The Resistenza Milite

The time was WWII after the Nazis had invaded Paris. In an inn in the seaside town of Marseille, a young girl in her late teens was busy packing her bags rushing around her room. She had just zipped the bags when a knock came. "Skylar hurry up!" Her friends from the other side told her "I'm done." Skylar Cenotaph Toprak grabbed her suitcase and ran out of her room following her friends and set to free herself from Nazi-occupied France.

She boarded the plane and never looked back determined to make it out alive.

They were into the journey for a few hours when-

'BOOM!'

They were spotted by the enemy aircraft. One of the engines caught fire as the passengers screamed in terror as Skylar began to pray.

'BOOM!'

Another hit and they were spinning towards the water then she lost consciousness.

"Uh….." 'Where am I?'

She heard someone talking but couldn't grab the language. Once she was able to open her eyes she saw a wooden ceiling then a woman with golden hair-much like hers- and brown eyes came into view. She said something in a foreign tongue. "What?" Skylar pushed herself up and stared at the woman "Sorry, I didn't understand." "Would you like some water?" The woman picked up a glass of water from the nearby stand and gave it to her "Thank you." Skylar accepted.

"You're not from Italia?" She asked, "No…..I'm from France with Turkish heritage." Skylar finished the glass "I'm in Italy?" "Yes." The woman nodded "The plane you were boarding crash landed, you're the only survivor so far." 'That means my friends?' Skylar felt a pang in her chest 'They're dead-?'

"Mamma!" Footsteps came closer to the door and as it open reveals a boy around Skylar's age with blond hair and blue eyes. He said something in Italian to which his mother replies "Dear, this young lady is no spy. I found her unconscious off the beach."

"What's her name?"

"Skylar." Skylar cut in "Skylar Toprak." "Miss. Toprak." The woman says "Meet my son Enrico Giancarlo."

It didn't take long for Skylar to recover but then putting up with their spoiled son was a pain. One day Enrique (as he calls himself) and she were out shopping send by his mother. On the road, they remained silent "Her Giancarlo." "What?" Enrique didn't look at her "What do you think of the Resistenza?" "Why?" He smirked rolling his eyes at her "You scared of them?" "No." Skylar narrowed her eyes "I'm curious about your opinion."

"Why mine?"

"I'm thinking you would think them as unnecessary."

"What?"

"The Nazis here are different from what I imagined."

Enrique abruptly stopped "You have no idea Toprak." Skylar rolled her eyes but said nothing as they continued on.

Time passed by in the town with the torn down church. The Nazis stayed in place so did Skylar. One day she came back from the market. "I'm back!" She announced to the house "And I got tomatoes today." Meeting dead silence she looked around "Hello? Mrs. Giancarlo?" She moved to the house and around the back of the house "Hello?" Silence greeted her.

Skylar hurried back to the marketplace where a crowd was formed. There was tension in the air as she heard someone getting their shit beat out. And angry voice screamed in German and a female weaker voice cried. From the cracks formed between the people, she could see-

*BANG!*

She watched shocked as the lifeless body falls on the ground. There were murmurs from the dispersing crowd 'Resistenza' she recognized the word. She rushed back to the house shell shocked.

"So?" Enrique smirked as he chopped the tomatoes "You're not a part of them right?" Skylar asked him but didn't notice how his lips became thin "Their fate leads to death, you don't want to die so young do you?" "Whatever." 'Mamma wouldn't be so proud of hearing that.'

It was weeks later that when she was walking around the market place Skylar noticed Enrique running away from the German soldiers who were yelling something in German with the word 'Resistenza'. 'Enrique is-?' She took a turn and hid behind the baskets.

Enrique ran around searching for a place to hide but to no avail. Hearing more shouting he continued to run but in a swift moment, he was behind some vegetable carts and baskets with a hand over his mouth.

Skylar waited for a while before letting go of the boy who took deep breaths. They only shared a glance.

