The Republic of ARMY

Prologue

I came from a family ruled by an egoistic father.

Okay, so I don't really know how to describe him. Yes, he took me to school, he fed me pretty well, he made sure I was always dressed smartly. I never lacked or wanted for either of these things. He gave them in plenty.

Including my pocket money.

Perhaps I should have been grateful, for all those things. I mean, not every child I knew lived as comfortably as I did.

When I was about six, my father blatantly told my mother that I couldn't be the best in my class because I was a girl. My mother could only look at him in shock. My brothers told me he was just trying to be funny, but it hit me square in the chest.

Which kind of father could say something like that about his only daughter?

Why was I so different from my brothers?

Was it because I wore dresses and skirts most of the time?

Was it because I grew and plaited my hair?

Was it because I wasn't allowed to roll around in the grass whenever we played, but they could?

I felt angry and I replied in a way that I would become all too familiar with in the future.

"I will prove you wrong."

I don't even know if it made everything worse or better. All I know is that one day I was fed up. I got into trouble, and tried to walk off, but he yelled at me and told me something that triggered the wild goose chase I embarked on.

The wild goose chase that brought me to this isolated, barren, place in between Sudan and Egypt.

It became my new home. I could finally have peace from the seemingly irritating assumptions my father made towards me.

As I lay there, waiting for my body to get out of the quicksand, my tears started falling. I sobbed out loud, wishing I hadn't stormed out on my brother when my father called to talk to him.

I was twenty five years old. I had been in this desolate place for close to half a year, and still, my father's words hurt more than my annual jabs.

"Why did I ever tell him that I would prove him wrong? I really am my father's daughter!"

The dark sky had the most spectacular stars and I focused on that. I didn't need to feel insecure about my father anymore. I was out of his reach, I was doing my own thing, and I didn't even have cell service around this side of the desolate place I called home.

"It is better this way," I muttered as I thought about the warm tent waiting for me as soon as I got out of the sand.

"Ryan better have something delicious left over for me or else...!"

As if he could have heard my thoughts, a familiar yell sounded as a torch light shone in my direction, illuminating my face. "Raina! Is that you?! Oh my gosh! Is that quick sand! Guys! Be CAREFUL! There's quicksand here!"

I couldn't help but smile to myself. Ryan would always get me out of trouble, wouldn't he?