๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
(๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ง๐: ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ข๐๐ซ)
๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ : ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ง
๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐
The flying fortress jittered in the unforgiving night sky, it was supposed to be darkโ yet the unmistakable flames of fire and shrapnel caught the moonlight, creating an image of what could almost be described as the sky on the 4th of July.
Itโs quite beautiful. Edith thought, however the thoughts were soon knocked from her head as the plane she was boarded on jilted sharply, causing her to stumble into the soldier infront of her.
โHey, watch it Anderson!โ The man turned, giving her a hostile look.
โWhatever.โ Edith snarked back, that man always knew just how to get on her nerves, and to think she was supposed to trust him with her life- she scoffed to herself- she couldnโt trust him as far as she could throw him.
The girlโs frown was cut off quickly when she heard the shout of โOne okay!โ, she suddenly remembered where she was, her stomach began churning once againโ the feeling of imminent doom circling her body.
Would she even make it out of the plane? Could she make it to the ground without being hit? Or would a German capture her as soon as she landed? surely then she would be tortured.
By the time Edithโs invasive thoughts had concluded, it was her turn to check Robertโs equipment.
โSix okay!โ She yelled.
She felt Archie Cox tugging at her equipment from behind her, ensuring it was safe and readyโ โSeven okay!โ
Iโm here to help people. The young girl thought, how can i help anyone if iโm waiting on my own demise?
Before Edith knew it, she was at the door, the only thing blocking her and the sky happened to be Robert. She had never been so thankful for him. She felt the vicious wind whipping her face, tinting her cheeks a deep red as the sensation stung herโ the deafening roar of gun fire whacking from plane to plane began bursting her ear drums, the sounds getting closer and closer the more she thought about it.
Then, her blockage jumped, now it was just her facing the sky, except she wasnโt just facing the sky. Edith was facing her future. She would be jumping into her new life, something she wasnโt sure she was prepared for- but she had to do it.
And so she did, she jumped.
๐๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐
It had been 4 gruelling months since Edith had been assigned to Fox Company, 4 months since she had started training that pushed her to her limitsโ however, she wouldnโt change it for a second.
She had to admit, although it was hard and testing (both physically and mentally), it also opened a door to a new opportunity for her. Edith knew she was incredibly privileged, as a woman, to even get a chance to be on the front lines along with her fellow paratroopers. She also knew many women would kill to get the same chance as herโ so she didnโt take it for granted.
There were plenty of moments she enjoyed, but the ones she relished in most were the ones where they were all able to be young and forget the weight they carried on their shoulders. In a yearโs time, each soldier would be changed forever, whether that be by death or trauma; but the nights that they forgot that were the best. When they would dance carelessly in the pubs of England, drinking as much as they could before the sun rose and duty called, those were the moments that mattered.
โHey Edie!โ A voice hollered from behind her.
Edith halted her pencil on the page, turning her head to see who had called her.
โOh, hey Archie,โ she smiled as the soldier approached her, โyou okay?โ
โYeah, just thought iโd come check up on yaโ. Havenโt seen you around all day.โ Archie told her.
Archie was the definition of sweet, heโd be the first to check up on someone if he noticed something was wrong, and he was always there for those that needed it. He would be a great leader one day, Edith thought as she scooted over for him to sit beside her.
โIโm okay, just thought iโd come relax by the good scenery for a while, hopefully catch something good to sketch.โ She nodded at him, a smile painted on her soft lips.
โMind if i take a look?โ He asked politely.
โSure!โ Edie passed him the sketchbook without missing a beat, she knew he enjoyed it.
Archie had mentioned once that Edithโs sketches of nature reminded him of his wife back home, Lizzie he had said her name was. He mentioned once that she was an avid nature and art enjoyer tooโ when Archie had first shown Edith the photo of Lizzie, Edith immediately knew why the manโs wife reminded him of nature.
She had beautiful blonde hair, bright blue eyes and a smile to die for. Her pure spirit practically glowed- even through the off-coloured photo. Since the first time he mentioned Lizzie, Edith had been sketching photos of her surroundings for Archie to send home.
โHere, i drew this one for Lizzie, actually.โ Edith said, taking back her sketchbook and flicking through it until she found the sketch she was looking for.
Her drawing was of a beautiful lake she had discovered in her free-time. A short dock sat in the shallow water, slightly rotted but a perfect example of nature. It had wild flowers curled around the wooden beams and ancient trees that surrounded it. The sun shone through the small gaps between tree branches, creating a perfect reflection of the still landscape.
Edith tore the paper out and handed it to Archie, the man taking it eagerly and scanning it.
โThis is beautiful Edie! Lizzieโs gonna love it!โ Archie chuckled lightly, happy with the sketch.
Edithโs legs buckled beneath herโ she was tired, hungry and very lost.
She knew it had to have been at least 12 hours since she landed. The sky was clear and bright now, and there was no sign that war had brimmed the skies just hours earlier. The only issue Edith had, however, was that her rations had been lost while she fell through the sky rapidlyโ well that, and she was all alone.
I need to find someone, Edith thought. She wouldnโt last much longer on her own, especially with no food, water or company. The medic tried to find someone, anyone, but there was no luckโ no sign that anyone had ever been where she was.
