Cyber Soldier

Chapter 1-The incident

Hello there I’m jack, and all I want to do is be a soldier, but nobody understands not even my mum. I got interested in it because I want to be like my dad john he was a solider but but… well I don’t like talking about it I don’t really know what happened to him. Anyway because I’m too young I pretend to be a solider like by playing on computer games after all I’m only 13…

‘Jack’ said my mum Jayne. ‘Are you still playing with your army action men’? ‘Go away I don’t want to talk to you’. I said with the pillow over my head. ‘Look jack I know you want your dad here for your birthday tomorrow but we both know that won’t happen’ she said sadly. ‘Why did he have to go in the army he risked his life my dad’. I said with a tear in my eye. ‘I know I know…we are both very proud of him…look just come down teas ready, we are expecting visitors tomorrow’. ‘What who’ I said surprisingly. ‘Well that would be telling now come down your stew will go cold’. Of chorus she had convinced me as always she always did how I could even dream of letting lovely stew go cold. So I opened my bedroom door slowly to find my mum stood smiling. ‘Oh you looked just like your father then jack and one day you will make me proud too’. My mum said very calm. So we went down stairs were stew was waiting for me on the table...but I had better things to think about IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY TOMMOROW! I’m 14 just 2 more years of this boring teenage life…then out into the real world fighting for my country! So mum put deal or no deal on as we ate at the table I really don’t know why she liked this program to me it was so boring I could fall asleep!

Suddenly there was a knock at the door as mum was clearing the plates I said I would get it. Standing there was him Uncle Pete who extremely reminded me of my dad. My face dropped. ‘Who is it jack?’ he barged passed me and said ‘hi Jayne it’s me Pete’. For some reason I didn’t like the sound of this. My mum was gob smacked she couldn’t believe her eyes. Was it really him? After all these years. Would he dare show his face? ‘Hi there jack how it is hanging’ he said like nothing had happened. I froze did he remember that it was my birthday this year? ‘What are you doing here you know you’re not welcome’. Said my mum curiously. ‘Well I couldn’t miss poor jacks birthday could I heres his present and card’. She didn’t know whether to take them or not she looked at me, I nodded which gave her the signal that it was ok to take it. She slowly took the gift and the card from his old wrinkly hands. It was over all he wanted to do was give me a gift and a card but why this year? He forgot last year and the year before that. I was puzzled but asked no questions about his kindness. He smiled at me and my mum he turned the other way and walked out of the door. We watched him walk down the drive way and into his swing back 70’s car. My mum looked upset but I knew why, and she didn’t want to show it. My mum had a lot of fear since my dad went even the slightest knock on the door and she was filled with goose bumps. “Come on now jack time for bed the sooner you go the sooner you will wake up!” she said suddenly all happy. “I will but first there is something I need to say”. It went silent. “Why did you tell me to be scared of uncle what did he do was he a solider”. She just looked at me who was I kidding she would never tell me the truth no matter how old I was. She said she was protecting me but in a situation like this that was hard to believe. She started crying but said nothing.

I shook my head and walked up the stairs. I brushed my teeth, put on my pajamas and as soon as my head hit the pillow I was asleep. This was it MY BIRTHDAY! I woke up and ran down the stairs forgetting the incident last night. My mum had slept on the sofa with a huge bottle of vodka next to her. Since he went her solution to everything was booze. I woke her up as she looked really drunk and reached for the bottle. I quickly grabbed it and pored it down the sink. I got a bucket of ice cold water and chucked it over her! “WHAT WAS THAT FOR!” my mum said angrily. “sorry mum had to be done.” She sat up looking very tired and miserable. I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be my best birthday after all with a mother like this! I made her sit there sipping water for the next hour she then found her self sober after a few sicky moments! She cleaned her self up and was back to normal giddy and happy as always. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK!” she said screaming in my ear. She did this every year so dramatic. “Right which present are you opening first jack?” she said smiling hoping I would pick hers. This was a difficult choice they all looked so big! I wanted to open them all but to make her feel happy I opened the one from mum. I tarred it open she always wrapped it really hard anymore and I wouldn’t be able to open it. It was a brand new camouflage quilt cover for my bed the one I tried saving up for but it didn’t work. There was one present I didn’t want to open that’s right Uncle Pete’s present for all I know it could be a bomb or I would think it was a toy gun and it would be a real one who knows what to except. But it was shaped like a video box or a game box would he really buy me something useful? All the other presents were army clothing and army dolls. My mum gulped when I only had uncle Pete’s present left I went to pick it up when my mum stopped me. “NO!” she said very loud. “You can’t open it it’s a set up!” sounding scared.