Chapter Two

The limousine pulled up to the base in a matter of minutes. Leila Jade didn’t accompany me in the car, but instead decided to stay behind to finish exploring the city. My mother had called me as soon as I had left and informed me that my parents would not arrive for another thirty minutes. However, I was to develop a very good foundation amongst the men here before they arrived. A man opened my door and helped me out of the car.

“Madame, may I ask who you will be accompanying tonight? I must check off all of the names on the list to make sure everyone here is authorized.” the man told me. “May I just inform you that whomever you are here with tonight is very lucky? You look exquisite. You might be the most beautiful lady here.”

“Thank you. I am here with the crew who will be filming at your base for the next six months. I’m Adaline Halliwell, the daughter of Maura and Walt Halliwell. I don’t know if you get to watch much television around here. My brother is Maddox Halliwell; he won the best young actor of the year. I’m not an actress or anything. Just here with my family.” I explained.

“Could have fooled me. You looked like a celebrity the moment you stepped out of the car. The party is just through those doors. Sergeant Jesse Sullivan will be waiting for you inside. Please enjoy yourself here at Twentynine Palms,” the man instructed. He held the door open for me as I walked inside.

I walked inside to find many soldiers dancing around and conversing among one another. Another man in the marine uniform approached me. He held his arm out for me to take. “Welcome, Miss Adaline. I am Sergeant Jesse Sullivan. If I may, I would love to escort you tonight. Would you like to go to your table or meet some of the soldiers you will be seeing around base?”

“I would love to meet everyone. There are so many people around here. How do you remember all of the names?” I questioned, trying to keep a polite persona.

Jesse chuckled. “Well, first of all, every soldier has an insignia on their arms which shows what rank they are. Each soldier is also required to wear a name tag. We don’t necessarily know everyone personally, but we can easily identify each other that way. If you want to learn the different symbols, I can help you memorize them after training one day.”

“That would be lovely,” I answered, looking into the crowd. I noticed a man sitting at the table staring at me. He was very tan with his brown hair in a crew cut. His gorgeous blue eyes did not falter as I moved to meet more people.

Jesse led us to some older men who looked more official than the rest of the people here. “General Warren Marshall, this is Adaline Halliwell. General Marshall, here, runs the entire base and makes sure everything goes quite smoothly.”

The general took my hand and kissed it. “I see you get your beauty from your mother. You have quite a unique family. All four of your brothers are involved in quite a superior field. Your mother tells me that you were accepted into Juilliard and are quite the singer. Maybe you could perform a song for us a little bit later? The band here knows many songs, and you could find coordinate something with them.”

I tried to keep my best smile. Of course, my mother would tried to make me seem just as amazing as my brothers. “Maybe a little later. I don’t know how comfortable I would be singing for a bunch of people I have never met. I think the most honorable men and women in the United States would much rather have a professional singer here than some seventeen year old who was accepted into Juilliard.”

“I might know all of my men personally, but I do know that we know talent when we see it. After you have some dinner, I will be looking forward to a song or two.” He stopped talking for a moment to glance at something behind me. “Look who decided to join the party. I thought I missed the most popular couple in the United States. Maura, Walt, how are you two doing today? Maura, may I say you look absolutely stunning tonight? Your husband is a very lucky man.”

“Aren’t you just the charmer, General Marshall?” my mother smiled, showing off how much grace she had. “We are loving our visit here already. All of your soldiers are so polite. I am telling you our movie will be a hit once they see all of these amazing people on the big screen. I see you met our daughter.” No one else noticed the shift in her voice once she mentioned me.

The general gave her another smile. “Your daughter is a very sweet lady, Maura. Although, we were quite disappointed when she declined our offer to sing tonight. I was looking forward to seeing another talent in your family.”

I could see my father look at me out of the corner of his eye. “Well, we could arrange for her to sing tonight if you would really like to hear it. She is a huge fan of Christina Aguilera and Jessie J. Those two women can’t even match the range our daughter has.”

“Excuse me, Sir,” Jesse said to my dad. “Do you mind if I finish showing your daughter around?”

“Of course,” he replied without even looking at me.

Once we were out of earshot, Jesse finally said something to me. “I bet everyone could feel the tension coming off the three of you. What’s up with that? I thought you were the happiest family.”

“Television will fool you that way,” I murmured. “Growing up, my parents would always be away filming or promoting a movie or doing some other work, so me and my brothers would always take care of each other. My mother and father wouldn’t know the first thing about actually raising one of their kids. I was hoping I would have my brothers here every now and then, but they have their own lives, and I am still trying to find a place where I belong.”

