Chapter Text
July 12th, 2009
"John- cut that out!" My mother snapped, glaring at me through the rearview mirror.
"She started it- Sarah, you need to stop!" I ignored my mother, continuing to shove my older sister into the window. "She's hogging the entire seat, and then goes and blames it on me!"
"Hogging? Haud yer wheesht, I am not!"
"Sarah! Language!" My mother chastised her.
"Can you two please shut it?" My other sister, Abigail, said from the backseat.
"No- I'm not stoppin' until she apologizes!"
"John, I'm warning you." My mother's voice was low.
"Ma! Tell her to move!"
"I'm not in the way!" Sarah snapped. She shoved my shoulder.
"One more person talks and we're turning around!" My father yelled. "Fuckin' hell, it's like a bunch of screaming monkeys in here."
The car fell silent. My father huffed a breath, shifting in his seat as my mother laid a hand on his shoulder. I scowled at Sarah, who looked equally as mad, her jaw working and her face red. Her brown hair stuck up in multiple places, probably from me shoving her head. Abigail watched from the backseat, eyes glittering with annoyance. She held a book in her hands, fingers running up and down the pages as she tried to focus. Nobody dared speak after my father's outburst, so we sat in utter silence, broken occasionally by a grunt from my father or the turn of Abigail's book pages.
Eventually, my mother sighed. "We're ten minutes away. Put your socks and shoes on now because we're already twenty minutes late."
The spell that had seemingly fallen over the car was lifted, and the tension seemed to seep away through my cracked window.
I snickered. "I wonder why," I muttered in Sarah's direction.
Abigail clopped me on the back of my head with her shoe.
"Ow! Abbi, I swear-"
Sarah giggled next to me as she and Abigail shared a glance. I glared at them both, opening my mouth to shout at them. A look from my father silenced me immediately, sending my sisters into another fit of laughter.
I looked at my father's face, twisted up with slight anger, then looked at my sisters. I practically choked on my spit trying to hold my laughter in. All of my anger toward them was gone instantly. Sarah imitated our father, contorting her face to match his; eyebrows furrowed, mouth curled into a frown, and arms crossed. Me and Abigail laughed, thoroughly entertained. My mother continued to drive, hand still on my father's shoulder.
"Five minutes. Is everyone ready to go? Aunt Cassidy says both her boys will be home." My mother's eyes met mine as she said that.
"Aye? Cameron and Wesley?" I felt a pang of excitement at that news.
My mother nodded. "Wesley said he can only be there for a little, though. Aunt Cassidy said she didn't even know how he got time off to come. Guess the military's strict, huh?"
"Yeah, guess so," I mumbled, mind now wandering to the military. I'd always wanted to join the military. It was all I'd ever talked about since I turned ten, and now that I was freshly 16, I was getting closer and closer to the age requirement. Not that I'd ever tell my parents, but I'd also considered trying to lie about my age, just to get a head start. My mom would hate that idea. She says I'm better off becoming a football player because the 'military is too dangerous'. I scoffed at that idea. That's the point. That adrenaline rush that always coursed through me, the one that forced a smile onto my face and made my breathing ragged, I lived off it.
The car screeched to a stop, all of our heads snapping forward. My mother had never been a good driver. Abigail's book thumped to the floor behind us. She picked it up, muttering and dusting the cover off. Me and Sarah snickered at her but stopped when our father shot us a warning look.
"Out. Get out, everyone out!" My mother snapped, putting the car in park and throwing her door open.
"Fuckin' hell-" I muttered, pushing my door open and hopping out.
"John! I heard that!" Sarah called from her side.
"What? No-"
"Ma! Guess what Johnny said!" I glared at her as she tried to tell on me.
"Sarah, I do not want to hear it. Does everyone have their shoes? Good, go." My mother ushered us up to the front door, clearly in a hurry.
