"Stella!"
The world stopped. Her little sister's body lay unmoving among the rubble and a ringing in her ears made everything muffled, like it was far away. Her feet were glued to the ground and tears burned her eyes as everything seemed to move in slow motion. Explosions sounded for miles as the planes whistled overhead and people were screaming – even her, she realized. Her little sister's name running off the end of her tongue to no avail. It was too late. Someone was pulling at her arms and her clothes, gripping around her middle and bruising her ribs in an attempt to save her from this nightmare but it didn't matter. This moment would haunt her for the rest of her life, the image of her little sister lying there pale with a layer of blood and dust coating her skin would be forever burned into her memory.
Absolutely no one would be able to save her from this nightmare.
Xxx
"Stella!"
Faster. She just had to go faster. If she got there quicker this time she just knew she would be able to save her sister. But the faster she ran, the further away her sister got. There was an explosion behind her and she screamed as her body was thrown a good ten feet. She closed her eyes before she hit the ground, hoping and praying that this was the end and she would be put out of her misery. That this terrible nightmare would be over if she just-
"Jane!"
The blonde sat straight up in her bed, almost knocking heads with whoever had woken her from her slumber. She was sweating and out of breath, her whole body shaking. Looking around frantically when she felt a weight on her mattress and she jumped.
"Jane, it's just me." The woman put a comforting hand on the girl's arm and Jane finally looked at her. She took a deep breath and raked her fingers through her long waves of hair, letting her body slump over with her elbows perched on her knees and her fingers tangled in the hair at the back of her head.
"Sorry Auntie Clara, was I screaming again?" she mumbled into her thighs.
"No dear, it's just," she paused, "It's time."
Jane sat up slowly, her shoulders suddenly feeling very heavy, "Oh."
There was a silence between them – one that was sad and looming. Jane glanced up at her aunt just in time to see the tears brimming the woman's eyes and her sadness suddenly felt so far away. She reached out to comfort her aunt, but the woman wiped her tears away and hurriedly got to her feet. Jane pulled her hands back cautiously and Aunt Clara took a strengthening breath, "I've got your tea and breakfast ready for you."
One corner of her mouth pulled up into a weak smile as a thank you. For as long as she'd been alive, Aunt Clara was adamant about making sure everyone received tea and breakfast in the morning, and it seems she wasn't about to give this habit up anytime soon – war or not. Jane nodded, "Okay, I'll be down soon."
"Okay, dear." She gave a sad smile and kissed her forehead and left her alone. She watched her slip out of the room and pull the door to a crack. As soon as she was gone Jane let her face fall into her hands, fighting the sobs that threatened to tip through her. She hadn't gotten any sleep in weeks and her body was starting to take a toll because of it. After a moment to gather herself she slipped out from under the covers and padded over to her vanity mirror – or rather, her aunt's guest room vanity mirror. She looked like a ghost who'd been in a boxing match, with her skin looking so pale and the circles under her eyes so heavy. She sighed, knowing there was nothing she could do about it and splashed some water on her face. Where she was going, no one was going to care anyway.
Once she felt a little more refreshed, she towel dried her face and ran a brush through her hair. Normally she would have pinned large rollers to her head to create a fashionable curl for the time, but that was before…
She shook her head to stop the tears from reaching the surface. She didn't have time for another break down. She was lucky to have just a little bit of natural curl to her hair so that when she pulled it up out of her face it was still presentable to show the public. With her hair done and her face washed, she pulled on her best dress; which was now the only dress she owned. Some families got lucky during the air raids: their houses were salvageable – or at least some of their belongings were. Jane's family was not so lucky. All they had were the clothes on their back. But however unlucky they were in what they had lost, they were lucky in other ways. Her mother's sister, her Aunt Clara, had a house that was not as badly damaged, and she was kind enough to allow her mother and her to stay with them. She was also kind enough to lend them some of her old clothes – one dress fit Jane well enough. She'd saved it from her younger days in the hopes of passing it down to her own daughter someday. Jane held the fabric in between her fingers and let her eyes wander the pattern. It was a little baggy, but it was something. With a smile tugging at the corner of her lip, she pulled the dress over her head and did her best to make it lay properly. With all the wrinkles and creases, she wondered just how long it had been stored away.
