Tanah Waltz: (Under the Soldier's Hat: Lies a painful past)

This day, at the Army barracks, Tanah whose name has being changed to Cheyenne Balzary Waltz, has turned to more beautiful lady after being taken care of, even some female officers always envy her,

she walks in the midst of her friends all dressed in their army trousers with black polo, the girls had their hair tied into a high pony tail before putting it into a bun, in order not to disturb their work, they match with straight back even though they are talking and laughing their backs is straight,

A Private run towards to them and salutes, before announcing

“Captain Cheyenne, Colonel Hale and Colonel Mack wishes to speak to you and your team members”

the team exchange looks before releasing the Private,

They makes a turn towards the meeting room, where important discussion is always held, along the way, each and every one who sees them, especially ones they are some ranks higher than, will salute them, after all this team has being on stage every year collecting awards and badges and their names are on all the notice board in the barracks.

When they arrive, Colonel Mack and Colonel Hale both are men in their late fifties, strong and energetic they are discussing seriously while pointing at the map and plans map on the wall,

Cheyenne and the rest announce their presences by giving them a salute

“At ease, Come in first, we have some work for you all” says Colonel Hale,

The team nods and walk towards them and line up before the round table in the room and Colonel Mack starts

“Logan, I heard your wedding is in two Weeks time"

Logan sighs before answering

“You heard well sir; I have sent invitation to your home Sir”

“Ha-ha! Why do you kid look so unhappy while talking about your wedding”

The General who walks into the room from behind them, queries, he is in his late sixties

“I heard is an arranged marriage, the young man may not like the lady in question”

Colonel Hale adds

“Tell me dear, do you not really like the girl, if you don’t like or love her, then tell me I will make sure the wedding don’t take place”

The General swore

Logan smile and responds:

“you are actually right Sir, but is not simple as it sounds, my ancestors made a promised to her family, that their children children’s will marry each other, and since I am the only son of my father, the reasonability fall on me, I can’t break the family years promise because of my own likes, so we have to take the wedding”

“But that doesn’t mean you have to be in an unhappy marriage just to keep your family’s honour, I will go talk to your old man, we still have time, the wedding can still be call off”

says the General

“Old Noah (Logan’s father) should know this very well, since he put on weights in order to marry your mother” Colonel Hale adds

“Let it be sir, I will make sure to finish my work before the marriage” Logan say,

The General sigh before adding

“the kid has made up his mind, we can only support him by wishing him well… come on Colonel Mack, tell them the mission”

the General pointed,

Everyone agrees as well. And Colonel Mack starts

“Okay, here is the country’s map, and the red circle dots are the current town/ places that has reported with high rate of children missing especially the female ones, From the west side of the country,

Cheyenne I think you may know this towns since your father said you have being in Wyrm city before”

Colonel Mack says to Cheyenne as he points at the city map

“I do know Wyrm city very well sir but it has been ten years I being there, so I can’t tell if I still remember the roads”

Cheyenne responds truthful

“you are right but that is not our actual target, here are the towns in Wyrm city that are reported with missing kids, Farmville town, Duvar town, Old Hunrough town, Two seasons town, Oakwood town and Warlock’s town;

Duvar town and Two seasons town are the ones we are targeting now, early last year, few school girls suddenly went missing after school dismissed and the police look just for few months and give up and till now there is still no news about them”

says Colonel Mack

“So what is our duty here sir?’’ Carlos question

“Good question dear.

"After the last mission you guys handle was successful, the board suggested we send you all to the west for undercover job, look at this pictures very well”

the General say And signalled Colonel Hale to put on the projector by the side, when the projector is put on, five men pictures in a business suit appears on the screen

“These five men here are suspected by the police for running an underworld business but no matter how they tried to find out about what they sell they couldn’t, here ‘

Colonel Mack points at one of the men, he is wearing a green suit and sits majestically on his seat with a cigarette in between his fingers, even though he is already in his forty, he still look handsome like he is on his twenties’

‘’His name is Shalhoub ‘Mr. Mack continues’

"he is forty years old this year, one of our men got his details, it says that every Tuesday he runs an auction and many Elites from far and wide comes in and no one enters without a membership card and also he seem to be the leader of the rest since they always sit together each Tuesday auction”

Colonel Mack pointed out

‘’The phone that will be given to you all have their details on them’'

‘Now listen, you all will have to travel to Froln town in Wyrm city which is the centre of the whole town that was mentioned, in disguise, names are already prepared for you all, you are only allowed to call each other’s real names when you are together and the aim of this mission is to find out where the kids and girls are being taken,

finds out what Shalhoub sell every Tuesday and bring a proper evidence that can bring them down, is that taken?’’