I'd been to my cousin's house many times before, so it wasn't unfamiliar in the slightest. Still the same small, white house. The front door was painted a deep blue, and the front yard was made into a garden. Aunt Cassidy loved flowers, so she grew a lot of them.
My father walked up to the door and knocked, then rang the doorbell. We heard the doorbell sound through the house. I'm sure we looked silly, all five of us cramped together on Aunt Cassidy's tiny porch, the single light swaying in the gentle breeze above us, adding to the already bright afternoon sun on our faces.
The door flung open. "Oh! You're here! Why, it's so good to see you, Evelyn!"
Aunt Cassidy stood at the door, black hair pulled back into a bun. Her hands were covered in flour, as was the apron she wore over her clothes. She was older than my mom, and already had the wrinkles of time showing on her face. She was a pretty woman, with kind, blue eyes.
She nodded to my father. "James." Then she turned to me and my sisters. Her face split into a wide grin as she pulled us into a hug. "John, Sarah, Abigail. Oh, it's so good to see you!" She stood back. "John-" She said, admonished. "Why have you gotten so tall?"
I smiled, putting my hands in my pockets. "I'm not that tall, Auntie."
"Why, yes you are!" She reached up to touch the top of my head, ruffling my brown hair while she was at it, leaving behind specks of flour. "You've got quite a bit on me now. How tall are you?"
I shrugged. "175? 180? I haven't measured myself in a while, Auntie."
She gasped. "My, you're almost as tall as my Wesley! I see you take after your father." She winked.
I saw my mother roll her eyes. "Cut that out, Cas." She smiled, walking forward and throwing an arm around her sister's shoulder. She led Aunt Cassidy into the house, and I heard her asking about dinner.
My father shook his head. "Your Aunt Cassidy..."
My sisters and I snickered, and my father shot us a glance. It quickly softened, however, and he laughed too, and then pushed us inside the house. "Get inside- come on, shoes off."
We pulled our shoes off and dumped them in a corner. My sisters made a beeline for the living room, where I'm sure Cameron was, with a book recommendation ready for Abigail and a new crocheted stuffed animal to show Sarah. My father headed straight for the bathroom, and I walked into the kitchen, following my mother and my Auntie.
"Aunt Cassidy! Do you know where Wesley is?" I called out from behind them.
"Oh, sure sweetie! He's in his room right now." Aunt Cassidy answered, turning her head to look at me.
"Ma?" I asked permission.
"Go ahead," she replied dismissively, already deep in conversation with her sister.
I headed upstairs, finding the first door on the right, and knocked.
"That you, John?" A British voice said from inside, very different from my own accent.
"Aye."
I heard a laugh from inside. "Get your ass in here."
I opened the door to find my older cousin, in his twenties, lying on his bed. He turned his head to peer at me as I walked inside, leaving the door open slightly. "I heard Ma from downstairs," he said dryly, "She's right, you are bloody tall now."
I snickered, going to sit on the floor next to his bed. I looked around his room. It hadn't changed much since the last time I was in here. He still had military posters hung on the wall, jackets piled on the floor, and LED lights strung across the ceiling, glowing a low red.
He sighed, then put his phone down. "Got more questions, huh?"
I nodded. "Plenty since last time. I've been thinking I might try and join up now."
His face turned serious, his eyebrows raising. "That was quick, John. Absolutely not. I tried that when I was your age, and it did not go well." He laughed. "They caught me in seconds, had to call my ma and everything. It was bloody embarrassing."
I frowned, and he snickered slightly. "Sorry. That was quite blunt. But you shouldn't do that." He picked up his phone again. "Anything else stupid?"
"But Wes, you understand, right? That- that need for the adrenaline? I want to join the military so badly. It's not my fault they don't take 16-year-olds."
His face softened slightly, but there was still a hint of a warning in his eyes. He dropped the phone again, and it bounced to the floor. He ignored it. "I get it, lad. But you shouldn't throw your childhood away for it. Get your adrenaline somewhere else. It's only two more years."
