Frankfurt, Germany- November 1939

~KURT~

"Die Jüdische Frage"

Kurt stared at the gold lettering on the front of his textbook letting his eyes follow the curve and twist of each letter.

"The Jewish Question"

His instructor had given each student in class the same book that morning. They were to start reading the first chapter and take notes. It was time they learned about the vermin of their society and what they could do to eradicate them, their instructor had said.

"But why though? They haven't done anything wrong." Kurt questioned.

Kurt's stepmother had wondered why he had come home with a purple bruise stretching across his cheek.

Each student had also been issued a package, which contained their uniform that consisted of a khaki longed-sleeved shirt and black tie, and black dress pants complete with a standard military hat. The Hitler Youth they were called. They tried to disguise what they were doing with a certain amount of professionalism, but Kurt knew what it really was. Brainwashing. The Third Reich wanted to form the younger generation so that they might follow in their footsteps in the future.

It was scary, Kurt thought. How the opinions and ideologies of one man could spread across an entire nation and beyond. Since Hitler had been appointed chancellor, everything had changed dramatically. Though the general population had been excited for his new regime in the beginning, it was not so much anymore. No matter how bright the sky was, no matter how much of a good mood you were in, no matter how much money you had, there was always an underlying tension hanging in the air.

Kurt missed the way things had been before when one could walk freely down the street without seeing army officers strolling along or hearing the loud rumble of airplanes flying overhead. Nowadays, there was a curfew. There were also food rations being given to every household since the beginning of the war. Innocent civilians were being evacuated from their homes and deported. It had happened to Kurt's friends. He was walking to their house so that he might be able to spend time with them, as he did almost everyday. But Jake and Noah were gone, their house left wide open with people walking in and out, carrying away their belongings. Kurt walked into their home and looked through all the rooms, remembering all the joyful times he had spent here, remembering the happiness that always seemed to be present in this house. He thought that if he looked hard enough, he might be able to find them, hiding in a corner playing hide-and-go-seek as they had when they were younger. But the house was only empty now, except for the few stragglers that were taking what was left of the Puckermans family belongings.

Kurt ran away and cried into his pillow that night, knowing that he might never see Jake and Noah again, knowing that things would never be the same.

Kurt was also scared for his own life. Not only was it Jewish people that were being taken away, but anyone that was considered too different; the mentally disabled, gypsies, those who were black, and homosexuals.

From a young age, Kurt knew that he liked boys. It was never a sudden realization, just something that he had always subliminally known. He had never taken an interest in girls and never bragged about his crushes to his friends. He would observe his love interests from afar, knowing that the feeling would never be mutual. When Kurt told his family, his father Burt, stepmother Carole, and stepbrother Finn, they held him close.

"We love you so much, Kurt," they told him. And they really did, but they knew that society would not.

It made Kurt sad to think that he could never get married, never have children. It made him sad to think that he might possibly be spending the rest of his life alone.

Sometimes Kurt wondered what his mother would say. She had died when he was ten years old. If he thought very hard, he could still see the beautiful details that made up her perfect face. He could still remember her soft and warm laugh and the personality that made everyone like her. She would be accepting, Kurt thought, or at least he hoped she would.

His friends from school also knew. Artie and Sam were the closest to him, ever since Jake and Noah had disappeared. They were always with Kurt, doing everything they could to protect him. Although Kurt appreciated them, he knew they would never be able to take away the fear that was always present within him.

"Are…are you sure about this?" asked Sam, when Kurt had first told them.

"Yes. I've always known. Just remember to keep it a secret."

"Of course, Kurt" said Artie, with a sad voice.

Other than Artie, Sam, and his family, Kurt's sexuality was something that he kept to himself. Kurt knew that hundreds of people were being deported from the city everyday. Kurt didn't know where, but he knew he didn't want to be among them.

Glancing out his bedroom window, Kurt became horrified at the scene on the street below. A man, holding nothing more than a small suitcase, was being forced out of his house by an officer. The man had a band wrapped around his upper arm, with the Star of David on it. A woman who Kurt guessed must have been his wife, was screaming and crying, yelling his name, reaching out for her husband while being held back by another officer. The thing that shocked Kurt the most was the calm look on the man's face, almost as if he had consented to what was happening and had already accepted his fate. He was led into a truck, which was filled to the brim with several other men.

