Montie giggled to herself. Tom-Tom turned to follow the men. Montie and Jo waited for their other friend. Mellish, Jackson, and Reiben sat at a makeshift table as they started to sift through the bag. Each began to read the names off the plates. The three boys made certain wagers that they knew they wouldn't hold.
"Hey, Jackson, keep the dog tags in your own fucking pile, alright? They're getting mixed up with mine. How am I supposed to know who we got," Reiben snapped, as he tossed some over towards the sniper. Jackson glared at him, a disgusted look crossed his face.
"Hey, Reiben, why don't you shut up?" he retorted before continuing to sift through the pile.
"Hey, everybody be friends, okay," Mellish interjected.
There was a bit of silence as they tossed the wrong tags on to the table. They clanked as they fell in an almost playful manner.
"I think I got a winner," the blonde spoke after some time.
"Check that out Mellish."
Mellish snatched the tag from his grip, examining it before giving a scoff.
"You're a genius. You really are. R-I-E-N-N-E. That's Rienne, and it's French, alright? You know what that means?"
"It means nothin'."
The tedious task had now turned into a game. They acted as if it was poker. Miller stood off to the side amused. Tom-Tom hid her face as she saw the faces of those marching past. All of a sudden, Wade stomped over and started grabbing dog tags. He shoved them back into the bag with a scowl.
"The whole goddamn airborne is watching. These aren't poker chips." He continued to round up the tags. "Put them back in there!"
He promptly slammed the bag back down onto the table. He turned on his heels and walked back to the injured. The captain glanced at the handful he had been holding. A frown appeared on his face. Miller became agitated. He started walking in the line of men, mumbling something. The three girls watched him skeptically. All of a sudden, the Captain started yelling.
"Ryan!" He lowered his voice. "Maybe the locals have seen him." He walked up to an older French couple. "Hey, you know. Uh excusez-moi. Parlez-vous Ryan, James Ryan? Merci. Merci beaucoup." He turned his attention to the soldiers. "Ryan! Anybody know Ryan, 101st Airborne? Ryan? You know a guy named Ryan? Private James Ryan from Iowa? Anybody know a Ryan? James Ryan!"
A soldier stopped in front of the disgruntled man. After some chatter, they walked up to a man with a bloody ear. The girls' attention was ripped away when they each felt a tap on their shoulders. They turned around to see Donnie and two other girls.
"What's up with Miller?" asked the brunette.
"I think the pressure finally hit him," Montie whispered sadly.
"What would you do?" Tom-Tom defended.
"These are the recruits?" Jo interrupted before the girls could fight.
Donnie nodded. "Yeah."
"I'm Bo," said a violet eyed girl. She had jet black hair that was in a low bun. She wore a colorful beaded bracelet around her bicep. Her shirt was a dark green with no sleeves.
"And I'm Jack," a sunshine blonde haired girl spoke up. Her eyes were a bright blue. Her hair stopped a little above her shoulders and was out of a ponytail. She wore a light brown T-shirt. A silver and blue clip held back her bangs.
"Pleasure to meet you," replied Montie. "I'm Montie, that's Jo and Tom-Tom. I'm sure Donnie already introduced herself."
"That she did," replied Bo. "Although, she didn't tell us what was goin on."
"Yeah," Montie drawled, "she does that."
All of a sudden, Upham ran up to the squad. He had an excited expression painted on his face.
"Hey Upham."
"Hey girls!"
"Meet Bo and Jack." Donnie smiled. "They complete the team, and one of them has a map!"
"What's that mean?"
Montie frowned. "We have to leave you guys while we continue to Ramelle."
His grin grew broader. "No you don't!"
"It's not that we want to, but we have to," specified the auburn. Just then, Reiben walked up behind Upham with a smirk.
"Guess who's going to Ramelle, Sweetheart," he proclaimed.
"Oh boy," the brunette groaned playfully, "Don't tell me it's you hot shot."
He smirked. "Would you be surprised?"
"Hardly."
Montie squealed. "This is great! First, we get a full team, then a map, and now the boys get to come!"
"Don't you mean Bumpkin gets to come?" asked the Brooklyn man.
She only blushed. Donnie excused herself and jogged over to Miller. He had an authoritative look on his face. He gave her a sideways glance. After finishing his conversation, he turned to the brunette.
"You wanna tell me why you're headed to Ramelle?" Donnie instigated.
He raised a brow. "What is your concern?"
"My concern is you and your men abandoning a mission just to 'protect' us girls. I'm damn sure we can cover our own asses."
He chuckled. "We aren't abandoning our post, Donnie. Ryan is in Ramelle."
Her eyes lit up. "Are you positive?"
"No, but it's the only lead we have."
She nodded her head. "Alright. We found two more so, that completes my team."
Miller was about to reply when he heard Jackson yell. He whipped his head to the source. His eyes caused Donnie to look as well. The two jogged over. Miller stopped Jackson from moving forward. The brunette stood in front of her girls.
"What the hell is going on?" she asked harshly.
Jackson answered. "That's my baby sister!"
The angry leader glowered over her shoulder. "Lemme guess, Jack."
"Her name's Dinah Lee," the sniper said less aggressively. "And she shouldn't be here."
"I want to be here, Daniel," Jack defended. "I want to help, and being a common housewife isn't gonna cut it."
He shook his head and walked away. Montie made a move to follow, but was stopped by the brunette. She gave her a simple sideways glance. Understanding, she didn't continue. After an hour or so, the group of now thirteen headed to their destination. It was quiet most of the way. Jo walked with Miller; Tom-Tom stood next to the medic; Montie walked slightly behind Jackson; Bo kept pace with Mellish and Upham. Donnie and Jack took up the rear. The short haired blonde hung her head as they marched.
"He hates me," she muttered.
"Why would you say that?" asked the brunette.
"He won't talk to me. Hell, Daniel won't even look at me!"
"He's just upset. He loves you, that's why he's mad."
Her shoulders sagged. "That doesn't make sense."
"And love does? Shit, nothing makes sense."
"Donnie," Miller called.
By this time, they were in a field with dead cows. A small patch of forest was nearby. She grabbed Jack's arm and moved her forward. The leader looked at Bo. Donnie decided to sign.
-Keep an eye on her.-
-What for?- asked the jet black haired girl.
-She isn't focused on her surroundings.-
-Alright. I have her back.-
-Good.-
The verdant eyed woman hustled up to Miller.
"We've spotted some Germans past this hill. There was a flash of light making me think of…"
"Enemy special forces," Donnie finished. She nodded. "Did you catch how many?"
"There were only two that I could see," Horvath added.
"Bo! Jack! Jo! On the double," she called.
Jackson flinched when he heard his sister called. The three girls jogged up to their leader. Jo led the way.
"What do ya got Donnie?"
"Horvath spotted two pistols and I want you three to take them out. Jo, you run point. Montie, Tom-Tom, and I will help Miller and his men."
"Yes sir."
"Now go and wait until you hear gunfire."
With one last look at all of them, Bo and Jack started jogging away. Jo was just about to leave when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see a worried Jackson. She smiled sympathetically.
"I won't let her get close," she paused, "Now go kick some Nazi ass." She patted his back and jogged away.
Jackson smirked and walked over to his squad and the remaining three girls.
