Chapter One: End to a Beginning
In his mind, he thought up of a list of things he was going to do the first second they were released. His body was sore, his leg was wrapped in a bandage until further notice, and he was pretty positive that he had some ribs cracked. None of that was important right now; right now the one thing that was important was landing safely and meeting with his commander. Out of the five men that went out a week ago, only two were returning home safely. Scratched up and beaten, but safely nonetheless. It was one thing about his job that he despised. People lost their lives. He almost lost his life, if it weren't for his stubborn streak of fighting to the end, fighting to live on, then he was pretty positive that he too would not be among the living. The list he drew up in his mind, he knew would have to wait as he listened to the pilot yell out their coordinates. An hour until they were landing. Home.
Home was where he loved to be, but what was home? He was constantly on the move, constantly going places unknown until he got the job. He never knew when he would be home, never knew where his new place of sleep will be until the very last minute. Sometimes that too would change. Home was a distant word only used scarcely. One more hour and the large flight plane he was on would land. One more hour until he got to speak with his commander and released with a congratulatory speech and sent to a place he has been living in for the last month. Home. His home with his wife. In his mind, he listed what was needed to be done. If he opened his eyes he would see the sun and knew that his family will be awake when he finally arrived at the two bedroom-two story house.
Of course, he also remembered the parting argument he had with his beloved wife. On his list were flowers, chocolates, a necklace already boughten from overseas, and a kiss of apology. He knew how difficult it was for him to leave in the middle of a bad argument. However, orders were orders and he needed to leave or risk penalty. Risk losing what he loved most. Second most. Without this job he would be nothing and knew without this job he never would have met the woman of his dreams. Everyone would call him stupid for thinking that the woman of his dreams came while he was on duty, but his opinion was what mattered. After five years of dating and two years of engagement he knew she was the right one. No other woman would last that long and still belong to him. A man with the most difficult life living in the most difficult times of war. A war he wished was finished but of course that was only wishful thinking.
Breathing became steady as he quickly fell asleep. The rock of the plane, the noise of his surroundings and the ear deafening roar from the flights engine always put him at rest. His wounds were quickly forgotten, his list quickly set in the back of his mind, and sleep finally took place. Home and sleep were two precious things barely ever achieved. It wasn't until an hour passed and the twenty minutes it took to land such a large aircraft rocked him awake. Dark eyes blinked rapidly as he quickly adjusted to his new surroundings. The few men across from him were doing the same, dressed in green camouflage gear with large brown bags strapped to their backs. A medic was present, addressing one man with serious injuries to the head and shoulder. Blood caked his bandages, but as the medic spoke, those who listened would know that the bleeding had finally stopped and he now was landing to get better care.
The other officer that survived the ordeal they both had to endure. He was lucky to have come home with a bad ankle, bruises and a possible rib injury. Waiting for command as the aircraft came to a shuddering halt, the men of the plane got to their feet at once. Right arm out at the perfect angle and waited as the back ramp opened with a whoosh of air. The bright sun came in, sending chills through his stoic body. Allowing tears to come to his eyes, he quickly blinked them away as a man dressed neatly in a dark green uniform, badges and medals littering his attire came up the ramp. He stopped, gazed at them all and welcomed them with a salute. Soon as the commanders arm came down the soldiers on the plane relaxed their own arms, going on one foot instantly and filing out of the aircraft with a new air to their aura. They were home.
Taking the opportunity to shower was a pleasing. He realized then all the injuries he managed to gather as the hot water hit him full force. Every inch of him stung, making him wince as he scrubbed day's dirt off his skin and washed what he hoped wasn't gore. It was when he moved at the wrong moment and almost collapsed in the shower, did he agree with his mind that he had cracked a rib. With difficult he finished washing and changed into fresh clothes left behind before his mission. The lockers next to his were a sad reminder that his comrades hadn't returned home with him like they all promised a week ago. It echoed through his mind, the men's voices as they joked around about cheating wives and last minute details on their bills before they were sent off. All five men made a pact like that usually did to return home and joke about who made a worse mistake on this mission. It wasn't a joke anymore, since three of them were no longer with them.
"First Officer Li!" he snapped to attention, turning and staring straight ahead as his commander in charge came up to him. Returning the salute, the soldier gave him a look that read neither sympathy nor remorse. "It has come to my attention a matter that regards your family, soldier."
"My family?" he asked, taken aback. His first thing that flashed through his mind was that they too were dead. Discipline held his tongue, years of training held his stance and expression.
