James ran his hand over his buzzed head and smiled back at her. “I know you will be.”
“And you’ll be okay.” Katrina nodded. “Stay safe. See you later.”
James touched Katrina’s cheek and her resolve almost melted. “You know I still love you,” he whispered as he leaned down to kiss her. Katrina wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back hard.
“Form it up,” Sgt. Major Floyd yelled. James instantly broke away. He gave Katrina an apologetic smile as he ran to join the troops.
Dreya was shaking when Katrina reached her. “I didn’t think I’d be this nervous,” she said with tears in her eyes. “She is so little still. What if something happens to her?”
Katrina put her arm over Dreya’s shoulder. “She is tough and will be okay. They’ll take care of each other.” She watched the troops a moment longer before turning to walk away.
“Are you not staying until they leave?” Dreya asked.
Katrina smiled at her friend. “I never do. It hurts less if you walk away first.”
*
Katrina and Dreya spent the morning helping to clean the housing office for whatever refugees might come back with the troops. Then the girls helped unload medical supplies at the hospital. Every mission set off a frenzy of preparation on the base. Communication was limited so all areas prepared for the worst every time. They had been lucky to not have to deal with the worst yet, but no one got lazy with the protocol just in case.
The beehive of commotion continued the rest of the day. Major Sprague’s wife met with Katrina, Dreya, and Rose at the cafeteria when they were washing the lunch dishes. She invited them to dinner at her house.
“Should we be wearing something fancy?” Dreya tugged at her shirt as they walked down the hill to the family housing.
Katrina shook her head in disbelief. “Apocalypse, Dreya. No one cares what you are wearing.”
“Says the girl who won’t date a soldier when that’s pretty much the only profession left in the world,” Dreya huffed. Katrina stopped walking.
Rose anxiously looked at both girls. “We are all pretty tense right now,” she said. “It’s probably not a good idea to fight.”
Katrina started laughing. “It’s not that,” she said trying to catch her breath and wiping her eyes. “It’s just such a sad reality. Like the universe is literally telling me I have no say in the matter.” Rose smiled and Dreya started to giggle.
“The end of the world sucks,” Dreya smirked.
“It’s not all that bad,” Rose said as she resumed walking. “At least we are about to get a home cooked meal.”
“For the record,” Katrina said as she caught up with them. “He isn’t a soldier.”
*
Major Sprague’s wife wore a button down shirt and blue jeans. Her hair was folded perfectly into a tight braid that fell down the middle of her back. Katrina smiled as she watched Dreya unconsciously tuck the flyways of her own hair behind her ears.
Mrs. Sprague was barefoot as she opened the door and the girls removed their shoes in the entryway. Katrina pushed her sweaty shoes into the corner, embarrassed by how dirty they looked against the clean tile. I’ve been hanging out with Dreya too much, she shook her head.
The sitting room was neatly organized with the Major’s awards hung on the walls. The dark blue couch had throw pillows so fluffy, it looked like they had never been touched. Katrina followed Rose and Dreya into the kitchen as they passed the formal dining room.
Mrs. Sprague led them to the kitchen bar where three stools sat underneath the counter. “Take a seat,” she urged the girls. Then she unwrapped a tray of spaghetti noodles covered with sauce and vegetables. She pulled out a loaf of garlic bread fresh from the oven and set it on the counter. The smell made Katrina’s mouth water. The woman handed out porcelain china plates etched with tiny blue flowers on the rim.
“Thank you for inviting us to dinner, Mrs. Sprague,” Dreya said as she took her plate. Rose and Katrina rushed out their “thank you’s”.
“Please, call me Natalie. Thank you, girls, for coming. You’re doing me a favor really. I’ve always hated the first night of a mission. This is a welcome distraction from my thoughts. Now dig in before it gets cold.” Natalie smiled and Katrina scooped a large serving of the noodles onto her plate.
Once the girls had eaten their fill, Natalie wrapped up the tray and remaining bread. “There is a family staying in our guest room, but they are out visiting some friends tonight. I’m sure they’ll finish this up tomorrow.”
