Hidden Under Our Noses

Chapter One: God Must Be Laughing

Ludwig's Point of View

It was so cold. The wind seeped through my clothing, into my war tired limbs. It was so silent. The last of the gunshots could be heard in the distance if one actually paid attention. It was so barren in this snowy hell hole. No one was left standing; all of them were bleeding into the snow covered ground. It was so lonely. I was the only one standing, shacking as I gazed at the snowy front in front of me. This was war. It was nothing heroic or amazing as my brother once described it. Not once did I dream of war being heart-wrenching or cold. I always believed that in war we killed the savages, those we called enemies, then we would be done. No...We did more than that and we all ganged up on our common enemies.
The Jews and the communist.
This started all because of one man and his ideals. I never had any issues with the Jewish and the communist. Neither of them bothered me nor did I really care that they lived amongst us. Of course my brother and father cared greatly; the two were Nazis to the core. They were willing to kill small children if they were not what the Fuhrer wanted. They, my family, aimed to make the world an Aryan world by killing whoever did t not fit the Furher's desires. Even my brother, Gilbert, was far from being part of the master race and still longed for this. I was supposed to take great pride in being part of the elite group of Aryans but how could I at this moment of time? We were killing people for something that was about religion and the color of hair and eyes.
I never said that I was against war and the fuhrer out loud. I would of been killed on the spot. Not like it truly mattered. I was dying as I stood there, blood seeping out of my leg covering my thread bare trousers. My breathing came in pathetic gasps. Darkness was falling over me in a nice dark blanket. I forced myself to move away from the bloodied war zone telling myself a complete lie that all would be fine when nothing truly was going to be. As I moved onwards my legs violently shook till they finally gave out, falling to my knees. The last thing I heard was my name and people running to me.
'Ludwig...'

Roderich's Point of View

I allowed the icy breath of winter fall onto my flushed face; my eyes were directed to the ground as I walked down the streets of Berlin. Silently as ever I walked at a nice normal pace although my heart was pounding against my chest, threatening to burst out. I have always been afraid to walk about the streets of Berlin after I left my home in Vienna. Well I have been afraid since Hitler's rise to power.

This is all because my family is Jewish. We-my parents and I-were not really Jewish to the heart. We brushed our religion off carelessly for we did not really care all we were was a musical family. My mom was a singer and my dad the piano teacher. No one really cared for what religion we were in our neighborhood that was ntil the Nazis took over my beautiful Austria. They began to sneak about searching for us Jews. When they came to our house we never denied it nor said we were Jewish. We were forced to wear the star of David until another fateful day. My parents and I were to go to a work camp. In the cover of night we ran off but my parents were caught; I was ordered (by them) to run and that was what I did. I changed who I was and what I did. I was no longer Roderich Edelstein the pianist but Roderich Schwartz a political man of the Party.
Looking upwards I saw military vehicles speed down the street as if an Italian was behind the wheel. The Gestapo was walking about and the party was all about in these early hours. My heart started pounding harder as I looked at them fear threatening to fall into my violet eyes but I suppressed it. It was just a normal day in Berlin is what I repeated in my mind.
"Roderich!" A voice yelled from great distance. Turning around I saw a coworker running up papers pressed close against his chest. "We have a lot of work. The last battle did not end well," He said heavily; glancing over to his arm he fixed the crimson band. He wore the Nazi's sign with pride; I wore mine with shame; no one could tell.
I gave a small nod, "How many of our men were left Tavin?" I asked.
"One on the main front. His name is Ludwig...something. He was upon the verge of dying when they found him walking to camp. That was over three weeks ago though. We just happened to get the information today," Tavin said as he ran a sun kissed hand through soft golden locks of hair.
I nodded with a lack of interest as we made our way to the party's office. It was a dull quiet walk and even the day seemed dull till the end of my shift. The moment I was to leave was when I was greeted with the most beautiful shade of blond and a soft shade of blue. I could not help but stare for a few long moments , making myself of course look like an idiot but it did not matter. Well it did but not at this moment in time.
"Uh...Guten Tag," The man said a bit unsure an a bit worn, hurt and tired. His uniform screamed soldier causing my hear beat erratically against my chest once more.
"Guten Tag, how may I help you?" I asked. Thanks to Tavin I was alone after my shift once more due to his inability to keep his hands off of his woman. I was suppose to be gone after writing tedious reports that lacked life and I was suppose to deal with visitors (thanks to Tavin). But I could spare just a few moments with the man seeing how, like normal, the next person on duty failed to be punctual.
"I need my reassignment," The man said simply.
"Name?" I inquired.
"Ludwig Beilschmidt."

