A/N: All bolded words are Death's personal additions. I tried to keep this as true to the style of the novel as possible.
The book thief sat silently on the ground, allowing her knees to be singed by the stones beneath, their hot breath burning scars into the soft flesh there that she would always remember. It would be a permanent physical reminder of the pain she felt. And in a rare display, she cried.
As the thunder of hundreds of marching Jewish feet faded into nothing more than a hum in the background, a solid hand came to rest on a shaking shoulder. The girl looked up. It was Rudy.
His arms engulfed her, pulling her close, so close that she could smell him. Through Liesel's nose, he smelled like sweat, mud, and bread.
Memories flooded the book thief's mind, pictures flashed violently before her tear-brimmed eyes. She remembered the stealing, the fighting, and then the bread giving. Images of Rudy with his medals and him protecting the innocent burned through her vision, setting her emotions afire. The realization hit her. Rudy Steiner really had changed.
A Small Addition of Words
Rudy Steiner:
The boy with hair the color of lemons
was not the same boy he was before
because Liesel Meminger had changed him
His head hovered over her shoulder, his mouth was next to her ear. "Liesel…" His voice trailed gently through her ears. "I'm sorry."
It was in that moment that the girl decided. She broke out of the embrace and did what she did best. She watched. And what I saw through that girl's eyes still haunts me to this day. She did not see a boy.
She saw a man.
Now, I knew that Rudy could not fill the void left by Max Vandenburg, and I am almost sure that Liesel knew it as well, but that did not stop the boy from trying. And that didn't stop Liesel from letting him try. After all, he certainly didn't have anything to lose.
Rudy's hands cupped her dirt-streaked face, his bony fingers smearing away her salty tears to expose the soft skin beneath. But despite the lingering desire in the boy's eyes, he could not bring himself to violate the friendship he had held so dear. Despite his late night longings and dreams of something more, his resolve held true and he did not act. And despite my own bets against it, Liesel was the one who made the choice. She moved first, and he moved second, hence, a connection was made. Two people as one, in what humans believe to be the most sacred of acts.
Her actions may have been preordained (mostly by me), but she was still careful with him, lips trailing slowly over dirty skin, etching sins into the creases. And yes, in Liesel Meminger's mind, kissing Rudy Steiner was a sin.
And some days, I still continue to think, what if she hadn't kissed him? Would he have lived? Would it have allowed him to leave without a second thought? To escape the impending doom that already loomed over the both of them? But even if that were so, would he have wanted to leave?
The answer is always no.
But no matter how much I wish it could have been, since there is nothing more I have ever wanted than to have seen the book thief happy, it would not be so. Liesel Meminger's life was not destined to be happy.
Because for Rudy Steiner, the hourglass was already running out of sand.
[END]