Back When the Lights Shined

Chapter Fourteen

The next day, they allow us to sleep through noon. Jaydon and I won’t have to go into battle again for a few days. Now, the rebels have gained a few more soldiers after the victory of the last battle. We have more troops to send in now, giving the other veterans a rest between their fights.

            Remaining troops who are not going off to war have set up extra tents for the others if and when they return. There is even a new, cleaner tent for Jaydon and me. We are provided with extra helpings on meal time, since we haven’t eaten in what seems like forever.  Both of us are more grateful now than we had ever been. Four days is a long time without food.

            It’s tonight that I can’t sleep. It’s not the icy temperature’s fault, even though it is unusually cold. I’m not as exhausted as I had been yesterday, so my brain is flooding with worst-case scenarios. What did Drey mean by, “a rebel traitor?” I understand that there must be someone among us who really isn’t one of us. Someone is planning against us, something that will ruin the rebel’s chance. But what? When?

            The next day, I talk to Jaydon about it. He seems to have forgotten what Drey promised to us. Jaydon is carefree, telling me he was only bluffing. He was scared, and wanted to feel as if he had some type of control. I suppose Jaydon could be right. Drey was only a kid, so he wanted to scare us. I can’t help but keep thinking about it though.

            Jaydon won’t hear of it, so I turn to Sarai.

            “Sarai, there was someone on the Circum side. They said something that I think you might be interested in hearing,” I explain. We’re at the shooting range, watching some new recruits practice their shooting abilities. Sarai is judging who is worthy of handling a gun. By the looks of her clean notepad, she hasn’t seen anything worth taking note of.

            “And what might that be,” she asks, plainly. She barely glances into my direction.

            “There is a spy amongst us. And sometime soon, they’re going to give away our location and cause some type of big ambush.”

            “Ha,” she hoots, comically. “Poppycock. They were only trying to scare you. Don’t worry about that.”

            There’s just a hint of nervousness in her voice. She’s not entirely in denial of the rumor. I don’t believe she is actually feeling entirely unconcerned about the story. Something about it makes her uneasy. This must not be the first time she has heard of it, or I doubt she’d act so uninterested, as if talking about it causes her real mental pain.

            Even so, I do forget about it a little. However, my subconscious still is vigilant about the claim. I constantly have my guard up, and honestly believe that everyone else should, too. I look over my shoulder occasionally, not exactly sure what I’m expecting to see. I suppose I expect something out of place. Maybe a soldier hanging back from the crowd, or someone trying just a bit too hard to fit in. I simply want to know what Drey was talking about. I need to stop it, or I will drive myself insane with the constant worry.

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            Another three days pass, but still no battle has been assigned to both Jaydon and I. In fact, no one has been shipped out to fight in days. Sometimes, we all seem to be so relaxed, we almost forget why we’re here. We sit around with our own pastimes, such as playing rummy, poker, or even solitaire. Yesterday, one of the soldiers was lucky enough to find a rubber ball to play a game of kickball in the clearing with.