Chapter 1

"The dreams are gone, midnight has come, the darkness is our new kingdom,"

A boy's 21st birthday is supposed to be a celebration, a joyous day celebrating another milestone of a boy's ascension into manhood. This day is meant to be full of smiles, laughs, homemade food, music and dancing. But then that was for normal boys, normal families in this time. Kyle Broflovski was not considered normal and neither was his family, at least according to the Third Reich and its leader, Adolf Hitler. The family was Jewish, and in this time it was a crime to be said Jew, and from rumors around Germany it meant a death sentence. So instead of celebrating his 21st birthday like normal boys his age, Kyle Broflovski and his family spent this day in hiding, just like the birthday the year before.

Kyle sighed as he rested his back against a wooden pillar. Just how many more birthdays would they spend in hiding? How many more days, how many more months could he remain in hiding until he possibly went insane? With each sunrise came a blessing, a blessing his family and he were still alive, but each day also came with fear and anxiety. Would this be the day? Would today be the day they were finally caught and taken away to some camp? To their deaths? There were so many rumors around Germany, so many rumors that inflicted fear in the hearts of all Jews.

Day by day, night by night, the Jewish family lived in fear. Fear so deep that they practically jumped out of their skin at anything and everything that made a sound. The mice that scurried across the barn, the grazing of the livestock around the farm, even the wind frightened them when it was unexpected. That's where the Broflovski family was hidden now, in a barn on some farmland in the countryside.

The farm belongs to a childhood friend of Kyle's and his family, The Stotch; Stephen, Linda, and their son Leopold, but all the kids called him Butters. While the Stotch family was of pure German descent, they never agreed with the ideology of the Third Reich. The family knew that what was happening was wrong, and thus without hesitation took Kyle and his family into hiding. Originally the Marsh family offered to take them in first, but that was a way too obvious move since their son was Kyle's super best friend as far back as Kindergarten, Stan Marsh. Kyle was eternally grateful for the Stotch family's generosity and compassion, thanks to them they had been safe for over a year in hiding. While the conditions were nowhere near perfect, they still had their lives and that was what mattered most of all.

Kyle's eyes found his younger brother and watched him as he tried to make a hat out of straw; there wasn't much else to do. He wondered if his brother knew today was his birthday, for that matter if his mother and father knew? Not that they would intentionally forget, but since going into hiding it was so easy to lose track of time. The days, the weeks, even the hours seem to mesh together. It was a miracle Kyle even knew what today was.

"Kyle, come here my son," Gerald Broflovski called from atop his straw bench in a corner of the barn.

"Yes papa?" Kyle asked once he stood before his father. Gerald reached into his coat pocket to withdraw an item and held it out for Kyle.

"Happy Birthday, my son." In Gerald's hand was a hand crafted dreidel, he had probably carved it from the wood laying around the barn. "I only wish I could give you more." Kyle shook his head and cradled the dreidel against his chest.

"It's perfect papa, thank you," and it was, for Kyle, it was more sentimental than anything. Not only had his father remembered his birthday, which he could have cared less about to begin with, but the gift he had made Kyle came from his Jewish background. It was as though his father was telling him to always be proud of his heritage, even during these tough times, especially during these tough times.

"Stay proud Kyle, always proud and humble." Kyle nodded to his father's words.

"Of course papa," and their eyes met in a promise, a promise to never give up, never give in to despair and to never surrender their true selves. They were a proud people and would always remain so. Gerald smiled proudly, stood and embraced his son. No words were exchanged, but they didn't need them.

Just as father and son pulled away, Kyle felt tugging on his hip. Kyle looked down to his teenage brother Ike. Since hitting puberty Ike had definitely grown in height but Kyle was still taller and knew he always would be. "What is it, Ike?"

"Dance with me Kyle," a simple request, but a request that shook Kyle to the core.

"Ike, have you lost your mind? We need to stay quiet remember," Kyle snapped without meaning to, his eyes wide.

"We can be quiet and dance. Please Kyle, as a birthday gift to yourself, I know you miss it." So Ike remembered it was his birthday too. Damn him. Kyle stood frozen as he looked down at his baby brother, his heart racing in his chest. Yes, he missed dancing, oh he missed dancing with every fiber of his being. Before the Jews went into hiding, while Kyle was still in school, he was a dancer, a wonderful dancer from what he was told by his classmates and teachers. Dancing was one of the only times Kyle felt himself, felt whole and complete. Yes he missed it, god he missed it.

"Ike we can't," again he protested against his brother.

"Go on Kyle, please just this once," came his mother's voice from behind him, she sat down next to his father on the straw bench. "Put a smile on our face again, please, Kyle," Kyle bit his lip. Now how in the hell could he say no when his mother put it like that?

"I won't ask ever again Kyle, please," Ike again pleaded. Kyle wasn't at all sure why his family insisted on him dancing, and everything inside him told him not to, but how could he resist his family's pleas; especially if it would make his family smile in these troubled times.

"Ok Ike, but just this once," Kyle placed his dreidel on the ground and joined his brother in the middle of the barn. Kyle knew several different styles of dance, whereas his brother knew only Jewish step dances they normally dance to during certain celebrations.

Kyle and Ike joined hands and began to step in rhythm to a song, a silent song created between them from their steps. The dance had no name, if anything it would be categorized as freestyle. They stepped, twirled, swayed, jumped, back and forth, side to side; there was no technique and Kyle was more than ok with that. "See Kyle, isn't this fun?" Ike said with a smile as Kyle twirled him. Kyle's heart ached at the word "fun". It seemed too foreign, so forbidden.