"Jane, dearie. Are you ready?" her mother called from the other side of the door and she took a deep breath.
"Yes, Mother."
With one last look in the mirror, she wiped a stray tear from her cheek and joined her mother and aunt in the kitchen. Stopping just inside the doorframe, she watched the last two women in her family preparing breakfast. It was just the three of them now. Clara and her husband never had any children of their own, and all the men had been sent to fight in the war, and after the accident with Stella…
"Jane! You're up."
Her mother brought her out of her thoughts and she gave a weak smile. Since the bombing Jane had done the best she could at being strong for her mother, but she knew she wasn't doing a good job. One look at her and you could see how broken she was. But her mother knew she was trying and that was all that mattered. The would be as strong as they could be for each other. So, when her mother slid her arms around her waist, she hugged her back and didn't let go until her mother was ready. She watched Aunt Clara place the last plate on the table and look at her with the most encouraging smile she could muster. Her mother and aunt looked so much alike. Some would say they looked more like twins. With sharp jawlines and high cheekbones that made their eyes look slenderer than they were, they were considered beauties of their time. Their eyes were the color of the sea, with flecks of gold splattered throughout, giving the illusion that their eyes changed color. It was merely a trick of the light, and sometimes it even depended on the color of their clothes. This magic trick was something that Jane had inherited from her mother's family. She and her sister both had the same brilliant blue eyes and they were always very proud of it.
She hated the sight of them now.
"Jane, dear, why don't you have something to eat?"
"I'm not really that hungry." The words came out of her mouth, though her feet still led her to an empty seat at the table in front of a full plate of food. The women watched her with pitiful eyes. Everyone knew this day was coming, but the knowledge didn't make it any easier. Clara placed an arm around her sister's shoulders at the sight of her unshed tears. She'd already lost one child, and now she was being forced to send another one away. With the squeeze of a hand, the women joined Jane at the table and the three of them ate their breakfast in silence. Once they were done, Aunt Clara started to clear the table, but with a glance at the clock, a look of panic crossed her usually calm and collected features.
"Oh heavens, we're late." She left the plates as they were and cleaned her hands off with a towel that had been thrown over her shoulder. Jane and her mother were quick to gather themselves, thankful that Jane's bag had already been packed and sat by the door. They slipped into their coats and Clara grabbed Jane's single bag as they slipped out the door without a second thought. Jane was barely able to grab one last glance at her aunt's home as she was dragged into a taxi and away from the life she knew.
Xxx
At the train station, Jane barely had any time to say goodbye. The train was just about to pull out of the station when they tracked down one of the military men that was a part of the evacuation staff, in charge of getting all the children on the train. Once Jane had been checked in and led to her carriage, the man tried to usher her onto the train, but her mother stopped him, wanting a chance to say goodbye to her only child.
"Ma'am, we really have to get this train rollin'." He warned.
"I know, I know, just one moment. Please." There were already tears in her eyes and the man let out a deep breath, giving a curt nod and standing to the side, hovering to let them know they didn't have long. Her mother turned back to her daughter, holding her shoulders and pushing a stray hair away from her face, "Jane, darling," she paused, trying to keep herself together but there was no point. Jane was just as close to tears as she was. She wrapped her arms around her mother's frame and simply took in what might be their last embrace. But it was cut short, the evacuation officer giving them their final warning and they hugged just a bit tighter, if that was even possible.
"I love you so much, Mum."
"I love you, too, Janey." She pulled away and Jane had just a moment to hug her aunt Clara, thanking her for everything she'd done for them before she was ushered onto the train. The evacuation officer closed the door behind her and signaled down the line that the last child had been seen to. From the window of the door, Jane waved goodbye to her family until she couldn't see them anymore. When they were out of sight, she felt the smile slowly fade from her face and her arm fall to her side. This was it, she was completely alone. This thought affected her more deeply than she thought it would and she took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it go. If there was ever a time to be strong, it was now. She grabbed her one bag and started her search for an empty seat.