Natalie lit candles outside, and the girls sat on the back porch. The sun was beginning to set earlier, and it was almost dark.
“How long have you and the Major been married?” Dreya asked as she curled up on a patio chair.
“Oh gosh,” Natalie smiled. “We are coming up on 18 years now.”
Katrina’s jaw dropped. “You don’t look that old.” Dreya clasped her hand over her mouth as Katrina tried to backtrack. “I mean you look great for being…” her voice trailed off as Dreya glared at her.
Natalie laughed. “It’s okay. I definitely feel that old but I’m glad I don’t look it. We got married right after the Major got out of bootcamp. It’s been a long ride.”
“Is this the life you wanted?” Katrina couldn’t help asking even as she felt Dreya staring at her.
“This?” Natalie looked around. “Not at all. Daniel should have been retiring in two years. We’ve been counting down the days since we were first married.” She shrugged. “Now it looks like we will be doing this forever.”
“But couldn’t you have left? Or couldn’t you have changed his mind?” Katrina leaned forward as she spoke, anxiously waiting for the woman’s reply.
“No.” Natalie smiled softly at her. “I love him, and I support him. Just like he loves and supports me. I’d never tell him how to live and he wouldn’t tell me how to either. We make it work because we love each other. There is no other option.”
Katrina groaned and put her head on the table.
“What’s all this about?” Natalie asked the other two girls.
Dreya sighed. “Her boyfriend went on the mission. He is joining the military.”
Natalie hid her smile. “Your boyfriend and your father are on the mission together?” Katrina nodded her head against the glass of the table top. “Oh love, you’ve got bigger problems than me right now.”
The girls broke into laughter and Katrina raised her head up. “So how do you not go crazy when they are out there fighting?” Katrina asked once the laughter subsided.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do. Now more than ever. But the general idea is the same. We take care of home.” Natalie looked over her back fence to the other housing units. “It’s a lot of homes we are taking care of now, but someone has to do this job.”
“I’m not sure if I’m cut out for that,” Katrina said. “I’m not really a homemaker.”
“There is more to it than that,” Natalie reassured her. “You aren’t just taking care of a house. You are taking care of everyone’s homes. We are focusing on rebuilding and trying to restore our way of life.”
Dreya nodded. “It’s about something bigger than us. We are building this for everyone.”
“You sound a lot like the society and Lark,” Katrina smiled at her friend.
“Yeah but it’s different this time.” Dreya leaned back in her chair. “There’s the door if you want to go.”
Katrina pulled her knees to her chest. “I’ll have to think more on this,” she said softly. “But I’m not baking cookies for the troops.”
Chapter 7
Katrina and Dreya ran to the tarmac, their hearts beating fast in tune with the sound of the helicopters landing. The pilots killed the engines and the warriors came down the ramps as they fell into formation. Katrina watched her father as he walked to the front of the crowd to address the troops. Her breathing slowed when she saw her dad standing tall and her pulse returned to normal when she s
potted James in the sea of camouflage standing near the far right.
“Mia,” Dreya gasped as Katrina held her back.
“Wait until they get done,” Katrina whispered. Mia hobbled over to the formation clinging onto Jayden’s arm. He turned to give Dreya a quick smile before facing the Sgt. Major. Two more bandaged men came out of the helicopter.
Sgt. Major Floyd dismissed them and Dreya ran straight to her little sister with Katrina close behind.
“It’s not that bad,” Mia yelled as Dreya rushed over. “Please don’t panic.”
“What happened?” Dreya asked breathlessly as she dropped to her knees to look at her sister’s foot.
“I told you she would panic.” Mia said to Jayden. “It’s nothing. I twisted my stupid ankle jumping off the helicopter. I didn’t even get to fight. I’m so freaking mad at myself.” Katrina watched Dreya turn her head down to hide her happy face.
“She got some good shots off from the safety of the back though.” Jayden winked at the girl and then reached his hand down to help Dreya up.
