Flynn's point of view:

My eyes opened in the morning to see my door was open. When I turned my head, I noticed the figure of a woman putting clothes on top of the dresser. I recognized her as Elora Horowitz, the intelligent storm of a woman that had flown into my life by surprise. She was some woman! She didn't notice me or that I was looking at her, I guess it was better that way.

She looked the same way she did pretty much from yesterday. Her long, dark hair was tied in a loose bun at the back of her head and she wasn't dressed yet. She wore a white robe that went all the way down to the floor, her face bearing no make up or primer. She was wearing it yesterday, but it didn't seem so. She looked the same as she now with make up. She was a beautiful girl, and she had no need for the products that those companies sold her. Her pale skin and her dark as cherry mahogany hair was perfect along her sharp and sculpted facial features, her mermaid green eyes completing her beauty.

"Morning," I said to her quietly. Elora jumped and gasped as she heard me. I saw her turn away from the dresser and looked at her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," I added after.

"You didn't uhm--no, I'm just a little jumpy," she replied. I nodded and sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes from the sleep. She just stood there as I lifted my arms and stretched, feeling the pressure take off as I fully woke up.

"What time is it?" I asked. She cleared her throat and walked away from the dresser.

"Almost ten. You sleep pretty late when you aren't working," she replied with a small laugh. I could tell that she was trying to make things casual but her nervousness made it a little difficult. I didn't know she was so neurotic. Her mother told me that she was the most social out of all her daughters, but she only kept to herself at home to relax. I understood that but what I didn't was that Hilda also told me that she wasn't ever nervous, especially around men. I didn't know why she was so different.

"Well, having to get up at five in the morning every day is a struggle. It's nice to have a day off so I can sleep," I replied. She nodded and the conversation went dead. I never had a talk this awkward before. It was almost like neither of us knew what to say to each other.

"Well, I should go. I have to make all the people living in this house breakfast. I hope you like pancakes," she replied. I chuckled and nodded as I watched her leave the room and shut the door behind her. Again, I'll say it silently: that was some girl.

I came downstairs as I slipped on my shirt, almost tripping down the stairs as I made my way into the kitchen. I caught the sounds of Putting on the Ritz playing in the background. I saw her humming to the song as she mixed the batter of the pancakes. There was this calming quality she gave off when she quietly sang her song and danced to the music. Almost like if she danced or swayed, she opened this aura and it projected every bout of relaxation that it had.

The smell of the cooking pancakes only served to make it better. Coupled with her jolly singing, it was like heaven on earth. I took a seat in one of the chairs at the small kitchen table that everyone here used for coffee. We ate our meals in the dining room. I had never been in such a massive house before. When my dad and I lived together, it was a little, two bedroom house with a barely-there kitchen. We didn't use it much though so it didn't pose as a huge problem for us.

This house was completely different base. It was colonial and gigantic. Jack and Hilda would have had to get a big house that held them and their five children as well. That I understood, but this exceeded the quantity. As in, there were six bedrooms for everyone here, and three guest bedrooms. I slept in one, and Frederick and Emmaleigh were in the other. They would be going back to his home tomorrow though and it would be just me. There were also four bathrooms in this house, a huge kitchen, a dining room and a library. I also believe Jack had a study on the second floor right next to their bedroom. The outside had just the same amount of space. In the summer, we would be able to use that cement pool that sat directly in the back yard. There was also a bar right next to it, and Jack told me that now that he was confined to his home he would try to build a gazebo.

They could do this, as Jack's pension was massively abundant and Hilda was still working for the army as a general. I made enough money to keep on my own fine as a commander, but I could never dream to afford this. Lorelei was on her way to being promoted to first sergeant, but I didn't have control of that. It was up to Powell on who had what promotion when it came to our fleet, I was just leading them. I had heard word of her promotion though, and I had also heard that they planned on asking Mihn to join as a major if he had his citizenship in order. They knew he was basically American he just had to get the papers to do it. I didn't know if he'd accept, he looked pretty tired of the army to me.

"They almost ready?" I asked Elora as I sat at the table. I needed a change of subject from the army. I wanted to bask in the break that I had for a while until I had to go back and fight the rest of the war.

