What's this? Two multi-chaptered stories at once? Gasp. Anyways, I hope you guys like this. This is not meant to be racist at all. It is, however, historically accurate. Please drop me a line. Thanks! Enjoy.
The Final Solution
"This is a Jew."
The teacher pulled the boy up by his ear.
"Aang," the girl whispered. She bit her lip, fearing what the teacher was going to do next.
"This is a Jew," the teacher repeated inhumanely. He then proceeded to roughly push the boy back towards his seat on the bench.
He grunted as his chest came in contact with the hard wood. Some childish students snickered at his pain. The girl glared darkly at them and then turned her attention to the boy. She gently placed her hands on his arm and helped him back into his seat.
"Thanks Katara," he whispered softly as the teacher continued his lecture about how to discriminate between a Jew and a Slavic.
Her response came in the form of a hand on his knee, which he then covered with his own. Katara sighed and looked down at her shoulder. She frowned when here eyes came upon the yellow Star of David that adorned the sleeve. Not many people in the class had the mark of the Jewish person on their shirt. Just her, Aang, and two others whose names she did not know.
"What do you do when you see a gypsy?" The teacher asked the class.
"Tell the Gestapo," the class said in monotone unison. Aang had a particular defiance, however. Katara constantly warned him that, while he should maintain his current opinions, he should accept the present state of Germany, and say what the teacher wanted him too. Especially when the teacher already had a particular hatred of him.
"Excuse me, Aang. What was that you said?" Mr. Falsh scowled through his mustache.
Aang stared back. "I didn't say anything," he muttered.
Falsh grabbed his collar, forcing him to stand up. "What was that you said?" he stressed every syllable.
Aang remained silent.
The teacher tightened his grip on his collar, effectively hindering the flow of oxygen. "What was that you said?!"
The boy scowled. "Tell the Gestapo," he finally mumbled.
"Very good," Falsh released his collar, letting him drop back to the bench.
He turned to address the rest of the class. "It appears the day has about ended. I will see you in class tomorrow." Some people in the front row may have argued that the teacher quietly added "if you're lucky".
The students stoically walked out of the classroom, and the boy adjusted his collar.
Two sixteen year olds- a boy and girl- began walking home together.
"Aang, please. Can't you just cooperate?" the girl begged him.
"Bumi is a gypsy," he stated simply.
Katara sighed sadly. "I know Aang, I know. But, please," she turned to him, "Falsh already has quite a vendetta against you. I don't know how much longer it will be before he really hurts you."
He shook his head. "He couldn't hurt me. I'm not a weakling."
"But, you have your little breathing problem. And it's not like you could retaliate!" she exclaimed. "You know what would happen if you were the one who touched him."
No words were spoken after that.
0.o
The teenagers stopped in front of a small apartment building. They walked up the crumbling staircase, opened a old wooden door, and entered.
"I can't believe it started raining!"
The girl blushed and looked down guiltily. "Um, thanks for letting me borrow your jacket," she mumbled softly.
He reached out to touch her arm, and his expression visibly softened.
"You should get some warm clothes on, Aang," she continued. "You're going to catch a cold."
He nodded and walked off towards his room. She sighed and sat down. Katara and Aang had been best friends for as long as long as either of them could remember. So, when Aang's parents died years back, she had invited him to live with her, her father, her brother, and her grandmother.
Lately, however, Katara got a jumpy feeling in her chest whenever he was around. But… no! No, no, no! She was not… falling… falling so very hard…. for Aang. Nope, not falling at all. As that was ridiculous.
Aang walked back into the room and sat down next to her.
"What're you thinking about?" he asked.
Katara's blush deepened. "N-nothing!"
Aang smirked and opened his mouth ready to say something. But then a tall man slammed the door and walked over to the two.
Katara knew when her dad was mad… and he seemed really mad right now.
"What is it dad?" she questioned gently.
"Those Nazis!" he boomed. The children recoiled.
"What did they do this time, Hakoda?" Aang spoke first.
The Nazis had already labeled them with the Star of David. Then they took away everything "modern" in their home- their radio, their telephone, and all other electrical things. They had even made comics about them- giving them hooked noses and beady eyes and fat faces. Which was particularly annoying since Katara was quite beautiful and Aang was quite handsome.
Hakoda sighed. "You two, along with Sokka are going to the ghettos. Those damned Nazis have finally kicked us out of our own home."
Katara gasped. The ghettos!
Aang unconsciously grabbed her hand.
Katara sniffed. "But what about you and Gran Gran?"
"Me and some others are going to sneak out of Germany and go to France to help the resistance. We're sending Gran Gran to Britain because she doesn't have any Jewish blood in her," Hakoda explained.
Gran Gran was Katara's grandmother on her mother's side. Her mother wasn't Jewish. Truthfully, neither Aang's family nor Katara's family practiced the Jewish religion. Unfortunately for them, somewhere in time, one of their ancestors were Jewish, and the title of the "Jew" now followed them everywhere.
"When do we leave?" Aang rose from his seat.
"Tomorrow morning."
0.o
"Why can't I go with you?!" Sokka yelled.
"You're too young," Hakoda argued.
"I'm seventeen!"
Aang and Katara laid down on their bedrolls listening to Sokka and Hakoda argue.
"I'm scared," Katara finally said.
"We'll be okay," Aang replied softly.
"But they already set up ghettos in Poland. And you heard had bad those are."
"Katara we-" Multiple hacking coughs interrupted him.
She sighed, used to these coughs. "Are you okay?" she asked him. Aang had always had trouble catching his breath, and he was always coughing or wheezing.
Aang nodded. "We'll be okay," he repeated.
Katara felt her eyes watering. She turned away from him and gently sobbed into her pillow. Soon, warm arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a hug.
"We'll be okay."
0.o
Or will they? So, a little clarification. "The Final Solution" is what Hitler called his plan to exterminate the Jews. Aang has asthma- his "breathing problem". Katara's mother is dead, but I really didn't feel the need to say that. So, please tell me if you liked it or wanted me to continue. Thanks! Over and out.