Marine On A Mission

Old Friends

Jess watched out her window at the neighbors playing. They were a big Christian family. It was the grandparents yard that the kids played in. There were the two sisters and their cousins which were the three boys. The boys's dad was the preacher. Jessica was older but always played with them all these years. Emma was 16, Devin was 15, Kloe was 13, Drake was 13, and Drew was 7. Jessica worked up the nerve to go over there. They hadn't seen her since she left for the military and she never told them where she was going. They all stopped as she crossed the road. She slightly lifted her hat.
"Remeber me," Jessica smiled. She was almost instantly attacked by all the kids. They kept asking questions and she replied without the gruesome parts.
"I just need to tell y'all something. I'm deploying and I may not come back. Just know y'all mean a lot to me. If I'm not back by summer I'm gone but don't worry. I'll always be with y'all," she explained. They were sad but accepting. She went back to her house and called all her friends over. Adventually they were all sitting on her couch giving Jess the all famous death glare.
"I'm going back out there," she stated.
"What!?" Serena yelled.
"Over my dead body," retorted Summer.
"Yeah, it's getting heated you can go!" Cried Amber.
"They have my brother. I'm going to go get him back. Don't worry about me but I thought y'all needed to know," she explained. Her friends all looked around hesitantly. They spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing. They all finally decided to leave. Jessica knew her mom was tired and scared since her brother was missing. Jessica started cleaning her old house. Her mom obviously hadn't been worried about it for quite some time. She let mail pile up and dust built up everywhere. It took a few hours but Jessica had gotten finished putting away all of her cleaning supplies when she heard her mom's car pull into the driveway. Her mom made her way into the house and looked around in shock.
"You didn't have to do this," she said.
"I did this because I was bored and wanted to," Jessica replied.
"I was talking to Darrel's mom and uh well he is being held a prisoner to. They suspect he is with Ethan," Jessica's mother replied. Jessica felt her anger rise. Darrel was like another brother for so long until he made bad decisions. He moved in with his girlfriend when he was 18 not to mention the fact that she was only 14. She thought he was stupid and she was mad. He had left her and then it was official that both of her brother's left. He joined the Marines as well but Jess still had a hate feeling towards him.
"I don't care about him. I care about getting Ethan out alive not him," she replied coldly.
"Please Jess. He may not be a brother to you anymore but him and Ethan are still close and I think of him as a son still. I know he has made stupid choices and I know he deserves being punished but he doesn't deserve death!" Her mother pleaded and begged.
"If I get in there and find him I'll drag him out to but I won't search the whole country for him," Jessica said. She finally gave in.
"That's all I'll ask of you. But try and promise me one thing," her mother said in a saddened tone. Jessica raised an eyebrow waiting for her to continue her sentence. Her mom looked up and saw that she could continue.
"That you will try your hardest to get yourself out after you get everyone else out. That you will come home alive and well," she pleaded. She tried to keep her voice strong but it was working against her. Jess looked at the floor and shook her head a little bit.
"I don't like making promises that I may not be able to keep. My job is dangerous and I may not make it out alive but I will try. Just please don't get your hopes up to high about this," Jessica replied. Her mother gave her a slight nod. Her mother went off to bed and Jessica took time to relax. She went up to her old room. It was still full of 4-H ribbons and her favorite animal. She had wolves on all of her walls. She still had all of her clothes in the closet which was mainly made up of casual T-shirts and jeans. She smiled at her old life. She was always a good kid in school. Always had all A's in her classes. Her teachers always said she'd grow and become something great but she didn't go the way they all thought though. They thought she'd be a doctor or lawyer or something like that but they never expected that she would become a Marine. She wondered where she would be if she hadn't of gotten into that argument with her mom. Would she be at college studying? Heck in ten years she may have a good job a husband and possible kids but she knew she couldn't change the past. She didn't want to either because those events had shaped her into who she is now and she liked herself. She finally started making her bed. She'd probably start to drive back home tomorrow so she decided in case she doesn't come back that she would spend at least one more night wearing fuzzy pajama pants. Jess pretty much lived in those as a teenager. She did a lot of deciding but ended up wearing her pink and grey plaid fuzzy pants. She laid in her bed. She couldn't believe she slept on this thing because it felt harder than the beds that the military provides. She laughed at herself as she dozed off.