"Isn't it a glorious day, Diana sweetest and best of sisters?" Nan Blythe declared happily slipping her arm around her twins' waist as they walked along a leafy street in Kingsport. "Just think of the flowers in Rainbow Valley."
"It is indeed wonderful." Diana, or Di as she was more commonly known as, acknowledged sniffing the spring air eagerly before suddenly turning sombre, as she thought of the brother who would never see the beauty of Rainbow Valley again.
Nan squeezed her sister's waist; somehow she knew that Di was thinking of Walter. It was not often that the twins did not know what was on the others mind.
"I wonder if Faith will be back." Nan said after a few moments, "I hope her exam went well. I can't believe she'll be graduating in a couple of weeks." She spoke of their housemate Faith Meredith; a girl linked to the life's of the Blythe twins in more ways than one.
"Well," Sensible Di told her more carefree sister, "We shall be graduating next year, this is our third year you know Nan."
"I know" Nan said slowly. "It's strange I thought Redmond would be completely different. I envisioned life here to be full of fun, but these past three years have brought nothing but grief and worry. I know it's because of the war and being so anxious about the boys but I do so wish that we had none of our worries. I wish that we could have all been here together."
"You mean you wish you could have had Jerry on your arm at every dance and social," Di joked, "I know you Anne Blythe and nothing would have given you greater satisfaction than to have the most handsome man in Redmond at your beck and call!"
"Diana!" Nan exclaimed turning to her sister with wide incredulous eyes, "How can you say such things? There is so much more to Jerry than his looks, he is just the most wonderful, fascinating man that ever lived, and he's also the only person who is prepared to argue with me. Everyone else is much to scared to."
Di laughed, whereas she had inherited her mothers red locks, Nan had inherited the temper that went with them. "You know I was only teasing dearest."
"I'm right though aren't I." Nan persisted. "It would have been so much nicer if we were all here together. I'm envious that Faith had that one year with them."
"Of course you are right." Di told her quietly. "We all wish that there was no war, or that our boys did not have to get caught up in it. But we can change nothing so there is no point in wishing on what if or grumbling."
"Oh I know." Nan sighed. "I just want this awful war to end. It's already taken Walter, who will it take next."
"Don't say such things Nan." Di told her firmly turning paler.
"I'm sorry Di, I didn't think." Nan said quickly. Where she had always been closer to Jem her twin had been Walter's confidant.
"It's fine Nan, we can't forget him. It would be an insult if we did."
"It would." Nan acknowledged as she pushed open the gate of the house she and Di shared with Faith and another girl Elizabeth Morris.
"We're back Faith!" Di called as they opened the front door. "How did the exam go?"
There was no answer. "She can't be home yet." Nan said as she took her jacket off.
"Come on lets go and make some tea, I'm longing for a cup!" Di told her sister with a grin, it was a well-known fact that Di was addicted to tea.
"Oh you and your tea!" Nan told her shaking her head but she was smiling all the same.
The tea was duly made and Di carried it on a tray into the sitting room listening to the chatter off her sister, who was letting her imagination run away with her as usual.
"Wouldn't it be nice Di if one could fly or even better travel really quickly, just think of all the places we could go, as we can't go wherever we please in a second we'll never get to see the whole world but I so wish we could!" Nan's ramblings suddenly stopped as they entered the sitting room. "Why Faith?" She said in surprise. "What on earth has happened?"
Di looked up from the tray and saw that Faith was staring into space, her face pale, a telegram in her hand.
"Not again." Di said placing the tray down before it fell from her shaking hands. "Please God don't do this to us again."
"Who is it Faith?" Nan asked her voice sounding as if it came from somewhere far away.
"It's Jerry." Faith said looking up at the friends who were as good as sisters to her.
"No, no, no." Nan moaned crumpling into a heap on the floor, Di rushed over and placed an arm around her twin.
"He's not dead." Faith continued. "It says," She looked down at the piece of paper in her hands, "It says he's seriously injured but what does that mean? Does it mean he's hovering between life and death, or that he has been horribly disfigured?" Faith looking so pale and unnatural as she did was hardly a figure who would inspire hope at this point, and Nan buried her head into her sister's shoulder for several minutes.