Chapter 4: Miss Independent

Taylor was sitting on her swing, swinging back and forth with a book in her hand. She looked up when she heard shouting and screaming coming from his house. She dropped her Animarium book and she ran to Eric's house to see what was going on.

She came to his house and she remembered she was too short to look into the window. She looked around and she saw some bricks around the fire pit. She grabbed a few of those and she stacked them up. She looked up into the window and she saw Larry kicking Eric, who was already laying on the floor. "YOU SCUM! GET UP!" Larry shouted. He kicked him again. "Don't you have ears boy? I said GET UP!" He shouted. She gasped when Eric looked up and saw the blood on his face.

Taylor shot up from her bunk when the alarm to get up went off. She jumped out of her bunk and she quickly made it to the shelves. She pulled on her uniform and she ran outside.

After morning training, Taylor sat in the mess hall, playing with her lunch. "You alright Earhardt?" Her friend, Daniel, asked. She glanced up to see her friends staring at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied.

"You've been picking at that sandwich practically through the whole lunch hour," Mina commented.

"No really, guys, I'm fine," she insisted.

"Not to mention you were tossing and turning in your sleep," Kayla put in.

"How would you know that?" Tristan asked.

"The girl sleeps in the bunk above me. When she tosses and turns, the whole thing shakes," Kayla answered.

Taylor bit her lip and she stared at her lunch some more. "What were you dreaming about last night? You almost had the whole place awake," Mina commented.

"It's none of your business," Taylor answered.

Taylor rubbed her eyes and she let out a sigh. She couldn't wait until graduation. She couldn't wait until she was able to start her first assignment and to be able to fly a jet. Her officer training had been difficult, but she was happy she joined. She bit her lip and she thought about her dream. It had been years since she last had a nightmare like that. She hoped Eric was okay, she missed him dearly.

(Graduation)

Taylor smiled as she embraced her mother after her graduation ceremony. "Oh! I'm so proud of you!" Her mother told her.

"Thanks mom," she answered.

Julianne kissed her cheek and she pulled back. "Your father would've been so proud of you," she commented. She placed her hands on Taylor's face.

"Well, mom, I got my first assignment already. I'm being sent to Turtle Cove," she answered.

"You're being sent away already. I thought you'd be home for a little while."

"Well, mom, you know duty calls."

Julianne sighed and she stroked her daughter's face. "Well, home will miss you," she commented. Taylor smiled slightly and she embraced her mother. She looked over her mother's shoulder and she thought she saw Eric standing near the door.

"Excuse me for a minute…" Taylor told Julianne.

Julianne watched as Taylor walked over to the doors. Taylor looked around. "Eric?" She called. She lowered her head slightly when she started thinking she had only imagined him being there when she saw something on the floor. She reached down and picked it up. "A jet…" she trailed off.

(Flashback)

"So come on, Tay, what do you want for your birthday?" Eric asked. Taylor laughed as she started climbing a tree.

"They don't make enough toy jets," she replied.

Eric climbed up behind her and he sat next to her on the branch. "Hey, I promise that for your birthday you're going to get a toy jet. Big or small," he told her. Taylor laughed slightly and she swung her legs back and forth looking at the sky. "And one day you'll fly like an eagle through the sky," he commented.

"Oh yeah and then what's going to happen?" She asked.

"You're finally going to find the Animarium."

Taylor shoved him slightly. "You're mocking me!" She whined.

"Who me?" He asked.

"Yeah, you know I've been trying to prove that the Animarium exists since I saw it on the plane!"

"You were dreaming."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

Eric threw up his hands in surrender. "Okay, fine. When you find Animaria look me up," he told her. Taylor grinned slightly before jumping off the branch and started running.

(End Flashback)

Taylor held the toy jet up and she let out a smile. "You remembered…" she trailed off.

"Taylor!" Julianne called.

Taylor put the jet in her pocket and went back to her mother.

(Turtle Cove)

Taylor got out of the jeep that brought her to the base in Turtle Cove. She looked around in amazement to see all the jets that were on the base. "Wow…" she whispered.

"Airman," the soldier called.

Taylor turned around and she followed him to the General's office.

(General's Office)

Taylor set her duffel bag down and stood in front of the General. "Private Taylor Earhardt reporting for duty sir," she informed.