I rode in a limo and flew in a private jet, which by the way was so cool and amazing. There were fantastic meals not tiny snacks and tv, and a recliner seat. I tried to act cool and not like a giddy child. But I could not hide my look of amazement and my huge smiles. I ate a huge bacon burger with spicy fries. It was amazing.
I got to know the general, he was a kind man, his name was frank and he was married and had three boys. Franks's companion was jake. He was His oldest son and was a marine. He was kind and funny. He was 24 but when he wasn't being serious he acted like a ten-year-old.
The plane ride was a little more than 1 hr. I got into another limo and was driven to the white house. We went through the guarded entrance and driving up the driveway was almost surreal. I got out and stood looking up at the building. I realized then that I was wearing a sweatshirt and old leggings. I probably had dirt on my hair and face.
"Is there a way I can fresh up before seeing the president?" the general nods and leads me inside. I looked around in awe and I even saw my reflection on the floor. I made sure to look back and check to see if there was a trail of dirt from me. Luckily there wasn't somehow.
I was led through halls and upstairs and through doors. I made sure to plan exit roots. It was habit.
I was led to the guest's quarters and was led in and was given the stuff to clean up with and was left alone. I walked to the bathroom and turned on the walk-in shower. I took a nice hot shower and used soups and oils to make my hair smell nice. My body looked clean now except for the stained areas of my body from the metal chains. they left a gray stain on my skin.
I walked out and saw fresh clothes of black cargo military pants, and a grey long sleeve shirt. I knew the general picked it out. He knew I didn't want to show my body. I put on the clothes and the new combat boots too and brushed my hair. I took out the knife hidden on my body and gathered up my hair.
My hair reached my knees. I grab the area that was stained red which was a foot long and chopped it off. I trimmed it evenly and my hair reached my hips now. My hair started to curl as it used to when I had short hair.
I looked in the mirror and I almost looked pretty. I almost looked normal. I realized I was standing like a soldier, and tried to relax my stance. I tried to look normal and looked in the mirror trying to figure out what to do. I slouched a little and I looked ridiculous. I gave up and walked out and exited my room. There was a guard there waiting for me and he led me down multiple halls. I felt one of my knives in my bra hidden and the other in my boot. They burned my skin with the reminder never to trust easily. Be on guard.
I entered the oval office and I refrained from looking around in amazement. I saw Frank talking to the president and some other gentlemen were there. There were a lot of secret services too.
"Ah you must be Nicky." the president walked over to me. HIs charming smile made me feel comfortable but I knew from his eyes he was a very curious man. "Yes, Mr. President." I slightly bow, out of habit from daniel. He made me bow to show respect. I stood back up and followed the president to the couches. I sat across from him. Frank was sitting next to me and he gave me a kind smile. "So miss Nicky. I am going to be blunt with you. I know you know you will have to go into hiding. You aren't safe. And I get a feeling you are sick of living life like that." he says and I nod.
"Well, I have a different offer. I heard you are a very valuable asset. You said to be very strong. I not forcing you but giving you the option. I have an army camp in Iraq, it is at a confidential pace and it is on the front lines. It is called the hell hole. I never wanted to ask you this. You are finally safe, I want you to try to have a normal childhood. But I was forced to ask you this and give it as an option. To be honest the senate sees you as a good weapon and asset for the military." The president says bluntly. I nod. He wasn't forcing me, he seemed like a kind guy.
I started to think about the option. I can't go back to a normal life. I will be always hunted. I have skills. I was made to be a perfect weapon. I want my freedom, but I will never be truly free. As a kid before the crap hit the fan I wanted to be the first female navy seal. My dad was in the military, he told me stories and I knew it was the future as a kid. Now he is dead. I am finally free. I have other relatives I can go to but I will never be safe. I will put them in danger. I might feel normal with people similar to me. This place was called the hell hole. That means there will be hard-core soldiers there. Other mindless soldiers like me.
"May I sleep on it, sir?" he nods and stands up. "It was nice meeting young lady, and don't stress about it. We have a plan to give you a new identity and send it to wherever you want if you chose no about the option." he softly says. "Good night Nicky," he says while leading me to the door. I nod. "You too Mr. President"
I was escorted back to my room and I entered and locked the door. Me being paranoid I grabbed the nearest chair and jammed it into the door. I also checked the room for cameras. I found none, and then I checked the air vent for any sleeping gas bombs or a camera or listening bug. I found nothing, I locked the windows and I undressed into a sports bra and some new soft PJ pants. It had an American flag on the hem. I guess someone came in and fixed the room and put new clothes here.
I jumped onto the soft bed and for the longest time tried to get comfortable. I tossed and turned but the bed was so squishy and soft. After years of sleeping on the floor or on a pile of hay, this bed was too soft. I grabbed a pillow and the small blanket on the edge of the bed used for decorating. I laid on the side of the bed nearest door and hidden from the window. I felt slightly safe and let myself shut my eyes. My hand tightly clutching my knife, and my other knife was hidden under my pillow.
