General and I

THE CALM BETWEEN STORMS

A month had passed, though it felt more like a lifetime.

The camp that once smelled of sweat and steel now hummed with a quiet relief. The recruits had survived the most brutal phase of their training the drills that broke their backs, the sleepless nights that blurred into dawn, the endless shouts of their sergeants reminding them that weakness had no place here.

But finally, finally, they were being given something precious a week’s leave.

The news had spread through the dorms like wildfire. Laughter rang through the halls, bags were being packed in a frenzy, and for the first time in weeks, no one shouted at anyone else. Even the strict sergeant had cracked a smile when announcing that each recruit would receive their first pay.

Leah sat cross-legged on her bunk, folding her neatly pressed uniform with care. Her fingers trembled slightly a mix of exhaustion and excitement.

A whole month in the camp had hardened her body and sharpened her will. Her skin had grown slightly tanned, her movements more precise, and her once-naïve eyes now carried a quiet confidence.

Natasha sat beside her, struggling to zip up her overloaded bag. “God, I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed. A real bed, Leah. Not a bunk that squeaks every time someone breathes.”

Leah laughed softly. “I just want to hug Maya. It feels like forever.”

Natasha smiled, then leaned closer. “You’ll bring her gifts, right?”

“Of course,” Leah said, eyes softening.

From across the dorm, Ann’s high-pitched voice cut through the chatter. “Make sure you all clean your bunks before you leave. The general might do surprise inspections when we return!”

Her words earned a few eye rolls. Ann was still the same polished, loud, and impossibly proud. Her glossy hair was perfectly brushed even after drills, her uniform spotless. She had managed to use her influence to avoid most punishments, though everyone knew better than to cross her.

Outside, the distant hum of an engine drew closer. Then, the sound of a sleek car door shutting. Every head turned toward the window.

Natasha whistled low. “Guess who’s getting picked up in style?”

Leah didn’t even need to look the flash of a black luxury car said it all. Ann’s driver stood waiting in his tailored suit, the emblem of Parker Conglomerate glinting faintly under the sun.

Ann strutted toward the exit, her luggage rolling behind her, wearing designer shades and a smirk that could cut glass. “Don’t miss me too much, girls,” she said, her tone dripping with arrogance. “Maybe when I come back, I’ll bring you souvenirs. Or better yet—” she looked at Leah, “you can tell me how life feels for those of us without chauffeurs.”

Leah said nothing, only smiled faintly and returned to her packing. Silence was the best answer for people like Ann.

When Ann finally left, the air felt lighter.

“Good riddance,” Natasha muttered.

Leah giggled, zipping her bag shut. “She’s harmless.”

“Yeah,” Natasha said with a grin, “like a snake in a dress.”

They both laughed until their stomachs hurt, and for the first time since the training began, Leah felt like herself again.

By noon, the recruits had dispersed. Leah stood at the camp’s gate, holding her duffel bag. A shuttle bus waited to take her into the city. She glanced once at the training grounds the empty fields, the shooting range, the dusty tracks. Somewhere behind those walls was his office

She had hoped to see him, maybe just to thank him for allowing her to stay, for being fair even when harsh. But she’d overheard from Mason that he had left the camp a day earlier for a corporate meeting in the city.

A pang of disappointment tugged at her chest. It was foolish, she knew. He was her superior, not a friend not someone she should think of when the world finally offered her peace.

Still, she whispered softly under her breath, “See you soon, General.”

The bus door closed with a hiss, and the camp disappeared behind a cloud of dust.

Home smelled like warmth, memories, and comfort.

As Leah stepped out of the cab, her heart pounded with anticipation. The house looked the same a little worn, a little crooked, but full of life. She pushed the door open and froze.

“Surprise!!!”

Her eyes widened. The small living room was decorated with balloons and ribbons, a simple banner hanging crookedly across the wall: Welcome Home, Leah!

Maya ran straight into her arms, her small frame trembling with joy. Leah dropped her bag and hugged her tight, burying her face in her sister’s shoulder. “Oh, Maya…”

“You’re home!” Maya squealed, her frail voice trembling but full of life.

Jenah appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron, her face beaming. “You didn’t think we’d let you walk in quietly, did you?”

Her boyfriend, Derek, grinned from behind her. “She almost burned the kitchen trying to bake a cake.”

Jenah swatted him playfully. “It’s not burned, it’s rustic.”

Leah laughed really laughed and felt something inside her unclench. For the first time in months, she was surrounded by people who loved her without conditions.

Dinner was full of chatter and teasing. They talked about the camp, about Maya’s treatments, about Derek’s terrible singing. For that brief night, Leah forgot about generals and sergeants and punishments. She was just Leah — sister, friend, survivor.

Across the city, in a glass-walled office overlooking the skyline, Damien Cole leaned back in his chair, loosening his tie.

He’d just returned from a long day of meetings at Cole’s Firm, the conglomerate his family built. His mother sat on the couch across the room, her pearl necklace glinting under the chandelier’s light elegance and authority wrapped into one.

“Damien,” she began, her tone sharp but polished, “do you have any idea about how I feel right now”She said

He arched a brow. “Good evening to you too, Mother.”

“Don’t play coy with me,” she snapped. “Ann’s mother called me this morning distraught! She said you humiliated her daughter at the camp. Refused to speak to her, punished her publicly. Is that true?”

Damien rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Ann broke the rules. I treated her like any other recruit.”

“Any other recruit?,she’s like a sister to you , you used to take care of her when she’s little”

Mrs. Cole scoffed.

“That’s when she’s small,how old is she now .25, you don’t expect me to look after a grown up, not after I got to know about your little conspiracy with her mum “Damien said evenly. “And if Ann can’t handle rules, she doesn’t belong there.”

“Damien—”

“I’m not interested in family matchmaking, Mother.” His tone sharpened, his patience thinning. “You’ve been trying to push that girl into my life since ,my patience is running thin , I won’t be caught in between you and her parent “

His mother’s lips pursed into a thin line. “Alright then ,your dad said he’d missed you,will you come home today ?”

“Maybe,” he said quietly.

The tension hung thick in the air.

When she finally stood to leave, she glanced at him one last time. “I’ll prepare your Favourite dishes “

He said nothing as she left, only turned toward the window, watching the city lights flicker below.

Somewhere out there, Leah was probably laughing surrounded by warmth, unaware of the storms still gathering in the distance.

And for a fleeting second, Damien allowed himself to smile.