anne touched her foot to the water, the cold coming from the clear river sliding its way up her body, covered only by a swimming costume.

anne was a beautiful girl. she was tall, her had was brown. her eyes were blue. she was thin, though not overly so. she liked to complain about her hair being a mess, though the boys in town tended to disagree with her. she laughed about her flimsy arms, but her mother told her the boys liked it that way. she was petite, and never told to be anything different.

"richard! i've already told you, i don't like swimming!" she laughed in a flirty manner, brushing away the young male. "besides, i could get my exercise another way, too."

her companion blushed brightly, starting to get a bit shaky. most of the boys in the town weren't always prepared for her openness. they wanted it too, she knew it.

"really, anne, are you sure about this?" richard tried to object, but anne could see his hands fumbling, his eyes tracing every curve of her body. "i just, i'm not sure my mum would approve."

"grow up, richard. you're 23, when are you going to stop being a child." anne whispered, moving closer to him, her hand resting gently on his hip. "after all, don't you want some of," she motioned to her body, emphasizing her curves, "this?"

richard quickly grabbed her face, pulling her to his, beginning to kiss her. anne kissed back, but only for a moment. she turned around so his back was to the body of water, and pushed him away, shoving him into the stream that moved swiftly behind him.

"you absolute bi-" richard yelled, dragged under by the current. "that was rude!"

"now, now, richard. how would your mummy feel about you using that kind of language?" anne teased, letting out a laugh of pure joy. "you absolute arse, you. fallen into the river, have we?"

the young woman quickly jumped in after him, taking a deep breath before, allowing her feet to hit the rocks below and kick up, surfacing to breathe in.

"you really should have expected that, rich." anne laughed, slicking her hair back with the fresh water. "after all, did you really think i wanted to do you, rich? you're tiny. not really my type."

"i think we've all heard the rumours, anne." richard commented, titling his head. "thought maybe i'd get my chance."

"to do what? sleep with the hottest girl in town? absolutely not! you've tried, richard, and i'll give you that. but you're really not my type, sweetheart." anne pushed him away, laughing, a large smile spreading across her face. "anyway, i'd better get going. mary'll be wondering where i'm at. better than mummy, hey?"

"probably." answered richard, looking a bit dejected. "never?"

"never, darling." she responded, turbing away, climbing from the cool water. "bye-bye now."

the young woman grabbed her towel, slinging it over her shoulders to jog off, heading back in the direction of the town, where her small home was located. she stepped through the dirt, feeling it turn to some form of mud beneath her feet, squishing loudly. her dress was beauty slid over her bathing costume, having been zipped while she made the trek.

the small streets of the rural town were in front of her, and she slowly walked down them, her hair tied up not-so-neatly. she turned left into a small alleyway, reaching the door that led to her and her sister's shared house, to find the door unlocked.

"mary?" anne called, licking her capped lips. she could hear the dull murmur of conversation in the background, likely coming from the kitchen or the dining room, both located near the back of the house. "i'm home. the stream was a bore, really. oh, richard. really thought he had a chance. i'd feel bad, except, of course, i don't!"

the young woman walked into the kitchen, seeing a few men talking to her sister, who looked trapped and confused.

"oh, anne! you're home." mary chirped, "these gentlemen came to see you. i recommend you all talk, they've got  things to say."

"i mean, i do too. can't they wait?" anne complained, meeting her sister's eyes. "please!"

"no, darling. i love you. besides, i've got a date with john. i can actually stick with a man, unlike you." mary said as she passed by, kissing her sister's forehead. "love you much."

anne merely sighed in exuberance, and turned to the men that wore clothes fit for a work environment. they stood tall, as if attempting to undermine her, make her feel shorter. it wasn't working.

"yes, boys? are you here to arrest me, because last time i checked, sleeping with men wasn't against the law." she puttered sarcastically, running her fingers through her hair. "oh, no, it might be the throwing richard in the river.. did you see that? you couldn't have, really."

"no, miss tirena. we aren't here to talk about your questionable habits." the largest one stepped forward, his hands folded neatly in front of him. "in fact, it's something much more serious."

he was tall, his shoulders broad. his eye line was thick, and his unblinking green eyes met hers without moving. now that was a man she could get down with.

"oh, yeah, mr... what is it?" anne whispered, arching an eyebrow.

"agent lopint. nice to meet you." he spoke, extending his arm to shake her hand. "now, if we could talk about our business. there is a war happening, as you know."

it was 1940, of course there was a war happening. she wasn't an idiot.

"we are creating an infantry division. for women. we want you to be a part of it." another man stepped forward, obviously getting impatient with her snarky remarks. "we've heard about you, and we think that your, er, attitude could be what would help us."

"my attitude? now what do you mean by that, mister?" anne asked, smiling and letting out a small laugh. "and war? i don't really think that's my place to be. i'm nothing but a woman, mostly normal. on just not such a tight-wad as those christian conservatives."

"miss tirena, we really believe-"

"anne will be fine."

"miss tirena. we believe that you have a part on this squad. you will be sent to a training camp for 12 months, effective next tuesday. you will enter the battlefield, fighting against the germans and the other axis powers. we truly believe that you would have a spot on this team. joining you will be four other women. it's a test. we are trying to prove a point." agent lopint spoke, not allowing her to butt in. "you have a quality that would be perfect for this team."

"well, what if i say no?" anne asked, placing her hand on her hip. "because i'm not too sure about this war thing."

"well, we'll attempt to find another woman, though we do doubt that anyone will be as perfect as you on this job." the third agent stepped forward. "agent rossmann, lovely to make your acquaintance, miss tirena."

she shook his hand. "oh.. and if i say yes, all that happens? i go to war, after my year of traning. if i say yes, it better not be all butterflies and flowers. i can take your hardest, in many ways, agent lopint."

the agent took a deep breath, almost saying something, then not wanting to give anne the satisfaction of having a snarky remark in return. "yes, miss tirena. one year of training, like everyone gets. then, war."

"war. what a word. sounds good!" anne smiled, making a decision. "now, next tuesday, you said?"

the three men were silent for a moment, until one of them found his voice and an ability to speak. they were shocked by her sudden agreeability. "yes. hope to see you then. i'll be picking you up." agent rossmann spoke, smiling sheepishly.

"i was decided the moment you asked me. i mean, look at yourselves. holy god, you're hotter than the sun." anne exaggerated, fanning her face. "okay. see you tuesday, rossman." she winked to him, seeing his cheeks flush a bright red. "or perhaps, a bit earlier."