charlotte tarvers is only 14 when the war breaks out, but 17 when she signs up. she's heard the stories from her parents, lovers who found each other by chance on the front lines in world war one in the country of france, now passing down the storie...
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" The best answer to anger is silence."
- Marcus Aurelius
***
She woke up the next morning, to the faintest ray of sunlight streaming into the forest. She sat up from Shifty a bit and yawned widely. She glanced around at the soft snow and the silence it held. There wouldn't be silence much longer; she felt it in her bones. Later that day, she arrived at one where Guarnere was sitting on the edge, and Malarkey, Penkala, and Muck were inside, and it seemed the topic of discussion was Dike. She hurried over, and took a knee at the edge.
" Sunshine, just in time to hear more of the ridiculous thing called attacking something head on when half the company is half alive." Bill said as she arrived.
" Oh, man I thought I'd miss my daily Bill Talk Time." she mused.
" You wouldn't miss it for the world, kid and I know it, how you feeling anyway?" Bill asked.
" I'm ok, hey Malark, Muck." she said and the two men turned with soft smiles to her.
" You all staying warm?" she asked.
" Best we can at the moment, sunshine." Muck said to her, still sitting there, shivering.
" Let's warm ourselves up with some of this Bill Talk Time." she said, and nodded for Bill to continue talking. Bill cleared his throat and then looked at the group.
" You wanna take one guess at who they're are gonna want to go knocking on the goddamn doors?" Guarnere said to the 3, receiving an odd look from Charlotte.
" I know, Bill." Malarkey said, shaking back and forth." It's me you're talking to here."
" What?" Charlotte asked softly.
" The usual. Talking how we're gonna have to attack Foy, Battalion calling us to do it, and having Dike as the leader of the rodeo." Skip muttered sarcastically.
" We've gotta do all this with a CO, who's got his head so far up his fucking ass that lump in his throat is his goddamn nose." muttered Guarnere again. Charlotte could only grumble quietly to herself.
" Hey, 1st Sergeant." Muck said, making the group of them look up and toward Lipton who was making his way toward the group.
" Hey, boys, hey sunshine." he called, coming over to the group with his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
" Hey, Sarge." Guarnere said, and a few more greetings rang out.
" Hey, Lip." Malarkey called.
"Hey, Muck, what's the word?" Lipton asked the man, standing next to Charlotte's left side.
" Oh, you know." Muck said, " Sitting around freezing our ass off. Singing Dike's praises."
