Chapter 1

Jessie

My back was aching from the thin hard mattress. I had tossed and turned throughout the night, trying to escape the nightmares of my parent's death. One year had already passed but I still remembered it like it had just happened yesterday.  However, these nightmares had been consuming my dreams more frequently these days. I shivered as I thought about it again. I hoped nothing bad was going to happen.

Hi. I’m Jessie. I live with my brother, Bruce, and my best friend, Giselle, on the second floor of an abandoned shop house. Life wasn’t a bunch of roses. We got by sure, but it was difficult. However, I had nothing to complain about. This was much better than the first few months after our parents died. We had absolutely nothing but each other then. I didn’t even want to think about what we went through. I hoped we would never have to go through that hell again. But chances seemed slim, especially now since North Korea has decided to initiate World War III. The North Korean commies decided to launch their missiles a week back. It was supposed to fly over Japan but... the missile changed course, hitting South Korea and a little further down into China.

And BAM came the war.

Singapore is currently being fought over by the commies and the non-commies. The war doesn’t affect me that badly. It affects Giselle more. The missile hit pohang where her lover was staying. She hasn’t been able to contact him since. When the news reached here, she locked herself in her room and refused to come out. She only came out after two days looking like a mess. Her face was puffy from crying and her normally neat and beautiful hair looked like knotted rats tails.She hides her emotions really well these days, it’s as though she is made out of stone. It’s sad really, that love would make a girl as strong and tough as Giselle crumble.

1st March 2013 was when the news hit. It’s the 4th today. Bruce is still in bed. Giselle is in her room plucking guitar strings. It’s the only thing she does apart from eating and sleeping since the news hit. I think it’s the only thing that keeps her sane. It worries me when she does this. I guess she still can’t forget her lover.

Urgent notice was given out calling all the men to join the army just yesterday. Even my darling brother Bruce was not spared. Don’t they know that Bruce has hemihypertrophy? In case you didn’t know, it means that one leg is shorter than the other. He isn’t fit to join the army at all dammit! Bruce can’t go and fight! He has a really slim chance of surviving because of his leg.. If only girls could join the army, then I could fight in his place. I can’t help but feel angry at the world. I already lost my parents, Bruce is my only kin left. I’m so not going to lose him because of some sexist rule! F*ck...

I bit my tongue back as I thought of another problem at hand. Our food supply was running low. There was only a loaf of stale bread and about 100g of rice left. I wonder how we would be able to survive after this ran out. For the three of us, this would at most let us survive for another 1 month. But what about after that? We still have the tapioca in the backyard but they wouldn't be ripe till after 2 months. There is also Bruce's chicken but he will totally kill me if I slaughter it for food. So, our options are pretty limited right now.

I sighed and hacked off a small chunk of bread. Placing it on our makeshift table, a few planks joined together, I called Giselle to come and eat.

"Hey." She greeted me before breaking off a piece of the bread and sitting on the window where I was.

"How are you? Feeling better?" I asked, concerned. I was still hoping that she would get over her loss and be her happy bubbly self once again. It was selfish of me I know, but I did not want to lose my best friend as well.

She shrugged, glaring into the distance. Popping the bread in her mouth, she jumped off the ledge and went back into her room. I guess I wasn’t going to get my best friend back anytime soon. However, contrary to what I’d thought, she returned shortly with her guitar. It was the first time she played it out here instead of in her room.

The guitar... It was one of her last instruments. Before I’d met Giselle, she lived in Singapore itself. She attended music school, learning instruments of all kinds: Piano, Drums, Harp, Violin, Flute, Clarinet, Guitar... The list will never stop!

Her parents owned a music company. It was doing spectacularly until something went wrong and the entire company crashed. Her dad had a heart attack and her mother fled to America. Giselle grabbed a suitcase, tossed in some clothes, her drumsticks, ukulele, guitalele, flute and tuner. With her best and favorite guitar on her back, she fled to Pulau Ubin where we met on the boat.

And why was I on the boat? I was happy. Initially. Go home from school to my family... Everything was simple, perfect. Until my parents got into a car accident. I tried to pay the rent but couldn’t. Bruce and I got kicked out. With the little money we had, we packed food and clothes, fleeing to Pulau Ubin.

On the boat was only Giselle, myself and Bruce. Giselle helped Bruce as she felt sorry for him. That was how we met.

Back to the present... Giselle strummed the guitar. I sat looking out, listening to the guitar. The wind blew through over the tops of the trees. The leaves rustled and the leaves that were dry blew off into the wind. The green and brown leaves fluttered and danced like butterflies.

With the serenity going on, it’s hard to believe that World War 3 was approaching Singapore.

“Morning Sis, Giselle...” Bruce yawned from behind. He was leaning heavily on his crutch. Taking his share of bread, he sat down on his chair. He took out his precious blank notebook, full of drawings and sketches. Taking his stubble of a pencil, with smooth, quick motions, a flick of his wrist and a light shading with his thumb, a beautiful flower appeared on the originally blank piece of paper.

Smiling, I took out one of the cloths from the special box I use to contain my sewing things. This was how we got by. Bruce drew, I sewed the designs and Giselle would march down to the pier with maybe her guitar or some instrument. She would sit there all day playing and sell whatever it was we made. Handkerchiefs, shirts, bandanas...

“Sis? Must I go to the army?” Bruce suddenly asked.

I was caught by surprise.

“What? Well...” I trailed.

“Of course not. Not with your disability. Besides. I’m sure in the newspapers which called for men only stated able-bodied men have to go.” Giselle cut me off.

I caught her eye and mouthed ‘Thank You’. Bruce still looked nervous.

Giselle put a bold smile on and nodded. Bruce looked relieved.

“Oh thank God... I’m sure I’d be killed or mocked at. Even if I’m put in kitchen duty, that would be stupid. I’m not up to cooking food for big groups of people...” Bruce nattered on.

I looked at Giselle who had a daring, decided glint in her eyes. Bruce was still ranting when suddenly Giselle cut him off.

“Which is why...” she trailed.

“Oh no...” I mumbled.

Please don’t say it.....................

“I’m joining the army.”