Chapter 6: A Brighter Tomorrow

Seth sighed as he scratched the back of his head in annoyance. He glanced around the training room briefly as his fellow men in arms continued to chatter away. Leaning to his left, he nudged his taller friend. “So what do you think this last-minute meeting is all about, Johnathan?”

The boy shrugged. “With Lieutenant Price, who knows?”

Seth rolled his eyes. “I bet we all get chewed out for leaving the equipment out or something.”

Jonathan couldn’t help but smile. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

The door to the room flew open then, putting an end to pleasant conversation as a tall man with medium-length, black hair marched into the room, followed by a petite, blonde girl. The girl kept her head slightly down, her pale lips pulled into a tight, apprehensive frown.

“Alright, you bunch of lazy pissants. Look alive!” the man’s harsh voice boomed, commanding the utmost attention.

Seth couldn’t help but stare. A tinge of pink bled into his cheeks as he angled his head back to whisper to the boy behind him. “Heh! I don’t know about you, Issac, but my hottie radar just went off.”

Issac bit his lip, his tone a harsh whisper. “I’d cool it, if I were you. That’s the commander’s daughter.”

Seth’s eyes widened. What? “What? I didn’t know the commander even had a daughter.”

Issac shook his head. “Not a lot of people do. That’s on purpose.”

Seth’s dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Before he had a chance to whisper back a reply, the lieutenant spoke again.

“This, here, is Cadet Lynheart. Starting today, she will be your new comrade in arms.”

Issac, Seth, and Jonathan winced slightly as the room erupted into harsh whispers and loud chatter. Did it really matter that she was a woman? After all, they could use any soldier that was willing to fight.

“That’s enough!” the dark-haired lieutenant, James Price, ordered.

The room fell deathly silent then, the hushed whispers dying off in an instant.

Price turned his attention to the young woman beside him. “First order of business for you, Lynheart, is to have that hair cut. It’s far too long.”

Seth’s brown eyes narrowed. Typical Price. In all honesty, the brunette couldn’t really think of a time he had ever COMPLEMENTED a cadet.

The blonde shrank back slightly at the odd command. “U-uh-”

“Is that a refusal of orders, Cadet, or are you simply lazy?”

“N-no, neither, Sir,” Alice quickly assured.

“I don’t want to hear any excuses. Get your skinny ass out there and run twenty laps,” the brunette barked, causing the young girl to flinch.

Seth glared. He’s purposely trying to humiliate her

As if reading his friend’s thoughts, Issac reached forward to place a hand on the brunette’s shoulder. “Cool it, Seth,” he whispered harshly.

“Morgan! Harrison! You got a problem back there?” Price demanded, his dark eyes narrowing at the interruption.

Seth threw a glare over his shoulder before turning back to the lieutenant with a sigh. “No, Sir.”

“No, Sir,” Issac murmured, keeping his head down. He’d learned long ago that it was generally best to not cause trouble with the higher ups. A lesson that, unfortunately, his friend seemed to have yet to learn.

This seemed to satisfy Price as he gave an approving nod.

Condescending prick, Seth thought with a roll of his eyes.

“Well, Seth, since you seem to have nothing better to do than sit around twiddling your thumbs, you can go run with her.”

Seth pulled a face before begrudgingly trudging toward the door. He didn’t miss the girl’s apologetic glance as they exited the room together. Stepping out into the hall, he cleared his throat. What should he even say to her?

“I’m SO sorry,” she suddenly blurted out, catching the teen off guard.

Seth couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t sweat it. The lieutenant takes some getting used to. He can be a hard ass, but… well, actually, I’m pretty sure he’s just a hard ass.”

The blonde giggled, Seth’s smile growing at the musical sound. “You’re awful. Seth, right?”

Seth swallowed, feeling his heart skip a beat as he caught himself staring. God, she’s hot…He gave a nod. “That’s right.”

The blonde beamed a dazzling smile, causing the boy’s cheeks to burn. “I’m Alice. Alice Lynheart. It’s very nice to meet you, Seth.”

Once again, the brunette found himself stumbling over his words as he hesitantly accepted her offered hand. “Likewise.”

****

A sigh of annoyance left the brunette’s lips as he placed the training mats into the closet and shut the door. A frown darkened the teen’s features as he detected the voices from the nearby training room. He has her in there again?

Exiting the locker room, he silently made his way down the small corridor and into the hallway connecting the training room, locker room, and Lieutenant Price’s office. Walking up to the door of the training room, he peered through the window.

It’s not even training at this point. He’s just having her kicked around, the young soldier thought angrily as he watched Alice spar with another young cadet under the supervision of the lieutenant. Though sparring probably wasn’t the best description for the action, Seth surmised, as a particularly hard kick to her abdomen sent Alice reeling back a few paces.