“Hey,” James whispered into Katrina’s ear, catching her off guard and sending chills down her spine. She turned around. His uniform was dirty and creased. There was sand under his fingernails and in the corners of his eyes. He looked tired, but oh so handsome waiting there for her to say something.
“Hey.” She smiled.
“I don’t get my hug?” The Sgt. Major’s voice bellowed out as he crossed the tarmac to where Katrina stood.
“Of course you do Dad,” she laughed as she turned to embrace him. “Welcome home.”
“That’s more like it.” Sgt. Major Floyd nodded. “I almost thought you forgot about me. Let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving.” He put his arm over his daughter’s shoulders. “You too kid.” The Sgt. Major motioned to James with his other arm. “You earned your meal.”
*
Katrina lay on Mia’s twin mattress which was directly across from Dreya’s bed. Mia sat on the floor with her leg propped up on a pile of pillows. Her ankle was wrapped tightly in an ace bandage and the Corpsman had given her Motrin for the pain. She had light duty orders for a month.
Dreya was weaving her little sister’s hair into tight braids. It had grown longer since they left the shelter months ago. Katrina noticed for the first time that Mia looked older too.
“I can’t believe I twisted my stupid ankle,” Mia moaned for the hundredth time. Katrina smiled. The girl still sounded the same.
“It’s not your fault.” Dreya tied off a braid before moving to the next section. “It could have happened to anyone.”
“But it’s so embarrassing,” Mia cried. “I’ll bet all the guys were laughing at the fragile little girl.”
Katrina chuckled. “No one was laughing at you. I promise. My dad said you are a great shot.”
Mia sat up straighter. “Well I know that. I just wanted to prove that I could fight.”
“I’m sure you’ll get another chance.” Dreya smoothed the girl’s hair between her fingers.
There was a knock on the door and Rose poked her head into the room. “Mind if I come in?” she whispered.
“Why would we mind?” Dreya smiled at her. “Come on in.”
Katrina slid over to make room for Rose to sit. “Did you find out what happened on the mission?” Katrina asked her.
Rose inhaled slowly. “Leroy said that some of the younger guards were pretending to be the Project Dandelion kids. None of them were actually there when we were there. They said they knew Leroy but when they couldn’t remember his name… I guess Major Sprague handled it after that.”
“Are you okay?” Dreya asked her as she finished the story.
Rose nodded her head. “I knew they didn’t make it. What we saw before we ran. But I kind of hoped, you know? I’m just glad we got away when we did.”
Dreya smiled kindly to her. “I’m glad you got out too.” She looked over to Katrina. “So, what does this mean for our shelter?”
Katrina leaned back against the wall. “My dad says we will get them out. He is making the preparations for the mission now.”
Mia pulled the finished braid out of her sister’s hand and pouted as she crossed her arms. “I guess I’m going to have to miss this one too.”
*
Katrina hitched a ride over to the shooting range the next morning. She asked the Staff Sergeant running the range if she could practice with them. He gave her a M4 and she lined up near the end. James looked over at her from his spot in the row and the Staff Sgt. screamed at him. Katrina held back a smile as she looked straight ahead.
After they practiced on the targets, the Staff Sgt. moved them to another range to practice fire and maneuver. They paired off into twos to work through the exercise. James sidestepped to the end so that he was matched with Katrina.
“What are you doing here?” he whispered through clenched teeth so that the Staff Sgt. wouldn’t see his lips move. Katrina shrugged and didn’t respond.
Their turn came. They were to work past the standing boards, kneeling to fire and clearing the area before moving to the next. Almost like a dance, Katrina thought, as they alternated lead through the course. When they finished, she turned to smile at James.
There were angry tears in his eyes. He shook his head at her as he ran to rejoin the group. Katrina’s cheeks flushed and she stared at the ground until the feeling passed. Raising her head again, she walked over and returned the rifle to the Staff Sgt. Then she left the range without looking back at James.
