Staying Alive

Chapter 4

*Alex's POV*

I get handed a selfie stick and I look up at Jordan. I raise an eyebrow and just stare at him, "Really?" I ask him after a few minutes of staring. He nods and drags me with him, he pays for it and we leave, heading back to base.

"Where's your phone?" Jordan asks and I hand it to him. He mounts my phone onto the end of the selfie stick and hands me back my case that was previously on my phone. I shove the case in my pocket. Jordan rounds up all of soldiers Trevor knows and has talked to a few times on Skype with. That is when the Internet is cooperating for us.

We go to a spot that looks pretty awesome and everyone gets into a group. There has to be at least twenty of us here. I hold up the stick with my phone on the end and we all smile, pose or do whatever we want. After fifteen pictures and lots of laughing later, we head back to base and I make my way to the sleeping quad to get my laptop.

I plug in my phone and transfer the photos onto my computer. I print them out and collect the pictures. I close my laptop after shutting it off, and grab the envelope that is sitting next to me. I stick the pictures inside along with the letter I wrote. I put in my dog tag as well; Jordan thought he would like it as well.

I get up and go to the post office to it send out.

*1 1/2 weeks later*
*Trevor's POV*

Today is my birthday, I'm finally 17! I just miss my sister, Alex. I wish she was here, but oh well.

"TREVOR! GO CHECK THE MAIL!" My mother yells from downstairs and I roll my eyes, yelling back a quick okay. I put on my black hightops and run downstairs and out the door. Running down the driveway to the mailbox I hear my best friend Josh yell to me, "Trevor! Hey man, Happy Birthday!" I smile and yell a thank you back.

I open the mailbox and see an envelope with my name on it. I smile when I see its from Alex, I grab it and stick the rest of the mail under my arm.

Josh comes running over and stands next to me, "Is it from Alex?" He asks and I nod. We run into my house and up to my room after dropping the mail off. Plopping on my bed I open the envelope and grabbing the contents inside. I read the letter first,

"Hey Kiddo!

I hope by the time you get this it'll be your birthday, or somewhere around that time... But anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You're finally 17! Took you long enough lol.

I wish I was there for your birthday. Maybe next year when you become an adult. That'll be fun for you.

I'm sorry with everything that is happening at home. I hope you at least have a good birthday. I put some pictures in there of the squad and I. I also put my dog tag in there for you, don't worry, I can always get a new one.

Once I can come home, I will make sure that you can stay with me until you are able to handle yourself. I promise you this, so if I forget, tell me and I will take you in. You can't be living at home with a mother that doesn't know how to handle herself.

If you need something, let me know. You can always Skype me or call me, I always have my phone on me.

Once again, Happy Birthday and I hope you have a great day.

Love, Alex."

"Your sister is awesome, dude." Josh comments and I nod, agreeing with him. "She is pretty awesome, isn't she?" I smile and look through the pictures after putting on the dog tag. I decide I'll write her back later, because now I'm going to hang out with Josh and a few of my friends.

*Alex's POV*

"Faster!" I yell, my hands behind my back as I watch Tyler. He groans and start to run the course faster. I smirk to myself and I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn and see Jason. He smiles at me and then looks at Tyler. "How's it going?" He asks.

I return the smile then look at Tyler as well. "It's going I guess. He's really slow though. So I have to keep telling him to go faster." I say. Jason nods and looks at me. "I know. I could hear you as I was walking over." He says.

I chuckle and look back at him, "Oops?" I smile. He shakes his head and looks over my head, seeing the others out of breath. I'm only 5'7", so compared to his 6'2" height I'm pretty short. Which means he can easily look over my head. "They Just get done?" He asks. I look at them and nod, "Tyler is the last one."

He nods and looks back down at me, "Fighting next?" I look at him and nod, "Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

"Sounds good." He says and smiles. "Thanks for having me help out. I really do want to earn Colonel's trust again." He continues. I nod and smile, "Of course. You're my friend, it's what I do." I say. "Plus I really do think you need to stop smoking. It'll help."

"What? So go cold turkey or something?" He asks and rolls his eyes a bit. "Right." He digs into his pocket and pulls out his half empty cigarette pack. I grab it out of his hand, earning a 'hey!' from him. I shake my head and look at them, "These things are killers. Plus they're not a good influence on the newbies. We don't want them to think that smoking is okay or cool." I say. "After they try fighting we can dispose of these properly."

He tries to grab them and I pull my hand away, "And what do I get out of it?" He asks. "Lungs. And maybe you can go on practice missions without running out of breath." I say and he opens his mouth to say something else. I raise my eyebrows and he sighs, closing his mouth. "That's what I thought." I say.

Jason has always wanted to go on more practice missions with me and our friends. But he never could because he's always ran out of breath. I've been trying to get him to stop for over a year now, and he's cut down from having almost a pack a day to only one or two a day. Which is great for him. Especially because of how bad his anxiety and stress can get.

I know what stress and anxiety is like, but I've never wanted to turn to cigarettes. It's a bad habit and he knows it. But it's just hard for him. So I try to help him because I want to see him go on an actual mission. Not stuck here wanting for everyone to get back.