Boring Disclaimer: No I don't own any of this…well, cept for the idea behind it…THAT'S ALL MINE SUCKERS WAHAHHAHAHAHA.
OKAY so FINALLY! Chapter 1! Stuff actually happens in this one lol. This is going to be a long time consuming haul, so everyone stay with me through the snore parts! I promise it'll get into it soon! *Holds up tight leather pants to Darien. WARDROBE CHANGE! You're almost up!*
Many months passed for Serena and Andrew. Serena's 17th birthday came and went in the sweltering summer heat. Then Andrew's 19th in the fall. The threat of Hitler grew enormous. Andrew sought information desperately, asking what he could, reading old papers, or intently listening to the wireless in the old factory when no elders were looking. The tension mounted in their little Jewish community. The Millers upstairs who employed Serena as house help spoke of Hitler in German tongue so she could not understand well. But Serena felt that this only served to heighten her fear, that this tyrant's name was a black plague. Then it happened. Head lines and radio's exploded with the news of the German demon's advances into neighboring countries and how he captured and destroyed anyone in his way. Not only the Jewish were prosecuted, but their supporters, high government clergy and officials, gypsies, homosexuals, political enemies and other such people not considered to fit the Nazi's "perfect" image. Everyday the reports got more terrifying of the grand army machine, they were efficient seeking, robbing, and killing forces. One by one, the genocide spread out, capturing countries with ease, over running governments, slapping arm bands on Jews to identify them. Stories of Nazi's murdering parish priests at synagogues, taking their large lists of Jewish people and then burning the remains to the ground, struck fear into Serena and Andrew's lives. People around them with enough money saved fled the country, to where…they didn't know. Many bought and stored food ready for hiding in cellars or other such nifty hiding places. Camouflaged rooms behind walls, under floors. One night the Miller family had disappeared…. Serena stood outside their open door looking in. The usually pleasant room was now stark, the floors harsh looking without their rugs. A strange sense of emptiness settled into the blonde's chest at the sight of the ransacked apartment, Serena walked in and sat on the dusty floor in front of the window. It seemed like hours that she sat there…watching dust particles float ethereally in the glass light, turning things over in her mind. This was too close to home she finally decided, this was real. Serena dropped her head into her hands and wept.
A resounding clank rang out above the noise of the factory machinery numerous times. Andrew cursed audibly at the bolt stuck in the Bessemer Pull. He had managed to get it somewhat out, but had bent it then broken it off inside the hole it had dwelled. The tired youth rest his back against his tormentor and set the sledgehammer down to wipe off the film of sweat on his face and uppers arms. Welt covered hands ere in the midst of tightening a suspender when a fellow Jewish factory worker caught Andrew's attention.
"AH! Mr. Anders, how are you?" Andrew said as his dark countenance changed in respect for the elder man.
"As good as a person can get considering the circumstances."
"I'm glad Sir."
"Yes thank you, but I'm not here to chat. Word around says that the factory will be closed tomorrow."
"Really? Why?"
"Seems the Germans will be here very soon. A lot of people have left, and our boss seems to think if he boards up overnight, he could keep them off his trail. He's foolish. Now, your young, take this…" he paused here to hand his listener what looked like a wallet. "Get your things together, and get your sister out of here tonight,"
"But what about the boss, I can't cut out early! He'll kill me!" Andrew punctuated this outburst with a waving of his arm as steam was admitted from the machine he rested upon and a whistle signaling 2nd break sounded out in the background.
"Don't worry about that now, firing should be the least of your worries." The old man grabbed the teen's shoulders, handed him his jacket, and marched him off through the mechanics floor and out into the waning sunlight. It was cold, a far cry from the humid, steam filled, boiler mechanic hall in the steel factory. Andrew shivered a bit, put his hat on, and sprinted off through the dirty streets. It was unusually deserted out, he wondered silently to himself.
"SERENA!" WHAM! Serena jumped sky high as the door flew open, banged off the wall and Andrew skidded into the small room holding his hat on his head. "Look! Just look at this!" With a flourish her brother held out a wallet full of currency.
"ANDY! Oh my God where did you get all that?! Oh no!! You didn't rob anyone did you?!"
"No, no, nothing like that! An old friend at the factory gave this to us!"
"What? Why for? At this Andrew got a thoughtful look on his face.
