Time passed. Jasper and Alice sent letters back and forth, and even though they were halfway around the world from each other, they grew closer.
It had been a long time since Alice had gotten a letter from Jasper. She wasn't too worried. There had been long spaces between letters before. And, he'd promised that he would be safe.
There was a football game that night. Alice didn't really like them, but she was in the band, so she had to go anyways. She stood in front of her mirror, carefully braiding her long hair, and tying a bow on the end of it.
"Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name." The crowd started. Alice detto the words, but didn't really listen to what she was saying. She wasn't feeling very good...like something terrible was about to happen. Her head shot up when a man detto into the microphone,
"Folks, would te please bow your heads for a lista of our local boys who killed in the fighting in Vietnam."
Alice's cuore missed a beat, and her stomach turned over. No. was all she could think as the foreboding feeling got stronger and stronger as the man read through the lista of names.
"Jasper Whitlock." He read, and someone rang a small bell.
Alice stopped breathing, tears suddenly streaming down her cheeks. Then, someone was screaming.
"No! No!" the person was repeating the same thing, over and over again. Then, Alice realized that it was her who was screaming, and that someone was guiding her away from the crowd, then scooping her up and carrying her. She looked to see who it was through her tears. Unruly bronze hair. Bright green eyes. It was her older brother, Edward. She hadn't known that he'd come home from University, but here he was, carrying her away from the football field with long, loping strides.
"Shhh. It'll be okay, Ali. It'll be okay." He told her, carrying her to his car and setting her inside it. But she wasn't listening. She was sobbing, wrapping her arms around her self.
Jasper lied. He promised me he would be careful! She thought wildly. No. it isn't true. He's okay...he has to be okay! God, please let him be okay!
It had been a long time since Alice had gotten a letter from Jasper. She wasn't too worried. There had been long spaces between letters before. And, he'd promised that he would be safe.
There was a football game that night. Alice didn't really like them, but she was in the band, so she had to go anyways. She stood in front of her mirror, carefully braiding her long hair, and tying a bow on the end of it.
"Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name." The crowd started. Alice detto the words, but didn't really listen to what she was saying. She wasn't feeling very good...like something terrible was about to happen. Her head shot up when a man detto into the microphone,
"Folks, would te please bow your heads for a lista of our local boys who killed in the fighting in Vietnam."
Alice's cuore missed a beat, and her stomach turned over. No. was all she could think as the foreboding feeling got stronger and stronger as the man read through the lista of names.
"Jasper Whitlock." He read, and someone rang a small bell.
Alice stopped breathing, tears suddenly streaming down her cheeks. Then, someone was screaming.
"No! No!" the person was repeating the same thing, over and over again. Then, Alice realized that it was her who was screaming, and that someone was guiding her away from the crowd, then scooping her up and carrying her. She looked to see who it was through her tears. Unruly bronze hair. Bright green eyes. It was her older brother, Edward. She hadn't known that he'd come home from University, but here he was, carrying her away from the football field with long, loping strides.
"Shhh. It'll be okay, Ali. It'll be okay." He told her, carrying her to his car and setting her inside it. But she wasn't listening. She was sobbing, wrapping her arms around her self.
Jasper lied. He promised me he would be careful! She thought wildly. No. it isn't true. He's okay...he has to be okay! God, please let him be okay!
