It was easy to grab a weekend pass in October. Dallin and Shifty left Aldbourne on a crisp Saturday morning on the 30th of October and headed to Brighton. Seeing as Halloween was the next day, Brighton decided to decorate the pier for the occasion. They put up more games, a few more rides and other fun attractions. People wore masks, kids dressed up and stalls were serving sweet treats, like toffee apples and caramel.
Straight away, Shifty and Dallin headed towards one of the games. In order to win a prize, Shifty had to knock down ducks with a rifle that shot out small sandbags. He paid for one go, Shifty had three tries to knock a duck down. Before he made his shot, Shifty asked Dallin;
"what prize do you want, baby?"
With a sigh, Dallin looked around.
It was mostly stuffed animals. So, she decided to go for a bear.
A very large bear.
She pointed to the brown bear;
"him".
Shifty winked at her;
"you got it".
Dallin took a small step back, giving Shifty some room.
He held up the rifle, aimed for a moving duck and fired.
She wasn't surprised that he knocked the first duck down.
Or the second and third.
But the man behind the stall was surprised;
"bloody hell, mate…you pack a good shot – what's for the lady?"
Shifty nodded to the bear;
"that one, bud".
Grabbing a large hook, the man brought the bear down and handed it to Dallin. She smiled. The bear was surprisingly soft for being so large. But she soon noticed another bear, a smaller one. With a tiny frown, she told Shifty;
"this bear…needs a cub, Shifty".
He smiled;
"whatever you want, Dallin Gorski".
Handing the man more money, Shifty shot down another three plastic ducks. And the small bear cub was soon placed in Dallin's other arm. Looking back up, she noticed a medium-sized bear;
"Shifty…the cub needs it's mother too".
The game owner laughed;
"she's a bird who knows what she wants, mate".
Shifty handed him more money;
"she sure is a pistol". He mumbled.
Soon, Shifty and Dallin were carrying a bear family down the pier. Luckily for Shifty, Brighton didn't have any roller coasters, but they did have a few tame rides. Leaving their bear family in the safety of the ride's controller, they headed on the carousel. The horses were decorated with fake cobwebs, with small paper-shaped skulls attached to their bridals. It was a slow ride but still enjoyable. Dallin enjoyed the organ music and the colourful bright gold and red lights.
Hopping off the horse, Dallin and Shifty collected their bear family and headed for the next ride. He was hesitant because the Ferris Wheel did not look safe. But Dallin was eager to go on and see the view from the top. Leaving their bears behind, they sat down, and a bar was pulled over their heads to keep them from falling. When the ride started moving, Shifty grabbed Dallin's hand. She looked at him and noticed he was tense.
Frowning, Dallin mumbled;
"we didn't have to go on, Shifty…".
Shaking his head, he said;
"no…no, it surely will be fine".
Smiling softly, Dallin gave his hand a squeeze;
"enjoy, Shifty Powers…this will be nice".
Taking in a deep breath, he said;
"we're getting beers after".
"Yes…deal".
Nearing the top, the wind picked up and rocked their seat. Shifty squeezed Dallin's hand. Looking away from the view, Dallin faced Shifty and noticed his eyes were closed. Smiling small, her free hand touched the side of his face and she slowly turned his head to face her.
"Open your eyes". She commanded quietly.
Exhaling shakily, Shifty opened his eyes.
Softly biting down on her lip fist, she then told him;
"now…kiss me, Shifty Powers".
He let go of her hand to take the side of her face.
Moving in closer, their lips soon met.
Shifty was no longer scared on the Ferris Wheel, not when he was kissing Dallin. Her arms ended up around his neck, which caused the seat to move but neither noticed. Shifty's hands moved further down until they grabbed her waist.
On the top of the Ferris Wheel, they shared a deeply passionate second kiss.
It wasn't until they started descending, did the kiss end. Both flushed with creased shirts and messy hair, the man in charge of the ride let them off. Taking back their bear family, Dallin and Shifty headed for the nearest pub to grab a cold beer. Shifty grabbed them a table, where they could set their bear family down. Someone came around with a menu and a drinks list.
"Get whatever you want". Dallin said, "I will pay".
Shifty raised his eyebrow;
"pardon me?"
Eyes still scanning the menu, she mumbled;
"you heard me, Shifty Powers…dinner is on me tonight".
Lips twitching, Shifty nodded;
"well, alright, Dallin".