“My parents were very poor as we were growing up. I hardly ever saw my mom because she worked two different jobs, and my dad would always go drinking and blow all of the money he would make that day. I joined the Marines hoping the pay would at least give my mom enough money to get away from him or something, but then I fell in love with this job and these people.” Sergeant Jesse Sullivan told me. We walked over to a table and sat down. “Sometimes what we are meant to do isn’t simply found, but instead drops onto our heads before we know what hit us. Why don’t you even give Juilliard a chance? You have to be pretty damn amazing to get into that place.”

“When your parents try to force you to do something after years of neglect, you get a little skeptical. I have always wanted to help people out though,” I sighed and poured some water into my glass.

Several others sat at the table around us, but I didn’t even turn to see who took a seat on my left side. “Here are some more people for you to meet. Across from you is Corporal Owens and his wife, Meghan. Next to you is probably the best of his class right now. That’s Private First Class Hudson Williams. He is a force to be reckoned with even if he is only a PFC.” I turned to find the guy who had been staring at me earlier sitting next to me. “This is Adaline Halliwell.”

“Tell me, Sergeant, how did you land such a beautiful girl, and why have you been keeping her locked up for so long?” Private Williams teased him. You could tell the two had been friends for quite a while.

Jesse laughed at him. “You and I both know I could never score someone like Adaline. She is here with the celebrities who are filming and idolizing us on the big screen. Don’t worry though. She isn’t one of them.”

“Good to know,” Private Williams said, making eye contact with me again. “I met one of the actors this morning, and he didn’t have a care in the world about us. He was just worried about whether or not the film crew was going to put extras on that were prettier than he was. What do you get to do while everyone is filming and what not?”

“I am sure I will find something to occupy my time. I have college coming up in a few months, so I need to get prepared for that. Other than that, I am still trying to find something to keep me busy.”

    My mother came behind me and whispered in my ear. “You made a great impression on the general, but I told you wearing your hair up is classier. I don’t know what I am going to do with you. Your father and I were invited to play cards with the general and his men tonight. Be home at a decent hour.” She walked out of the building with my father to be gone for God knows how long.

    Private Williams undoubtedly heard the whole thing. “Looks like you are free now. What do you say we take you to where the real party is?”

    “Hudson, I don’t think we should take her of all people there. She might not be an actress, but she does come from a family of celebrities. The guys there will be all over her.” Jesse shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Whatever they were talking about, he was against it.

    I  looked between the two of them before I opened my mouth. “I am capable of taking care of myself. Where is the party at?”

    Hudson grabbed my hand. “Come on I’ll show you. Sullivan, are you coming or are you going to sit around wondering what kind of trouble we’re getting ourselves into?”

    Jesse rolled his eyes. “Only fifteen minutes!”

    Before I knew it, we were outside away from the crowd. Hudson pulled me over to a motorcycle. He put his helmet on and handed me an extra one he had in storage. “You have to be joking.” I stared at him only to get a smile back.

    He looked at the ground laughing and then back at me. “Come on, Princess. If you are going to hang with the big boys, you have to ride with the big boys. I am a safe driver. Trust me. Have faith in something for once.”

    I took the helmet and put it on. “Stay clear of anyone who knows me. I can’t get caught, okay?” I grabbed my dress and rolled it up to expose my bare leg below my knee.

    “Your people don’t know about this place. Trust me, it is not the type of place sophisticated, snobby people go to. You will enjoy it though. I could tell you hated the military ball back there. Basically, all we do there is catch up with members and have fun with our friends. With you being new here, you wouldn’t have anyone to talk to for the rest of the night.” Hudson exclaimed. “Listen, sometimes things here will get a little rough. Not all of the guys here are military, so they don’t know what it means to be honorable. You just need to watch yourself though.”

    “I have nothing to worry about though. You’ll protect me.” I answered, giving him my best flirty smile. “Am I just going to have to hear about this place or are you going to drive?”

    “Hold on.” And with that, we were off.

    I have never rode on a motorcycle and had I known what it was like to be on one this would not be my first time. It felt like I was flying as the wind brushed past my body. I felt like a bird free to fly wherever I desired. Hudson didn’t try any dangerous tricks or anything to show off. Instead, he let me sit on the back, spread my arms out, and fly.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at a small house. It looked like the average two-story family home. The red brick had already started to fade while the white paint was stained with years of wear. There wasn’t a car in the driveway. The only thing there was the two of us. I hadn’t seen Jesse since we had left the base. Hudson helped me off and killed the engine. Pushing a piece of hair out of my face, he gave me another amused smile.

“Don’t worry, Princess. Everyone is inside. Usually, people walk here or park around the block to keep the suspicion off of the house. A DJ use to own this place in the twenties. In his will, he entrusted it to a private who decided to allow people to come here all the time. The walls are soundproof, and curtains cover every window. I am Marine. My job is to protect the United States and everyone in it.” He walked me over to the front door and knocked on it. “PFC Hudson Williams and a guest.”

The door quickly opened to reveal several other people dressed in the Marine Corp uniform. “Welcome, Williams. I am guessing you two just came from the ball, huh? You never told me you had a girl. Surprised anyone could deal with you. Sweetheart, you might like charity work, but I would find you another man.”

