PROLOGUE

 WW III, Amanda

 

PROLOGUE

 

“Mom, how did you meet Dad?”

 Israel’s voice carried that mix of curiosity and seriousness Amanda had come to expect from him and with the patience only a mother of six could have.  At nine years old, he sat with his legs crossed neatly at the foot of the bed, his silver eyes fixed on her — always watching, always thinking.  His curiosity always made her wonder where he got that from.  Probably his dad because she didn't recall ever being like that when she was little.  As she sat with Helena sleeping soundly in her arms, the soft breathing was a steady reminder of the quiet moment they were having after dinner.

 The rest of the children were scattered across the bed, their legs tangled, blankets twisted all around them.  Katherine, the oldest, sat upright against the headboard, while Valeria leaned half of her legs on her older sister.  Aisha was tucked up close to Amanda, and Abraham was trying to balance a pillow on his knees without dropping it on the floor.  Even though she never thought she'd have children, she was genuinely surprised at how easy being a mom came to her.  Her mom would be proud...

 Amanda smiled faintly. “That was a long time ago. Before the war.”

 Aisha’s head snapped up. “So… you didn’t know dad back then mom?  You didn’t love him?”

 There it was — that flash of protectiveness she saw whenever she talked about her father to the kids.  “I didn’t feel the way I do now,” Amanda said gently.  “Back then, I didn’t know your dad very well.  We went to class together, but that was all.  At the time, he was raising your oldest sister, Eve, all by himself.”

 Abraham frowned. “All by himself?”

 Valeria smirked. “It means Mom wasn’t married to him dufus.”

 Amanda’s tone sharpened just enough as she looked on. “Valeria…”

 Her daughter ducked her head. “I’m sorry, Mom. I just thought he’d know…”

 Amanda sighed but softened her voice. “Your brother’s younger than you. He’s smart for his age, but there are things he’s still learning.  Give him time and he’ll be able to as he gets older.”

 Valeria glanced over at Abraham, guilt creeping in. “Sorry, Abe. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”  She also knew mom would tell dad about this, that was a situation she wanted to avoid, and calling her brother names didn't make her feel any better either. 

 Abraham shrugged, but there was a faint smile that she could see on him.  “It’s okay. I’m trying to understand what things were like before the war.”

 Amanda felt her heart tighten. That was the truth — all of them were trying in their own ways to cope with the state of the world.  Her gaze moved over the children, each a living echo of her and Nathanael.  They were all so similar and yet all different in their own ways and personalities.  In the summer, their skin darkened like their father’s; and in winter, their complexions lightened to match her own.  And while their hair ranged from deep brown to nearly black, depending on the season, she loved them with all her heart.

 But it was Israel who stood out most.  His silver eyes had frightened her when he was born — the delivery nurse and doctor raised questions about potential blindness.  But it was Nathanael that had shaken his head and told them about his grandfather in Mexico, who’d had the same rare color.  He’d even shown them all an old photograph: silver irises catching the light just like Israel’s.  No medical condition, just a rare genetic gift.  On base, people noticed him all the time, needless to say, his siblings are a little jealous to some degree.

 “Your dad was older than most of us in school,” Amanda continued.  “He kept to himself most of the time, but when he spoke, people listened.  He had life experience, more so than the rest of us put together.”

 Katherine tilted her head. “Didn’t you and Dad go to school for the same thing? Architecture?”

 Amanda nodded. “Yes.  It was a tough degree.  Your dad had years of drafting and building design behind him, which gave him an advantage that most of our classmates didn’t have.  But he wasn’t exactly… open-minded at first.  It took him a while to get used to the way the professors taught.  Once he did, though? He could design things that made people stop and look.  Not that I’d admit it, but mine were better designs.”

 That drew the expected round of giggles.  They all knew their mom and dad had their own designs, which they all liked when their parents worked together.

 Israel leaned forward.  “So… you fell in looove with dad during school mom?”

 Amanda laughed despite herself.  She was infatuated with the father of her children, her love for him was soul wrenching.  The man she knew from school was completely different than who he was now.  His quiet demeanor back then definitely hid some of his more prominent characteristics as base commander now.  “Not exactly. Back then, I was different, and he was just a classmate. When the war started…” Her voice trailed. “When the war started, I began to see him differently.”

 Amanda thought back, back when it was a different world, she was a different woman.  She had her life going for her.  She was dating someone whom she thought she would spend the rest of her life with.  She was going to school, being strong and independent.  Her "feminist" feelings were in full swing and there was nothing stopping her.  Graduation day was when everything fell apart, shattering her fantasy abruptly.  An all too harsh and cruel reality check that she wished she never experienced.

            It was a horrific start.  Millions died at first, with tens of millions more dead from starvation later on, and the war still rages 11 years later.  With so many dead and her husband is still fighting on the front lines.  His actions at the beginning of the war, up till now earned him the respect of his Soldiers.  Though his unit is small, their reputation of 'first to fight' was always reassuring.  Something she couldn't have imagined from him back then.  And even though there have been some close calls when she thought she had lost him, he came through.  Alive.  Along with his men as well.  Battered and injured, but alive none the less.  There have been other losses, that much she knows.

            Although her husband doesn't go into details about the fighting, he tells her who has been injured and who has been lost during missions from other units.  She sees the burden he carries every time a Soldier is lost.  She can't remember a time since then that she hasn't seen flag draped coffins of dead Soldiers coming off cargo planes flying in from the front lines on the news.  Every time she sees the Stars and Stripes, it saddens her.