If Edith was being honest, she was scared. All she wanted right now was to be at home, gossiping about boys and doing her hair with her bestfriend, Ruth. Oh, how she missed Ruth, her bestfriend was just about the only one that understood her in this godforsaken world.
Her ankles ached as her knees began feeling heavy from carrying not just herself, but all of her equipment tooโ which began feeling like 1,000 pounds the longer she carried on.
As Edith stumbled further on, all that raced through her head was thoughts of her company, where were they? were they all dead?
Edith began losing more hope with each step she took. As the last of her faith was about to fall, it rose right back up.
The meeting pointโ or so she hoped.
It could be Krauts, popped into her mind before she had the chance to think of anything else, but what chance did she truly have? It was either die of starvation, or get captured by the Germans.
Neither of those choices exactly appealed to Edith, but she knew being captured was her best bet. The Germans would be make her a prisoner of war, yes, but she also knew they werenโt allowed to harm POWโsโ and they would eventually send her back to the States.
Edith pondered for a quick second, or it could be the Americanโs. She thought, but she knew she couldnโt think for too long, or she would collapse.
So with that, she headed forward.
The closer she got, the more springy her steps were. She was feeling hopefulโ and Edithโs hopefulness was validated when she heard the familiar accent of Americanโs.
โOh thankyou God!โ Edith shouted to the sky, a disbelieving laugh falling from her dry lips.
Edith ran like she never had before, the pain in her body being long forgotten as she rushed through the gates.
Her rapid eyes darted around the place, paratroopers were everywhere. Maybe her company was too.
โHey, have any of you guys seen Fox?โ She gasped at a pair of men that had walked past her.
โNoโฆ Sorry.โ One of the men answered, staring in confusion at the woman stood before him. Edith knew what he was thinking, what the hell is a woman doing here? Not that she could blame him, that was usually every manโs reaction when they first saw her.
Edith sighed as she carried on, passing them swiftly. She needed to find her company.
Finally, she spotted Colonel Sinkโ a familiar aged face.
โSir,โ Edith saluted, out of breath, โHave you seen F company, sir?โ
The Colonel looked down to a tattered piece of paper infront of him that had writing scattered all around it.
โWell, sorry Anderson, doesnโt look like anyone but you and Robert Bennett are accounted for from F company.โ Sink offered a sympathetic look, โWhy donโt you go join Easy? Theyโll take care of yaโ, and thatโs where Bennett is too.โ He finished, nodding toward the direction of Easy company.
โThankyou, sir.โ Edith nodded, walking in the direction he nodded.
Robert? While Edith didnโt like the man, she couldnโt deny she was a little happy to hear a familiar name, even if it was his. Her heart thudded slightly as she dwelled on what Colonel Sink had said, โno one in Fox company is accounted for.โ
Surely at least a small group of them wouldโve made it back by now.
A dull ache presented itself once more in Edithโs body as she trudged to find Easy. Her eyes scanned, looking for the face of Robert. Then she found him.
A breath of relief left her mouth.
โBennett.โ Edith said coldly as she approached him.
He was sat infront of a broken tree stump, and he looked just as rough as she did. He was surrounded by the men of Easy, most of them talking amongst themselves, but some of them sat silently, staring blankly aheadโ thinking of what they had witnessed.
โAnderson.โ Robert replied, clenching his teeth before a sarcastic smile slid onto his bloodied and mud covered face.
โHey, whoโs this Bennett?โ A soldier nudged Robert, his face curious.
โEdith Anderson, our medic, unfortunately.โ He introduced, mumbling his dig at the end.
โA girl, on the front lines? How the hellโd you manage that?โ The man asked, not out of malice, but out of genuine wonder.
โTrust me, it wasnโt easy.โ Edith scoffed.
โYeah I bet, iโm Hoobler, Donald Hoobler. Nice to meet you!โ The man greeted, moving forward to shake the womanโs hand.
โEdith, nice to meet you tooโ but please for the love of god, call me Edie.โ Edith returned the handshake, smiling lightly, her and Hoobler were going to get along.
โMen!โ An authoritative voice shouted, causing Edith to turn. She saw a red headed man, his face painted with black and green stripes, helmet tucked under his arm.
Each man from Easy turned their attention to the man.
โI need volunteers, weโre making an assault, taking some German artillery guns.โ He shouted once again, making his voice clear to those around him.
While there werenโt many of Easy there, the ones that were put their hands upโ eager to take some Germans down.
She felt a hand go up beside her, Robert.
Edith sighed, knowing she would volunteerโ after all, she was a medic, and if a team was making an assault, they would no doubt need a medic.
Before she could raise her hand, the red head nodded and walked away into a broken shed building, no doubt to make a plan.
โShit!โ Edith cussed at herself, stepping back to chase the man down.
โSir, Sir!โ She called as she stumbled through the entrance of the shed.
The man turned, eyebrows raising slightly in surprise as his gaze fell on the female medic.
โIโm Edith Anderson, sir, F company.โ She started.
โLieutenant Winters, Easy Company.โ He nodded, although one of his eyebrows remained quirked, silently asking her what she was wanting.
โLet me come on the assault, sir, iโm a medicโ i can help.โ
๐/๐: ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ซ! ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ ๐ก๐๐๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ซ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐โ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐ฑ๐ญ ๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ซ!
๐ขโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง๐ค๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ @rosiecheekswindswepthair ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ, ๐ข ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ!๐
(dividers from @uzmacchiato)