"Follow me," without as much as another word, he led him out of the locker room and down the large air conditioned corridor. There was barely anyone in the offices as they passed opened doors. Secretaries all were crowding around the fax machines, awaiting papers that had gotten jammed up. Papers, he knew were reports from all over. They quickly entered a large office, a flag standing in one corner. Two large mahogany chairs were placed before a large desk littered with papers and a thin laptop. Both chairs held an occupant, one he could not see but for small white legs and one with a woman he didn't recognize.
"My daddy!" a small voice squealed, catching him off guard the moment he entered the room. A child no older than three came at a bounce as she threw opened her arms and hugged his leg. Eyes wide, he looked down at his daughter, one hand going to her dark set of hair before looking up at the woman whom occupied the second chair.
"Mr. Li, I'm Cassandra Bock principal of your daughter's school." Slender hand went out and gestured to the chair which his daughter just left. He, however, remained standing still. Taking that as denial for her gesture he cleared her throat, coming out from behind the chairs fully. The woman was dressed in a fine white suit and dress shoes. Nothing was out of place, not even a strand of her blond hair pinned to her head. "Yesterday morning, as usual, Lyri was dropped off however your wife didn't pick her up that afternoon as agreed upon our contract."
"What?" he was frozen, eyes going down to his daughter still attached to his leg. It wasn't until the door clicked that he realized his commander was still in the room and moving quietly to his chair at the other end of the room. "Is Jaenelle alright?"
"First officer Li, it has come to this posts attention that your wife has abandoned your daughter." His commander stated as clear as he was permitted. "Ms. Bock came in as she should since your daughter goes to a school on base. As protocol, we investigated your wife's whereabouts and found a note attached to the door." With that he pulled out a small white folder with his name scrawled across it in perfect penmanship.
"The law states that I should report child abandonment to social services but I took my chance and came here." Cassandra stated hands crossed in front of her. "If you were to be any later in returning home, however, Lyri would have been in the system without so much as a blink. I apologize for stating that so bluntly but in cases like this we don't usually allow leniency even for soldiers in the war."
"Thank you," he whispered, accepting the letter with shaky fingers. Lyri stayed attached, head buried in her father's leg.
"Soldier, as commander I give you a month's leave off duty to take care of any family business you need to. However, if you have not then your termination will have a new outlook for the head of the command post. I suggest you take care of things quickly before it gets out of hand. You're our best soldier." The commanding officer spoke gravely, getting to his feet with a push off the desk. A quick salute dismissed him before he knew it. Bending with a wince he lifted his daughter up and gave her a squeeze. Turning he was moments from walking out when he was called back. "Solder, go get those ribs checked out before they get any worse. Medics on duty upstairs."
"Yes, sir."
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Flyleaf, screamed through the hidden speakers of a coffee shop. The café was busy, people talking loudly as they drank their coffees and ate their pastries. She couldn't help but marvel at the crowd that came in almost everyday at the same time. Lunch hour was the best thing to happen to a small rundown café just outside a military base. Not a lot of people would come to one because of the loud noises and constant ringing of the bell that called for raising and retiring of the flag. A flag the café couldn't see due to its location hidden amongst tall business buildings. Businesses she detested for their waste and productions. They weren't good for the environment but a job was a job and she had no right to complain. Especially since their lunches meant her paycheck.
For the last two years she'd been working at this coffee shop, waiting tables and serving hot coffee to snobby government officials. Two years that was both good to her and bad to her. She finally managed to pay of a debt that had gathered up from going to the top notch university but she always forced a smile on the lot that came stumbling in talking on handhelds 24/7 not giving anything else the time of day until they were in their way. She never could understand why people were so stubborn and crude or why people that worked in corporations were the worse lot in the bunch. Living outside of the military base gave her a new insight since most of the time she found military officials coming in at the crack of dawn to order coffee before going on their business. It was them she liked, the people that worked to beat around them however, she didn't like. Even if they did help pay her bills every two weeks of the month.
"Sakura, latte at table five." She was told. With a huff she got to work, letting her mind come to a halt as she got the latte ready with ease.
Her manager, a tall blond male, with ear gages the size of a quarter watched her care. She always had a thing for him but the one night she actually managed to spend time, cleaning the counters of the café after hours, she realized he was just another military nut that got a lousy job after retiring. His attitude was strictly disciplined and crude like any other official but on the job he was kind hearted and easy to lead. Nothing made sense to her anymore. Getting the latte topped off, she went around the counter and walked with grace towards the back table. A woman spoke on her phone in quick, clipped, tones that said business. She didn't give her a second look as her latte was placed before her. Rolling her green eyes, she went back to her station around the counter. The crowd had finally thinned out to the usual late hoppers, making last minute calls before leaving their trash on the table and heading to the office in such a rush she was sure they scuffed their fancy black shoes.