            The war appears to be coming to an end though.  Though the cost has been excruciating.  Blood and tears.  Lives lost.  And all for what...?

 She felt a shift in the room — the younger kids going still, while the older ones sensing that her voice carried more weight as she let her thoughts drift for a moment: to the quiet thoughts of the past, to her husband, the commander he had become, to the times she had waited for news, not knowing if he was alive or dead.  To the tragedies the world over.

 “Mom? You’re crying.”  Valeria’s voice was soft.

 Amanda blinked and brushed a tear from her cheek. “It’s alright sweety.  I was just remembering how things began between your dad and me for a little bit, and how different they are now.”

 Katherine’s voice was careful. “It was bad, wasn’t it?  Back then?”

 Amanda nodded slowly.  “Yes.  When the war began, your dad didn’t stand out as he does now.  He wasn’t loud or commanding.  But when everything fell apart, he… surprised me.”

 Abraham frowned. “How?”

 “Well, he took charge in situations that I didn’t expect us to be in in the first place.  He gave us advice when we needed it the most, and he kept us going when it felt like our group couldn’t make it at first.  Especially on how to deal with the way things worked back then.”

 “What kind of advice?  With school?  Were some of your classmates not that smart...?", Valeria asked with genuine curiosity.

 Amanda chuckled a little at her question.  “Sometimes about school or their personal lives during school.  And when things got bad, he helped everyone, one by one.  Our classmates were smart, just not as experienced in life as your father was.  Even back then, he had much more life experience than the rest of us.  He’d moved from Mexico when he was a kid.  Around the same age as you Aisha.”

 “He lived in California for years, before it was taken over during the war, then Utah.  And unfortunately, or fortunately, the economy back then wasn't the best.  It was hard to find jobs.  Your dad had his other kids at that time, Hanna and Eve.  It was hard for your dad to find a job, and that’s when he decided to join the Army.  It was because he couldn’t find a job to feed his family at the time that he did that.”

 “He said it was the best decision he ever made, even if it meant deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan.  Later, after moving back to California, he remarried and had Emilia. That… didn’t end well.”

 Katherine spoke up, “I remember.  Dad told me that before you and him got married, that he was married two times.  I think he said that the first time he had Hanna and Eve.  And the second time he had Emilia.  Dad didn’t make the best choices back then it seems...”

 Amanda couldn’t help but snicker a little bit at that.  Katherine was right, their dad didn’t make the best decisions back then.  She’s happy to be married to the man he is now.

 “That’s true.  Your dad had other kids before all of you came along. Your dad didn’t make the best choices back then.  I am glad that he is who he is.  He’s definitely changed.  When your dad eventually moved back to Utah, that’s when he got divorced again.  Your other sister Emilia, moved back east to Pennsylvania to live with her mom there.  Things got pretty bad between your dad and Emilia’s mom, to the point that your dad chose to give up his rights to her.”

 Abraham raised his head at that, ““What does that mean?  Did he abandon her?”

 Amanda didn’t think this would come up, especially with the way the kids were asking her questions, so she was going to do her best to explain things to them that wouldn’t scare or confuse them.

 “Yes and no.  Your dad loved your older sister Emilia very much.  Just as he loves all of you.  Back then, Emilia’s mom didn’t really like your dad after they got divorced.  And she made things really hard for your dad to see your sister.  Even talking on the phone was hard.  It got so bad that your sister Emilia started telling your dad that she didn’t want to see him ever again, or that she loved him.”

 Aisha’s voice was barely a whisper. “That’s awful. I’d never tell Dad I didn’t love him.”

 Amanda smiled faintly. “I know you wouldn’t.  Your dad made the choice that instead of putting Emilia through the pain of having to choose between her mom and your dad, he gave her up.  It was one of the hardest things your dad ever did.  But your dad still loved her, even after she passed away.”  Her voice dropped.  “She was in Pittsburgh when the bombs fell.”

 Silence gripped the room.  The kids became quiet at that last part.  Amanda didn’t want to sadden the kids.  Their sullen looks made it clear they weren’t sure how to handle what she just told them.  Especially about how one of their older sisters that they never even met had died in nuclear fire.  The most they’ve seen of her is from photos and videos that their dad has of her.  And those are very old.

 Valeria’s eyes glistened. “So Dad… lost everyone?  He doesn’t have his mom or dad anymore, does he?  Or his brother or sister?”  Valeria's teary eyes made Amanda wish she could hug all her kids at once to reassure them that their dad is ok.

 Amanda took a deep breath. “Almost.  Eve and her husband Brandon survived. But his parents, his brother, his sister and his family in Mexico… all gone in those first hours.”

 She looked at them each in turn. “I know your dad wouldn’t mind if all of you knew what happened back then, or how it happened.  So, if I tell you what happened, you have to promise to listen all the way through.  No interruptions. Some of it will be hard to hear.”

 They nodded, wide-eyed, even Abraham.

 Amanda drew in a slow breath, feeling the weight of the memories pressing against her chest. “It was in May, 2025 in Las Vegas.  Your dad and I were at school, getting ready for the graduation ceremony.  It was a good day actually.  The sun was out and some of the clouds were just coming in from the mountains.  It was supposed to rain later but hopefully after the ceremony.

            Everyone was getting ready with nice clothes, dresses and suits.  It was a little hot, since it was the beginning of summer, and humid.  We were all upstairs in the studio getting ready.  Since there were a lot of people graduating from all over the campus, it was a big deal.  The sun was bright, the mountains hazy in the distance.” She paused, her voice softening.

 

“It was the day that no one thought would happen...”