Chapter 2

I found the ranger right where I had left him. He seemed extremely relieved when I arrived with the messages and gave me a huge smile.

"Thank you Ma'am. I really appreciate this."

"No problem. Don't let General Monroe scare you too much. He doesn't have free reign over the rangers like he did with his militia."

"Thank you Ma'am, but I prefer to keep my limbs and do as I'm told."

"Call me Charlie please, and sometimes staying in your place is for the best, I guess," I said sadly. I have been trying to gain respect as a fighter from Miles and Bass for a year now and the only progress I've made is the occasional "good job kid" from Miles. In the back of my mind, my thoughts whispered that I didn't stay in my place back in Bass' tent. It has only been a few minutes since I read the poem and I am already feeling uneasy. I am excited that he has those feelings for me, but I also feel a little guilty because he had not intended for those thoughts to be shared, especially to me.

The ranger smiled at me and I noticed he had a nice smile. Actually, he was very nice in appearance overall. He had dark brown hair, light brown eyes, and a handsome face. He couldn't be much older than I was, but he had the innocence that I had before my dad died and I left to find Miles.

"I can agree with that. Anyway Charlie, I'd best be getting back to General Monroe." He turned to walk away before I called out to him, "Hey! I didn't catch your name."

He turned around and called out "My name is Chase, Chase Evans." Then he ran off to find Bass.

I turned around and decided I had had enough of sharpening knifes and cleaning weapons for the day. I grabbed my crossbow and decided a good hunt would clear my head. The hunt was long and slow; however, the weather was clear with blue skies and the crisp end of spring air. It was nice walking with no purpose or with a price on my head. Even in my months of travels after the tower, I had a purpose, a destination, an idea of where I was going. To enjoy the outside aimlessly was a gift that I was fully appreciating. I had given up all pretense of hunting and just enjoyed existing. I have wanted to do this since Tom Neville placed the gun to the side of my head and pulled the trigger. I came back to life that day. The shots from the helicopter that ripped through Danny killed me, and unlike Danny, I had to keep on living, breathing, and moving. The day Tom pulled the trigger on me I realized that living aimlessly without purpose is the worst kind of living. The kind of living I knew Danny would not want for me.

...

One week has passed since the tent incident. One very long, slow, endless week. We're all still in Austin. Miles says we are "strategizing" and that "it will take some time before we have concrete plans" were his exact words. Last week I loved the aimless wandering and spending my days doing whatever pleased me. Now I am feeling restless and bored. I want- no- I need to fight again. I need to feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins and the relief of surviving. I honestly am tired of adventure, and at the same time I miss the rush I felt. I feel confused about what I want.

Speaking of not knowing what I want, I spy a certain general talking to a bunch of Texas big shots. I can tell from fifty feet that he is laying on the charm nice and thick. He has that smile, the one he uses when he's trying to pick up a woman. Apparently, that smile is a multipurpose tool that reaches all kinds of people. He has never used that smile with me. The few times Sebastian Monroe has ever smiled at me, they were sad, haunted smiles. The man that I know is so different from the man that wrote that poem. I wish to see more of the latter.

As if sensing I'm staring at him, Sebastian's eyes lock with mine and I feel a jolt run through my body. This must be that spark they talked about in those old romance novels I would steal from under Maggie's bed. I never had that kind of spark with Jason, and certainly not with Connor. I am still thinking about sparks when Sebastian starts walking towards me. He walks with that swagger that only he could master, the kind that oozes sex appeal.

"You like what you see Charlotte?" He asks as he finally reaches me.

"Nope, just thinking that those Texan officials must be pretty dumb if you can charm them so easily," I retort. Of course I don't truly mean what I am saying. I know those men were obviously intelligent, they just don't realize that Sebastian Monroe is so much smarter.

" So you were watching me so intensely because you question the other men's intellect?" He continues to push.

I have to change the subject. Fast.

"What do you want Monroe?"

His eyes harden slightly as he slips back into his serious persona.

"I want you to keep an eye on the camp while I'm in a meeting with Blanchard," he finally states.

"Why don't you just ask Miles? You can probably trust him more than you can trust me."

"Miles will be in the meeting with me," he say exasperated. "Let me rephrase, Miles and I need you to keep an eye on the camp while we are in a meeting."

This is a weird request. Miles and Bass have been in meetings all week. A few times, they left camp for hours and never felt the need to ask me to keep an eye on things. I tell him my suspicions about this request, which he reluctantly answered.

"There have been some Patriot sightings near Austin and I just want to make sure that no one sneaks by."

"Why don't you tell the entire camp about this? I'm sure that everyone else can keep better track of strangers then just me alone.

The look in his eyes soften once more.

"I'm sure your right, but Miles and I don't trust the entire camp, we trust you. You've been exploring the camp the whole time Miles and I have been busy. We know you will recognize anyone suspicious."

My heart soared. Sebastian Monroe just said he trusted me. What feels so important about this statement is that he told me face to face, about what he felt. I didn't have to find out from some poem. Damn it! Thinking about the poem brought a blush to my cheeks. I can see that he noticed. He probably thinks I'm blushing about him trusting me. Okay, I need to get out of here before this ends badly.

"Okay, I can do that; have fun at your meeting."

I quickly turn around and head towards the main entrance to the camp. It seems like the most logical place to start. I can feel Sebastian's eyes on me as I walk away. I know he thinks something is up; I just don't have a good explanation for him. I hope he forgets the whole encounter, but if I know Sebastian at all, I know I won't be so lucky.