It’s been a week since I have talked to Officer Russell and nothing has happened yet. I’ve been paranoid the whole time and keep watching my back. I don’t know when it’s going to come and what it’s going to be. I don’t know if it’s going to be life threatening or not. This is so stupid! I shouldn’t even be given a test. I’m not right for the position. What doesn’t Officer Russell get? I can’t lead a whole army. I just got the respect of the men in camp. No army is going to listen to a little girl like me, no matter how strong I am.
I decide to go visit Connor today. I have been visiting him every day and he’s a fun guy to talk to. Jacks afraid I’m getting attached and maybe I am but he’s not a bad guy. Actually, I would really like to have him on our side but I know he wouldn’t betray his own country.
I pass the guard and nod to him. He smiles and nods back and opens the door for me. I sit at the table and a moment later, Connor is seated across from me. The guard undoes Connor’s cuffs and leaves. Silence surrounds us but it’s a comfortable silence. I lean back in my seat and smile at him. He does the same.
“Miss Anna.” Connor nods at me, stilling smiling.
“Mr. Smith.” I say, also smiling.
He sighs.
“Now Anna, I thought I told you to call me by my nickname.”
“Oh you are right. I almost forgot.” I smirk at him. “Mr. Baby cakes.” I wink at him.
He chuckles.
“And don’t forget it.” He winks back at me.
“So Connor, how are they treating you?” I ask.
“Surprisingly good. They haven’t tortured me yet.” He looks at me closely. “Is this your doing?”
“Maybe.” I say deviously.
He smiles.
“Well thank you. But I am curious as to why.”
“Because I like you Connor. You’re a good man and even though you are the enemy, I hope that one day we can be friends.” I say honestly.
“But Miss Anna,” He leans close to me and I do the same. He whispers, “I thought we already were.”
I lean back and laugh.
“I suppose you are right baby cakes.” I say.
“So what brings you here Anna?” He leans back again.
“Oh just thought I would check in.” I say casually.
“Well then, would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”
I think for a moment before nodding.
“Who’s winning the war?”
“At the moment, we are at a disadvantage.” I say.
“And why is that?”
“Because we lost one of our generals.”
“But so has my side.”
“Yes but from what I heard, they have already replaced you and your other general.”
“I see.” He looks down. “So who is going to replace your general?”
I stiffen for a moment. Connor notices my silence and looks up at me curiously.
“What?” He asks.
“Nothing. Um, they are deciding right now and have a person in mind. They are going to test that person and see if they are suited for the job.”
“Well, I hope you don’t find it rude but I do hope you don’t find a good general.” He smiles.
I laugh.
“I would be surprised if you wished us good luck. It’s understandable since you are the enemy.” I say.
Connor’s smile falters.
“I hope that one day we can all get along. I really do want to be with you Anna.” He says honestly.
Seeing the honestly in his eyes makes me stop breathing for a second.
“Well I believe we will. Just have faith Connor. I would love to have you around too.” I smile at him reassuringly.
He grins like a little boy.
“I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels that way.” He says.
“Me too. And I bet there are more people out there that are just like us.” I say.
Connor looks at me and something in his eyes change. He leans in and reaches for my hands. I let him take them, knowing he won’t do anything to me.
“Anna, I-“
All of a sudden, the door burst open and in comes Officer Russell. He looks at me, then Connor, then our hands, and then back to me. He clears his throat. I try to tug my hands from Connor’s grip but he tightens his hold. I turn to Officer Russell.
“Yes Officer Russell?” I ask.
“Sorry to disturb but I have something to discuss with you.” He turns his attention to Connor. “It will only be a moment and then you can go back to talking.”
Connor reluctantly releases me. I get up and before I close the door, I give Connor a reassuring smile. I turn my attention to Officer Russell. Before I can ask anything, he hands me a file. I open it up and see pictures. Terrible pictures.
