Chapter 4 - Melody Found Lena’s Name Everywhere
The dinner ended early.
Lena did not stay for dessert.
She paid the bill, hugged Diane, told Melody congratulations again, and
left.
Dad did not hug her.
He was too angry.
Melody was too stunned.
The next morning, Lena attended the briefing General Mercer had
mentioned.
It had nothing to do with Melody.
Lena was temporarily back on active orders supporting a multi-state
emergency logistics exercise involving Guard units, federal agencies,
and civilian infrastructure partners.
Mercer commanded the regional component.
Lena chaired the logistics coordination group.
Melody learned that at 6:42 a.m.
She had arrived early for work and searched Lena’s name on a secure
professional directory she had never thought to check before.
Brigadier General Elena “Lena” Strickland.
The biography was not dramatic.
That made it worse.
Assignments.
Commands.
Awards.
Graduate degrees.
Emergency response operations.
A photograph showed Lena standing beside soldiers in a muddy field after
a hurricane.
Another article described her work redesigning a distribution system
that reduced emergency supply delays across three states.
Melody kept scrolling.
Her sister had not vanished.
She had simply built a life Melody never bothered to investigate.
At 0700, Melody’s unit was ordered to the auditorium.
General Mercer introduced the senior exercise leadership.
Lena walked onto the stage in uniform.
The old black blazer was gone.
One star sat on each shoulder.
Melody felt every person near her straighten.
Lena’s voice remained the same.
Calm.
Direct.
She discussed fuel distribution, medical resupply, transportation
bottlenecks, and communication failures.
She did not look at Melody once.
Afterward, Captain Melody Strickland received an assignment.
Her section would support a logistics cell reporting through Lena’s
command group.
Melody immediately assumed Lena had arranged it.
She confronted her outside the auditorium.
“You put my unit under you?”
“No.”
“Come on.”
“Your unit was assigned three weeks ago.”
“Before you knew I was promoted?”
“Yes.”
Melody searched her face.
“Did Mercer know I was your sister?”
“Not until last night.”
That embarrassed Melody even more.
Lena had not used influence to help her.
Or hurt her.
Melody’s assignment existed independently.
Then Lena handed her a folder.
“Your section has a fuel-distribution problem in Sector Four.”
Melody stared at it.
“You’re giving me work?”
May you like
“I’m giving Captain Strickland work.”
The distinction landed harder than any insult.