I scoffed, scooting back to lean my back against his wall. I kept my legs extended, playing with the leg of his bed with my feet. "Two years is a long time. What if I miss my chance?"
Wesley sat up. "You won't. Look, if you don't want to think about yourself, think about your family. Your ma and pa. Abigail. Sarah. Do you really want to leave them behind at 16? What if you never come back?"
I stared at him, eyes alight with the difficulty of decision. I shook my head no, almost imperceptibly. I let out a sigh. "Guess not. They'd be pretty pissed."
Wesley snickered lightly. "They'd be mad pissed, John. My ma too. She tells me every time I come home to make sure to stay safe. I swear it's like she thinks I want to die."
I chuckled, knowing very well the kind of person Aunt Cassidy was. Always so fussy and worried, a lot like my mother. I could see why they were related.
Wesley hummed for a moment, making it so the silence was never complete. I heard my family yelling about something downstairs. Wesley stopped humming, listening as well.
"Y'know what, Cass, I think yer aff yer heid!" My mother's voice was sharp, but I could hear the hint of teasing in it.
"Bloody right, Evelyn! I am! God, always you and those carrots-"
Wesley snickered. "Back to the usual arguing, I hear."
I laughed in agreement. "Damn right."
"Y'know..." Wesley started.
I met his eyes, gaze curious.
"If you wanted, so you don't feel like you're missing your chance-" He scoffed. "-I could take you to see my regiment. Today. We're training recruits later this afternoon. Obviously, you're not a recruit, but you could come to hang out on base and see what it's like."
My mouth dropped immediately. "They'd let you do that? Holy fuck!"
Wesley looked pleased. "Yeah, I'm sure they'd let it slide. Some other kids hang around sometimes too. Too young to join, y'know? But the army wants them when they're of age, so they let them stick around. Recruiting tactics. They work."
I scrambled to my feet, moving over to his bed. "So you'd actually let me come?"
Wesley chuckled. "Ask your ma. We can leave whenever you want."
I let out a laugh, a mix of excitement and nervousness, then rushed downstairs. Wesley was a part of the British army, the 23rd Regiment of the SAS.¹ Aunt Cassidy always said he had an incredibly important job. A lot of it was top secret too, so that made this even more exciting. Ever since he had joined, right when he was 18, I had always wanted to be like him.
My footsteps rattled the house as I made my way downstairs, skipping the last step in my rush. I slid into the kitchen, where my mother and Aunt Cassidy were making dinner, staring at me with surprise.
"What's gotten you so worked up?" My mother asked.
"Ma-" I was slightly out of breath. "Wesley- Wesley said he can take me to check out his regiment. Please- please let me go- please!"
My mother stared at me like I had grown two heads. "What?"
I took a deep breath. "Wesley said he can take me- right now- to go check out his regiment and see if I actually want to join the military."
My mother narrowed her eyes. She still hated the idea of the military for me. "I-"
"Let him go." Aunt Cassidy interrupted her. "Y'never know. Maybe he'll come back and realize it wasn't for him. It won't be dangerous, Evelyn. Wesley can take care of him."
She still looked unconvinced. I stared at her, pleading with my eyes. She let out a huff. "Fine. Be back before dark."
"Yes- yes! Thank you!" I scrambled forward and pulled her into a hug. She grunted slightly as I squeezed, but then smiled and hugged me back, trying not to get my back dirty.
"You're welcome, Johnny. Have fun."
I grinned at her, then at Aunt Cassidy. "I will, trust me. Wesley! Come on!" I walked over to the front door, pulled on my shoes, and waited for Wesley to come down. He appeared a couple of minutes later, smiling at me, dressed in a simple black shirt and pants.
"No uniform?" I asked.
He shook his head, grabbing his car keys. "Nah. I don't need it to show you around."
I push open the door, the gentle afternoon breeze hitting me in the face. It smelled like the flowers Aunt Cassidy grew in the dirt in front of her porch. The sun was high in the sky, nearing three in the afternoon. I swung myself into the passenger seat of Wesley's jeep, noting the cleanliness of his car. He started the engine, then slowly backed out of the driveway.