On the way back no one spoke until

"Hey, thanks."

"You're in the movement?"

"Mamma and papa are in it too."

"And how did you get caught?"

"I got the wrong girl."

"For a moment there I was worried."

"For me?" Enrique jokingly asked but was surprised by the serious reply "Yes." No one spoke again.

Towards the end of the war, the German put a raid and caught almost all the resistanza.

"Mrs. Giancarlo!" Skylar ran towards the house once the news reached her "Mrs. Giancarlo!" The house was blazing in flames as a motionless Mrs. Giancarlo sat staring tears streaming down her face. She went and touches the woman's shoulder who immediately started crying hysterically and tried to calm her down. It was not until her husband came that she calmed down.

"My son has been taken captive." The man later told Skylar "And I'm going to free him." "Can I come to Sir?" Skylar asked hopefully receiving a look from the man with blue eyes "You can drive no?" "Yes, sir I can."

The night of the operation was also the night the rumored American air strike. "You ready?" "Yes, sir." They went to the German air base where Enrique was being held captive. Skylar wondered how they were gonna escape but remained calm, Giancarlo went up and talked to the two soldiers which made them leave their post. They guards inside were also let out the same way.

"That was easy-"

"Shhh!" Mr. Giancarlo hushed Skylar. The other three guards were knocked out and they finally reached Enrique.

"Enrique." Skylar hissed as she fumbled with the keys "Enrique!" The boy finally stirs and opened his one good eye just as Skylar opened the door and took him out of the prison. All the way Enrique was drowsy and stumble a couple of times on the way out. But on the way, a guard caught them up and raised an alarm "Shit!" Skylar cursed and walked with Enrique faster as his father stalled some time "Come on Enrique!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

'The air raid!' Skylar walked faster to the exit and out Enrique on the jeep "Mr. Giancarlo!" The said man finally came in view and got on the jeep and off they went as the air strike continued to bombard the air base.

When Enrique came to know of the end of the war and of what Skylar and his father did they had a huge spat on it "I never said to come to rescue me!" The blond man shouted at the Turkish girl "I was worried sick, your mom was worried-" The girl was cut off.

"You could've killed yourself!"

"BUT I DIDN'T! WHY ARE YOU SO MAD AT ME?!"

"Get the hell away from me Toprak." Enrique turned away as he spat out those words. Skylar was on the verge of tears but stubbornly wipes it away and immediately started packing. She got on a ship, he said nothing, the ship slowly sailed away his heart began to ache and only when it was all out of sight did Enrique realized it.

He quickly rushed inside his house and started to pack all his necessities "Enrico?" His mother walked in "Where are you going?" "To bring Skylar back." Her son replied and was about to dash out of his room when Mrs. Giancarlo stopped him.

"Mamma?"

"I know you will bring her back."

On his palm, his mother placed her engagement ring on it.

"Ma…."

"Go bring my daughter-in-law back."

"Ma…." Enrique smiled gave a quick hug and limped out of the house only to meet his father in his Jeep "Hop on; we have a maiden to chase after."

It was another day in Turkey as student Skylar Cenotaph Toprak walked back from the art class she was taking.

"Skylar!"

It can't be…

"Skylar!"

She turned around

"Skylar!"

There in all his bandaged glory was "Enrique?" "That was mean." Enrique caught his breath "Leaving without a goodbye." "Well." The lady crossed her arms "You weren't very pleasant to talk to." "Now I have the chance." He got on one knee "What are you do-?" Before she could finish her sentence he spoke "Skylar Toprak." He began Skylar looked around to see some people staring causing her to blush "You are not a very pleasant person to work with. But I'm willing to accept that and in this moment with the sun and the moon present in the sky I ask for your hand in marriage." He looked up holding out a palm to show her the ring "Will you marry me?"

Tears streamed down her cheeks and she said 'yes' and enveloped him in a kiss and a hug. The crowd cheered as the two lovers kissed under the stars.