The Former Lover [Sequel To Military Minds]

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Branches smacked and slashed at Rebecca as she bolted through the trees.

By the time she emerged into the blinding sunlight, her clothes were torn and thin ribbons of blood snaked down her arms and legs. Rebecca was beginning to regret having chosen to wear her favourite white t-shirt displaying an image of a girl wearing a tiger mask.

The east side of Kandos was reasonably quiet, save the distant sound of cars passing by a couple of streets away. The sun was burning brightly overhead, spilling its orange glow across the fading grey asphalt roads. Steers munched on the green grass in their paddocks, while farmers devoted their blood, sweat and tears to rotating their crops, the sound of tractors splitting the silence. The smell of freshly mowed grass and manure made Rebecca realise just how much she had truly missed her hometown. She had found solace in Sunbury, but here was where her heart thrummed in synch with the buzzing of electric chainsaws and thundering of hooves.

She remembered running through the vast, empty blocks of land that her parents had taken her to every day. They had taught her how to gear up Dreamer, and Melanie had cantered around the fields by Rebecca's side, kissing her scabs better from where she had fallen off and giving her a Popsicle.

She sighed. The last time she had seen Melanie alive was the morning that she had left for school during her last day in Kandos. She remembered the memory very clearly and very fondly.

"Rebecca!" Melanie's soft Australian voice had called down the hallway. "Time to get up! I made some breakfast!"

Rebecca moaned groggily, rolling onto her side and drawing the sheets over her shoulder. Most mornings would carry the same ritual whilst Melanie had been alive.

"Rebecca," her mother's voice was closer this time. "Get up."

She shuffled into a sitting position, leaning back on her palms. Melanie looked well presented in the mornings, though she woke up half an hour before work. It took Rebecca an hour to get ready, and by the time she did her hair still looked like bed hair.

Her mother was a beautiful woman. Her burgundy waves glistened over her shoulders and forearms, sprayed through with hair spray to maintain its elegance. She wore her mascara in a thin layer, emphasising the green of her eyes. That morning Melanie had worn a loose white shirt and a pair of flower print pants. She had been forty-three, but she still looked youthful.

"I guess I'll have to convince you to get out of bed." Melanie's mouth had quirked up into a smile.

Rebecca felt herself smile. She scrambled away, but it was too late. Melanie's slim fingers were tickling her ribs and armpits.

Rebecca laughed and squirmed, making futile attempts to escape her mother's attack.

After Rebecca had finished her bowl of Cheerios, and she had organised her belongings for the day in her bag, Melanie had dropped her off outside Kandos High, getting out of the car as she did every morning and wrapping Rebecca up into a warm, loving embrace.

"Have a good day at school sweetie," she had smiled, her smooth face stretching up elegantly, revealing her dimples and perfectly straight teeth. "I love you. You remember that okay, even if something happens to me."

Rebecca had thought nothing of Melanie's words that day, but she had thought back to them ever since. There was a terrible, insatiable aching inside Rebecca's heart that only her mother's memory now possessed.

"Rebecca!"

The soldier, startled, jumped. A lean figure was running towards her from across the empty field, short blonde hair blowing across her face.