𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙁𝙊𝙐𝙍𝙏𝙀𝙀𝙉
—𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴—

     𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙇𝙔𝙉 𝙄𝙎 𝙋𝙍𝙀𝙂𝙉𝘼𝙉𝙏; that's another thing to add to Bryce's quite long list of amazing things to happen to her within the past three days. She, herself, had gotten engaged, Rose had gotten a promotion from Commander Carter, Candice got a boyfriend, and now Evelyn is pregnant. It seemed as though, for once in her life, everything was going well. Things were falling into place, and she was genuinely happy. But it was becoming too much of a fairytale to be true; something would go wrong, she just didn't know what. For now, she decided that she would bask in the greatness of it all.

The day before, Danny had taken her out to a cafè after work. And when arriving home, they had stumbled upon the many nurses gathered into the living room, all of them looking expectantly at Evelyn and Rafe— who stood at the front of the room. Bryce had led Danny inside, her brows furrowed. But once the news was out, she had squealed like never before, and pulled Evelyn into a tight embrace. Things really were going amazing. To celebrate, Danny had went drinking with Rafe for the night, giving Bryce a goodnight kiss and telling her he'd see her in the morning.

And now that morning had arrived, Bryce was more than prepared to see him again. The raven-haired woman slips into a sundress for her day off— a yellow one that Candice had suggested buying while they were shopping a couple weeks back. She ties her hair into a neat bun at the top of her head, before making her way to Evelyn's room. She opens the door, walks over to Evelyn's bed, then jumps on it. Evelyn groans at Bryce's antics, but sits up fully awake, nonetheless.

"So how are you feeling today?" Bryce asks, staring up at the ceiling. "Because I could fill in and make breakfast for everyone if you aren't feeling up to it."

"That sounds lovely," Evelyn smiles, before yawning and stretching out her limbs. "And I'm feeling pretty good. Where are Rafe and Danny? I assumed they would be here early."

"They're probably taking their time," the raven-haired woman shrugs, standing from the bed. "I'm in a good mood today, I feel like I'm floating on a cloud of peacefulness."

"Could it be because of a certain ring on your finger?" The brunette suggests, raising an eyebrow as she hops off the bed, retreating to her closet for an outfit.

"I suppose so," she grins. "I'm going to make breakfast, I'll see you downstairs in a bit."

Bryce was truly in a good mood. Her heart was warm and her body felt light— it was a feeling of utter relaxation, and she enjoyed every second of it. As she enters the kitchen, she notices that most of the girls were already at the dining table, chatting away about Candice's new beau. Bryce chuckles at them, opening the refrigerator to retrieve the eggs and bacon. Placing them down on the marble countertop, she glances out of the window, scanning the sailors at the harbor. "It's such a beautiful day," she comments, catching Rose's attention.

"It really is," Rose nods, leaning on the counter next to her. "Maybe we could all go to the beach later, and then to town to watch a movie. Just a day out for all of us."

"That would be amazing," Bryce sighs in content, nodding. "Danny and I—"

"Wait, what is that?" Rose asks, leaning over the counter and pointing out the window. "There, do you see it? That's a plane, Bryce. Why are there planes flying over the harbor on a Sunday?"

"The pilots aren't supposed to be out today," the Dylan woman furrows her eyebrows, squinting her eyes to find the gray plane in the distance. And suddenly there were multiple— then double that amount. "Oh my goodness, those aren't our planes, Rose. They're Japanese, see the seal?"

"You don't think . . . " Rose trails off, swallowing back her fear. But it was obvious, lacing every word she voiced.

Bryce drops the bacon onto the floor, racing out of the house and into the front yard. Cupping a hand over her eyes to block out the blinding morning sun, she watches as the Japanese aircrafts fly overhead— way too close for comfort. "Get to the hospital," she mutters once Rose and the other nurses gather outside, "those are bombers. Get to the hospital, those planes are bombers!"