Time ticked by slowly and she occupied herself by recleaning the bar area, making sure everything was less sticky and more shiny. As the last person left from the lunch rush hour, she let the towel drop into the large sink of hot water and got started and cleaning the tables. It was only herself, the manager, and another boy working the coffee house and she knew that she was the one that got most of the hours and worked the hardest. The manager always sat, if she glanced to her left, on a stool reading the military times newspaper they got everyday. He took orders and gave her orders, nothing more, and nothing less. It was when she was scrubbing the table that the business woman was sitting at did she see a small keychain under the table. Sighing, she snatched it up, looking at the red clip this way and that. A small SanDisk drive was attached to the chain, the black piece to small to be noticeable.
"Hey Tom when did that lady leave?" she called to her manager, holding up the lost set to him. He glanced at the doors then at her with a look that said he wasn't interested.
"Don't know," she rolled her eyes, pocketing the find and straightening up.
"Fine, I'll go see if she's still walking late to her job."
"Hold up," tom hopped down from his stool, folding the paper neatly and placing it perfectly against the counters wall. Everything he did was organized and neat. Another trait that told her he was military. Blinking she watched him, hip cocked as she waited for him. "We have some bad news, Sakura."
"What kind of bad news?" she asked skeptically. He waved to an empty chair and she took it, sighing as she stretched out her legs. A piece of debris from cleaning the tables stuck to her black nylons and she picked it off with disgust, pinching the trash with her nails. "Don't tell me were not getting a shipment at three a clock in the morning again. Send Michael, he can handle that since he's not here today."
"No, no we're uh not getting a shipment today." He cleared his throat, arms crossing over his broad chest. "Sakura, I'm going to have to let you go. I have your last paycheck, including today's hours in my office. You can leave now or after your shift, it doesn't matter to me."
"What!?" she shot to her feet, eyes bugged out. "Are you kidding me? Why me? Why not that idiot that doesn't even work?"
"Michael's been let go too. This morning, that's why he didn't come in today." He raised a large hand, stopping her from another outburst. "The coffee shop is shutting down. I got my orders this morning. They want to tear it down and replace the spot with another business office for ocean something."
"Ocean something," she repeated, her mouth suddenly going sour. Sitting back down she stared at the floor, eyes wide as she processed what he just told her. "You mean, they want to take away a perfectly good coffee shop made with nothing but recyclable products and build an office for snotnosed idiots to argue over how the ocean is in the way of their demands?" she couldn't help it, she laughed, the sound loud as it turned to hysteria. Getting back to her feet she stared at Tom, eyes teary. "Fine, it was nice working with you Tom. May we never meet again." She went to the back in a huff, snatching up her stuff and grabbing the white envelope with her name on it.
"I'm sorry Sakura; there was nothing I could have done."
"What ever, bye." She called, letting the glass door shut behind her in a rattle as she stormed down the street.
It wasn't until she was half way down the street did she remember the keychain she found. Sighing in defeat she turned on her foot, one hand grabbing the piece out of her pocket. The little thing was ugly, both in red color and design. She didn't know anyone that would buy something like this just for a scandisk. On the back of the keychain was the address to the owner. From the look of it, she knew it was the business and not her legit home. Green eyes rose to stare at the tall glass covered building with hate. The coffee shop sat between the twin buildings, small in stature and now small in life. Going to the building in which the woman worked out she was met with suits and noise. The cold air condition hit her full force, reminding her that she only wore a purple tank top and thin nylons. Suddenly very conscious of her attire, she went to the front desk and stopped waiting patiently as the security officer stared zombie like at a small screen hidden beneath the counter.
"Excuse me," she said, loudly to get his attention. He looked up, a weird look on his face. Quickly she held up the keys as evidence, fake smile plastered to her face. "Found these at the café next door. Tall…"
"Hey those are mine!" she suddenly heard. Whirling around she stared at the tall woman approaching ferociously. Red nails came forward as she snatched the keys, narrowly missing her skin in a scratch. "How dare you steal from me." She hissed before turning on a heel and stocking away, boots clacking against the white linoleum floor.
"You're welcome," Sakura growled, giving the security guard a look before walking out herself. He hadn't even paid attention to the exchange. Anger, irritation, annoyance, all began building up inside her and she sighed, pulling her cell phone out. Walking quickly in the direction she had started to a while ago she dialed a familiar number, listening to the ring a few times before something answered in a small voice. "Rika, drink, my apartment in five." And just as quickly clicked off the phone.
To be continued…
Hey all, just wanted to say I know the chapter is short but I just wanted a little taste to a story I know is going to make it. Its a little different and definitly worth it so hopefully you all liked it. Update as soon as possible.