“You call that a block, Lyheart?!” Price’s voice boomed.

Alice’s eyes narrowed as she lunged forward, bringing her wooden sword down against her sparring partner’s shoulder.

Seth winced at the audible ‘clack’ that seemed to echo off the metallic chamber’s walls.

“Heh! You got guts, Lynheart, I’ll give you that much, but guts aren’t enough,” James scoffed, taking the wooden sword from the young, male cadet.

The middle-aged man gave a sneer at the young woman’s confused look. Taking the wooden sword, he gave a swift jab to the blonde’s chest, causing her to cry out in pain.

“Th-that was underhanded, Sir,” Alice rasped, desperately resisting the urge to rub her injured breast.

Price snorted, disgust clearly evident in his tone. “That’s war, Lynheart. If you can’t handle it-”

“I never said that!” Alice quickly asserted, straightening her posture into a battle-ready stance once again.

Seth clenched his fist. Oh, how he wanted to rush in and put an end to the display. However… His brow furrowed in his inner anguish. It wasn’t as if he could save her. He held no authority.

“This little charade of yours is over. You aren’t cut out for this,” Price stated, giving the young woman another strike to her chest.

The blonde cried out again as she fell to her knees, the breath leaving her lungs.

Price shrugged. “What can I say? This is a man’s job. That much is obvious by the fact that those little jabs hurt you so much.”

“Wh-”

The lieutenant shrugged again. “It’s a simple case of the male sex being superior.” He snapped his fingers, prompting the young, male cadet to restrain her. “I don’t know what lines Leo may have fed you, but I can assure you; you’d be much happier in a station more suitable to your gender. The cafeteria could always use a good cook. Now, are you going to come to your senses and be a good girl?”

For a moment, Seth forgot to breathe. It was no secret that Lieutenant Price had never been a particularly agreeable man, but this was a low he had never seen him sink to.

“I can’t hear you, Lynheart! Speak up!” Price barked, punctuating the last statement with another jab of the wooden weapon he held.

Eyes narrowing, Seth reached down to grab the door handle. This has gone far enough! His hand reflexively pulled back upon feeling heat radiating off the metal surface. The hell?

“Enough…” the blonde murmured.

Seth’s brown eyes widened at the ominously low tone. He failed to stop the gasp that left his lips as the lighting in the room suddenly dimmed. A bright, orange flash filled the room, followed by pained screams.

Seth froze, watching as Lieutenant Price howled in agony and tossed the, now blazing, wooden sword to the floor.

The young cadet cried out in his anguish as well, backing away from the blonde as he stared in horror at his smoldering hands.

A-A fire user… Seth stared in horrified amazement. Fire users were extremely rare. There was a small part of him that had begun to take them for myth.

“How about it, Lieutenant,” Alice quipped, folding her arms. “Am I cut out for the job enough now?”

The blonde didn’t wait for a reply. A storm of regret and disappointment played across her face as she turned on her heels and stalked toward the door, leaving her two injured assailants behind….

****

“That’s awful," Vincent murmured once Seth had finished speaking. The poor girl! And she seems so sweet too…

“Yeah, I know. Seth has always been this perverted. He wanted in her pants on sight,” Issac said, a teasing grin pulling at his lips as he elbowed the brunette lightly.

Seth cleared his throat, his cheeks tinged pink. “Oh, haha. Like you’re so innocent. Saying you don’t want a piece of that yourself?”

“Sh-shut up!”

Vincent rolled his eyes. Ugh!

“On a serious note, Lieutenant Price was harder on her than ever after that,” Seth stated with a weary sigh.

Issac nodded, folding his arms as he leaned back against the wall. “I was the one they called to clean up the mess. The lights and everything had to be replaced.”

Vincent frowned. “Poor Miss Lynheart.”

The brunette stared at his feet. If he were being perfectly honest with himself, he wasn’t all that certain how long he would last in this place. After all, her skill level was leagues above his own.

“The lieutenant and that soldier spent four days in the medical wing, Vincent,” Issac stated, shaking his head.

Seth’s hazel eyes narrowed. “Like the bastards didn’t deserve it.”

Issac pursed his lips. “I never said that.”

“Well, you sure as hell didn’t have anything encouraging to say to her either!” Seth barked, causing Vincent to wince slightly.

“There are still rules, Seth. Rules that she very clearly broke,” Issac returned.

“Yeah, well, you better thank your lucky stars that she breaks the rules once in a while.”

“That’s not fair, Seth! Those were different circumstances!”

Vincent’s brow furrowed. He honestly couldn’t tell if the boys were friends or not. One second, they seemed to get along fine and joke with one another, and the next moment they were at each other’s throats. “What circumstances?”

“Don’t worry about it, Vincent,” Issac ground out through clenched teeth.

Vincent gave Seth a questioning glance.

