Secret Affection

Chapter 1

The clock read 3:17 am as I continued to have yet another sleepless night. The loft was as cold as an igloo, while my body couldn't be colder than a space heater. Every time I dared to close my eyes I would have nightmares of the reality I've faced the past ten years of my short life. It ranged from my allies dropping dead in front of my very own eyes, to land mines triggering and blowing off a limb of someone right next to me. Sometimes I would even get lucky enough to have a dream of the people I pulled the trigger on.

Since it's late and I have nothing else to do, I should tell you who I am. My name is Alyson Matthews, or Aly for short. I'm a twenty-eight year old with no career, no family, and maybe one or two friends if they're alive. I wasn't always a bloke that sat inside her loft all day and every hour. No, when I was eighteen I joined the military and got recruited for the Special Forces unit.

The United States military has a serious 'privacy' problem, so I can't really go into much detail other than I was in there for almost ten years. My duty? I was the lookout, or the long distance specialist of my platoon. By my eighth year my small squad would call me Sergeant Matthews, but I never really cared too much for the titles. If you're confused with what my job was, I can make it really easy for you to understand. I was the sniper, or as my platoon called me, the Golden Shot.

Anytime we were given a name of the person we had to find and eliminate, I was the one watching all of the exits. If my team failed to finish the job inside the designated area and the target went to leave, it was my job to make sure he didn't. Most people thought that with my spotless record and perfect mission list, I would be in the military for life.

Not even three months ago, a week after my birthday might I add, I got in a small altercation with a fellow soldier. Being a Sergeant and getting into a fist fight with a Private was 'frowned upon' and I guess I would've gotten off with a warning if I didn't beat the kid so bad he had to be discharged before he even tasted the smoke from his rifle.

The military taught me a few things about life, even though I was away from real civilization for so long. One, people aren't nice no matter where in the world you go. Two, the second you don't keep in contact with someone, they lose interest. Three, not all family is blood and fourth? Your past will always come back to haunt you.

~*

The sun started to rise right before my eyes at about 5:27 am. I didn't question why the sun came up so early, or why I still happened to be awake. All I did was climb out of bed and walk right into my bathroom to get ready for my daily workout. As I stepped out of the shower and began pulling on my sports bra and shorts, my phone started ringing in the other room. I tied up my hair in a high ponytail and made my way to my cell phone by the last ring.

"Matthews."

"So you really are back?"

I wedged my phone between my ear and my shoulder as I was slipping on my Nike running shoes.

"May I ask who this is?"

"Right, it's been ten years. Of course you'd forget your best friend."

"James?"

"The one and only. Hey, who answers their phone by their last name?"

I chuckle into the phone, switching my shoulder for my hand,

"Someone who's been going by her last name for ten years. What's up?"

"Well, I heard you got dishonorably discharged for beating a twenty something year old to a pulp."

"Yeah? That the only thing you're hearing?"

"Well, it's the reason why I'm calling."