"Yes Ike," Kyle agreed without any real meaning behind it.

"Come on Kyle, faster," Ike said with a giggle as he challenged his brother. Kyle realized what he was doing, this wasn't just to make his family happy, but to make Kyle happy also. This kid.With that Kyle indeed quickens his pace in the steps, almost turning it into a ballroom quick step; which of course Ike had no idea how to do but did his best to keep up.

"Don't trip over your feet, little brother," Kyle said with a genuine smile while he practically drug his brother across the barn in a fast pace step. Ike laughed, Kyle smiled, and their parents clapped as quietly as their hands would allow. Kyle became lost in the dance, as he usually did when he would perform before he went into hiding. For a brief moment Kyle remembered what it felt like to be free, to be happy, to express yourself in a way that made you feel complete. But that brief moment abruptly ended by clapping that came from no Broflovski.

Fear stretched its way across the barn, the family of four all seemed to hold their breath and their blood ran cold, all their faces paled as their wide eyes found the entrance to the barn and landed on several Nazi soldiers. "Very, very lovely performance, what's the celebration? Is it someone's birthday?" the soldier who stood in the middle of the line said with a twisted smile. His hair was short and brown, eyes were amber and his body structure was on the heavy side; his body stance gave off authority, authority that if disobeyed would result in cruel retribution. Then again, what Nazi didn't?

Kyle pulled his brother behind him, and Gerald stood in front of his wife; they knew it was over but their natural instinct to protect their family kicked in. The head Nazi stepped into the barn, his hands gripped together behind his back. "I asked you a question, Jews, or are you all hard of hearing? Perhaps deaf?" he said in a mocking manner. The Nazi approached Kyle and Ike, if it was possible their skin paled even more and Kyle wondered if the Nazi could hear his heartbeat; he could definitely feels Ike's through their still joined hands. The family couldn't speak for in the moment the fear was too much. "How about you kid?" The Nazi suddenly grabbed Ike by the arm and yanked him away from his brother in a swift motion and held a gun to his head.

"No please! It's me, It's mine," Kyle stuttered not realizing if his words made any sense for he spoke them too quickly. The Nazi tilted his head in an irritated manner.

"Your what,Jew?" he asked sternly. Kyle took a deep breath and held his head high, but inside he felt ashamed. This Nazi didn't need to know what today is, he didn't have that right; but what choice did he have?

"It's my birthday." At his admission the Nazi seemed amused, almost as if it was his birthday instead.

"Well, Happy Birthday, Jew," and with that he threw Ike into the line of soldiers. "Seize them," he ordered his men who quickly stormed into the barn and took the family into custody, all at gunpoint. "And search the barn, more rats could be hiding in the hay," the soldiers grabbed nearby pitchforks and began to stab all the barrels of hay. Of course they found no more people, but they had to do their job.

When the Broflovski's were forced out of the barn they saw more soldiers coming towards them, forcefully pulling three people in tow; The Stotch family. "Captain Cartman, we found them in the house."

Kyle was sure that his heart would give out at any minute from how fast it was beating. His emerald eyes met his friends blue and in that brief moment all Kyle could convey was regret, regret that this family sheltered them at their own risk and now they were caught. This was their fault and now who knew what price they had to pay. But while Kyle showed regret, Butters did not, in fact Butters didn't even show fear. Butters only smiled weakly at his friend as if to say he was sorry. Sorry that he couldn't protect his friend and his family. It seemed to Kyle that Butters knew what was to come, but only thought of Kyle; Butters had always been so selfless.

"Harboring Jews is a crime against Germany, didn't you people know this?" the Nazi captain known as Cartman said while approaching the family. Cartman sighed and looked down at Butters. "Such a shame," he said with pity as he noticed Butters blonde hair and blue eyes. "You would be a valuable asset to the Aryan race and yet you waste yourself associating with Jews? Pathetic," Cartman eyed Butters as if daring him to speak out, but he didn't. Instead Butters held his head high and stood with his back straight as if he was proud of the lives he helped to protect. Sometimes not speaking, was just as powerful as a speech itself; this seemed to be one of those moments to Cartman for he became irritated when Butters didn't respond. "Lock his parents in the barn!" Cartman suddenly ordered and without missing a beat the soldiers did as commanded.

"What about the boy, sir?" the soldier who held Butters asked.

"Restrain him, someone will have to take care of this farm after his parents are gone," realization dawned on Butters.

"What?! No! No mom! Dad!"

"Gag him!" Cartman ordered with venom and the soldier pulled a handkerchief from his jacket and wrapped it around Butters mouth and tied it tight behind his head to muffle the screams. "Burn it down!" the Nazi soldiers grabbed jars lined with rags and alcohol from their trucks, lit the rags and quickly threw them into the windows of the barn.

Butters was kicking and screaming until he finally fell to his knees and wept for his parents as the barn went a blaze. "Get the Jews in the trucks and let's go, this detour has made us late," Kyle and his family were forced into the back of military trucks, Kyle didn't even have a chance to look back at Butters, didn't have a chance to thank him but he knew the other boy knew.

The trucks left behind them a burning barn, a broken family, a burned dreidel, and a broken dream. For in this moment Kyle knew that he would never dance again.