PART FOUR
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Hilde started to pull off her black windbreaker, but as the cool wind chilled her arms, bare on account of the sleeveless white shirt she was wearing, she decided against it and kept it on. She set her heavy backpack down by the door and pulled off her boots.
"Mom? I'm home!" Hilde shouted. There was no answer. Was anyone home? Her mom and Nicole should both be home. Unless...
Ever since her dad left, Hilde had this fantasy that she would come home from school one day and her whole family, including her dad, alive and well, would be sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her. And they'd become one big happy family once again.
Hilde had ran straight to the kitchen after school every day for 5 years after her father left. But he had never been there. Hilde gave up on that 3 years ago. Now she was 12, and her father had been gone almost 8 years to the day.
For about a year after he left, her father communicated with his family from their base, but he said he'd be getting busier and wouldn't have time to talk to them as often. A year and a half after he left, they never heard from him again.
Hilde ran into the kitchen. Maybe he really would be home!
But she stopped abruptly at the sight that welcomed her there. Hilde clutched the side of the entrance. Her mother and older sister Nicole were sitting at the table. No dad. Nicole was back from college. Why?
There was a small piece of paper in her mother's hand, and both of them were crying.
"Hey," Hilde said. "What's going on?"
Her mother looked up. "Your father's dead."
Those three words slammed into Hilde, and she almost fell down. "What?" she whispered in disbelief.
"He died last week when the base was bombed," Nicole sobbed.
Hilde remembered watching the news and hearing about the base being bombed. Seventy percent of the soldiers stationed there were killed, they said, but they were still in the process of finding out who they were. Hilde hadn't thought much of it then. She had no idea where her father was stationed.
"Are you sure?" Hilde asked. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. He had promised her he'd come home.
They both nodded.
"No!" Hilde screamed. "It can't be him! He said he'd come home. He promised me! They've got the wrong guy!"
"Hilde..." her mom started. She stood up from her chair and came over to embrace her daughter.
"Stop it!" Hilde screamed, breaking away from her mother's arms. "It's not true!"
She ran to the table and picked up the piece of paper. She quickly read it. No. It couldn't be true. They were wrong. They'd made a mistake.
Hilde ran upstairs. She slammed her door and collapsed on the bed. The telegram had said it. They'd confirmed that he was dead. They'd confirmed that they'd had the right body. But they could be wrong, couldn't they?
Hilde suddenly had a new fantasy that her father had escaped from the base, and switched identities with someone else. He had killed one of the enemies and switched identities with him. He was now infiltating them. He would win the war, and he'd be the hero.
Hilde smiled. That's what had happened. She was sure of it. And one day, her old fantasy would come true. She'd come home from school and they'd all be there, and her mother and sister would say she was right, and they'd get on with their lives, and the war would be over, and they'd all live happily ever after.
In the back of her mind, Hilde knew it wasn't true. She knew he was dead. But she couldn't accept that. She had to cling to her fantasy. It was the only thing she could do, until she was 14 and she could enlist in OZ. She'd find out for herself if it was true, that he was dead, and then if he really truly was, she'd finish what he started. She'd fight for him, and she would make sure the war ended.
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TO BE CONTINUED...
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So, what do you think? If I get a lot of reviews, I'll post the next part. But if I don't get many, than obviously not enough people are interested, so I won't post the rest.
-----
Hilde started to pull off her black windbreaker, but as the cool wind chilled her arms, bare on account of the sleeveless white shirt she was wearing, she decided against it and kept it on. She set her heavy backpack down by the door and pulled off her boots.
"Mom? I'm home!" Hilde shouted. There was no answer. Was anyone home? Her mom and Nicole should both be home. Unless...
Ever since her dad left, Hilde had this fantasy that she would come home from school one day and her whole family, including her dad, alive and well, would be sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her. And they'd become one big happy family once again.
Hilde had ran straight to the kitchen after school every day for 5 years after her father left. But he had never been there. Hilde gave up on that 3 years ago. Now she was 12, and her father had been gone almost 8 years to the day.
For about a year after he left, her father communicated with his family from their base, but he said he'd be getting busier and wouldn't have time to talk to them as often. A year and a half after he left, they never heard from him again.
Hilde ran into the kitchen. Maybe he really would be home!
But she stopped abruptly at the sight that welcomed her there. Hilde clutched the side of the entrance. Her mother and older sister Nicole were sitting at the table. No dad. Nicole was back from college. Why?
There was a small piece of paper in her mother's hand, and both of them were crying.
"Hey," Hilde said. "What's going on?"
Her mother looked up. "Your father's dead."
Those three words slammed into Hilde, and she almost fell down. "What?" she whispered in disbelief.
"He died last week when the base was bombed," Nicole sobbed.
Hilde remembered watching the news and hearing about the base being bombed. Seventy percent of the soldiers stationed there were killed, they said, but they were still in the process of finding out who they were. Hilde hadn't thought much of it then. She had no idea where her father was stationed.
"Are you sure?" Hilde asked. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. He had promised her he'd come home.
They both nodded.
"No!" Hilde screamed. "It can't be him! He said he'd come home. He promised me! They've got the wrong guy!"
"Hilde..." her mom started. She stood up from her chair and came over to embrace her daughter.
"Stop it!" Hilde screamed, breaking away from her mother's arms. "It's not true!"
She ran to the table and picked up the piece of paper. She quickly read it. No. It couldn't be true. They were wrong. They'd made a mistake.
Hilde ran upstairs. She slammed her door and collapsed on the bed. The telegram had said it. They'd confirmed that he was dead. They'd confirmed that they'd had the right body. But they could be wrong, couldn't they?
Hilde suddenly had a new fantasy that her father had escaped from the base, and switched identities with someone else. He had killed one of the enemies and switched identities with him. He was now infiltating them. He would win the war, and he'd be the hero.
Hilde smiled. That's what had happened. She was sure of it. And one day, her old fantasy would come true. She'd come home from school and they'd all be there, and her mother and sister would say she was right, and they'd get on with their lives, and the war would be over, and they'd all live happily ever after.
In the back of her mind, Hilde knew it wasn't true. She knew he was dead. But she couldn't accept that. She had to cling to her fantasy. It was the only thing she could do, until she was 14 and she could enlist in OZ. She'd find out for herself if it was true, that he was dead, and then if he really truly was, she'd finish what he started. She'd fight for him, and she would make sure the war ended.
-----
TO BE CONTINUED...
-----
So, what do you think? If I get a lot of reviews, I'll post the next part. But if I don't get many, than obviously not enough people are interested, so I won't post the rest.
