NaNoWriMo: Chapter 2 Excerpt

A/N: This is an Excerpt from Chapter 2 of my NaNoWriMo project.

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Alexander Ice pulled on his uniform jacket and rolled his shoulders to try and adjust the fit a bit. Like the tiny motel room, it felt smaller than it used to fit. His frown deepened as he tucked at the sleeves, trying to get the glove fit that he was accustomed to having but nothing seemed to be fixing it. With resignation, he began to check the accoutrements and their positions. Everything was as it should be, or as well as it could be given the circumstances. The rank – how wrong it was – glared at him in the mirror. "You can earn it back..." he said to himself. "Of course not if they find out you've been talking to yourself."

After one more look over himself, he turned away from the mirror and threw open the motel door, giving the older lady from housekeeping a right good scare. "Oi!"

"Sorry ma'am." he said with a curt nod. With another thought, he reached into his room and put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. She looked indignant at it but he paid her little mind as he stomped off to his old car. When he'd left for the war she'd been sparkling and brand new but seven years sitting in his pop's old garage hadn't been kind to her. With any luck they'd return to their former glory together.