The General says

“Yes Sir!” they respond in unison

“Good, Niam! Why are you raising your hand, do you have a question?’’

General asks when he sees Niam raising his hand

“Yes sir, I really do love this mission, but Sir…. we still have to attend Logan’s wedding right?’’ Logan and others face palm themselves and give Niam ‘are you dumb look’

“You silly boy, off course you will attend Logan’s wedding and I will attend as well, how can you go on a mission without your elder brother, I Don’t want the mission to be ruin before it even starts”

the General tease

“You are right General, what will happen in the field if he or Cheyenne is not there? Niam might go to look for girlfriend since I noticed that he has taken Carlos role of flirting with girls recently”

Colonel Hale tease

“I thought I was the only one that noticed it, all the female privates all gathered at their training side every morning just to look at him”

Colonel Mack adds

“Carlos you might as well work on your charm, because this mission will need it, I don’t want Niam to take the entire girl’s from you”

the General adds

“Sir I am on it, don’t worry about that”

Carlos say proudly and his team roll their eyes at him,

“Ha-ha! you kids are funny… okay now you are all dismissed, we will talk more on it when Logan’s wedding is done do go and study the details, a bag will be sent to your base as soon as you leave from here”

the General say

“Sure sir!!!!’ they salute him

“Don’t be serious now, and don’t think too much on it, just focus on Logan’s wedding for now, until is done then we will talk about it, good night, this is for our country!”

the General exclaim And Cheyenne and the rest respond

‘’For our country!!!!” before they leave the room

“Don’t worry sir, I believe in them”

Colonel Mack adds when he sees the General lost in thoughts while starring at the closed door

“Oh! I am not worried about them, I believe in them, I am only worried about their parents, especially Agnes, if she hears that I am sending her granddaughter to a dangerous mission, she might match here to have a fight with me, and I can’t stop imagining it”

The General say and the two men chuckles because they understand his worries.

Reaching their quarter, the bags that the General spoke about come, each of them take theirs and opens it and finds the role they will play on the mission, they are playing a role of siblings who lost their parent abroad and come down back to their home town to start life over,

Logan the elder brother, Cheyenne the elder sister, Carlo and Erika with Niam and Abby plays as twins.

During evening, after they returned for their evening runs, everyone freshen up and ready to have their meal, they watch the moon since they all come out to have their meal and not just them, other soldiers come out to enjoy the evening breeze,

while doing so, Cheyenne starts after looking at Logan who has being sighing all afternoon, as she ask

“Are you happy with the marriage Logan?’’

Logan stiffed when he heard this, all of them turn to him as well, waiting for his answer

“Guys, I know you don’t like Tamara, but there is nothing I can do about it, the wedding is in two weeks”

Logan answers

“And you think we can’t stop it? Dude my brother is in government house and he holds a strong title as well, just say you don’t want the marriage and he will do something and everything is over”

Erika boost

“Erika is not wrong Logan, we all can see you don’t want this marriage and also, I will tell you the truth, I really don’t want her to be part of our family, I have this feeling that she will try to separate us, or even cause a misunderstanding between us, we can go and fall on your grandfather’s legs and beg him to dissolve the marriage”

says Niam

“I will go too, I just don’t want Tamara, she don’t like us and she isn’t hiding the fact that she don’t like us at all”

Carlos joins

“I also don’t like her, she always give out the bad aura each time she sees me, listen Logan, we all know you want to keep the peace of your family but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your own happiness for it, just say what is in your mind, we will handle the rest”

Cheyenne assure

Logan stare at them, then take a deep breath and respond

“You all are right, I don’t want the marriage and the fact that Tamara don’t like you all, I know about that as well, I have warned her too, I told her if she can’t love you guys then the marriage is meaningless, but listen to me first guys…. ’My dad and grandfather also don’t want this marriage, you know why?’’

Hearing this, the five of them widen this eyes in surprise and shake their heads altogether like they are being controlled at once,

Logan chuckles and continues

‘’that is because, her grandfather threaten to make life miserable for my dad after finding out his business is booming, the thing is, Tamara’s father wants her to marry into our family because of the gain that comes with the marriage since the long time promise made states that one or two of the expensive property of the groom side belongs to the bride family and not just that,

we will be paying allowance every month to all the members of the bride’s family, I and Tamara, we made a deal that she will help control her family from taking so much money from us and break the promise made by the ancestors but in return she will have to be my wife for two years after that she will ask for divorce with the reason of me not caring about her and ignores her for the whole years we married, then everything settle”

Logan narrates

The five of them are looking at him with their Jaws drops,

Logan stare at them with worry when they didn’t say a word

“Guys say something, you are scaring me with your eyes, tell me I made a good decision”

he panicky says to them

“ARE YOU NUT!!!!!”