Chapter 8
“Can we go somewhere alone?” James asked Katrina after dinner. “Somewhere off base and away from all this.”
She was still mad about the scene at the range, but she hadn’t had a chance to discuss it with him yet. “You know my dad won’t let us go anywhere alone, but maybe I can convince him if we go as a group.” Katrina turned to her friends. “You guys want to go see something cool?” Dreya and Mia nodded eagerly.
Katrina walked to her father’s office. The Sgt. Major sat at his desk surrounded by files. He wore his reading glasses as he looked over the reports from the various units stationed around the country. The light spilled weakly over his face. Katrina noticed how tired he looked, but he smiled at her as she walked to the desk.
“What are you up to?” she asked as she sat in the chair across from him.
“Boring paperwork. Supply requests. Just going over the little details.” He leaned back in his seat and removed his glasses. “Trying to save the world I guess.”
Katrina laughed. “Well if anyone can do it, it will be you and your team.”
Sgt. Major Floyd rubbed his fist over his eyes. “I sure hope so kid. What is it that you want?”
“How do you know I want something?” Katrina raised her chin.
“It’s not like you come spend time with me anymore.” Her dad smiled. “What is it you want to ask?”
She shook her head. “That’s not fair. You’ve been busy saving the world. I’m just staying out of the way.”
“About that.” The Sgt. Major put his arms on the desk. “Suppose there is no chance you’ll stay here when we go to the shelter to get the rest of your friends?”
“No Dad.” Katrina looked him square in the eye. “This is my mission and I’m coming to help.”
Sgt. Major Floyd sighed. “That’s what I figured. You’ll do what you’re told though and won’t try to be a hero.”
“I won’t do anything to jeopardize the mission Sgt. Major.” Katrina smiled as her dad laughed.
Cpl. Boulder brought in a steaming cup of coffee which he placed on the desk.
“So what do you want?” He picked up the chipped ceramic mug with the letters USMC stamped on the side.
“Can my friends and I take a truck over to Joshua Tree State Park for a little bit? I want to show them the stars now that the sky is clearer.”
“Is James coming too?” He took a sip of his coffee without blowing on it and didn’t fli
nch.
“Yes Dad. And Dreya, Mia, Jayden, Rose, and Leroy.”
A low mumble came from the Sgt. Major’s throat. “What do you think Corporal?” He looked over to Boulder. “Up for a babysitting trip?”
Boulder looked from the Sgt. Major to Katrina’s pleading eyes and back again. “Do I have a choice here?” he sighed. “Let’s go star gazing.” Katrina jumped up from her chair.
“Take the duty van. There will be enough seatbelts,” her dad said.
Katrina rolled her eyes. “You know I’m a little too old for babysitters and seatbelts are probably the least concerning issue in the world right now.”
The Sgt. Major picked up the file he had set down. “You’ve got two months until you are 18. Until then, my rules.”
“Aye, aye,” she said as she followed Cpl. Boulder out of the room.
“Katrina.” Sgt. Major Floyd motioned for her stop and close the door once Boulder walked into the hall. “I have something I need to talk to you about before you go.”
“What is it?” she asked as she came back into the room.
“I need you to keep this a secret. Don’t tell any of your friends.” Katrina nodded and he continued. “Do you remember where the Hawthorne bunkers are?”
“Of course.” She crossed her arms as she leaned against the desk.
“Good. If something ever happens to me or if the new government looks like they are getting the upper hand, I need you to go to the bunkers. There will be a man there. He might not believe you are who you say you are but tell him the story of your birth.” Her dad smiled sadly. “I can’t believe that was almost 18 years ago.”
“Why would I need to tell him that?” Katrina raised her eyebrow as she took in the strange request.
“So he’ll know it’s you. That man was my old 1st Sergeant. He is the only one who knows the story besides you and me.”
“I thought that story was just a joke.”
The Sgt. Major chuckled. “It’s funny now, but it wasn’t then. Just tell him the story and do what he says.”
Project Dandelion: Resistance Page 3