The brunette sighed. “Another story for another time, Vincent. For now, just…just do your best, alright?”

Vincent nodded, allowing the subject to be dropped for the time being. He couldn’t quite shake the ominous feeling settling within his chest. Once again, he found himself wondering how he was going to survive here. “I won’t have to meet this Lieutenant Price, will I?”

The teen felt his heart drop into his stomach at the grim silence that followed. Seth and Issac exchanged glances.

“That would be impossible, Vincent. Lieutenant Price is dead.”

Amber eyes widened. Surely they didn’t mean…

“There you guys are.”

Vincent shook his head, turning his attention to the door.

Jonathan wore a knowing smile. “Not telling any stories back here that shouldn’t be told, I trust?”

“No more than usual,” Seth responded with a mischievous grin.

Jonathan chuckled, rolling his eyes. “That’s what I worry about.”

“We were actually just showing Vincent around,” Issac chimed in with a smile of his own.

“They were, uh, just telling me some stuff about my lieutenant,” Vincent murmured.

Jonathan nodded. “Right. I heard that Leo got you all official now. So who’d ya get?”

“Miss Lynheart.”

Jonathan gave a knowing smile. “Well, congratulations are in order then, Vincent. You’re officially among the privileged.”

The brunette cocked his head. “Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jonathan waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll see in due time.”

****

Alice sighed as she slowly sank into the warm, comforting bubble bath she’d drawn for herself. Leaning her head back to rest against the edge of the tub, she closed her eyes.

It was times such as these, on the rare occasion that she allowed herself a moment of indulgence, she could see it. This is how a typical night in the life of a normal, young woman named Alice would end. She would have a nice bath, then she and her husband would tell their children a bedtime story before…oh, wait…that’s right…

Sapphire eyes shot open. She cursed the hot tears that began to trickle down her cheeks. Shaking her head, she batted them away with a brush of her hand. Tears never accomplished anything.

The blonde gave a sigh. It seemed that, no matter how many years went by, the unpleasant memory remained fresh…

****

The young blonde looked around the small room. Various floral pictures adored the dull, gray walls. Two table lamps cast eerie shadows throughout the room. The dull, throbbing pain in her lower abdomen did little to distract her from her yearning for at least one window to gaze out of.

Alice sighed. The heavy, stale scent that clung to the air only served to unnerve her. “Daddy, I don’t like it here.”

A forced smile crept its way across the man’s lips as he gave the preteen’s hand a slight squeeze. “Don’t you worry your pretty, blonde head.”

“Why’d we even have to come to the outpost clinic anyway?”

Leo Derwent gave the girl an incredulous look.

Alice frowned, turning her eyes to the stained, white tile of the floor. A somewhat guilty look played across her features as she refused to meet his eyes. She knew he hated it when she did this. Fear wasn’t exactly the most well-respected of emotions with Leo. “I mean, I feel fine, so…”

“Alice…”

The blonde winced; tears stung her eyes as she pinched them shut. “I don’t want a shot!”

Despite her best efforts, her tears continued to come. The girl quickly attempted to brush them away, her frustration only serving to send fresh tears streaming down her pale face. How was he ever going to see her as anything more than a little kid now?

A heavy hand on her head brought an end to the torrent.

“Weren’t you telling me just the other day how grown-up you were now?”

Alice gave a weak hiccup. “Y-yes.”

“Then you have nothing to cry over. Remember what I said about fear?”

“Fear is only a trick of the mind.”

Leo nodded in approval, patting the girl’s head once more. “That’s my girl.”

The preteen sniffed, managing a true smile for probably the first time that day. “I just don’t want to get a shot.”

“Well, sometimes we have to endure unpleasant things to get to the good parts of our lives.”

“But…but what if we’re not strong enough…what if I’m not strong enough?”

Leo sighed, patting her head once more. “Alice, you’re going to be just fine. Count it as another life experience and learn to enjoy it.”

Alice’s brow furrowed, though she had no time to say anything further on the matter as the door at the back of the room suddenly opened. Letting out a short ‘eep!’ the girl quickly hid herself behind her father.

A taller man with reddish-brown hair appeared in the doorway. Straightening out his pristine, white lab coat, he smiled.

“It’s great to see you again, Leo.”

Leo returned the friendly gesture, extending his hand to shake. “Likewise, Tom. I’m only sorry that I haven’t found the time for more casual visits lately.”

Tom Holten let out a hearty laugh. “Busy as ever. You know what they say about all work and no play?”

Leo gave a chuckle. “You’re one to talk.”

Tom smiled good-naturedly. “You got me there, friend. So what brings you my way today?”

Alice bit her lip in apprehension as Leo moved. Suddenly finding herself the center of attention, the blonde gave a bashful smile as she attempted to appear much less awkward than she felt at the moment.

“This is Alice. I want you to take real good care of her.”

