By Request Collection April-June 2016. Оливия Гейтс

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СКАЧАТЬ unit where Kate had slept the previous night.

      Tenley pushed the door open and got out, staring at the unit. For a long moment, she didn’t move or say anything, but Kate knew she was thinking about Doug and wondering if his accommodations were as luxurious as this modified trailer.

      “This is where we’re staying,” Kate said brightly and linked her arm through Tenley’s. “It’s actually very cozy inside. Just wait until you see the accommodations at Camp Leatherneck.”

      Behind her, she heard Chase start to laugh.

      THE SUN WAS BEGINNING TO SET, taking the worst of the day’s heat with it, as the entertainment got underway. Kate had stayed backstage with Tenley until it was time for her to perform, listening as she moved among the other performers, chatting and laughing with them. She had a vibrancy that drew people effortlessly to her, and she seemed to thrive on the attention. Whereas she had been exhausted when she first arrived, now she seemed upbeat and excited.

      Kate watched as Tenley took her guitar and stepped onto the stage and waved to a mixed reception of cheers and clapping and a smattering of boos. Kate walked over to Chase, who stood in the entry, and shrugged.

      “Well, this is it,” she said. “This is the reason we’re here. Let’s see how it goes.”

      “Are you kidding me?” Chase asked. “That girl is going to be fine. Look … they love her.”

      Kate laughed and together they made their way outside to stand at the edge of the parade field to watch Tenley perform. She silently acknowledged that Chase was right; the audience was cheering her sister’s performance, the sound deafening.

      “She sounds great,” Chase commented.

      Kate had to agree. Tenley strutted across the stage, stroking the strings on her guitar and swinging her blond hair around. Her voice was strong and pure, and she belted out the lyrics to her top hit with confidence. She wore a pair of white jeans and boots, paired with a blue corset adorned with sparkling stars. Against the backdrop of the American flag, she looked like every soldier’s fantasy of the gorgeous girl next door.

      “She’s just so beautiful,” Kate said wistfully, watching her.

      “I agree,” Chase said, but when Kate turned to him, he was looking at her, not Tenley.

      “At least she didn’t get my freckles … I inherited those from my father,” she said, self-conscious. “When I was young, I would have given anything to have skin like Tenley’s.”

      “Really? I love your freckles.”

      Kate gave him a disbelieving look. “You’re kidding.”

      Uncaring of who might be watching, Chase stepped closer and traced a fingertip over her cheek. “I’m not kidding. A face without freckles is like a night sky without stars.”

      He shifted his gaze to hers, and for a moment Kate couldn’t breathe. Without conscious thought, she leaned toward him, her lips parting.

      A sudden commotion snapped Chase’s attention away from her, and Kate turned to see what was happening.

      A young soldier had pushed his way to the front of the crowd, avoiding the security guards, and pulled himself onto the stage. Kate stiffened and then sprang forward, but Chase was already moving, sprinting backstage to gain quicker access to the stage and intercept the soldier. At first, Tenley didn’t realize the young man was right behind her, but when she turned around and saw him, her fingers slipped on the guitar strings, and the amplifiers made an earsplitting screech.

      She stared at him for a split second, and then he stepped forward and took her by the arms. His lips were moving urgently, but Kate couldn’t hear what he was saying. She could only see the look of disbelief on Tenley’s face. Then Chase was there, yanking the soldier away from Tenley even as the security detail leaped onto the stage.

      As Kate watched, the soldier stopped struggling and allowed Chase to escort him backstage. Tenley stood there for a moment, clearly shaken, but when her band picked up the strains of her interrupted song, she rallied. Clearly it was an effort for her to continue with the performance, but she managed to get through the number without any more incidents.

      As soon as she finished, the crowd erupted into applause and cheering, and Tenley waved before jogging backstage. Kate met her there, anxious to see for herself that she was okay. There was no sign of either Chase or the young soldier who had attacked Tenley.

      “Are you okay?” Kate asked, framing Tenley’s face in her hands and searching her eyes.

      “Yes, I think so,” Tenley replied, but she seemed shaken by the incident. “He just surprised me, is all.”

      “What did he say to you?”

      Tenley looked distracted, and her eyes were unfocused. Kate repeated the question.

      “What?” Tenley shifted her attention back to Kate. “I, um, can’t remember what he said. Everything happened so fast, and it was so loud up there that I couldn’t really hear him that well.”

      There was no more opportunity to ask questions as Tenley’s band members surrounded her, wanting to know what had happened. Kate hadn’t gotten a good look at the soldier, but something about him had seemed vaguely familiar. She made her way back to Tenley.

      “Did you know that young man?” she asked.

      Tenley turned to her with a look of surprise, and then quickly seemed to compose herself. “No, of course not,” she said quickly.

      “Okay,” Kate said. “I just thought … well, never mind.”

      Tenley shrugged and spun away, but Kate didn’t miss how she chewed her finger, a sure sign that she was distressed. It was the same thing that Kate did when she was upset. “These guys all look exactly the same,” Tenley said. “Same haircut, same uniform, same conformist mentality. He looked familiar to you because he looks like every other soldier.”

      Chase returned at that moment and approached Tenley. “Are you all right?” he asked.

      “Yes, I’m fine,” Tenley said, clearly exasperated. “What’s going to happen to that soldier?”

      “He’ll be reprimanded, and probably banned from attending the rest of the Independence Day festivities.”

      Tenley frowned. “Please don’t ban him on my account. I don’t want him to get in trouble. I mean, it’s not like he did anything really wrong. He just surprised me, that’s all.”

      “We should put more security personnel around the stage,” Kate said to Chase. “This is exactly why I asked that the troops be kept at least fifteen feet back from the stage. I don’t want Tenley to have to go through this again.”

      “I agree,” Chase said smoothly. “Why don’t I escort you both back to your housing unit? I’m sure you’re tired and it’s probably a good idea to call it a night.”

      “No!” Tenley said quickly, then seeing Kate’s surprised expression, she lowered her voice. “I mean, I’m not tired, and I don’t want to go back to the housing unit. I’d like to hear the other performers.”

      Kate СКАЧАТЬ