I let the darkness consume me and I let myself go willing into the unconsciousness.
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Pov. General Frank
I walked to nickys room. It was 8 o'clock now and I hope she isn't like my kids. They would hate me if I wake them up at this time. I get to the door and take a deep breath. The poor girl, she is so young to have gone through what she has. I haven't seen the scars and I only know she was forced to kill.
I knock on the door and I hear a come in. I open it and see her sitting on a neatly made bed. She was changed and looked like she just took a shower from her damp hair. She stands up and bows to me.
"Good morning Frank," she says simply. She stands up and looks slightly embarrassed she bowed. I guess it's a habit for her. "Good morning to you too, follow me," I say and walk with her down the hall towards the dining room. The president and some of the closes advisors were there munching on breakfast.
I led her to her seat and pulled it out for her. She sat down and looked at the plate of food in front of her. I saw her slightly smile at the chocolate muffin in front of her. She is just an amazing girl with a kind soul. I hope she will be free in the future.
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POV. Nicky
I smiled at the muffin. I have bacon eggs and some fruit. But the muffin caught my eye first. I love chocolate. I grab it first and immediately munch down. My smile brightened. "Nicky how was your sleep." the president asks and I jerk my head towards him. I forgot he was there, I was in chocolate heaven. "Ah, it was great sir, you?" I ask politely. "Yes, mine was also good, thanks for asking." I nod and take another bite. I chew then swallow and then turn to the president. I put my serious face on.
Everyone was looking at me. "Mr. President, I choose to take the option of serving my country," I say bluntly. He looked surprised, he never suspected it. "I only ask for two things, One my freedom. I will go and help but I will be free. I can leave whenever I want. Two is that before I go I want a couple of things to go with." I say and he nods. "Are you sure Nicky, don't you want to try to live a normal life," he says softly. I looked concerned for me.
"I want to serve my country, sir, I will never have a normal life, sir. My mast...I mean daniel king made sure of that. " I say looking down. I felt Frank put a comforting hand on my shoulder and from habit, I flinched and tightened up. I am not used to being touched still.
"As you wish, it's your choice." the president gives me a smile.
The sun was hitting my face and the wind was loud. I was now in a chopper landing near the base called the Hell hole. I was in army camo and army boots. I had a small bag with hygiene essentials and some clothes. I was granted the request for freedom and the items I required for this trip. I asked for a couple of pair of clothes. Some new knives, root beer, and a small box of chocolate. It was hidden in my bag so no one will steal it from me. I know I could have asked for anything, but I don't need much to survive. The helicopter landed and I got out and was escorted by general Frank. He wasn't going to stay with me but he wanted to come with me. Iran was dry arid and sandy. I hate sand. Thanks to daniel my body was accustomed to extreme temps hot and cold. I wore my long sleeve to hide my scars. I might be at an army base but I want to be slightly normal. I don't want to be labeled as a freak. I follow Frank through camp My hair was hidden and I had a cap on. No one noticed me. We walk into a building and into an office. "Ah General Frank how are you?" a man around 40 asks. He was big and tall. He looked like a muscle man. His skin was black as the night. He had amber-colored eyes. He had a crew cut and had a stern aura around him.
"It's nice to see you again Colonel jones." both men shake hands than their eyes land on me. "You must be the new recruit, Nicky right?" the colonel asks and I nod, "Yes Sir," I say respectively. My body goes from relaxed to its normal stance that was beaten into me. The stance of an emotional soldier.
He smiles at me and shakes my hand. He goes back and hands me my dog tags and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. "Do you know how to use this?" he asks before he hands it to me. "Yes sir," I say and quickly cock it even though it is unloaded. He smiles at me again. "I have good words of you. But I wouldn't send you out until I know you can take it. I don't want a young girl to get hurt." he says seriously and I nod.
I grab my bag and hold my gun pointing down and flow him past a small building and soldiers. People started to look because I was walking near the colonel. I hope I just look like a short male.
The second I walked through the gates I knew I was probably the only girl here. There might one or two but I have yet to see any females. I stop in front of a tent and the colonel walks in first. The tent is huge and inside there are lines of beds on each side of the tent. There was a table on the end and chairs and I saw a group of guys playing a card game. I put my stuff on the only empty bed which was near the door. I put my gun against the bed and my bag on top of the mattress. I turn to see the soldiers were standing at attention for the colonel. "Gentlemen, this is Miss Kelly. She is your new troop member. She will be respected." The colonel says while walking back and forth slowly. "You will show her the ropes around here." He says very sternly. The soldiers yell out Sir yes sir and he walks to me. "Miss. Kelly if you have questions come to find me," he says and I nod to him. "At ease" he yells and he walks out of the tent, and then everyone relaxes. It was awkward after that. I went back to my bed and unpacked. There was a box-like trunk under each bed for our stuff. I folded my clothes and hid my chocolate and rootbeer under the clothes and hygiene products. I found the picture I requested from the general. It was an old pic of me and my family. It was printed out and laminated.