All five of them shouts at once, even their colleagues turned to look at their side, but none of them care as they stare at Logan who is in turn apologizing to the soldiers whose peace is disturbed

“Brother Logan, I have known you for making a great decision and plans but let me tell you something, in this case you failed!”

Niam says

and others nods as well

“how can you end all that by going into an unwanted marriage, the girl in question don’t like you nor love you, how can you make such a deal with someone like her”

Carlos says

“she is going to ruin your life completely brother Logan, I thought we have chance in saving you from getting marry to her, who could have thought you are the one who wanted this, oh dear Lord save your son!”

Abby laments, and Logan laughs seeing how she looks up at the sky as she asked for God’s help

“Do you think is funny!?’’

Cheyenne roar at him and Logan shakes his head

“Then why are you laughing? This is your life we are talking about here, today is your last time with us as a bachelor, tomorrow you will return home to prepare for the wedding, and here you are laughing about it, is not funny trust me”

Erika says

and Logan zip his lips immediately

“What if she asked you to choose between her and we, what will you do? Will you choose her?’’

Abby suddenly say,

Logan frown and replies

“I only known her for three days and we all have being together for six years and few months, how can you say something like that, she won’t take your places, come on you guys are the best” Logan ensures

“When you start loving her, then I am not sure if these words will still stand. I am really scared of what the future will hold for us”

Erika adds,

while others sigh even Logan didn’t have an answer for what she said.

“Forget it, let’s wish him well on that day, but just know I am not wearing my uniform for her”

Cheyenne declared

“I too, I am with sister Cheyenne, on your wedding day, I will put on my best dress and sit with my family, not even in the comrades seats”

Abby joins

“I am with them too, don’t expect anything from us that day, just our presences”

Erika adds

“I wanted to say the same thing but remembering that I am his best man and amongst the people who will welcome our dear sister-in-law in the family, I rest my case”

Carlos says And everyone laughs

“Is okay ladies, you can do whatever you want, I too don’t wish you girls to wear your uniform especially you Cheyenne”

Logan points

“Why so, is everything alright?’’ Cheyenne worry asked seeing Logan face that turns serious all of a sudden

“Yeah, Tamara’s family has some connection with the Taylors in Farmville, Marisa Taylors is her best friend and to be maid of honour”

Logan informs

“What? Are you saying that the Taylors will be there on that day”

Erika hurry asked,

“Yes, and the shopping, Mom wants you girls to accompany her tomorrow is with Marisa and Tamara, sorry I didn’t tell you on time, I thought Niam found out about it when he did the research about the Taylors few years ago”

Logan points

They all turn around at the same time and looks at Cheyenne with worry faces,

“What? Why stare at me with so much sympathy in your eyes? Guys look, I don’t mind, moreover, I am not Tanah anymore remember, she died six years and few months ago,

the person sitting here is Cheyenne Balzary Waltz, Captain of the flamingo’s squad, is that register”

Cheyenne boast

“It did ma’am, ha-ha! I am glad you are not into them anymore”

Erika says with a smile, same goes to others

“I was never into them, the only thing that makes me to remember my past is my sister, as of the rest of others I don’t care if they are alive or not, for Marisa, I will still return my answer to her since we still have unanswered question, maybe Abby, you can make her dance to the tone during the wedding”

Cheyenne say with a sly smile

“What is in your mind ma’am, I will help you no matter what”

Abby swore

“Okay that is enough now, aren’t we supposed to be discussing what gift you all will be giving me on my wedding day, instead of how to ruin someone image on that day”

Logan say

They turn and look at him, but the next minute they turn around and say to Cheyenne

“What are you planning for her?” ignoring Logan

“Seriously guys, even if you like it or not, the wedding is still going to be hold”

Logan say and stand up and march himself inside,

“Ha-ha! It feels good to be left out in a conversation”

Carlos laughs and says when Logan left

“Indeed. Niam do me a favour, try and find out about the Taylors and what they have being into over the years, and check Marisa as well, tomorrow I don’t want her to make us the bad people in front of Aunt”

Cheyenne instructs

“I will work on it; expect news before our departure tomorrow morning” Niam assured.

And Cheyenne nods, with a relax face, as they enjoy their evening.