“France is having a little quarrel in their country. It seems the citizens want to stop this war. The government didn’t take the riot too lightly and used the rioters as a warning to the rest of France. They lined them up and made them kneel. They blindfolded them and shot them right in front of the other citizens. Everyone is too afraid to go against them now. I don’t like it. I don’t think the president would have done this. Something’s fishy. I think someone is controlling him or even worse, took him out of the equation all together and took control but I don’t think anyone knows.”
I look at the photos of the people about to be shot. I notice woman and even children kneeling, ready to die. No. They weren’t ready to die. They just had no choice. They just wanted the war to end and the government wasn’t willing to listen. How could they do this? What is going on in France? I look back up at Officer Russell.
“So why are you telling me this?” I ask suspiciously.
“Well first, because you might become the next General and you need to know all the details. And secondly, because I want you to show this to Mr. Smith.” He says.
“Why?!” I yell.
“Because then we can get him to our side.”
“But this will crush him. He’s very loyal to his country. He probably won’t even believe us.” I say.
“Oh he’ll believe us.”
“And what makes you so sure?”
Officer Russell points to a man in the photo.
“Because that is his father.”
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After my little talk with Officer Russell, I head back into the little room. I bring the file with me and set it on the table. Connor looks at it and then up at me with a confused expression on his face. I sit down and sigh. I’m not looking too forward to this talk. I look at Connor and give him a sad smile. He seems to understand that this isn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.
“Connor, there’s something in this file that I want you to have a look at.” I push the file towards him.
He eyes it for a moment before opening it up and holding up the photos. I watch his face as it changes from shock to disbelief to anger.
“What is this?” He asks coldly.
I shiver at his coldness.
“It seems the citizens of France were rioting, wanting to stop the war. The president didn’t take it too lightly and decided to send out a warning to all the civilians. It seemed that executing the rioters was the only way he could think of.” I pause, not ready to say the next part. “Your father led the execution.” I say sadly.
I hear a loud bang and see that Connor stood up with his hands on the table.
“Bullshit! That’s total bullshit! My father would never do that. He was a good man. He wouldn’t just kill a family just because they didn’t agree with the governments’ actions.”
“Yes but Connor, would your father also go against an order and betray his beloved president’s order?” I ask.
Connor looked lost for words. It was sinking in quickly. Connor slowly sat back down and just stared at the photo. I couldn’t understand what he was going through. I could understand betrayal but not from a family member. I can believe that his father was a good man. He was just tricked into doing it.
“He really is a good man.” Connor whispers with his head down.
“I know. How you’ve talked about him, I could see how great of a man he really is. He was just tricked. We believe something is going on with the president or even that someone else is pulling the strings. We want to take them down and free the citizens of France.” I take Connor’s hand. He flinches but doesn’t pull away. “Will you help us Connor?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer right away. He just looks down and I don’t know what’s going through his head.
“Please Connor. Help us end this useless war. No one should die for fighting for what’s right.” I say.
Connor finally looks at me. I see so much sadness but I also see something else. Determination. He squeezes my hand and gives me a smile. It’s not a big one but it is a smile.
“I’ll help. I will help end this war.” He says.
“And then we can finally be friends and help both our countries into becoming friendly with each other like it was before the war.” I say.
Connor’s smile falters a little but quickly hides it with a bigger smile. I wonder what that was about.
“Yes. Let’s end this war.” Connor brings my hands to his mouth and lightly kisses my hands. “Together.”
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Sorry this wasn't an exciting chapter either. But now the next chapter will have some action. Maybe even some love *wink wink* I know I'm not really putting a lot of romance into it but it will come. I'm trying to get the action in with romance. Yes the romance is lacking but I honestly don't even know if I want Anna to end up with someone at the end or just leave it to the reader to decide and leave the ending open with possibilities. So I got most of the guys liking her now and now our journey finally starts. I thought this story would be longer but it might only be around 20 chapters so we are almost halfway! Woooooo! Alright anyways, thanks for reading and hope to update soon!