While they waited for their food, they drank their beers. And once their food arrived, they ordered more beers. Neither planned on getting too drunk but halfway through the meal, Shifty was pretending to feed his food to the bear family. Dallin laughed loudly at that. Her hand slammed down on the table, spilling her beer onto the ground. Shifty had tried to save the beer from falling onto the ground. But instead of helping, he made the situation worse. He ended up falling into the table, creating an even bigger mess and almost breaking the table in half.
The pub owner chucked Dallin, Shifty and the bears out.
Leaving the pier, the sun was beginning to set. Shifty found a hotel for them to spend the night in, right by the beach. They checked in, with the receptionist barely making out what the two drunk troopers were saying but she handed them a key with directions.
They didn't make it past nine, before passing out with the bear family.
…
Shifty woke up with a large paw covering his face.
Head hurting, he moved the bear's paw off his face and sat up. He was alone, save three bears taking up half the bed. Running a hand down his face, Shifty's eyes landed on their bathroom door, which was closed. With a small sigh, Shifty stretched his arms above his head and got out of bed. Grabbing his trousers, he hiked them up before checking his watch.
It was six.
They had to leave Brighton soon.
While buckling up his belt, he called towards the bathroom door;
"you okay in there, baby?"
"Yes, Shifty". Dallin called back, "are you…okay out there?"
Smiling, he nodded;
"heads hurting…but I'm fine".
Picking up his shirt, he pulled it on;
"you 'wanna grab some breakfast?" He asked her, "pretty sure that girl said they did breakfast but…I sure as hell don't remember".
He heard the toilet flush and the sound of water running.
Dallin called back to him;
"yes, okay".
Opening the door, she stepped outside.
Shifty's smile softened.
Walking over to her, he took her face and kissed her lips;
"why, good morning".
Rubbing her lips to hide a large grin, Dallin greeted him back;
"good morning".
Shifty headed into the bathroom next, while Dallin searched for her clothes on the ground. She found her trousers on the bed, hanging over one of the bears head. With a tiny smile, she asked Shifty;
"we keep bears?"
He chuckled;
"sure…but they ain't coming to combat".
Dallin's smile left her face. Licking her bottom lip, she sat down on the edge of the bed, trousers across her lap. It felt very normal, having fun at the pier, Dallin forgot all about the war. She forgot about what happened to her and where she came from. For one day, Dallin was oblivious and having fun with Shifty.
But the war didn't stop. And it wouldn't stop because she was falling in love.
Shoulders sinking into her body, Dallin's nails picked at the fabric on her trousers. She could feel her eyes start to burn, solely on the thought of combat and entering an occupied country again. Because she knew what it was like. She knew the risks. She knew people would die. Dallin didn't want anyone to die, no one did. The thought of losing Shifty, her friends…it already put a scar on her heart.
"I ain't even sure they'd make it down with a chute…". Shifty continued to joke.
But he was met by silence.
When Shifty left the bathroom, he frowned when his eyes landed on Dallin.
She slowly looked up to meet his concerned stare.
And felt a tear roll down her cheek.
Eyes widening slightly, Shifty rushed over to her;
"why're you crying…what's going on?" He asked while kneeling in front of her.
Dallin took in a shaky breath and shook her head;
"no…I cannot talk".
Frowning still, Shifty wiped that lone tear away with his thumb;
"baby? What about?"
When she exhaled, Dallin choked out a tiny sob;
"I don't…want to lose you".
There weren't a lot of words of comfort, because neither could promise the other anything. So, Shifty pulled Dallin into his chest and embraced her tightly. But what Shifty could promise her, was;
"I ain't going nowhere right now, huh? We're in Brighton, ain't we?"
She sniffed, breathing hitching;
"y-yes…".
He kissed the top of her head;
"we're here right now, baby. And we sure are safe, huh? We're 'gonna grab some breakfast and catch that long bus back to Aldbourne".
Her face crumbled into his chest.
Dallin let out a tiny cry;
"I want this here…forever, Shifty".
Feeling his own eyes well-up, Shifty kissed her head again;
"one day, baby, huh? One day, we ain't 'gonna have nothing else to worry 'bout".
With a few tears still rolling down her cheeks, Dallin pulled away from his chest, where her lips soon found his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. While kissing her, Shifty took off his shirt and allowed it to drop on the ground, before his hands were around her waist, picking her up and laying her down on the bed.
Dallin landed on the bears.
She arched her back and grabbed them, throwing the bear family off the bed.
