Firstly: hi! I'm Frankie and I love BoB!
Secondly: Thanks to Crazyforkasey for my first review! It means a lot to me :)
Well, Well, Well
She travelled by train East to Georgia the night before and stayed in a cheap hotel, a mile away from the camp. There was a bus that ran right past it, leaving at 8:30 the next morning. She would walk right off it into the gates of Camp Toccoa.
Excitement oozed from her every pore. However, anxiousness had set in too. This was not a welcome feeling. Doubts crawled into the forefront of her mind, making her scrutinize her own behaviour.
What if they don't let you stay? This thought drifted around her head like a kid on a merry-go-round; it kept on coming back for more. Deciding that she didn't want to think about it, she shoved the thoughts out of her brain and focused on calming her breathing. Crawling into the unfamiliar bed, she pulled the sheets over her head and drifted off into a calm slumber.
'BBBBBRRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!'
The cry of her alarm clock brought her back into consciousness. It had been a dreamless and pleasant sleep, but she was glad to be awake. Blinking in the daylight and the strange surroundings, she reminded herself where she was and what she was doing there. A smile slid easily onto her face as she leapt out of bed.
Today was to be the first day of her new life.
On arriving at Camp Toccoa, she was ushered into a large waiting room. She was early, and so was the first person there. She threw herself into a chair and slowly took in her surroundings, examining the white wash walls with an air of boredom. Col. Sink was to conduct individual interviews with each of the recruits that day – basic training wouldn't start until tomorrow.
She was wearing baggy, but smart, clothes; to hide her gender. She had scraped her hair back and pulled it underneath her hat. She had not had the heart to cut it, it was the only thing that she didn't mind about herself.
One by one, men started to fill the room around her. She smiled carefully at each of them, her eyes analyzing each of their faces as she stored them carefully into her memory. Reaching forward to introduce herself to the handsome man opposite, she was interrupted by the opening of the door at the end of the corridor.
Every man that was seated, sprung to their feet and craned their necks to catch their first glimpse of the infamous Col. Sink. Instead the sight of a very ordinary looking Corporal greeted them. He took a deep breath before addressing the men as a group.
'Thank you for attending and congratulations,' he paused. 'I will be calling you in one by one for a five minute interview with Col. Sink. You should have received details on this with your acceptance letters. This is nothing to be worried about,' unless you're a girl Joanna thought to herself 'but is just to allow the Colonel to get to know you all individually.' He inhaled deeply and then glanced down at the clipboard in front of him. 'First off; J Derbyshire.' His eyes swept around the room in anticipation.
Oh shit she thought. She stepped forward feeling the eyes of her fellow recruits on her back. The Corporal held the door open for her. She gave him a small nod in her thanks, her heart thumping against her ribcage.
She glanced around the room and caught sight of a grey haired man, with a proud moustache casting a shadow over his lips, and a lined face. She hesitated slightly before walking forward and standing before his desk. She could feel his gaze scrutinizing her as she stood staring at the wall behind his shoulder.
And then he spoke.
'J Derbyshire, isn't it?' His voice was friendly, but had an edge to it. You did not want to cross this man.
'Yes Sir,' she replied, her voice sounding impossibly high and squeaky to her own ears.
'Well, Derbyshire, in my office you do not wear hats unless it happens to be an army issued one,' his words did not come out harshly, but they nevertheless made her freeze and cringe for a second. She hadn't anticipated the revealing of her gender so soon, she had hoped that she would have time to prove her worth before it happened. Slowly reaching towards her head, she peeled off the offending item, freeing her long hair, letting it tumble down her back. She winced quietly at the change in his expression.
She was for it now, she could tell.
Fearing the worst, she was confused to hear a throaty chuckle escape from the Colonel's lips. He threw his head back and roared with laughter.
She just stood there in complete exasperation. She had not expected this at all. The Colonel sighed as his laughter subdued and he took a quick sip of the water in front of him. He then turned his attention back to the serious looking girl in front of him, and waved her into a seat.
'Well. That was a surprise Miss. How on earth did you get here?' He asked in total bemusement.
'I may have threatened a couple of people and given them a little bit of… untruthful information.' She said with a guilty smile.
'Ah. I presume that you are Miss Derbyshire then, or was that part of your misinformation too?' He seemed genuinely interested in her situation and eager to learn more.
'It's my real name Sir. My name is Joanna Derbyshire.' She saw no reason to lie to this man.
'You do know that you're not allowed to be here Miss Derbyshire? I can not allow you to train with those men.' He said slowly. He was sure that she knew this, but wanted to clarify, for himself more than anything.
'But Sir, I want to be here. I can promise that I want this more than all those men out there put together! Who cares about gender? I want to fight for my country, surely that's good enough?' She was desperate to make him understand. She was not leaving. Not after what she had gone through to get there.
'You argue a good case Miss, but it's simply against the rules.' He looked almost as sorry as she felt. She could feel that she was close to winning him over though.
'But what if nobody knew,' she murmured quietly, almost to herself.
'Excuse me?'
'What if nobody knew I was a girl?' She said, more audibly this time. 'You could just put me down as a male on all the official reports, and then deny any knowledge of it, if questioned. No-one would even know! Please Sir, just let me do my bit.' She sat opposite from him looking vulnerable, but strong at the same time. She stared at her shoes as her toes traced patterns on the floor. His heart went out to the girl.
And the heart always wins over the head.
'Alright Soldier, but there is one condition. You must complete four weeks of basic training before you are to become known to the men. I will assess your progress at the end of each week to make sure that you are keeping up to scratch. If at the end of the four weeks, you are up to the standard I want my soldiers to be at, you can stay. Until then you are not to make any contact with the men. Do I make myself clear?' He said the words sternly, but Joanna could tell that he was struggling to keep the smile off his face.
'Thank you so much Sir,' she said as she leapt to her feet. 'I won't let you down, Sir, I promise,' she gushed, beaming from ear to ear.
'Well, you have a lot to try for Miss Derbyshire. I wish you the very best of luck.' The man said, sticking his hand out to her over the desk. Taking it she smiled and shook it with pride.
'Now get to work, you have tough times ahead young lady,' he smiled as she pushed her hair back into her hat and strode back towards the door.
Joanna couldn't believe her luck.
She had done it.
Nothing was going to stop her now.
Thanks for reading
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