I had gold bars on my shoulders and a clear path ahead.

The clock on the wall read past midnight.

The rest of the cadet hall had gone completely quiet.

Rachel sat down on the cold linoleum floor near the foot of my bed.

She crossed her legs and smoothed the front of her slacks.

She reached into her dark jacket pocket and took out a small rectangular cardboard box.

The edges of the box were frayed and soft.

The original red had faded to a dull pink.