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 secret of happiness is to admire without desiring."
-Carl Sandburg
***
When Easy was pulled off the lines, they moved back to Mourmelon. They entered through the familiar gates, which made Charlotte somewhat sad. She was so happy to finally be back, off the line, and safe, but there were so people that they'd left with those months so long ago that weren't here now. Her heart broke. She tried not to think of the ones they'd lost as she jumped to the ground gently, with some help from Webster who steadied the girl. The 502nd were there, the sister regiment to the 506th, and they were many relieved faces when Easy appeared, even playing some tunes as they entered. But the 502nd also saw all the tired, exhausted, horrorstricken faces that had dealt with too much pain in the past few months. Charlotte could barely move her feet as she walked forward, ever so slowly making it towards her designated billet. She walked in the 10 man billet and was relieved to see that most of her friends were there, the rest in other billets. As the men spread out to find their beds, with their trunks of personal belongings, Charlotte finally pulled the aching medic satchel from her shoulder as well as her helmet. She found her bed, between Babe and Webster. She dropped the two items onto the bed, before promptly dropping onto the bed herself. She let out a sigh. This was the first time she had felt a real bed, with warm sheets and a pillow under her head in over 2 months. Her muscles were sore, from the constant moving, now finally able to rest, and her body felt weak and over used. Charlotte noticed that next to Webster was Luz, and next to Babe was Liebgott. Across from her was Skinny, then Talbert, Shifty, Perconte, and Grant.
" They got showers here, Sunshine." she heard Talbert call as he unbuttoned his OD coat to reveal his white shirt underneath.
" I can't even move." she groaned tiredly, her eyelids already wanting to slide shut.
" You don't even wanna move for showers?" Perconte called, pulling a toothbrush from his footlocker.
" You call me smelly, Perco?" she asked, sitting up with a light smirk on her face with a pair of bright eyes. But everyone knew she was just trying to make the solemn mood more lighthearted. Perconte laughed lightly.
" Whatever you say, Sunshine." he said. The girl swung her feet over the edge of the bed, and pulled a towel, and the bar of soap from the footlocker and started with the men out of the billet. There was a bit of brightness back in the girl, with this certain new found swagger that wavered around her entire aura. It was similar to the type she had coming into Toccoa. But it seemed that what had happened before at Mourmelon had affected her while heading into Bastogne. However those 2 months of pain aided in producing that confidence that she gained. She felt much better after showering, with a real shower head and soap and conditioner and shampoo, and shaving! She felt clean and once she had finished, she let her hair down and sighed at how wonderful it felt to finally be clean. She was one of the first to finish, surprisingly enough, and she began eating as night fell outside. She watched as the cooks placed her food on her plate. Her eyes widened. She thanked the cooks quietly before turning and sitting down at a table alone. She stared. Why could she actually know what she was eating? She felt dazed and confused, even from the luxury of the shower and it only made her feel more dream like. She felt a body next to her and she looked over to see it was Shifty, with his own plate, hair slightly wet from his shower, and an exhausted, yet happy look on his face.
