The Edge Of Innocence
..::by Avalon Larkin::..
..::Andrea Haas::..
..::far dreamer_alh@hotmail.com::..
..::www.geocities.com/midnyght_snow/::..
Rating: PG-13, for language, violence and possible situations uncomfortable young ones. =) (rating subject to change with the uploading of new parts)
Disclaimer: Star Wars was created by George Lucas and not me. Bummer! The characters in the following story, mentioned or created by me, are used with permission!
Explanation: This is based on role-playing experiences of my character in the star wars combine, Avalon Larkin. The narrator is just a random mysterious marine. It's very hard to write from a guy's point of view, but I had two guys read it already, and they said I did great. So, Avalon and the random marine are mine, any other mentioned names belong to other combine players. On to the story, and please read and review! Watch out for Part 2!
I wiped sweat away from my eyes with the back of a grimy hand. The air was thick and very humid, like every other tropical jungle, I'm sure. It was very hot and I wished I could have been somewhere else.
But, I was with a unique girl, so that made this mission somewhat tolerable. We sat on the damp ground, our backs to two trees. The trees were growing so close, their trunks had merged over time and made a nice wall to hide behind.
I looked over to Avalon Larkin, who was loading newly charged power packs into a laser rifle. I was doing the same, but my eyes kept wondering to her.
She was very beautiful. Even in the heat, her skin brushed with dirt and grime, with a sheen of sweat showing on her bared arms and face, she was still striking. Her golden brown hair was tied back in a bun, once tight and neat, but now loose and out of place. She set the gun to the side and placed her helmet on her head. It hid her hair and forehead, but not her face. Thanks the stars, not her wonderful face.
Her olive green shirt was wrinkled and stained with black ash, like almost every other Marine that was planet-side right now. The fatigues were not meant to show off a woman's curved figure, but somehow, just because she was wearing it, they became exciting. The shirt was tattered around the shoulders where the sleeves had been; she'd torn them off earlier with a knife.
She picked up extra power packs and began to inspect them while I continued with the rifles.
We didn't speak to each other. We didn't need to. We knew and understood each other in a strange, yet comfortable way.
On the battlefield, she was just like us. The only time she was tough was now. Battle did that to a person, changed them. She became emotionless and shut her kind-hearted side away because she knew she'd never make it through.
Avalon didn't belong with us. She was a caring girl, but one who was also fighting for freedom. She was a white innocence among the black background. I looked at her again, and her face reminded me of that of an angels… But hers would have made an angel jealous.
I looked at her, and her graceful featured cried innocence and sweetness. You must know the old trite saying, 'appearances are deceiving'? Well, Avalon is the perfect archetype.
I see her, and I see a girl in need of protection from the universe, but she held courage and strength. She had so much passion for life. She fought hard for the liberty we all wanted so desperately.
She looked up at me with her liquid hazel eyes and gave me a smile. "How ya doing?" She asked with her melodic voice. It was very enchanting, the kind of voice that made men forget what they wanted to say. A voice that was surprising, but it wasn't wrong, was smooth and deep, seductive in it's own maddening way. Maybe I was putting her up on too high of a pedestal…
I managed a steady smile in return. "Great, ma'am. Weapons are A-OK."
"Wonderful," she said with a youthful grin and then her amazing eyes began to intently scan the trees and brush around us.
I heard a lot of things in the Alliance. I'd heard that Avalon had been in Jedi training as a very young child, before the massacres. I never asked her about that, nut I was sure of it. Her sense of on-coming danger was heightened in a fight, that's why we used her as a pointer.
"Avalon, how about we go out for dinner when this is all over?"
She looked at me wryly. "Only as friends. I have a boyfriend, remember?"
"I know, but it's always worth a try."
She smiled and went back to scanning the trees. I should have been watching the trees, too, for enemy troops, but I watched her, thinking to myself.
Why would such a beautiful girl want to be in the marines. It was a common question, and I knew the answer, but it still made me think. She was very intelligent and could have been learning a trade – like computers; she was damn good with computers. Avalon loathed the Empire, though. She wanted to see it destroyed.
Avalon gave us, the soldiers, something to remember. She was a constant reminder of why, and what, we were fighting for. All of the men wanted her, most because they knew they couldn't have her. Being the only female in the command, she was desired - of course she would be. She knew it, too, but it didn't go to her head. She treated us all the same in her friendly way. I thought it funny how that just one young girl could impact the entire command.
I'd hear it from all the men. Talking about her was like talking about a sport. 'If she was my girlfriend, I'd take her out to dinner every night…' 'I'd make sure she'd have a nice place to live…' 'I wouldn't leave her alone around so many men.' There were also very unclean comments about her too, but I would ignore those.
Avalon was special; she didn't deserve men like us, especially ones who would speculate how good of a lover she was behind her back. That's how I truly felt.
Sure, a good deal of us were decent men and would treat her right, If we had the chance, but it just seemed that there was someone better out there for her.
There were rumors that the commanding officer really liked her, even loved her and that he had even told her this. That was why, I think, she nearly left a few months back. She already knew she was a distraction and didn't want to cause any problems, but we admired her passion for life. We needed her so that we wouldn't loose sight of our cause.
She'd come to the command when she'd turned 16. Of course, she hadn't been able to do much, being so young, but the commanding officer seemed to favor her then already. To me, it wasn't right. A man nearly 4 or 5 years older than her, being attracted to her and calling it love. Maybe I was wrong. He could have lost his heart to her. It wasn't a hard thing to do. I always had to check myself and remember she was only 18.
Her boyfriend was a very lucky man. She spoke of him often, and secretly, I really felt he was the one she was going to marry. Few were lucky enough to find their love so young, but that luck seemed to follow the Larkin family. Avalon's parents had met around the same age she'd met Dylan.
She was very loyal, and she loved him. I was happy for this young man. He was in love with a rare one, the type of girl men ached to find, some their entire lives.
She also cared about us, the men in the command. Avalon would never send us to our deaths on the battlefield. She had our future lives in mind.
I felt lucky because I knew her a little better than a lot of the others. We'd gone on a few missions together and we'd talked quite a bit. I viewed her as a close friend, and I know she thought I was one too. She was kind to everyone, unless there was a good reason not to.
I could confide my doubts and fears in her. Her kind and comforting words of advice saved me. I was just living my life before, now I had reasons to live. To make the galaxy a better place for people like her.
I was one of the few, or the only one in the entire command she truly trusted. She helped me with my fears, and I helped her with her own.
She was always getting attention from the guys, and sometimes even unwanted attention. I knew it annoyed her, but she was a good sport and handled herself well. I'd seen some very creative brush offs come from her, and not one of them had been rude. At times, she had every right to slap a few of them around, even report them, but she never did. I thought that she would always let it go. That was the mistake on her part. She should have stopped it and then things would not have gotten out of hand. You give a wookiee a sliver, he's going to want the entire steak.
I noticed Avalon was concentrating deeply and was cautiously peering around the side of the tree. I watched as she slowly reached for her riffle and I got my own ready.