Azure eyes widened as Alice felt Leo’s strong hand give her a solid push forward, causing her to nearly lose her balance.

“Ah, so this is her, huh? Your daughter you were telling me about?”

Leo nodded in affirmation, laying his heavy hand upon the nervous blonde’s shoulder.

Alice bit her lip, desperately trying to cease her trembling as the brunette bent down to her level in front of her.

“Well, hello, there, young lady. Word on the street is that you’re a fire user.”

The girl forced a smile before taking his offered hand. She hated when Leo did this. Finally bringing herself to call him father was awkward enough, but to introduce her to everyone they met as such was a little embarrassing at times. She nodded.

Tom smiled as he straightened up. “Heh! Kinda shy, isn’t she?”

“Perhaps a bit.”

“You’re aware of the chances, right? You know the odds?”

“We still don’t know if all cases are the same,” Leo replied gruffly.

Alice cocked her head, gazing back and forth between the two men. “Odds of what?”

Tom looked to Leo, an unreadable expression on his face. The blond nodded.

“Nothing for you to worry about, honey. Listen, how about we go see if we can find you some candy?”

The prospect of a sweet treat caused the young girl to smile brightly, nodding with enthusiasm. “Okay.”

****

Alice frowned as she glanced across the table at her surrogate father. He had barely spoken a word to her since they'd left the clinic. She still had more questions than answers. Avoiding eye-contact, the blonde glanced down to her plate as she pushed her green beans around with the fork she held.

“Daddy, wh-what does sterile mean?”

Leo chuckled lightly, giving a knowing smile. “Listening at the door, were you? I shouldn’t be surprised.” Leaning back in his chair, the blond sighed. “If someone is sterile, that means that they can’t have children.”

Alice looked away. “So it’s really bad?”

“Well, yes, it’s generally not something to be celebrated.”

The girl bit her lip. “So…I’m worthless, then?”

Leo sat back, recoiling. “What? Where did you get that idea?”

Alice sniffed, straightening up in her chair as she finally met his eyes. “You. You said that-”

“Everyone has the potential to be worthless in some way, Alice. Take you, for example. You simply can’t have children, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t make yourself useful in other ways.”

Alice perked up, her sapphire eyes brightening. “So I’m not worthless?”

Leo shrugged. “Well, that all depends on how you look at it, doesn’t it? You can’t have children, so in that regard you may be, but you are very strong. That means, as a soldier, you would be extremely valuable.”

Alice’s mouth fell open in shock. She had been begging him to be a soldier for quite some time, only for him to blow her off. Why now? Shaking her head, a bright smile lit up her features. “I’m not dreaming, am I? You’re really going to let me become a soldier?”

Leo let out a hearty laugh, reaching across the table to pat her head. “I suppose I don’t have a choice, now do I? We can start your training in the fall.”

****

Alice gave a weary sigh as she leaned her head back to rest against the tub. Ever since that day, Leo had treated her somewhat differently. Then again, being anything but normal, how could she expect to be treated as such? Heaving a heavy sigh, she forced herself to her feet. It was a sweet dream, though.

Pulling the plug to the drain, the blonde retrieved her towel from the floor. The faint ghost of a smile tugged at her pale lips. At least she could rest easy knowing that Leo wasn’t simply going to send that poor boy to one of the other bases.

Truthfully, she wasn’t certain that he would survive under Commander Victor’s care.

A yawn escaped her as she reached for the lavender nightgown draped across the towel rack next to the tub. Slipping it over her head, she went about the task of readying herself for bed. Hopefully, a full night’s rest would do wonders for her stress level. Finishing with her routine, she exited the bathroom and entered her adjoined bedroom.

The hard floor chilled the blonde’s bare feet as she made her way across the room to her waiting bed. Heaving a sigh, the girl flopped onto her back. Sinking into the warm blankets, a smile graced her lips as she waited for the sweet embrace of slumber.

****

Vincent frowned as his eyes continued their attempt to bore holes into the stoic, gray ceiling. It just doesn’t make sense. She seemed so nice…

The teen sighed. He didn’t know what to believe anymore. Swallowing, he ran a hand through his disheveled, dark hair as a shudder crept down his spine. If Leo was willing to put his own daughter through such atrocity, what would he do to him?

The brunette wasn’t so sure he wanted to know. After all, it was safe to say that they hadn’t exactly gotten off to a pleasant start. He didn’t even know how to use his power yet, so did he even have a hope of defending himself?

A frown tugged at his lips once more as he turned onto his side. It was no use. He was as good as helpless. A yawn escaped him as he pulled the blankets around himself. While they were definitely not the softest thing he could ever remember feeling, they offered a small modicum of comfort in his current, frazzled state. Burying his face into the pillow, he could only hope that tomorrow would turn out to be a brighter day.