Although Kurt wished he could stop what was happening, he was glad he wasn't one of them. As the truck drove down the street, Kurt watched, seeing the man that was staring longingly at his home, at his wife attempting to run after the truck. Kurt watched until the truck turned around the corner.

Kurt was still young, only fourteen years old. During wartime, the one thing that a person wants the most is to stay alive.

~BLAINE~

Blaine sat in the plush chair in the living room, across from his mother. He watched as the sewing needle threaded its way in and out of the fabric, stitching the gold star onto the front of his coat.

"Jude" itread, in bold, black letters.

Jew. Why was that such a bad thing?

"Do I really have to wear that, mother?"

"Yes, Blaine."

"Why?"

"Because we have to. It's the rules"

It was one of the several strange rules that had been put into place in the last few months. That and not being able to use public recreational facilities, not being allowed to own a radio, only allowed to go into Jewish stories, not being allowed to own a business, not being allowed to use public transport, and having an even tighter curfew than the rest of the city, were just some of the things that had been added to the list.

Blaine was afraid of doing anything anymore for fear of getting caught.

"It's best to stay off the streets." his father had told him.

Snow had begun to fall lightly the night before and a thick blanket of it covered their apartment balcony. It was too cold to be outside anyway, Blaine thought.

Even if the whether was warmer, Blaine would have preferred to stay inside within the confines of his own home. It was too great a risk to go outside alone. There were constantly officers patrolling the streets, looking for any reason to take someone away, particularly if they were Jewish.

They still left the house, but only on days like today, when it was absolutely necessary. Despite the fact that there was a war going on, education was still one of the first things on Blaine's list of priorities. After the rules had been passed as laws, Blaine had had to transfer over from the regular public school to Dalton Academy, which was a school for Jewish boys. It would be horrible leaving behind all his friends, those he had grown up with since he was a young child, but at least he would be around his own kind, especially since they were all boys.

Blaine was always quite popular at the public school that he had previously attended. He made many friends and all the teachers knew who he was. The girls who attended that school seemed to gravitate towards him as well, but Blaine never took any interest in them. None of them ever caught his eye.

Blaine was only interested in other boys.

It was something that no one else knew, not even his own parents, except for his brother Cooper. Blaine was thankful he had someone like Cooper in his life, who was there to guide and protect him, even if no one else would. Cooper understood that Blaine couldn't change who he was, even if he wanted too. He understood that it wasn't some sort of illness or infection. Cooper understood that it wasn't a choice; it was part of who Blaine was.

"I'll love you always, little brother." Cooper had said once.

Blaine hoped that that was still true, because he needed his older brother now more than ever.

As his mother finished sewing the star onto the coat, Blaine couldn't help but think how his mother would react if he told her that he was gay. Would she still love her younger son? Or would she turn away, as Blaine his knew his father would. Sometimes, Blaine wished that everyone were thought of as equal, that there was no one who was at a higher level of superiority. It would make the world a much nicer place.

"All done, darling." said his mother.

Blaine stood up and straightened his tie and smoothed out his navy blue blazer, the standard uniform of Dalton Academy. He took his black coat from his mother and buttoned it up, inspecting himself in the hallway mirror. Everything was in place, from his black shoes and navy blue pants, to his slick gelled down hair. Blaine wanted to make a good impression when he walked in those school doors. Although he wasn't keen on attending this school, he was determined to make the best of it.

Cooper came up behind him; wearing the same uniform as Blaine and making sure that his yellow star was pinned to the front of his coat as well. Both boys made sure that they had their identification cards in their pockets. The consequences would be harsh if they didn't.

"Have a good day. Stay together please." their mother said.

She pressed a kiss to both of their foreheads, hugging both boys close. In times like these, you never knew when you were going to see your family members again and it was always important to treasure them so.

So together, Cooper and Blaine left the apartment building and began walking to school, their tan colored satchels slung over each their shoulders. Though it was cold outside, they were forced to walk. Streetcars were forbidden to those who were Jewish.