It was a short ride to his base, only about twenty minutes from his house. Wesley was based in Manchester², where his family lived. I was born and raised in Scotland, in a small village called Hermitage. It was right along the border between England and Scotland, and only about a two-hour drive from my cousin's. Usually, we visited every weekend, but it had been a while since I had last seen my cousins, as my parents had been busy.
He parked the car in a small lot. I could see the base about fifty feet away, its main building, built of red brick, flying the flag of England. I could feel a smile slowly creeping onto my face, and I hadn't even gotten out of the car yet. He turned the car off. "You ready, lad?"
"Yeah," I said, a little breathlessly. I got out of the car, still staring.
He locked the car, beeping it twice, then walked over to me, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "You're gonna love it- I'll try and find some of the other kids who hang around here for ya."
"Thanks."
He chuckled at my half-assed responses, then started to lead me inside. The first thing I noticed as I stepped inside was how... right it felt. I felt my grin grow as I turned in a circle, staring at everything. It wasn't much to look at, very basic and tan, but it was still amazing, at least to me. A couple of soldiers milled about, sitting behind desks, but for the most part, it was empty. It smelled of cleaner and rubber, along with a hint of gasoline, I guessed. I felt him walk away from me, heading over toward a soldier behind one of the desks. The soldier looked up, face lightening as he saw my cousin. They exchanged pleasantries, and the soldier glanced at me a couple of times, nodding. He waved, and I waved back, a smile on my face. I walked over.
"You happen to know where any of the kids that hang around are? My cousin needs some friends." Wesley asked, a hint of teasing in his voice.
I scoff at that. "Damn, Wes."
The soldier chuckled. He looked to be in his thirties, with a bald head and brown eyes. A small scar ran down his cheek, and his green camo uniform was neatly ironed. "Check out by the runway. I know some of them like to watch the planes."
Wesley nodded, then gestured for me to follow him. I did, walking right beside him as he led me out a couple of doors. I could hear the rumble of plane engines now, a couple of voices shouting orders, and a lot more soldiers milling about. They all looked like they had something to do; something important. I grinned. Wesley walked a little way down the concrete, passing by some parked planes, and then stopped. He pointed to two kids, standing side by side, staring out onto the runway. "That's Hannah and Luke. They're both on the younger side. Twelve, I think?"
I glanced at him. "What are twelve-year-olds doing here?"
Wesley shrugged. "I think their dad works here. They're twins. I'm sure they're cool."
"Oh," I said plainly.
He started to walk away. "I expect you'll be fine? Talk to the twins, look around?"
"Yeah-" I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. "Wait!"
"Hmm?" He turned around.
I pointed toward another kid, who looked my age, just a little taller. He was facing away, hood pulled up, standing apart from the twins. "Who's that?"
Wesley sighed. "He doesn't talk much. I wouldn't try and have a conversation with him. Stick to the twins."
I frowned. "That doesn't answer my question."
Wesley sighed again, now sounding annoyed. "Look, I don't know his name, alright? I think he's about your age. Stick to the twins, man. I've got to go." He disappeared back inside.
I huffed, kind of pissed at him. I glanced between the twins and the boy.
"He seems more interesting..." I muttered.
I walked toward the lonesome boy. I saw him stiffen as my footsteps approached, and I raised an eyebrow, wondering how he could hear me over the loud plane engines and shouting. I stopped next to him, glancing up at him. I noticed an odd detail about him immediately. He was wearing an all-black balaclava, covering his entire face except for his eyes. His black hoodie, pulled over his head, matched his ripped jeans. I could see a silver chain around his neck. His eyes flitted down to me, dark brown.
I coughed. "Aye." I felt my accent get stronger, as it does when I'm nervous. This kid was intimidating, to say the least. "My cousin, you probably don't know him, he's a part of the SAS Regiment stationed here, he brought me here. Just to look around." I paused, glancing at his face. He wasn't looking at me.
