Page 111 of Brighter Shades of Light

Me:Tired. Today was long.

Sebastian:Want to talk about it?

Me:You know I can’t.

Sebastian:I know.

I hated being so secretive with him, but I had to. Even if we were only blowing shit up and patrolling roads, it wasn’t a good idea to talk about it. The less he knew, the better.

Me:Can I call you?

Sebastian:Please.

I hit the call button and waited for him to accept. When he appeared on my screen, my stomach did those damn little flips again. His hair was longer, nearly passing his ears, and his bangs swooped across the top of his glasses.

“What are you reading?” I asked, not taking my eyes off him.

“The Iliad.” He held up the book as a strange expression crossed his face. “I…well, I missed you. And since it’s one of your favorites, I thought…”

“I get it,” I said, as my heart constricted. I didn’t have many reminders of him here, other than the items he had included in the care packages. Even still, when I missed him, I flipped through the photos of us on my laptop or picked up one of the books he sent me from home. “I need to hit the sack. But I wanted to say goodnight to you like this instead of through text.”

“Goodnight, Cody.” Sebastian stared at me, the sadness in his eyes spreading to the rest of his face and down-turning his mouth a bit.

It was hard to end the call.

Only two more months and I can hold him again.

“Remember to eat dinner,” I said.

Finally, he smiled. “Yes, sir.”

After ending the call, I lay against the wall and slowly turned the ring on my right hand before taking it off and reading the inscription.You’re my spark, too. Always.The morning Sebastian gave me the ring seemed like a million years ago. We had come so far since then, experiencing so much.

My life moved fast in the Corps. There was very little stability, other than what I had with my brothers and sisters who stood beside me, day in and day out. I was always moving, always gearing up for the next mission. Even after I returned home, it was only a matter of time before I had to leave again. Maybe my next deployment would be on a naval ship headed for some other part of the world.

It was impossible to predict, but that’s why I had to be prepared for anything.

***

Another month passed, but it felt like three. Sometimes, time flew by and days blended together, but then there were the days when I was executing building operations or working on repairs under the blinding sun, and the minutes felt like hours.

We were on the range today, sharpening our skills with machine guns and rocket launchers at target practice, as well as working on maneuvering drills. I was not only operating with explosives and high-powered weapons, but also teaching others how to use them.

Gunfire had been a shock to me in the beginning of the NROTC program. The first few times I had shot a real gun, my hands shook and an anchor dropped into the pit of my stomach.

I was used to it now.

I carried a gun with me everywhere here. Sometimes it was a sling rifle, but I was also issued a concealed Glock 19m pistol. It was smaller and more compact; an easy to carry handgun to make sure we were well prepared no matter what happened.

When the sun began to set, we worked on fire team tactics and eliminated targets in lowlight conditions. We utilized our infrared lasers, and I had a lot of fun with it. Like the video games I used to play with Tristen, but way cooler.

I was flat on my stomach in the dirt, holding my gun at the ready and aiming it over a small hill, and then I shot at the targets. Anthony followed suit, and a woman named Juliet went after him.

After we finished at the range, we returned to base.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I think I’m going to shower for a week straight,” Juliet said.

“Good luck with that.” Anthony smirked, his signature move. “Not even a week’s shower can get all the damn sand off you. After almost nine months of this shit, I’m sure it’s morphed into my skin by now.”