"You know…I don't know why. He didn't get to tell me before he ran me out of the factory."
"That explains why you're home so early!"
"Yes yes, but this money must be hidden now, here, take my hat and sew some of it into the inside lining. Also, pack your things, we're going on a trip…and I don't mean to come back. Be fast, we leave tonight."
"Perfect Serena!" Andrew exclaimed as he sat his hat back upon his head.
"Thanks!"
"Do you have everything?"
"Yes, I don't need much." Serena pulled the strings on her sack closed then slipped it over her head.
"Good bec-wait do you hear that?" he whispered. At this Serena froze what she was doing and strained her hearing against the silence.
"No, I don't hear anything." She replied.
"Exactly…not one of our neighbors is making noise…usually you can hear them through the walls…" Andrew reached over and flipped the lights off. "Something is wrong…." He then walked over to the front window, opened it silently and stuck his head and shoulders out. Serena felt her heart leap into her throat and pound in her ears. Her breath quickened. A cold wind ruffled Andrew's hair about his face softly. He squinted and turned his head to look about the streets as the wind blew a bit warmer and faster only to get cold again and send a few snow flakes whirling past the youth's ears.
"Do you see anything?" his sister asked warily.
"It's starting to snow." He replied grinning tiredly. Serena's face took on an annoyed look.
"Anything WRONG Andy. Geez, you're so annoy-"
"The wind seems…abnormal…" he abruptly said.
"What?" the golden blonde woman walked carefully tot he window and peaked out. "Why is it abnormal?"
"I don't kno-" in the midst of his sentence, Andrew caught sight of a soft orange glow coming from down the street. Serena noticed his pause and looked around frantically trying to see trying to see what her brother had caught sight of. Her stomach churned uncomfortably and she began to shake slightly as her heart beat sped. Andrew stared hard before a few rats running by in the street below caught his attention. Suddenly it clicked and he felt his breath fall short. His head snapped up.
"What, what is it?" Serena whispered, touching the hand her brother had resting on the windowsill.
"Heat wind." He replied.
"Andrew I-"
"It's heat wind, that's what's wrong, there's a huge fire nearby!" as if on que, shouts became audible to the siblings. "Serena—here, go to the alley window and climb out onto the fire escape!" Serena flew away from the window in a flash, eyes wide as saucers. Andrew shut the window with a bang and carefully watched the shadowy figures run through the streets. The noise got louder from below. The teen grabbed his duffel bag, slinging it over his shoulders and skidded over and out the alley window and onto the fire escape, crouching next to his sister. Serena clutched the front of his jacket.
"Come on, we have to get down." Andrew whispered in her ear. Together the two skimmed down the ladder. Serena jumped first, and as Andrew dropped to the alley floor, the fire escape ladder clattered down noisily after him. But the noise was lost amongst the rabble and gunfire round them. Scared faces of every age threw themselves into the sibling's vision as Andrew spun a tight circle, dodging people swarming around him.
"SERENA!" he cried as she seemed to float away. It seemed as though he was in molasses, sidestepping and pushing his way over to the tiny blonde goal. Finally Andrew's fingers closed upon the scared girl's shoulders as he stood between her and the throng jostling him and slamming into his back. Suddenly an iron fist clocked the teen in the back of the skull. Tiny lights exploded in his vision as he whirled around Serena, jerking her with him before he finally regained his balance. Andrew stared hazily at her…was she screaming? A hand clamped down upon his shoulder and he winced in pain. As the youth turned towards the German words being screamed in his ear, his fears were confirmed when his eyes latched onto the sight of the brilliant red badge around the uniformed arm. A Nazi. Andrew wasted no time in belting the man in the face as hard as he could. " GO SERENA!" he screamed as he grabbed her and disappeared into the crowds. Fires blazed all around the masses as Nazi soldiers raided and burned. Multiple shots rang out above the sibling's heads as they ducked and ran blindly with the people. Once a busy town, now a towering inferno flashed by Serena's tear clouded vision as Andrew pulled her with him. She craned her head around to catch a fleeting glimpse of her retreating home.
"Come on Serena!" she heard her brother yell over the noise. "We can't look back now!"
All right! Well I think that went well. *people boo* o well shut up, I'm doing my best here! ^_^;; So review and I'm sure to get the 2nd chapter up soon, I'm already writing it! Ttyl for now everyone!