Her legs wrapped themself around Shifty.
But before he did anything, he kissed her tears away and whispered;
"I sure as hell ain't going nowhere right now".
Dallin and Shifty didn't have time for breakfast. After spending an hour inside their hotel room, they soon checked out and rushed to catch the bus back into Aldbourne. With barely seconds to spare, Shifty, Dallin and the bears caught the bus and sat down. Lighting up two cigarettes, Shifty handed one to Dallin. And she joked around, pretending to give the bear her smoke.
Shifty chuckled;
"that's what got us kicked 'outta the bar, Dallin".
She soon smiled;
"yes…I remember…you almost broke table".
He laughed again;
"I was trying to save your beer".
His arm going around her, Dallin leaned into his side.
Her feet pressed against the side of the bus, boots almost touching the window. Dallin's head fell onto Shifty's chest, where his lips met her forehead. She smiled, stomach pooling with warmth.
Watching the first drop of rain hit the window, Dallin asked;
"what was…vocational school like?"
Sighing quietly first, Shifty replied;
"well…Norfolk sure brought in a rougher type of crowd. You know, all manner of folks ended up in vocational school. Now, if I remember rightly so, it happened to be the last weekend in November and me and some guys were shooting pool downtown. The fellas wanted to stay out late but I had more studying to do, so I was walking back to my dorm by myself. I happened to be in an unfamiliar part of the city there…and when I came by an alleyway, up pulled this car. It dimmed its lights, you know, and at first, the guys just rolled next to me with their convertible top-down though it was near enough winter".
Clearing his throat, Shifty continued;
"nobody was saying nothing, and I kept walking, quicker now, while counting out the corner of my eye. Two in the front. Three in the back. Big fellas. None smiling, particularly when they swerved ahead of me and blocked my path".
Dallin frowned.
"They climbed out". Shifty said, "and lined up in a row with their backs to the passenger door, facing me. You know, I was all for hightailing it back to the bar, but it was too far. So, I just square my shoulders, reached my hand inside my jacket pocket and told them, I got no problem with taking you on. All I ask is that you come at me one at a time".
Her frown deepened.
"Now, like you, Dallin Gorski…I'm always carrying around my switchblade, something I used for hunting back home, you see. And I pulled the blade out and flicked it open. Well, the sound of my knife echoed with a mighty click off those brick walls. And here the biggest fella comes, asking why am out. And I tell him I'm studying to be a mechanic. And he tells me he's got a cousin here. Sure enough, they give me a lift back to the dorms. Well, I tell 'um jokes until we reach the dorm and they're slapping their knees and laughing. I reckon we might have almost been friends".
Smile reaching her lips, Dallin chuckled;
"you got…very lucky, Shifty".
He sighed;
"I do agree…that could have ended badly".
"Popeye was at bar?"
Shifty shook his head;
"no…Popeye was back in the dorms, studying".
A tiny smile met her lips;
"Popeye is very funny…I don't imagine him studying".
Shifty chuckled;
"thing 'bout Popeye…he knows when to shut up and keep his head down".
"You wish to be mechanic one day, Shifty?"
He hummed in thought;
"guess we'll just wait and see, huh?"
Kissing her forehead first, Shifty asked;
"what 'bout you, huh? Did you ever 'wanna study?"
With a tiny frown, Dallin shrugged;
"I don't remember…".
"Well, you could always pick something else". Shifty murmured softly, "you sure do like flowers and a good garden…and you got a good hand with animals".
"Bobcat almost killed me". Dallin reminded him.
He chuckled;
"well, you was good with little Draftee".
…
They reached Aldbourne three hours later. Going their separate ways, Dallin and the bear family walked into the hut and saw most of her friends sitting inside. Only this time, they were quiet and didn't look to be in any mood for talking. Slightly worried, Dallin set her bear family down and looked over at Skip. When he met her stare, his lips twitched;
"hey, squirt". He greeted softly, "enjoy Brighton?"
Nodding, Dallin sat on the edge of her bed.
A few eyes looked her way.
And she couldn't take the suspense any longer. Finally, she asked;
"what is going on?"
Malarkey cleared his throat;
"Winters is in trouble-"
"he's in deep shit". Guarnere corrected bitterly, "Sobel went off on him".
Dallin frowned;
"what?"
"Some shit 'bout turning up late to inspect the latrines". Toye grumbled, "only, Winters didn't know Sobel had switched the times…so, Winters is getting punished for no Goddamn reason".
