Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: Z, baby, please. Talk to me. *sinks to floor on the other side of bedroom door* Z, I'm sorry. I just... Bug was my child, too. You aren't the only one that lost a child, I lost one too. Z, please, don't shut me out... If you need me... know that I love you, this doesn't changed that...

"Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few."

- Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965), 60th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Berlin, Germany

4:30 P.M.

"So... let me get this straight... you spent your time at University printing and distributing leaflets?"

Adrian nodded. The two young men were heading back to his place after spending an hour and a half at the cafe down the street. They'd caught up, telling each other of the goings-on in the other parts of Germany during the war; and no matter how Conrad pushed, Adrian refused to reveal whatever he'd been hiding earlier. But that wasn't on his mind as he led his best friend up the steps and into the brick townhouse his family owned.

The two boys were so caught up in their conversation, that they didn't notice the young woman leaning against the window in the living room as they entered the house, peeking through the window to catch a glimpse of the outside she so longed to be a part of. "We... as strange as this seems, we were doing good, Con. All of us were-" He led his friend into the kitchen, pouring two cups of coffee before leading him into living room. They then settled on the sofa in the living room in front of the window, still engaged in their conversation, although the sight of something moving behind him caused Adrian to turn, eyes widening in shock. "Um... may... maybe we should go into the kit-"

But before he could finish, footsteps bounded downstairs, and Cora came careening into the living room. Instantly, Conrad's attention was drawn from his friend to the sixteen-year-old, who flung herself at him with an excited cry. Fortunately, Cora's distraction gave Adrian enough time to lift Zara from behind the sofa and walk her behind him, back towards the foyer and the stairs that led to his room. "My God, you've grown so much, Corinna! Say it isn't so!" Conrad stood, wrapping the girl in a hug before something dawned on him. "Wait... Ad said that you were sick, and that he didn't want me catching whatever you had-"

Her brother stopped, back to the foyer; behind him, Zara tried to peek around him to see this new stranger, but Adrian kept cautiously pushing her back. "Sick? No, why would I be sick? I came home from school, yes, but that's because..." She stopped. "Bad things happened to the teachers today." The girl bit her lip, glancing at her brother, brow furrowing. She then turned to Conrad. "And.. why wouldn't he want you to come inside? Unless... oh!"Adrian's eyes widened in shock, and he shook his head at her, silently mouthing orders to her that she keep her mouth shut. "Unless Adrian didn't want you to see Zara and Eva."

Conrad turned to his best friend. "Zara and... Eva?" It took a few minutes for Adrian to think of something to say before he moved away from the doorway.

"They're Cora's... imaginary friends that... live in the walls." He replied, going to his sister after making sure Zara had disappeared into the shadows of the foyer. "We've tried to get her to stop playing with imaginary friends, but... she's too imaginative to completely forget them. Right, Cora?" He asked, grabbing his sister's arm. The teenager looked at him.

"But Brother, I don't have any imaginary friends. Zara and Eva aren't imaginary. Why do you keep saying they're imaginary? They're real. You've kissed Zara. And if Father ever caught you kissing a Jewish girl like Zara-"

"Jewish girl?" Both turned to Conrad, who stepped closer, eyes wide with a mixture of curiosity and shock. Adrian grit his teeth, tightening his grip on his sister's arm.

"Verdammt, Cora! Can't you ever keep your mouth shut?" The girl studied her brother, confused as to why he was so upset.

"Why are you so angry, Brother? Don't you like having Zara and Eva stay with us?"

"Um... excuse me." The siblings turned to Conrad, who was now thoroughly confused. "But who is Eva? And... who's Zara?"

"I... I am Zara." All three turned as the owner of the voice stepped into the room, twisting her fingers together out of nervousness. Her dark eyes darted from the siblings to the stranger in the living room, whose eyes had widened even further. She shrank into herself, suddenly regretting making herself known, despite the curiosity that tugged at her. Although when she looked at the stranger now, she realized he was about Adrian's age, maybe a little older, with golden wheat hair and eyes as blue as the sky now forbidden to her. He was slender, like Adrian, and maybe a little taller.

Quickly, Adrian let go of Cora and rushed to her, taking her arms in his grasp. "I told you to go upstairs, where it was safer."

She met his gaze. "But... I... I was curious... I wanted to see what your friend looked like-

"Zara, the last thing we need is you getting caught. If anyone sees you, we could all be sent to the camps-"

"I won't tell." The couple turned back to Conrad, who wore a glimmer of mischief in his blue eyes as he studied the pair. Adrian narrowed his eyes.

"Con, what are you thinking?" The older boy shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I won't tell that you're hiding Jews."

"What's the catch?" Adrian pulled Zara closer, not trusting his best friend for the first time in his life. "Con, I swear, if you go to the Gestapo, I'll kill you myself-"

"I'm not going to the Gestapo, Ad." He shrugged, glancing back at Cora before turning back to his best friend. He bit his lip. "Because my family is hiding Jews, too."