PnF_Soldiers 3

“Are you sure that thing is going to keep strong for you?” Eli pestered for the umpteenth time.  He eyed the carved wood crutch uneasily.  It would be all too simple for the thing to snap in half, rendering the man useless and—because they had left the raft on the second day—someone would have to carry him.  It would be a waste of energy and resources to create another.

“I’m sure,” Phineas replied for the millionth time.  Usually, he could handle attitudes like this, but even the optimistic red head was beginning to tire of Eli’s pessimistic attitude.  The man had done nothing but bark orders and have a negative impact on his team, and it was beginning to wear the inventor out.  Suddenly, he got an idea.

“So where are you from?” Phineas asked, hoping to take everyone’s mind off of the unpleasantness of the entire matter.  In fact, the instant the question was asked, the mood of the team seemed to lighten a tad.

“I’m from California,” Eli stated.  A few more moments of silent walking allowed Phineas’ curiosity to simmer for a while.  However, Eli said nothing more on the subject.  So Phineas, being the kind of person he is, decided to pester him with a few more questions.

“Do you surf?” Phineas asked, causing Eli to laugh dryly.  He did not turn around, but he did respond to this question more than the last.

“Not everyone from California lives next to the beach.  I played soccer in high school,” the pilot’s revelation came as a shock to the entire team, who was quiet before he began to speak again.  “And in case you’re wondering, yes, I was the team Capitan.”

“That explains a lot,” Miguel said with a sense of lightheartedness in his voice.  Phineas turned his head slightly to see a spark of humor in the man’s green eyes.  “I was a normal player on the lacrosse team in high school.  We were team players and had fun on the way.”

“They have that in high school?” Alex laughed as he made his way forward.  The burns had gone down slightly over the past few days, but the pink skin and constant irritation to the skin were supposed to last a few weeks.  However, the brainiac had done well in keeping complaints to a minimum and interacting with the rest of the team in jokes and taking lookout shifts when the team was resting.

“They didn’t have it in your school?” Miguel asked, bewildered that the fun sport would be denied to anyone.  “Maybe when we get out of this, we can all play a round or two.”

“You’re going to have to get back home first, lacrosse boy,” Eli killed the mood with his statement.  However, the nickname ‘lacrosse boy’ earned a few chuckles from the group.  They continued to walk in silence.  The next one to break the silence was Phineas.

“So what are you looking forward to when we all go home?” he asked, asserting that everyone would go home alive.

“I’m going to squeeze my wife and daughter so tight!” Alex exclaimed, sending Phineas, Miguel, and Brandon into a fit of chuckling.  They continued to chuckle as he went on about how adorable his little girl is and how she had been learning to draw when he got called away.  And how he couldn’t wait to see his little girl’s pictures when he came back.  “She draws the cutest stick figures!” he exclaimed, sending the other men into hysterics.  Well, except for Eli, of course.  He only scoffed and concentrated harder on the map and the route they were taking.

“What about you, Phineas?” Miguel asked, wiping a tear of laughter away from his eye.  As soon as the question was asked, Phineas’ eye carried a bright glint of happiness and nervousness.

“I’m getting married when I get home,” Phineas said, catching the attention of the rest of the team, even Eli.

“To the girl in that photo?” Miguel asked, snapping his fingers in fake defeat.  “Man, I hoped she was free.  She’s cute!”

“He looks at that photo every day and talks to her whenever he has the chance,” Brandon pointed out as he moved some tree branches out of the way.  “What did you think they were, just friends?”

“Have you been spying on me?” Phineas asked, his ears turning red.  It was true, he’d called her whenever circumstances permitted.  And right now, he really wished that they permitted.  Yet reality told him that he was stranded in the middle of a rainforest with three guys who depended on him and one guy that wanted to be the leader.  Reality demanded that he be here right here and right now, and that he could get back to her soon.

“We don’t have to,” Alex grinned.  “We can hear you from the dormitory to the rec room.”  The others joined in laughing at how red Phineas’ face had gotten.  It wasn’t nearly as bad as his hair, but it was enough to elicit a chuckle from everyone except Eli.

“You might want to rethink that,” Eli stated, causing the good mood do plummet yet again.  This time, however, the statement brought Phineas’ mood down as well.

“Why?” Phineas asked, suddenly unsure of the man holding the map.  Why would he say something like that?

“War changes people, the people in it, and the people that aren’t,” Eli muttered as he picked up the pace.  The others had no choice but to try and match his speed.  Just as Phineas was about to ask what the man meant, he sensed an aura of hurt and pain coming from the man, and decided that the best thing to do would be to talk about something else.

“So, Brandon, what did you play in high school?” Phineas asked to attempt to keep his mind occupied.  However, as the topic went on with football versus lacrosse, Phineas could not help but become worried.  What could Eli have meant?