Author's note:

I'm leaving Suffolk soon :(

It's nice by the beach directly in front. A pier to the left and harbour a mile to the right. Colourful beach huts and model yacht racing. Tonnes of takeaway places/pubs/cafes/activities! The sea was so calm and clear the say I wrote this and crystal blue which is surprising for England.

The cottage has a front and back garden of around the same size. 7 bunnies in the front garden and 5 in the back as well as around a thousand hedge sparrows. A couple of days back a seagull was trying to eat a pigeon alive. It was pinning it down and pecking.

At night you can hear the gentle laps of the waves on the beach if it is quiet enough.

In the morning you can go for morning swims as the sun rises and go and have fresh croissants or pancakes.

Anyway, I shan't turn this into a mini diary and stuff so lets get on with this story-

Mornin'

"Morning!" Eagle cheered at the half asleep group.

"Mornin'" Wolf stropped, clearly not a morning person but that can always be helped with a bit of Coffee or as some prefer, tea.

Snake sat up and twisted his legs out of bed "Mornin' all,"

"Morning." Walrus groaned. You could say that Walrus and Wolf were similar is some ways, scratch that, most ways.

Alex was surprised he hadn't woken earlier from a nightmare but it was thanks to the snoring his unit - Alex shuddered at the words 'his unit' - that his unconscious mind focused on that noise rather than making up a horrific nightmare. He sighed "morning."

*minutes later*

They made their way to the mess hall and entered as they normally would. F-Unit weren't there as they had been sent on a delivery mission and D-Unit hadn't entered yet.

Joining the food queue as the mess hall door opened, Alex had a strange feeling. Not one to put him on edge or warn him. Not one to send shivers down his neck or flinch at a memory. This feeling was one of comfort, a welcoming sensation that Alex couldn't quite describe.

He looked over his shoulder, giving a quick glance at who it was - Edd, or in other words, Teddy.

Alex had gained the same sensation when he first met the new instructor and John had felt it too when he met Alex.

The teen got his slop and moved with K-Unit to a long table in the corner of the room, soon joined by D-Unit.

His breakfast was undisturbed, by that it means no fights or taunts occurred as the war veterans accepted Alex once they saw his eyes.

Alex's eyes aren't brown, well... they are but for this description or anyone looking in his eyes, you'll know what I mean.

They were soulless

hidden and empty

Angry and unforgiving

Hopeless

Seen too much

So when anyone looks into Alex's eyes, they don't register his irises as a colour... they register it as... emotions? Nothingness? The eyes are blank and show no emotion unless Alex is deep in thought, only then you will either catch a glimpse either of hopelessness, fear, anger or depression. Basically anything more that suggests Alex has been through the roughest toughest.

John only briefly went into the mess hall to get some 'food' as he had no proper food in his cabin. He glanced around the room and noticed that a fair amount of the soldiers were looking at him with half confused, half 'I don't know who you are but I'll respect you' looks. He gathered his food and instead of leaving, John decided to lean against the wall of the hut and observe the soldier war veterans to get a feeling of what his classes could be like.

He watched Alex from the corner off his eye and noticed the boy was quiet and fiddling with his 'food' looking as if he was deep in thought and with no protection but to the professionally trained eye of John's, Alex was ready for anything and alert even though the teen had unfocused eyes and slower moving hands.

That is not normal for a teenager, he's been though a lot. But how much? John pondered and he fished his food quicker than most and exited the hall.

author's note:

*wince* I know, I know. I'm sorry this is so short but I kinda have to pack. I'll probably post within the next couple of days as i arrive home tomorrow.

Thanks for reading this chapter!