Her mind is immediately on Danny and he whereabouts as she and the other women race through the streets. But her thoughts were cut off by a quaking in the ground that almost made her fall. The sound of the bomb was too loud for her to handle— it was so close. She grits her teeth, steadying herself and grabbing Rose's hand and tugging her along. Bryce was shaking, her hands were sweaty, and her heart was beating out of her chest. So this was the evil that would destroy her fairytale.

Rose yanks her to the ground and behind a car just before three more bombs explode in the near distance. Evelyn and Candice join them, followed by Alyssa and another blonde nurse. Bryce places her hands over her ears, shielding them from the horrid screams that came from every direction. She could see the fleets going up into flames, sinking into the harbor. The raven-haired woman wanted to scream and cry, and spend the rest of her days curled up in the arms of Danny, far away from what the rest of the world had to offer. But she couldn't. There were others depending on her. So she removed her hands from her ears, takes a deep breath, then looks to Evelyn.

"What do we do?" Bryce asks her.

"Like you said, we need to get to the hospital," Evelyn says, her voice raised so they could hear her over the lasting chaos. "Just stay together, and we'll all be okay!I'm sure we have a work cut out for us, so be prepared for what you're about to see."

Bryce's body aches as she stands back up, before running once again. But this time, all of them are together, dodging objects in their way and blocking out the nonstop bombing in the distance. They didn't have time to be scared— to sit back and hesitate while things were happening. Lives were counting on their agility, and it was up to them to fulfill everyone's needs. But Bryce wished she could be back in bed again, thinking about Danny and how they would be getting married in a few months. And then they would start a family of their own, in a two-story house with a white picket fence outside.

But she couldn't focus on the could be because there is only a now. She needed to help in any way possible, and get out of this alive for herself, for Danny, for the other nurses, and for their future that would happen— she wouldn't question anything further. More planes darted overhead, dropping a bomb only a few miles ahead of them. Bryce trips, along with Candice, falling to the burning pavement with a groan. The raven-haired woman shoves herself back up, grabs Candice's arm, and begins again.

"My foot," Candice chokes, shaking her head through the tears that leaked from her eyes. "I think I sprained it back there. I can't run, Bryce."

"Hey, hey, look at me," Bryce says to the blonde, meeting her blue eyes. "I'll help, and we'll get there together. I can wrap up your ankle and everything will be fine, okay?"

"Okay," the nurse nods, wiping away her tears and placing an arm over Bryce's shoulder, "okay, lets do this."

By this time, most of the other women had already reached the hospital— including Rose and Evelyn, as they had led the group— while Bryce helped Candice limp forward. The woman almost fell again as a bomb went off at the west side of the hospital. She cries out in terror, watching the side go up in flames; they were nearly a mile off, but the line of injured people was already visible. Once again, she had to tell herself that things were going to be okay— she just needed to stay focused. But how could she possibly do that when everything around her was, quite literally, going up in flames?

She needed Danny here, beside her. So she imagined that he was there, encouraging her and telling her how close she was to being where she needed to be. But the woman fell short as a plane not too far off behind them started to shoot at the crowds of sprinting pedestrians. They were too close to run from— the only thing they could do was take cover. Bryce thinks quickly, taking Candice to a nearby car.

"Climb under, go!" Bryce yells. "Cover your head, Candice!"

"But Bryce, what about you?" Candice yells back, fear etched on every feature of her face, struggling to get underneath. "Please, come on!"

But it was too late for that. Bryce falls to her knees, covering her head as the rapid fire roamed the street around them. Candice lets out a scream as the windows of the car shatter, sending glass all over the blacktop around them. Bryce finally let her sobs loose, crying with every hidden emotion that she had locked away. Falling flat on the ground, she listens as the shots get farther away, fading, then cease altogether.

"Bryce?" Candice asks, pulling herself out from under the car with her hands, shoving the hair out of her face and tying it in a ponytail. "Bryce, are you okay?"

"I—I . . . " Bryce chokes out, her lips parted as she stares at the blonde, before her eyes find the bullet wound in her abdomen. The pain was absolutely excruciating; it was as if someone had taken a knife and plunged it into her flesh repeatedly in the same spot, over and over again. And the blood pooled on her dress, making a puddle on the pavement below her.

So maybe this was the end of her fairytale.

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