♰ 𝐋𝐀 𝐃𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐔𝐑 𝐄𝐗𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐒𝐄 || Outlander ➤ WILLIAM

↳ i. YOU ARE NOT ALONE

♘

𝙇𝘼 𝘿𝙊𝙐𝙇𝙀𝙐𝙍 𝙀𝙓𝙌𝙐𝙄𝙎𝙀
OUTLANDER

i . YOU ARE NOT ALONE
" Isn't it lovely—All alone..."

❝ Sing me a song of a lass that is gone
Say, could that lass be I?
Merry of soul she sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye ❞

______________________

NORTH CAROLINA,
AMERICA
1970

•

|| GENEVIEVE CAREFULLY WALKED THE FADED PATH AMONG THE GRASSES —carrying an old cooler that rattled from its loosened handles. Her friends Joe and Maria chatted; goofing with another from behind her. They were not much known for their kindness towards others.

The young woman held her head low, shoulders slouched; lids half-drooped. But even with her body lacking in physical strength—the mind still possessed to be at the ready. Genevieve or Jenny as some closer would call her; reminisced over her life and the choices she had made. Her sight fixated upon her army issued combat boots as they squashed against the damped leaves upon the forest floor.

This trail, void of any living plant life upon it was so much like that of what she had witnessed over in Vietnam. The war wasn't over not yet, it was still raging on. But she had a glimmer of hope or at least that is what some would call it and was sent back—away from the horror.

She gently placed the cooler down upon the soaked earth—the beer bottles clanging as it rattled to its side. This had been something she thought of every night while over there, to be partying and drinking with her friends like old times. Singing without a care in the world, but now Genevieve couldn't look at the frothy liquid the same without being reminded of the indescribable horrors.

And even while her friends clumsily cracked jokes as they readied the drinks and the fire—- she had never felt more alone. Genevieve lingered for a moment, waiting for them to assemble the wood for the fire before slowly backing few steps away—-to find a calm spot to have her aching mind relax.

She scanned for any possible place that would best suit her needs and there it was— a boulder hidden under some growth beside a large oak tree. Sitting herself atop of it—residing her arms upon her knees with chin leaning lightly against them— watching Joe and Maria begin to party away.

Those pastel blue eyes that once held the sparkle of youth and wonder now held that of girl entombed with in an empty shell—no longer did the glistening cling to her eyes as now only dullness glossed over. Genevieve slightly jolted when Maria cracked out a cold one—the snap and crackle sounded like that of gun popping off in the near distance. Maria noticed, " Hey, are you alright there soldier?" The brunette joked as she took another swig from the bottle— before grimacing from the sour taste.

" Yea, I'm fine." Genevieve retorted as she awkwardly tucked a loose of strand of her hair back behind her ear— now realizing neither of them seemed to be able to pick up on the uneasiness that was plaguing her very soul, finding only making jokes about her being soldier for fun.

It had been 2 months since she had returned from Vietnam, with her having only served a year and half before being discharged. And yet she still braided her hair everyday, placing into a bun that had been made apart of her life over there and still wore her army issued jacket with the white undershirt. Something that both Joe and Maria picked on her for— claiming it would only draw unwanted attention towards her. But Genevieve did not heed and instead furthered it with her father's colt M1911 as it was secretly hidden in the wedge of her belt— for one could never be too safe.