OSTRACIZE | GILBERT BLYTHE

1

N O W

"Sign here please." The army officer said pointing to the dotted line.

The pen was thrusted towards her and with one last glance she snatch it from the mans rough and jagged fingers.

It was now or never.

Ellis gripped the pen tightly, taking one last look around the area it was flooded with anxious jigs and nail bites.

She was signing her life away, going off to serve her country just as the rest of her family, like she was meant to do.

She looked to the officer and offered him a smirk as if to fool him into thinking the person before him was certain this was how their life would enfold.

There was a line of jittering boys standing behind her. Every now and again she heard them shuffle, one or two completely left the area probably to run back home.

Fucking cowards.

She felt out of place, being the only girl there, but it was for the best. And the less she paid attention to her sex, the less the officers before her did.

If she had confidence the flat cap covering her long hair was due to mask the femininity.

The officer cleared his throat before taking a quick glimpse at the dotted line. Impatient fuck. Didn't he know that it wasn't such an easy decision?

"Alright. Alright." Ellis muttered under her breath.

Just as Ellis put pen to paper a hand clamped down on her shoulder and she was yanked back.

"YOU!"

Ellis turned to face John Blythe, a man she had known previously all of her life in fact. The man had a limp which was scary because he was so grossly tall that if he was to trip - she'd be flattened.

She tried her hardest not to roll her eyes, she had made it too far for her plan to be ruined now.

Gilbert watched his father confused and yet intrigued, his mouth parted as he watched the boy as he still puffed his chest in confidence.

From time to time John enjoyed coming down to the sign up and seeing the 'fresh meat', as he called it, joining up. It's something Gilbert and his father bonded over, like a holiday.

"Sir." Ellis in the uniform spoke, she stood up straight and saluted at Gilbert's father.

Ellis looked at Gilbert only a quick glance his way but he seemed confused.

John looked at Ellis before flicking off her cap knowingly, it was a cocky show of power and it made her cower back in disgust.

Gilbert's mouth fell agape as he watched Ellis' long brown hair cascade down onto her shoulders.

The room erupted in whispers,

"A girl?"

John chuckled but it was a bit psychotically, he scanned the room and then focus in on the foolish army officer who had handed her the pen.

"Yes a girl." He paused then looking around the room at the boys. "A thirteen year old girl."

There were a few gasps and Ellis turned bright red, she scratched the back of her neck and she became the centre of attention.

Everyone knew you had to be over seventeen to sign up-

-seventeen and a boy.

Ellis knew this, of course, she wasn't stupid. In fact she was completely the opposite because she didn't do it for her,

she did it for Carter.