"He's getting punished because Sobel wants him gone". Penkala pointed out, "Sobel's just plain jealous 'cause we respect Winters a hell of a lot more".
"So…what happens now?" Dallin asked the men quietly.
Sighing, Liebgott told her;
"nothing right now…they're just passing letters to each other. Winters requested a trial by Court Martial. Sobel'll probably write him another fucking letter tomorrow".
Campbell sent her a tiny smile;
"welcome back, Dallin".
Guarnere nodded towards the bears;
"looks like you brought home some guests".
But she didn't want to talk about the bear family;
"if Winters gets thrown out, then what?"
Toye shook his head;
"then we're fucked, kid".
Because she already feared losing her friends, Dallin jumped up and left the hut. When the door slammed, no one inside moved. Until Toye eventually got onto his feet and chased after her. She only got as far as the wall, before her squad leader grabbed her arm;
"where the hell you going?"
"Talk sense into Sobel". She mumbled.
"Don't be fucking stupid". Toye hissed, "you 'wanna get kicked out too?"
Dallin sent him a glare;
"no one is getting kicked out, Joe". She muttered, "and Sobel cannot kick me out, even if he wanted to".
"He ain't 'gonna listen to you, kid". Toye told her, "Sobel don't listen to anybody. Not even his officers. He ain't 'gonna listen to you".
They had stopped walking by that point.
And Dallin stood in silence. Until she said;
"what about Colonel Sink?"
Toye frowned;
"what 'bout him?"
"He will listen, yes?"
Toye huffed;
"Jesus, Dallin…no one ever sees Sink. Not us, anyway. You'd be lucky to talk to Strayer, let alone Colonel Sink".
"So…what do we do?" Dallin almost demanded.
With a frown, Toye shook his head;
"I ain't sure, kid". He admitted quietly, "I really ain't sure on this one".
Dallin managed to pull her arm free from Toye's hold.
Eyes softening, she told him;
"I will…speak with Sobel, Joe".
Toye groaned;
"don't you ever fucking listen-"
"yes but…I must try".
Shaking his head, Toye took a step back;
"alright, go on, kid…but it ain't 'gonna work".
Jumping over the wall, Dallin turned left and took the path up to the large house where the officers stayed. A few officers got lucky and lived with a family in Aldbourne. Winters and Welsh stayed with Mr and Mrs Barnes, an old married couple who owned the grocer store. Dallin hadn't met the Barnes's, but Winters talked fondly of them.
Opening the gate, Dallin stepped into the garden and spotted Sobel standing by a large tree. He was alone, which didn't surprise her, and he was staring at a blackbird, who was perched on one of the branches. Not wanting to frighten the bird, Dallin carefully approached Sobel and announced herself very quietly;
"sir?"
Sobel didn't take his eyes off the bird;
"Private Gorski". He greeted back quietly, "I assume you've heard the unfortunate news?"
Dallin looked over at the blackbird, who was busy cleaning its feathers.
Nodding, she whispered;
"I heard news, sir".
"Have you come to talk me out of it?"
"Perhaps…you would like to hear reason, sir?"
Sobel shook his head;
"I know what I'm doing, Private".
"Your aim…is to get rid of good officer, sir?" Dallin asked.
Sobel stiffened.
Raising his chin, he mumbled;
"I'm choosing to get rid of an officer, who cannot follow a basic order".
"So close to invasion, sir". Dallin said quietly, "is it not, sir?"
"Are you questioning my orders, Private?" He asked, a slight edge to his voice.
Dallin licked her bottom lip, before telling him;
"let's not scare bird away, sir".
With a huff, Sobel brought out his pistol.
Dallin's eyes widen;
"sir?" She whispered, "please…don't shoot-"
He fired his gun up to the sky.
The bird flew away.
Dallin flinched and tried to keep any emotion off her face.
Clearing his throat, Sobel put his gun away and said;
"do you know what it's like, to have your Company hate you?"
Getting over her shock from the firing gun first, Dallin replied;
"I know…what it is like to have whole country hate you".
Sobel turned around and looked down at her;
"and you'd do something to get them to like you?"
She shook her head;
"no…I do anything for them to stop killing my people".
With a nod, Sobel told her;
"it's something I have to do, Private. You're free to leave my Company. I'm sure Colonel Sink would happily put you somewhere else".
Dallin frowned and slowly lowered her eyes to her boots.
"Dismissed, Private". Sobel ordered.