I stuck it on the front of my bed and I stood back up. I noticed all eyes were on me. A man around 20 I think walked up to me first. He was the biggest. He had brown hair in a crew cut and had some visible tattoos. "My name is Buck, its nice to meet you...?"
"Nicky and it's nice to meet you too," I say giving a small smile. Everyone relaxed after that. A guy with red hair and blue eyes laid on the bed next to mine. "So, why is a girl like you here, and how old are you?" he says with a charming smile. I immediately knew he was the goofball of the group. "well I'm 17, and I'm here because I want to be here." I say sweetly while smirking. Buck and the three other guys oohed and laughed at the redhead.
"That goofball is dave, the blonde there is chis and the Hispanic is Zach," Buck said while pointing to each guy. I nod and wave. All the guys were huge compared to me. They all had tattoos and charming smiles. They didn't seem bad or creepy.
That night I got to know the guys better. they showed me how to play poker. Dave let me take a sip of his beer. It was disgusting. I don't get why people drink it. They laughed at my disgusted face too. I told them I was from new york which was true and told them about my family when they asked and told them about them but left out the part of their death and my kidnapping. I acted like a serious but kind girl. I guess that is part of my personality but I am not as happy as I portray.
I went to bed and dave was next to me, buck was next to dave on his other side. Zach was across from me and Chris was on his other side. I waited for them to fall asleep and sat up quietly. I got out of the tent silently, and slowly and silently got past night patrol and snuck into the colonel's office. Luckily he was still awake. I crept in and sat in front of his desk. He was holding a document but was slowly dozing off. I cleared my throat and he jumps in his seat. "What the hell girl" he whisper yells.
I almost giggle
"So am I going to train with them, and pretend I'm normal like them?" I ask and he just grumbles. He was still upset about the scare. He sits up and gives me a look. "What do you want to do, they are going to find out soon or later," he asks and I nod. "I think I want to blend in first. Until you need me I will then show my cards," I say softly. He nods in agreement.
I and the colonel talked about the training they do every day, I asked questions on it and he answered gracefully.
entered my tent at 11 pm and snuck into bed. Everyone was still out cold, but I was still high-strung. My tighten senses heard people snoring and talking. I even heard guns going off at the front lines.
I tried to block it out but my body lacked to move too. I'm used to high training every day and now I was traveling all day today.
I finally got sleep after 12 and woke up the same day at exactly 4:30 in the morning. I snuck into the shower tent and took a two min shower. I walked to the one mirror next to the washing station. I braided my hair in a Viking style my mom used to do for me. I got changed into the training clothes which were regular cargo pants and for me a long sleeve shirt. I wrapped a bandana that was black and wrapped it around my almost healed neck. I tucked the corner of it in my shirt.
I walked out and snuck back into the tent and laid down. I closed my eyes and tried to get a little more sleep.
"up and at 'em" I saw the colonel walk in and I was sitting on my bed waiting for him. He smiled at me and I jumped up with the other guys into the line and stand at attention, fully dressed. Unlike the boys who were wearing pants or boxers and no shirts insight.
The colonel said the training schedule and dismissed us. Everyone got changed quickly. I sat there already and followed the troop out. I walked behind buck and remained hidden behind his huge figure.
There was a small workout before breakfast.
Different troops meet together and ran the track around camp. I stayed with my troop, I tried to blend in, but the idiots like to receive attention. Especially dave.
We ran 1 mile then we were dismissed for breakfast. I followed behind the group trying to hid and not bring attention to me. I walked into the kitchen tent and saw benches. We got in line for food and I stood behind dave. I suddenly caught movement in my left eye and I saw a guy with an arrogant smirk and his bodies backing him up. He was slowly reaching to grope me.
I paused for a second, should I show I can handle myself or let the guys fight for me, or ignore it.
I quickly grab his hand and twist his hand. I didn't even look back at him. He fell to his knees and yelped. My troop turned around and saw the squirming idiot. I gave them a kind smile. I turned then and looked at his friends who were pretending they didn't know him. I let go of his wrist but grab his ear. He yelps again and I bend down near his ear.
"I would say I'm sorry," I say sternly.
The guys nods "I'm sorry, i wont do it again."
I let go and step away from him. He looked embarrassed and walked off immediately.
The moment unpaused and i releized I day dreamed out that outcome. I notice the hand was coming still. So randomly and embarisingly I jump pretending to try to look over daves shoulder. My foot came up and kicked the hand accidentally (not really) i landed down and turned with a fake apologetic face on. "Im sorry I didnt mean too." I say softly and the groaning man holding his hand looked up and gave me a charming smile.
"Its okay honey, no harm done." he says giving me a wink and walks off. I groan and roll my eyes. That was so embarrassing. It made me seem weak.
I sat down with some grits and an apple. I looked over to the guys near me and surrounding me on the bench. There was so many new faces. I ate quickly and listen to dave who has surprisingly not stopped talking.