"Soon. About two minutes. Are you that hungry?" She asked with a laugh. My shoulders shrugged and I smiled at her as she went back to cooking. I could stand two minutes of watching her hum to peaceful music.

"I'm always hungry," I replied. Elora chuckled and as she continued cooking Lorelei and Mihn walked in. I cleared my throat and pretended like she wasn't there. Her and I were still at a block, avoiding each other. It was just the fact that we clashed. For a while I thought we would get along, but then it all went to shit.

"No, the apartment on first has a bad neighbourhood. What if we have kids? I won't send them to a school like that," Lorelei said as she sat down at the table. Mihn had a newspaper in his hand and rolled his eyes. Today was the day they agreed to go apartment hunting, and they were searching in the local newspaper for places.

"You really liked the picture though. If you don't want that then the only one we can afford with enough space is the one on fifth. That's a long way from the base are you sure that's what you want?" Mihn asked. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Why don't we just book a time to look at it and we will see how we feel then?" She compromised. Mihn nodded and said that was fine, and they made up just like that. A relationship like that was bound to last forever, to be full of love and communication. It was hard to find something like that, especially in times like this.

"Alright, breakfast is ready. Get settled at the table and call mom and dad for me," Elora demanded as she brought a few plates to the dining room. I left the table and volunteered to help her with the food. I took the remaining plates and brought them to the places she asked me to put them in. "Thank you, but I could have done it myself," she added as all the food was set up.

"Don't worry about it. I'm here to help. It's the least I could do after your family lets me stay here," I replied. I really was thankful for it. I had no place to go after my father died and my cold mother sold his house so she could pay for whatever divorce she was facing now.

"Well, it's really nothing. You seem like pretty good company," she replied. My face turned to a thankful smirk and I shrugged my shoulders modestly. No, I didn't ask for much but sometimes I was a little wild.

Everyone came down to the dining room to eat their breakfast. We talked about normal things, dreams we had the night before or apartment hunting for Mihn and Lorelei. It was a pretty relaxing setting, and I enjoyed it. This reminded me of when I used to have coffee with my dad, and we would talk about whatever happened that day. He and I had this rule where we weren't allowed to talk about fighting or war at the table, it made things a little happier at home. That was probably the main thing I would miss now that my father was dead. I didn't have any family left. I didn't talk to my mother and I sure as hell didn't talk to my half-siblings from her third marriage. I had two half sisters, of which I was completely and contently estranged from.

Breakfast came to an end and I went to the kitchen again to have a second cup of coffee. I poured it myself and placed two sugars and a little bit of milk into it. I sat back down at the little table in the kitchen. I was alone for the first few minutes before I heard the tiny, delicate steps of someone making their way inside the kitchen. I turned my head to see it was Elora, going in and grabbing a glass bottle of Coca-Cola. I didn't understand it, everyone in this house drank that. They had it in bulk, because all of them had at least two per day.

"Hello," I said to her as I sipped the cup of coffee. She nodded at me and smiled as she sat down in the chair across from me. She held the bottle of Coke in between in her hands, cold droplets seeping onto her ghostly pale skin.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked. I sat back in my chair and cleared my throat. I nodded my head and tried not to smile at her giddy behaviour.

"What's your favourite colour?" Elora asked me. The question was so common that it was strange. Why would she ask me that? There were so many other things she could ask me and she chose that? There had to be a reason for it.

"Green," I replied.

"What shade of green?" She asked.

"Whatever colour ferns are," I replied. I loved the colour of ferns or leaves that resembled them. I didn't really know how to describe the colour further. She nodded though, and seemed to take this as enough information.

"Right. By the way, colonel Powell is holding a party at his place. A welcome home for my parents and Lorelei. You should come. The rest of us are," Elora instructed. She left the table with her bottle and walked out of the kitchen with no more words left to say. That was singlehandedly the oddest encounter I had ever experienced.

So there was a party at Powell's. I didn't know about this, but I hadn't had the chance to talk to him since we last saw each other on the way to Vietnam. I had no idea he was so close with Hilda and Jack, but that I couldn't blame him for either. They had this sort of attitude they gave off that every person who encountered them seemed to like. They were heroic, kind and generous people who would do anything and more to protect each other. Admirable people like them were usually ones that carried a lot of friends and acquaintances.

