over onto Adele's bed. Adele picked up the shirt and grinned turning to hang it up in her locker.
Marjorie raised her eyebrows slightly at Adrienne who was smiling to herself as she put her hat onto her head. She gave Marjorie a small wink as she wandered over to the mirror to check her reflection.
***
Finally released from duty, they gathered in the recreation room. Relieved to be sitting down to free time after an hour of drill in the hot Texan sun, where they practiced their wheels, marching in formation and learning the marching songs that helped them ignore the heat and the discomfort of the activity. In addition to marching, they'd had a couple more hours of Ground School, which had fried their brains more than the afternoon sun beating down on their heads. They had wearily eaten dinner; Adrienne moaning that the afternoon's activity would no doubt have her, ‘Burnt like a lobster’ and that her feet hurt worse than if she had worn her heels.
The Bay Four girls sat scattered on the floor, books open as they helped each other make sense of what they'd learned during the day. After an hour, Lily packed her things up and arose saying she was going to play her violin while they were there so as not to disturb them.
Helen stretched her back, popping noises coming from her spine, she rolled her head around to release some of the tension acquired from sitting pouring over her notes. Checking the clock, she noted that there was still a quarter of an hour before they needed to be back in their bays for curfew.
“I'm done, I'm going to head back.”
The others murmured their goodbyes barely lifting their eyes from their books.
As she entered the bay, she frowned at the empty room, although unwilling to admit it she had hoped that Lily would have been there. She rummaged through her case until she located a packet of cigarettes and a box of matches, taking the items she headed back out into the darkness of the night, which was still clinging to the oppressive heat from the day. She wandered around the base enjoying the relative peace, the quiet punctuated by sounds from the recreation room where all the current classes could gather. She lifted her head and blew smoke out into the night sky as she walked towards the flight line, inexplicably drawn towards the hangars where some of the planes were kept.
As she neared she could hear the sound of a violin, she walked towards where the haunting melody was playing, halting at the small door to the hangar. Highlighted by the shards of moonlight welcomed through the open aircraft doors stood Lily, her back to Helen as she swayed to music flowing from her fingers, which were dancing up and down the neck of her violin. Her movement accentuated the rise, fall, and flow of the music. Helen stood transfixed not just by the music but more by the sight of Lily.
Lily swept her bow across the strings for a final time; she stood still allowing the memory of the music to leave her body. She opened her eyes and jumped slightly as someone started to clap behind her. She turned lowering her violin and peered into the darkness only able to make out the red tip of a cigarette. She took a breath and relaxed as Helen stepped forward.
“Sorry I didn't mean to startle you,” Helen apologized, throwing her cigarette onto the floor of the hangar before grinding her foot on it.
“It’s okay,” Lily smiled, leaning down to put her violin back in its case.
“That was beautiful.”
Lily laughed, “Thank you, nothing like a bit of Bach to end the day.”
Helen turned looking over to where a P47 'Thunderbolt' pursuit plane sat. “I can't wait to fly,” she said wistfully walking towards the plane. Lily followed and they circled the machine touching it reverently. “What was it? The music I mean,” Helen asked as she trailed her fingertips across one of the propellers.
“Sonata for Violin solo No. 1 in G minor. It's one of my favorites to play,” Lily replied, mirroring Helen's
Marjorie raised her eyebrows slightly at Adrienne who was smiling to herself as she put her hat onto her head. She gave Marjorie a small wink as she wandered over to the mirror to check her reflection.
***
Finally released from duty, they gathered in the recreation room. Relieved to be sitting down to free time after an hour of drill in the hot Texan sun, where they practiced their wheels, marching in formation and learning the marching songs that helped them ignore the heat and the discomfort of the activity. In addition to marching, they'd had a couple more hours of Ground School, which had fried their brains more than the afternoon sun beating down on their heads. They had wearily eaten dinner; Adrienne moaning that the afternoon's activity would no doubt have her, ‘Burnt like a lobster’ and that her feet hurt worse than if she had worn her heels.
The Bay Four girls sat scattered on the floor, books open as they helped each other make sense of what they'd learned during the day. After an hour, Lily packed her things up and arose saying she was going to play her violin while they were there so as not to disturb them.
Helen stretched her back, popping noises coming from her spine, she rolled her head around to release some of the tension acquired from sitting pouring over her notes. Checking the clock, she noted that there was still a quarter of an hour before they needed to be back in their bays for curfew.
“I'm done, I'm going to head back.”
The others murmured their goodbyes barely lifting their eyes from their books.
As she entered the bay, she frowned at the empty room, although unwilling to admit it she had hoped that Lily would have been there. She rummaged through her case until she located a packet of cigarettes and a box of matches, taking the items she headed back out into the darkness of the night, which was still clinging to the oppressive heat from the day. She wandered around the base enjoying the relative peace, the quiet punctuated by sounds from the recreation room where all the current classes could gather. She lifted her head and blew smoke out into the night sky as she walked towards the flight line, inexplicably drawn towards the hangars where some of the planes were kept.
As she neared she could hear the sound of a violin, she walked towards where the haunting melody was playing, halting at the small door to the hangar. Highlighted by the shards of moonlight welcomed through the open aircraft doors stood Lily, her back to Helen as she swayed to music flowing from her fingers, which were dancing up and down the neck of her violin. Her movement accentuated the rise, fall, and flow of the music. Helen stood transfixed not just by the music but more by the sight of Lily.
Lily swept her bow across the strings for a final time; she stood still allowing the memory of the music to leave her body. She opened her eyes and jumped slightly as someone started to clap behind her. She turned lowering her violin and peered into the darkness only able to make out the red tip of a cigarette. She took a breath and relaxed as Helen stepped forward.
“Sorry I didn't mean to startle you,” Helen apologized, throwing her cigarette onto the floor of the hangar before grinding her foot on it.
“It’s okay,” Lily smiled, leaning down to put her violin back in its case.
“That was beautiful.”
Lily laughed, “Thank you, nothing like a bit of Bach to end the day.”
Helen turned looking over to where a P47 'Thunderbolt' pursuit plane sat. “I can't wait to fly,” she said wistfully walking towards the plane. Lily followed and they circled the machine touching it reverently. “What was it? The music I mean,” Helen asked as she trailed her fingertips across one of the propellers.
“Sonata for Violin solo No. 1 in G minor. It's one of my favorites to play,” Lily replied, mirroring Helen's
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