Okay. Sometimes I really hate this country. First off, there was the Great War a few decades ago, but I'm not old enough to have gone through it. I'm only 17. Then Wall Street just HAD to crash and ruin everyone's lives and we went through a huge depression. NOW, Hitler's being a power hog, invading countries and whatnot. Then that Mussolini man joined him. Apparently, a country that looks like a boot wasn't enough for him…

Suddenly, Japan decides they don't like us and bomb Pearl Harbor…I still remember that day. Mostly because it was yesterday. Everyone in the boarding house ate breakfast silently after we saw the headline in the Santa Martina Times.

JAPS BOMB PEARL HARBOR NAVAL BASE

There's usually so much talk and jabber what with there being ten people in this house…not including my dad. And, during the Depression, people were evicted from their homes. When I say 'evicted', I mean, the bank was being an ass and kicked people out of their homes. Me and my dad got evicted. But so did Casey and his dad.

So Marissa's family turned their home into a boarding house. They had to be really tight on cash to have people pay them money to live in their house. I'm just happy that we all have a place to live instead of living in shelters and going to soup kitchens.

Anyway, breakfast was scary quiet. All you could hear were the clinking of spoons and bowls. I knew they weren't talking about IT for my sake. Mrs. McKenze made oatmeal with slices of peaches on top. There was a plate stacked with buttered toast in the middle of the table. No one has mercy on me when it comes to buttered toast. When the flurry of hands disappeared there was nothing left. Oh poo…

We all ate silently. Casey kept glancing at me. He was right next to me every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I saw him wrap something up in a napkin under the table. But then it was time for school. Lovely. We're attacked and we have to go school? I swear to you, they'll make us go to school when the world comes to an end.

Marissa had dropped outta school during the Depression to help her mom out with the housework. So me and Casey always walk to school together. I really love that about him. Especially that he doesn't ditch me for one of those rich girls with a car.

As we were walking, he handed me whatever he had wrapped into the napkin.

Three pieces of toast.

…

They let us out of school early. Apparently, there's some big speech from Roosevelt about whether or not America will be joining the war. Oh joy, because I'd really love to send out young and old civilians to go die in the hands of evil Germans and Japanese dictators.

Casey walked me home. I deliberately walked slower. I think I was hoping to miss the radio broadcast. When Casey realized that he was three feet ahead of me, he sighed and said, "You can't avoid this, Sammy. It's going to happen. You know this."

He doesn't know what he's talking about. I can avoid it as long as I like. But he's practically dragging home by my arm.

When we get there, everyone is crowded around that big ass radio. Oops. I forgot. It's not lady-like to curse. That's bull and Casey knows it. He lets me curse when we're alone. When Teddy starts talking, I already wish he'd shut up. No offense. I have great respect for the man who helped us out during the Depression, but I just can't take it.

The speech wasn't long. He was just stating what Japan did to us, as if we already didn't know. And then he declared war.

If my dad comes back, he'll probably enlist to go fight. He'll leave me here. All alone. By myself. With no one else to care about me.

Of course, if he's already dead, I'm already alone. He promised me he would come back. He promised he'd be safe.

He was down in what used to be in Pearl Harbor. He was the captain of the Arizona. The Arizona sunk. But he could've survived. A lot of them had survived. They swam to safety. But my dad can't swim.

Everyone told Mrs. MacKenze not to bother with dinner. I retreated to my room in the attic while everyone stayed downstairs to escape the horror of our predicament. They were listening to a new radio show episode of Suspense. I could the low-voice announcer ominously building up the suspense.

"Suspense, suspense, SUSPENSE!" I loved the way he built up the eerie music. The new show was called The Devil In The Summerhouse . Normally, I'd be glued to the radio, paying no attention to my surroundings. I act like I don't hear the two gossipy nurses behind me saying stuff about me because they think I'm absorbed in the show.

Casey thinks I don't know what goes on around me, which is why he always sits next to me and wraps his arm around me and rests his head on my shoulder. He stays there for the entire half hour of the show.

But I need to be alone now.

Everything in my room is wooden. Its sorta like a Robin Hood treehouse. I lie down on my bed and stare at the ceiling. Thunder roared and rain just falls from the sky. Some rain falls through a crack in the ceiling and starts dripping on my face. Well, that'll be annoying tonight.

On any other day, right about now, me and Casey should be running to get home. Trying not to get wet. The last time it was raining and we were scrambling to get home, Casey let me wear his coat. I love his coat. It's leather and so worn out. It has his scent on it.

My eyes roam the room. They land on the bookshelf my dad built for me. I don't have a lot of books. I have a few Anne of Green Gables books. I love Anne's fiery temper. And there's also The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Of course, I have Robin Hood. And then there's the books that my dad gave me before he left for Pearl Harbor. Nancy Drew.

If my dad is gone, me Robin, Sherlock, Anne, and Nancy are all alone. How pathetic.

"You're never alone, Sammy."

Casey climbs up through the trapdoor.

I scowled. "Whatever happened to knocking?"

"It died out with peace and harmony," he replied with no humor in his voice. "Why so crabby?"

I didn't answer. He walked across the creaking floor and sat next to me. I was still lying down so he grabbed my arm and pulled me up. A drop of water fell from the ceiling onto him. He looked up. "I'll have to fix that."

"You don't have to fix anything, Casey."

"You'll never be alone, Sammy. I swear. I'll make sure of that."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Casey."

He responded fiercely, "I intend to keep this promise."

"We'll see."

" I WILL. Now come downstairs. Kitty is about to die in the electric chair."

A/N: Umm okay, this is just the prologue. The next chapter will take place a few months later. And you know something, I'm kinda pissed. NOBODY is updating. PLUS, I typed four pages on Word for my last story and when I saw it on FF, I was super pissed at how short it looked. I sicken myself. This story sickens me too. School sickens me.

Umm…what else?...Oh, so this takes place during World War II (I hope you already figured that out…) This is like my favorite war EVER. EVERRR. So don't diss my war. Diss the story, not the war. Heeey. I'm graduating on Friday. Wish me luck cuz I just might trip :) Review if you read this because if you don't JIMMY WILL COME AFTER YOU AND MAKE YOU PAY CHILD SUPPORT. Review if you wanna know what the hell I'm talking about.