Thinking about it now, maybe I should go to that party. I haven't socialized in a normal setting for what seems like forever. A little get together could do me well, not to mention Elora would be there. Something about her attracted my attention and my mind ran itself off course, letting her take command of it. I had never felt that way before, but just knowing that Elora would be at that party made me really want to go.

I told Elora that day later on that I would be attending the party at Colonel Powell's. She was ecstatic to hear that and said she couldn't wait until tonight now that I was coming. It made me feel good knowing my presence made her that joyful. No one had ever said that to me before, except my father. But he was always saying how he loved having me around, like I was his best friend in the world. He always treated it like it was true, so I've decided to believe that he really did want me around as much as possible.

Night fell and we were on our way to Powell's house. Elora had went there earlier so she could help with the cooking. She would meet us there and be ready when we saw her. Apparently, the party was pretty formal. Powell's wife had a thing for themed parties and this time it was called A Night in 1940. I didn't really know what that meant, I only assumed that it meant we would be time traveling for the night. Jack, Mihn, Jacob and I dressed in our tuxes that resembled the suits from back then. They weren't much different from then. Men's fashion didn't change as much as women's fashion did.

The girls dressed in their gowns. Most of them were borrowed from Hilda as she was the only one who had dresses like that. Since she was a German socialite back then, she had all the gowns her and her daughters would need to look suitable for the party. The girls all looked beautiful. Hilda in her light blue, floral gown and matching gloves. Lorelei in her red and white striped down with fabricated design around it, her hair intricately styled stop her head. Emmaleigh in her sleek, red dress that went over her shoulder in a sort of scarf formation, her hair curled to perfection, dark and sultry. Finally came Carina, with Peter at her side, in a black pencil dress that went tight around her waist, a blue and green design on the shoulders.

The cars took us to Powell's home that was about twenty minutes away from ours. Lights flew around the whole of the house, larger than life and brighter than the sun. I helped Emmaleigh out of the car and she thanked me kindly. I eyed the home as we approached the entrance. As we did, I wondered if this was what it was like to be rich. To be a socialite that partied for a living. I used to wish I had that life when I was in my younger years, now all I care about is ending a war. Tonight was defiantly a night I was in need of.

"This is one swank party!" Emmaleigh exclaimed happily. I chuckled with the other men as we walked into the house. My eyes went up to the giant, golden chandelier on the ceiling. People were parading around the place with glasses of champagne in their hands, laughing and talking and dancing with each other. Everyone parted ways as soon as we were inside and I was left alone. My only initiative now was to find Elora and talk with her for a while. Maybe I'd even dance with her if she wanted to.

I searched around the place looking for her pale, pretty face. I didn't have much luck during the beginning. Most of the people here were strangers, that I had never seen before. All of them seemed to be army officials with their wives and their grown daughters. I knew Powell had two daughters of his own that were eighteen and twenty. I had no doubt they would be here, but I didn't see them anywhere. I was only looking for Elora, but she was nowhere to be found.

"This reminds me of Germany," I heard the melodic voice of Hilda ring to my ears from behind me. I turned around and she was standing there, by my side with a smile on her face. There was more to that smile than happiness, there was almost melancholy remembrance.

"Why is that?" I asked. She sighed like she was reminiscing with herself, her champagne glass cold in her gloved fingers.

"Back during the war, we would have a party like this almost every weekend. I remember it like it was yesterday. So much music, dancing and festivities. I had so much fun at those parties, only it was at a deadly cost," she replied. My mind went to the fact that she was very young, a teenager, in the middle of the Second World War where the Holocaust took place. I remembered that was also where she met her Jewish husband, and that they had many upon many conflicts during the time. They were always being separated, even after they had Emmaleigh. Good thing they were at peace now.

"I'm sorry about that, but I doubt you weren't the only naïve teenager in the forties. I'm sure there were others that remained even more ignorant. At least you ended up doing something about it," I replied. This was generally what I thought when it came to the subject of the Horowitz's. Hilda actually went up and did something about the horrible things happening, unlike other girls her age that just pretended like it wasn't even happening.

"Thank you. Oh, and Elora is by the stairs. In case you were wondering," she replied.