I yawned as I woke up from a good night's rest. Dad had left the windows open all day and all night since the weather was starting to get cooler. I didn't bother to get dressed or make my bed because today was my last day at home before I would have to go back to military life. I listened at the top of the stairs to see if Commander Howlett had stayed. I couldn't tell if it was him or not, but I could definitely hear someone talking and faintly smelled waffles.

Dad and Commander Howlett were talking quietly, deep in conversation. They both stopped and stared when I walked into the kitchen. I opened my mouth to say some smart alec comment, but their eyes shifted to something behind me and then back to me. I looked at them confused and then slowly turned around to see what they were looking at. There, just a feet away from me, stood my little brother. He had a few small cuts and bruises, but nothing serious.

"Jason?" I asked in bewilderment.

"Stop looking at me like that! It's creeping me out," Jason said.

"Your ok!" I exclaimed as I gave him a huge bear hug.

"Alright, alright! You can stop hugging me now!" Jason choked.

"What did they do to you? You've got battle scars all over the place!"

"They captured me and my co-workers because they knew we were smart and the aliens forced us to create weapons for them. If we resisted, they beat us up. Adler tried to escape one night," Jason told me as he started to tear up.

"What did they do to him?" I asked gently. Jason started to choke up before saying,

"They killed him Sarah. They didn't even give him a chance." I didn't know what else to do other than to let him shed a few tears and wipe them away.

"How did you get out?" I asked hoping it would lighten the mood.

"I didn't, me and the few of us that were left got rescued," Jason said with a grateful smile as he looked at Commander Howlett, making me look at my Commander with a new respect. He took the time to go back and save not only my brother, but everyone else as well. I was in too much astonishment to voice my gratitude.

After breakfast, I needed some time to myself before I would have to pack up and leave. I sat on the big rock in my front yard listening to music on my iPod and held Peter's hand-written letter deep in thought. I could feel the cool air on my face, the breeze gently blowing my hair, and the smell of the roses last blooms before winter. I was going to miss home, but not as much as I would miss Peter. It wasn't very comforting to not know where he was and the thought of him being overseas made me cringe. I read the letter over and over again, but I still had that same sad empty feeling. After a while, I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. I jumped and yanked on it before it could escape. There was a little yelp and I looked up to find my brother's startled blue eyes and immediately let go. "Sorry Jason," I started as I took my earbuds out, "When you startle me like that, my reflexes are trained to grab at it."

"It's ok, I understand," Jason said calmly, "Commander Howlett thought it would be best if you were to pack up now and leave before it starts to get dark. He would've come to tell you himself, but he didn't want to disturb you."

"Go get Alice, tell her I need to talk one last time before I have to leave."

I was pacing back and forth when Alice showed up. "When did your brother get home? I thought you said you lost your chance," Alice asked.

"No, my Commander rescued him for me after  he dragged me back here," I answered coolly.

"Well that's heroic," Alice said sarcastically.

"I don't understand why he would go out of his way to do that," I said confused. Alice shrugged.

"Maybe it's part of the job or basic protocol?" she suggested.

"Anyway, I want you to read this and tell me what you think," I said as I handed Alice the letter from Peter. When she was done, she stared at it with a blank expression.

"I think," Alice said slowly, "that you really really  shouldn't try to follow him since he's overseas, but it sounds like he's being overprotective. Sarah, I know  you and it's because I know you that I know you're going to be reckless and be a rebel every chance you get."

"I keep feeling like something is off, but I don't know what it is," I said dumbfounded.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll figure it out. It might take a while, so be patient," Alice reassured me. 

"Sorry, I thought you were packing," Howlett said as he poked his head in.

"Is it so wrong for a girl to say goodbye to her BFF?" I asked coldly.

"Well, it looks like my time is up. Guess I'll see you in a few days when I can join in on all the fun," Alice said with a weak smile and as she walked out, she gave a foul glare to Commander Howlett. As soon as she was out the door, I emptied what was left in my backpack. I automatically picked out a few new colorful outfits; 3 pairs of jeans, 4 T-shirts, 3 tank tops, 3 button-up shirts, 2 pajama pants, 5 pairs of my favorite socks, 2 jackets, and a sweatshirt. I know it's a lot, but a girl's gotta have a little splash of something  in military life. Commander Howlett watched me as I rolled everything up and expertly packed it into my backpack.

"A thank you would be nice," Commander Howlett started.

"Why did you do it?" I finally asked.

"It was bothering you too much," he answered.

"Oh come on! I know there's more to it than that," I said pointedly. Commander Howlett looked down straight faced. "This is gonna get really good," I thought as I continued to roll things up.

"When I saw how desperate you were to get your brother back, I felt ashamed that I  was the one that had kept you from saving your family. I was thinking about it ever since we left the warehouse. Then when I saw how badly I had hurt you, I realized that I couldn't force you to leave your brother, your only sibling, behind not knowing if he was ok or not. When the time was right, I went back and not only rescued your brother, but everyone else because I knew that they all had families to that were probably just as worried as you were," Commander Howlett explained. I wanted to say, "Wow, you really do have a heart!" but all I managed to say was a whispered thank you. We stood there in silence and looked at each other. I felt as if we had been staring for too long and slowly turned away to grab a family picture, my iPod, 4 packs of gum, a bag of Hershey's chocolate bars, and Reese's peanut butter cups. I also thought it would be smart to bring 2 pairs of gloves, 3 of my favorite books, some make-up, a few colors of nail polish and some lotion. I looked around my room to make sure that I didn't forget anything.

It was easier to say goodbye this time around. "Dad and I made a few sweets for you," Jason said as he handed me a huge tin box. I opened it to find an assortment of cookies, brownies, fudge bars, cupcakes, muffins, and Tiger Butter. "I designed the box myself and added insulation to keep everything from melting. If you want to adjust the temperature, there's different settings on the side," Jason informed me.

"Thank you," I said in awe. How Jason managed to design and build something like that in less than 24 hours just blew my mind away.

"Is that all of it, cuz I'm not coming back for anything," Commander Howlett asked. I went over my mental checklist and realized that I absolutely couldn't  leave one thing behind, although it probably wouldn't matter, even if I had forgotten about it.

"One moment," I said as I stormed back up the stairs, grabbed Peter's picture from my desk, and stormed back down. Commander Howlett raised an eyebrow when he saw what I went back for. As I crammed it into my overfilled backpack, Dad asked,

"Sarah, is that really worth bringing with you?"

"You never know Dad, there's still a chance that gives me a small glimmer of hope," I said defensively.

"Alright, suit yourself," Dad answered. Jason looked confusedly between Dad and I.

"Dad will have to explain it to you, but I think we should leave now," I said turning to Commander Howlett and headed out the door. Dad and Jason said their goodbye's until I waved from the motorhome and with that, I was gone...again.