68. Ivan

Hearing her laugh at my silly jokes sends Kohl whirling with delight. I know it is wrong to compare but Azalea used to grin and roll her eyes. She thought of me as some kind of lovable idiot, which I didn’t mind at the time. I was happy to be the joker of the group back then.

So whilst making Cherish laugh and fooling around in the dining hall was good fun there was a sense of storm clouds on the horizon. Just like our last few nights in the Cage, the feeling that everything was heading towards change.

We were only a few days away from naming the Battalion, we wanted around half a dozen men. Supplies were being readied, everything was in motion.

They need a leader. They require someone to follow, to inspire and learn from for this to succeed, not the class clown. “You want to go for a walk?” I suggested to Cherish, her long white gown looking pristine against the glowing, healthy tan she had acquired over the past couple of weeks. Her eyes constantly shone a beautiful ocean blue. I