From afar, Blaine and Cooper saw an officer approaching and they readied their identification cards.

"Stay calm, little brother. Nothing will happen if you just stay calm."

"I know."

After suffering extreme scrutiny from the officer, who spat on their identification cards and eyed their yellow stars suspiciously, Blaine and Cooper continued on their way to school.

As they walked down the mostly empty street, it was quite early in the morning; they passed by a group of boys, also dressed in school uniforms, waiting on the side of the street for the streetcar to come.

Those must be them, thought Blaine.

They were all dressed similarly with a noticeable swastika on a band that each of them wore around their arms. Blaine had heard of these adolescents, the same age as himself. They were often called the "Hitler Youth".

The group of boys yelled at them and kicked snow and threw rocks their way as Cooper and Blaine walked past.

Blaine could feel the tears stinging his eyes.

Cooper put his arm over Blaine's shoulder and said, "Keep walking. Don't look at them or respond. It'll give them all the more reason to come after us."

So Blaine did what his older brother told him to do and continued to stare at the ground until they reached the school.

Both boys separated from each other as each went to their respective classrooms.

"Remember to wait for me at the front doors. Don't go anywhere by yourself." Cooper instructed Blaine.

"Ja, bruder." said Blaine.

"Yes, brother."

~KURT~

Ficken.

Fuck. Why is it so cold? It's not even December yet, Kurt thought. He observed the foggy breath that emitted from his mouth as he waited with his classmates for the streetcar to arrive. He was standing next to Artie and Sam as all three boys huddled together, attempting to create warmth between them. The other boys were chatting enthusiastically about the upcoming day, while Kurt, Artie, and Sam remained quiet. The three boys never shared the opinions of the instructors and never agreed with what they were being taught, but dared not speak against them. It was too dangerous.

"Wo ist die Straßenbahn?" asked Artie.

"Where is the streetcar?"

"Running a little late. Maybe one of the new requirements is that we freeze our asses off as well." said Sam.

The three boys chuckled, grateful for the joke, which was something that was rare nowadays.

As they were talking to each other, they heard jeering and laughs from the other boys and so they look over to see what could possibly be so funny.

Their classmates were calling out names and kicking snow and dirt to two other boys that were walking by on the street. Kurt noticed that both of them had yellow stars sewn to the front of their jackets. So that was why.

Sam, Artie, and Kurt stayed quiet and averted their eyes to the ground, wishing they could help but knowing that it would cost them their own lives if they attempted too.

As the two boys walked right by Kurt, one with his arm over the other, Kurt looked up for a brief moment.

It seemed as though the world stopped had suddenly stopped.

One of the boys, the shorter and most likely younger one Kurt guessed, had the most beautiful face he had ever seen. His eyes were a dark chestnut brown. His lips were perfectly shaped and he had slightly triangular eyebrows, which Kurt thought peculiar but strangely attractive. The boy's curly hair was gelled down to his head and shined in the early morning sunlight.

He was so perfect. Kurt's heart started beating faster, much more than it should have. He was sure his cheeks were turned red, because Sam and Artie were now giggling at him. It was only then that he realized that he was blatantly staring at the boy.

As the two boys disappeared at the end of the street, Artie started with the teasing comments.

"Schauen Sam. Kurt hat einen neuen Freund!"

"Look Sam. Kurt has a new boyfriend!"

"Shut up Artie." Kurt said.

"Well it's true."

"I never said anything when you tried to go after Brittany."

Artie's face reddened with embarrassment as Sam nearly fell to the ground with laughter.

They all remembered that time when Artie had tried to ask a girl named Brittany out, after which she rejected him in front of their large group of friends, downright humiliating himself.

It was hilarious.

"At least I have a zero chance of being rejected, Artie."

"Aren't you going to talk to him? "

"No…" But Kurt thought otherwise. He so desperately wanted to talk to the boy, but he knew he would be judged for associating with a Jewish person. People would start asking questions.

Before Artie could say anything else, the streetcar arrived and the boys boarded on their way to school.