“This is-.” Hudson began.

“Adaline Halliwell,” I interrupted. “I think I know how to pick people on my own. Thank you though.”

“Halliwell? As in THE Halliwells? Your brother, Eric, owns the condos my sister lives in New York. She wants to be on Broadway and is struggling to find a job. After she couldn’t pay her rent, she went to his office and told him her aspirations and how I was giving money to my parents to help pay the bills. Eric paid her rent for six months and called a friend to get an audition. You have a great family. She has her first show in two months.” the man told me. “You have no idea how grateful we truly are for him. If you ever need anything, call me.” He handed me a card with his number and email on it.

Hudson pulled me towards him, walking further into the house. “As much as I would love to hear more about your life, Rogers, I promised her I would show her a real party here.”

Once we were out of the entrance, I could really see what was going on. Men and women were packed into the house with drinks in their hand, singing and dancing to the music. The house had an open floor plan where you could see what was going on in every room. The top floor was merely a loft with a band playing tunes, and people singing along. After every song, people would raise their cups in the air and make a toast. Hudson didn’t say a word as I sat there, taking every ounce of the party in. I noticed a few people staring at me from time to time.

“Most people are regulars here. They are just wondering who you are. That’s all,” Hudson assured me. “So, what do you want to do? Do you want a drink or to dance?”

Eyes kept glaring at me anytime I turned my head. “I want to sing.”

He chuckled again. “You want to sing. Okay. Let’s see here. We just have to go up these stairs. Tell the band what song you want, and they’ll let you know if they can play it. Let me help you up the stairs.”

I handed him my silver Jimmy Choo’s. “I can get up a flight of stairs.”

Standing in front of everyone was a bit nerve-racking, but I had been trained for years in performing. “Hello. I am Adaline Halliwell, and I am here tonight with PFC Hudson Williams. Tonight, I would like to sing a song from one of the most talented individuals.”

Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away played, and I just lost myself in the lyrics. I could see people dancing and singing along, but I was to focused on Hudson’s surprised face to care. He met me at the bottom of the stairs as soon as the song was over. A girl stepped in between us before I could say anything to him.

“Have you ever thought about doing that professionally? You are amazing! Wow. If I had a voice like that, I would be singing non-stop. Tell me you plan to do this for the rest of your life!” she squealed. “Your range was pure insanity.”

“Thank you. Actually, it’s just a hobby. Those are very sweet comments though,” I responded, trying to hide my rejoice. I haven’t sang in front of a crowd like this in ages. To see how people reacted was just a pure phenomenon.

We talked for a little bit before I excused myself to see Hudson who had already found someone else to talk to. “There she is. The lady of the hour. Adaline, I want you to meet Corporal Peter James. He came to tell me how much he enjoyed your voice.”

“Private, you are too modest. Your voice is the definition of perfection. Tell me, do you have a girl in your family named Alaina?” he asked. Something about the tall, muscular man gave me chills.

I shook my head. “Not that I know of. Is she a friend of yours?”

Corporal James smiled at me. “A friend of mine introduced us a few weeks ago. When you walked through the door, I could have sworn you were her. I have been wanting to talk to her for a long time now. If you do meet her or hear anything about an Alaina, I would love to know. Please enjoy your stay here at Twentynine Palms.” He turned and walked away without another word to either of us.

“Is it just me or was that very unusual? Who is this Alaina girl anyway?” I asked Hudson.

He shrugged. “Sergeant Sullivan was very close with her. She wasn’t from around here, but she showed up a few weeks ago, hoping to talk to Jesse about something. He was on a trip, and she was gone before he came back. I’ve heard of Alaina, but I have never personally met her or anything like that. I didn’t think anyone else knew about her.”

    “You don’t find it the tiniest bit odd that he came and asked me about her. If she wasn’t here that long, she wouldn’t have stayed around making new friends, Hudson. I just think it is odd that he is so desperate to find her.” I protested.

    This caught his attention. “Corporal Peter James is one hell of a leader. If he is looking for Alaina, he has a good reason to do so. We’re Marines, Adaline. We have good intentions most of the time. Why are you so content to prove that he is up to something?”

    “Maybe I am just tired and paranoid from meeting so many new people,” I sighed.

    Hudson handed me my shoes. “We should probably get you home before your parents get back.”

    “Please. Even when they are back, I would be the last thing on their minds.” I searched around the house. “Where is Jesse? Didn’t he say he was going to meet us at the party?”

    “We have training tomorrow. He probably went home to get some rest which is exactly where we both should go right now. You don’t want to stay out all night with some stranger you just met.” Hudson teased, handing me my helmet.

    I laughed. “Technically now, we are acquaintances.”

    “Alright, my new acquaintance. Let’s get you home.”