so happened to be. It took an entire year, and even then it was incredibly rare for someone to become that high of rank in that amount of time.

"Again," I commanded.

Not a sigh or huff of anger was made. They dropped once again, making every move in sync with the other. It would have been beautiful to see people so connected with one another, had it been for the right reasons...I would have been in awe.

"Get your sorry carcasses to the Ring."

The troop halted their current actions. With swift movements they all jogged in a neat line to the Ring...each step made was completely in line with the man or woman in front of them. I almost purred in comfort, my OCD at complete ease. The line, that horrid line formation I had spent so much time pounding into the troops' thick skulls!

Now... oh... now they ran it like clockwork.

Beautiful, glorious, organized gears ticking together to complete a wondrous clock.

Now, I hated organization....that is until I was drafted. The military required strict rules and complete respect. That I had learned immediately.

"But, Captain! We missed the cardio sesh oh dear, sweet, gorgeous Captain!"

"Shut up." I punched Clarke's muscular shoulder.

"Oh, lovely Captain, maybe if I make fun of you, won't notice that I actually think you're a total babe and I'm mad about your whole 'you must rank this high to date me' rule. We all know why that rule exists anyway!" The thick, stupid voice, a hilarious attempt at mimicking Clarke, came from the back of the line, where Edith smirked knowingly.

They always teased me, ever since I first came into the military. I remember coming in, and everything was a mess. It was complete and utter chaos. The war had just started...and all our government leaders had been massacred.

Ironically it had been during a meeting that spoke on terms of negotiating peace.

No one had anything figured out. We all had been hauled out into the middle of the woods...no housing for the newbies, no organization, nothing.

I had nowhere to go, nowhere to turn. I didn't want to sleep out in the flea infested hole the Colonel's had dug for us new kids, but it had been my only option.

That is until he stepped up. A Captain. He had been in the Military for two years before I showed up, and he chose to help ME of all people.

He took me in, let me sleep in his little cabin... apparently, only Captains get the cabins, which was lucky for me. This extension of kindness had led to some rather nasty rumors as to why, but none of them were true. "Yet," Edith would tease every time I complained.

Clarke was an enormous pain in the neck sometimes though. He flirted with me and we goofed around constantly. His teasing was always to be expected as well. Once I had become captain, he liked to tease me, telling everyone that my success was all his doing....and in some sense, it was. Had he not helped me, trained me in his free time, taught me how to act, I would have failed entirely.

Though, I honestly had nowhere to complain. He was my best friend and something more that I couldn't describe. We had gotten closer over the year. I found a certain thrill in the unknown with him, I felt he knew that, too.

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Clarke, the ever so arrogant man he was, gave my rear end a loud slap. I jumped a little but granted him no other reaction. Serves me right for letting him stand next to me...Especially directly in the center of the Ring.

The men and women of the troop I took charge of chuckled. I let it go. besides, we all needed some fun around here. Especially after the last battle Clarke and I returned from. I hated how it turned out, really, due to the fact that the Man who had murdered Shoe was under my command.....and pissed at that fact as well. An entire year and I soared over the top of him with flying colors. Sucks for him. I had no regrets, and I certainly felt no remorse for that bastard.

My glare in Clarke's direction did not faze him in the least. Nor did my aggressive kick to his shin.

"What?" He grinned, cockily. "It's a man's job to appreciate what's his."

He strutted in front of me, waving his arms out to the small crowd of forty men and women. "Isn't that right fellas?"

They cheered in agreement. Pumping their fists.

One smaller kid, a newbie, tried to slap a girl as Clarke had me. Edith's eyes grew wide, she whirled around and slapped his smaller chest. He stumbled back a few feet, a dazed look in his eyes, and a lopsided grin on his face.

Clarke snorted his attractive laugh, before turning back around to face me. It took only two steps to reach my disapproving stance.

"Come on, Clarke, you are nineteen, at least try and act like it." I scolded, although no anger remained in my eyes. How could it, when he was so adorable?

"You love it." He whispered, only for me to hear....and in one swift movement his hands were gripping my waist, his lips on mine in the most delightful of kisses.

Wolf whistles echoed across the valley, causing me to laugh against his perfect mouth.

He pulled away, giving the crowd his infamous smirk and his even more popular strut.

I broke into a giddy smile, before raising my arm and shouting,

"WHO'S READY TO FIGHT!?"

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Why thankyou for reading! 

Make sure to vote and comment if you can my Lovelies! 

There is a lot more in store, now I have been updating so frequently due to the large store of already written chapters I had. It will begin to slow down but I can assure you I will update once a week!

Thanks!

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