Ludwig's Point of View

It was interesting to watch this man in front of me. He first stared at me like I was sent from Heaven and now acted like nothing happened. As I watched him look for my assignments his long fingers danced across the files as he searched for mine, a frown on his lip as he put the other files away and let a small sigh escape his lips.
"Will you follow me," He stated walking from his position towards stairs leading to a higher level. My eyes following his very steps. They were oh so perfect and elegant and it was as if he was walking on air. However something was odd about him. Violet eyes were not normal but it was not that. He held a certain air about him that screamed he should not be here. He deserved to be sitting about on piles of money instead of amidst a war of files and papers.
"Roderich!" Someone hollered down the hall.
"Ja?" This "Roderich" replied turning around in one fluid water like motion his eyes on the box the person carried. With another sigh he pushed the glasses that were slipping slowly back to the bridge of his nose before taking the box.
"They need to be finished soon and the next shift has yet to arrive," The person simply said before scurrying off.
Roderich said nothing nor did nothing but continued on his path to an office once there, much to my amusement, he struggled with the door. It may be rude of me to be amused by his struggles but it was funny! He looked like he was going to kill someone as he struggled once he got the door to open he ushered me in.
I watched as he sat the box of papers down on the mahogany desk and pulled a ring of keys out of his pock. Going around the desk he unlocked a drawer. "Beilschmidt, right?" He asked.
"Ja." I replied.
"Well, I have your papers but they are not officia;l give me a moment for I cannot give you them till they are properly documented," Roderich said sitting down in front of a type writer.
"What exactly do you do Herr..."
"Schwartz."
"Herr Schwartz?" I asked unsure. It seemed like he had many jobs not to mention the way his fingers danced on the typewriter gave me the impression of a pianist.
Roderich looked up for a second at me returned his gaze back to his work. "I do what is needed of me. I have no set job for the Party but one thing is for sure is that I have to type up all the formal reports and assure that they get to the right place and make sure that the soldiers are pleased with arrangements made," He said.
"You would seem to be a pianist if one watched your typing," I said as he came to the bottom of the page.
"I use to play..." His voice lowered to a sad tone as he stopped and took the paper. "Well Herr Beilschmidt it looks like you will be staying in Berlin for the time being to allow your wounds to heal. You are a very lucky man for not many come back from the Russian front."
"Luck...Luck had nothing to do with it. All it was from sheer will to leave that Hell."
"Luck or will you are alive."

Roderich's Point of View

He regarded me coldly for moment before nodding. "Yeah alive."
I was only speaking for I felt like dying. The room was a death trap not to mention the fact Herr Beilschmidt kept staring at me. This made me feel uneasy well more uneasy from before.
"Schwartz can I see you?" A tall pure German man said before noticing Ludwig. "Herr Beilschmidt I was just talking about you with your superior. See the party has run out of lodgings at this moment of time and I was going to ask Schwartz if he was willing to house you. He owns one the nicest house out of all of us on this level do to the fact he is the best man in this building. He has made sure to do his job and more. He once took care of an ungodly amount of rebelling workers without spilling blood. And-"
"Sir, I think we get the point," I said with a small tint of red upon my cheeks due to embarrassment.
"Anyways would that be fine with you two? We will find a new lodging for you Herr Beilschmidt soon."
"I am fine with it," Ludwig stated with a pause, "if it is alright with Herr Schwartz."
I looked to the ground for a second then up, "It is fine with me." In my mind I was screaming MEIN GOTT! WHY ME? This was not going to end well. A well known Nazi soldier and a well know party man that was Jewish. God must be busy laughing at me.

AN: Haha! Here it is! If anyone wants to know this is the edited version...just thought to throw that out there.

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