Chapter 2

Lilli's POV

"D-disappear?" she stutters with eyes wide and her mouth agape. "What do you mean by that?"

"Think about it." I reply. "If ve vere to go missing, zhey vould have to find us. So, ve could hide out in your old clubhouse in zhe forest und if zhey come for us, zhen ve vill know zhey still care. Und if after one week zhey still haven't even looked for us….vell zhen ve have our answer don't ve?"

"And you think that will work?" she asks. I nod my head

"Unless you have a better idea…." I inquire.

She shakes her head 'no' and replies, " I do not, so I am in, da."

"Good, zhen get as much supplies as you can und meet me at zhe clubhouse at midnight." I say, standing up and walking towards the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" she asks from her sitting position.

"Vell to gather supplies of my own of course. I do not expect you to bring everything." I reply and leave without another word.

I close my eyes and breathe in the scent of the trees as I gradually trudge towards my house. I make a mental note of everything I will need to bring with me when I leave.

I spend the entire walk completely immersed in my thoughts, until I catch the first glimpse of my house, which brings me back to the real world. I've lived in this house for my entire life, well, excluding when I am at war. It might be a while until I see this place again, yet, I am in no way sad when I reach the front door and turn the knob. This house I used to call home now feels cold and empty, doubled by the silence that leaves my heart screaming and the part of me that is still a child wishing I could break everything in sight in a violent tantrum that would have to be acknowledged.

"Hello?" I shout as I enter through the front doorway. "I am home!" no answer…figures. I begin to search through the house, looking for any sign of a presence that is not my own.

I walk down the hall toward my bruder's study and begin to hear him shouting in our language, no doubt over the phone. I wait outside the door for what feels like an eternity, just listening, silently begging for the conversation to end so that I may enter the room. I know better than to interrupt. I am about to give up and just go to my room, but am stopped when I hear the words "auf wiedersehen" and the sound of the phone being placed back on the receiver. Finally

I knock on the door three times before entering. I clear my throat to try and gain my bruder, Germany's, attention. He doesn't stop writing on the paperwork on his desk. He doesn't even lift his gaze to me for a second. He simply makes a "hmm" sound and continues with what he is doing.

"Uhm….I-I am home." I stutter quietly picking at the ends of my shirt for a reason I am not quite sure. At this he stops working, but still does not lift his eyes to meet mine.

"And…?" he asks, obviously disgruntled by my interruption of his work, before continuing his work.

"I've been gone all day." I explain. "I thought you might have been wondering vhere I vas." I don't know why I am in here saying this. I know he hasn't wondered where I've been. I think I'm just clinging onto the last hope that maybe he hasn't completely stopped paying attention.

He finally lifts his head and his pale blue eyes meet my identical ones.

"Is there anything else?" he asks "I am very busy." It is now my turn to avert my eyes. And with that my last hope is crushed. I silently shake my head 'no' and turn my back, immediately hearing the resuming scratch of the pen across paper. I exit the room making sure to close the door before making my way down the hall to my bedroom, fighting the hot burning of tears in my eyes and swallowing the lump in my throat.

It is now 11:15 p.m. according to my watch. I tiptoe through the halls of our one-story house home with a backpack full of supplies, including clothing, food, an army knife for protection and $300 worth of emergency cash.

I cover my ears as they are assaulted by the sound of my oldest bruder, Prussia, snoring loudly, passed out drunk on the couch, the floor around the couch littered with empty beer bottles. I give up on tiptoeing and simply walk towards the door paying no attention to the volume of my steps. An earthquake wouldn't wake him up. I take in a deep breath and turn the knob as slowly as possible, pushing the door open carefully to prevent it from creaking loudly. With one final glance back, I step out into the harsh winter, expecting the previous burning in my eyes to return, but it doesn't. I turn and walk in the direction the woods are located with dry eyes and not once must I swallow the lump in my throat I wish I could bring myself to feel.