I took his silence as a good sign, because if I took it as a bad sign, I would definitely psyche myself out. I could feel my confidence seeping back. This guy doesn't seem too bad. I continued to talk.
"I'm John. John MacTavish." I smiled at him, knowing he wasn't looking. "I come from Scotland, if you couldn't tell," I chuckled. "You...?"
I paused and waited for an answer. None came. I shrugged, continuing. "Anyway, I'm 16. Just turned, too. I got a lot of military stuff. I've wanted to join for a while now."
My words hung in the air. I had no clue how he was feeling, but I didn't think it was an awkward silence. It was quite nice, honestly. My sisters at home never shut up, much less listened to me. If he was listening, that is. I thought for a moment.
"I'm assuming you like the military too... based on you being here. I don't know if anyone would ever come here as a kid if they didn't." I chuckled to myself. "We've got one thing in common, then."
He didn't even so much as spare me a glance.
"Wait- are you a kid?" I looked over at him. He blinked, then nodded, the movement so small I almost missed it.
I grinned, face lighting up at the fact that I got him to respond to me. "Aye, pure dead brilliant, man!" I clasped my hands together, smiling like a kindergartener who made his first friend.
"That's two things in common now." I hummed thoughtfully. "You from around here?"
He nodded again, causing another smile to bloom on my face, eyes crinkling around the edges. "A'ight. So that's one difference and two similarities. I think we'd make pretty brilliant friends, if ya ask me." I shuffled my feet beneath me, then looked out toward the taxiway, where a plane was getting ready to take off. "You know the twins over there?" I pointed.
He turned his head, glancing at the twins standing around twenty feet away, laughing with each other. They ran off not even seconds later. He shook his head no.
"Aye! That makes three similarities!" I glanced up at his eyes, and swore I could see them crinkle slightly, as if he were smiling. It was gone as quickly as it came, however, and I was left blinking at his humorless face.
I kept talking to him, and even though he never talked, not even once, I was having fun. He always nodded or shook his head when I asked a question he could answer, so I knew he was listening to me, at the very least.
Eventually, I sat down at his feet, legs sprawled out in front of me. He stayed standing in the same position, but never left. I got lost in telling him stories: fairytales, folktales, stories from my childhood; anything. The sky began to darken around us, but the busyness of the base never decreased. If anything, at some point, it got busier. Around seven o'clock, based on the sun's position in the sky, a skill I learned to use when I was a kid, I heard footsteps from behind us. I cut my story off, turning my head around. It was Wesley, forehead shining with sweat. His shirt stuck to him, darkened in some areas.
"Hey, Wesley," I muttered simply.
He nodded to me, then glanced at the boy next to me. He looked at me, a critical look in his eyes. I rolled my eyes at him.
He sighed. "I've got to take you home now. Meet you in the car." He turned around, eyes flickering to the boy for a moment, somewhat uncomfortably, then left.
I huffed, muttering about his abruptness, then groaned as I stood for the first time in hours. I turned to the boy next to me, stretching my arms above my head. "Aye, you heard him. That was my cousin, by the way. Cool, isn't he?" I grinned, then hummed. "Thanks for listening to my stories." He nodded.
I paused. "Can I... can I get your name? Maybe?"
He turned his head to face me. I stayed right where I was, looking him in the eyes. I was sure I was smiling dumbly, with a slightly lopsided grin.
"Simon."
My eyes widened, my grin spreading across my face. His voice was deep and husky, definitely not what I had expected, especially from a kid my age. He had a thick British accent, sounding very similar to the one Wesley had. I clapped my hands together. "Aye! Pure dead brilliant name, man!" I started to walk away, then turned around and walked backward.
"I'll try and come back next week, Simon!" I wink at him. "Same time, same place, yeah?" I waved, then turned back around and started to walk away.
As I left, I swear I could feel his eyes on the back of my head.