"Chased and Hunted"
By Deanna Shaffer
(Title is subject to change, to something better hopefully)
Chapter 1
"Your going to be late for the umpteen time young lady," the sarge yelled to the closed door at the top of the stairs, also know as Rene's mother. She was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that had some sort of catchy phrase on it. Her mom had a strong build with red hair that looked dull. Little grays were threatening to cover her head as they were coming out of her scalp. Her mouth was set in a hard line which was almost natural to her at this point. Rene rarely remembers that last time that her mother was actually caught smiling or laughing. Ever since the divorce things have changed, but she didn't want to show her parents that she knew things had changed. Considering the fact that they gave her one of those huge speeches before they announced beigh divorced, that nothing was going to change.
"Yea I'm coming," Rene yelled down the stairs as she opened the door and threw her duffle bag down the stairs. She was running down the stairs in her camoflauge green pants and black Tshirt, while pulling her hair back into a pony tail. Rene had brown hair with a tint of red to it, thanks to the gene's from her fathers side. Her eyes were green but had what looked like red flowing through the color, but Rene would regard it as her red tints in her hair or that they were simply veins peeking through the color. She was slender standing at about 5' 4", her arms were toned with muscle and so was her stomach. You could see the faint lines through the creases of her shirt and also at the rim of her pants. She wasn't stocky but had no intentions of wearing a dress anytime soon and playing dress up. Rene like to get dirty and play games that were challendging to her.
She could only expect as much because she lived her whole life around challendges. Her mother was 1st sergent and commanding analysis leader in the US technical field. Her father was commander of the US Air Force Fleet known as Stealth. Rene was expected to follow in their footsteps and make a good outcome of it. Her parents met when one day her mother was called on duty to help with a computer crash over where her father had been training at the time. He was a respectful gentleman who would take her out to dinner and show her a good time around his town. One fateful day they were both granted a one month leave from thier duties for vacation timing, so her parents flew out to vegas with some friends. Next thing they knew they were married and her mother was pregnant with Rene. Her father was thrilled, but became much less thrilled when he found out that Rene was a girl and not a boy. His dream was to have a little boy to one day take over his position in the Air Force. Their fights started getting more and more heated until eventually her Dad packed his things and left when she was twelve. Ever since that day Rene would spend the beginning of April til the end of September with her dad and the rest of the year with her mom.
When she lives with either her mom or her dad they always send her to base camps or to military acadamey's, thought she never knows why they bother because she isn't even there long enough to make friends or finish out with the year before she is sent somewheres else. Although her parents send her away they like to keep her in atleast a good 100 mile radius as to where they are stationed, parental instincts of some sort. Rene has been training at places like that since she was able to walk so her mind is set on military and it practically flows through her veins. She is mastered in most types of combat and she knows more about military tactics then probaly her own father.
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"Rene you better be more punctual next time, the commander doesn't enjoy waiting 4 seconds past delivery time and you of all people should know better," the sarge said to Rene in a matter of fact tone.
"Yes I know, and I promise to be a good little girl, who bakes cookies and pies for him too," Rene responded sarcastically. Even though she is trained like a military secret weapon her attitude or spirit has never been broken. Her will power to be true to herself is stronger then any kind of weapon in this world.
"He better whip your attitude into a more productive perspective now go and make sure you call," the sarge told Rene while putting her hands on her hips and throwing an unsettling gaze at Rene.
"Yes of course see you in a couple months," she responded while making haste out the front door.
The town car was waiting for Rene as usual, though she didn't expect to see her father waiting for her inside the car. She was startled when she opened the door to see him casually sitting there looking out the other window. Rene was almost never accompanied in the town car, she would normally meet her father on the private plane or whatever the destination of his station was. This was odd enough to her, but she got in and fastened her seatbelt without a word. The ride to the airbase was silent, not even a hello passed between them. This is how it has always been for Rene. Her fathers way of shunning her for being a girl instead of a boy.
They walked onto the plane, where Rene fell into one of the seats across from her dad's body gaurd Alexander. Alexander had been her playmate and only friend since she could remember, so Rene began the game of chess. No words were passed between them like usual. Rene sometimes enjoyed staying with the commander, it was always so silent with no emotion on anyones face that it was relaxing. For her to retreat from her loud mother always bossing her around or pushing her into perfection was nice.
The commander turned his chair to face Rene after he seemed to finish reading some article in a binder that he began reading in the car.
"Alexander would you give me and Rene a moment?" the commander said. Alexander nodded and stood up to go to the back of the plane where he took a lonely seat by himself.
"Rene, This stay with me will be much different then your usual course." the commander began to explain, he looked at Rene giving some time for her to soak in the fact that he was having a public conversation with her. Rene just looked into his eyes in disbelief that they were actually talking.
"Right, well instead of going to some sort of academy I am sending you of to Downy High School in Denver, Colorado. I won't be stationed in Colorado, I'm going out of the country to Canada. It is quite a far trip from Colorado to Canada so I'm leaving some of my best men to check up on you from time to time. As your father I want you to experience what highschool is like, the experience can be quite rewarding. When we land there will be a car waiting for you, so do be on your best behavior and I will see you in the next six months." the commander ended there goodbye with that last bit of information. It was strange to Rene to have some hint of fatherly affection. Rene just smiled and the commander returned to his table and the binder. The rest of the flight was in silence.
They landed in Denver on a private airplane strip which looked like it hadn't landed a plane in quite some time. Rene said goodbye to Alexander and proceeded to leave the plane. But before she scaled the steps to the Denver concrete she looked up to her father but was only greeted with the back of his head. Rene then walked down the steps and as the sound of the doors to the plane were heard shutting her father looked out the window to watch Rene slip into the town car. The car drove away and the plane took of for the next stop, Canada.
Rene had her duffle bag in the seat next to her while taking in the new car smell, she couldn't tell wether it was a rental or if it was to become something permanent. Still Rene couldn't help but go over every inch of her fathers parting words to her, the longest he has ever left Rene on her own was two months. She wasn't sure wether she was prepared for six whole months to herself. Though the idea of it all being to herself was thrilling and sent a new surge of relief and excitement through her body.