Heil Freedom
A/N: All right, I know you're all just screaming "Why, Tobias? WHY?!" And I'm not too sure on the German translations, so forgive any errors.
DISCLAIMER: I own not a single person.
Chapter 2/ Night of Broken Glass, Night of Broken Heart
November 9, 1938 – 7:30 PM
"Boys!" Herr Mandel screamed. "You have all heard of the murder of one of our own by the verfluchte jude in Paris! You see how the Jew Bolsheviks will try to take over the Fatherland! Der Führer has ordered action against the Jews all over the Reich tonight! You will break into your groups and your group leader will instruct in the measures to be taken tonight!"
"Herr Dietrich, the instructions for tonight," Herr Mandel passed Tobias a sheet of paper. "Be sure your boys are well aware of the consequences if they damage Aryan property tonight."
"Of course." Tobias answered. "All you in Group 13, over here!"
A team of 12 boys between ten and seventeen years old assembled.
Measures to be taken against Jews tonight.
As a result of the death of Embassy Secretary Ernst vom Rath in Paris, anti-Jewish demonstrations are to be expected throughout the Reich tonight. The following instructions will be observed:
1. Demonstrations against the Jews and their synagogues will take place shortly. Measures will be taken to protect German lives and property (E.G., synagogues may be set on fire as long as there is no danger of spreading flames to neighbouring buildings).
b. Jewish shops and homes may be destroyed but not looted.
c. The officers assigned this duty will proceed to arrest as many Jews in all districts as the available jail space will hold. Primarily well-to-do Jews will be chosen.
"Now, Hitlerjugend of the Berlin Division, you have your assignment, you have your neighbourhoods. Now load the trucks and go forth and chase the Jews out!"
The sounds of wild cheering unnerved every Jewish and non-Aryan occupant in the area. What were the Hitler Youth planning? It certainly wasn't an innocent camping trip.
"Cassie, tell me you're not going out there." Michelle Johansson shivered as the cheers became louder, and closer.
"I promised Rachel I would come over there tonight," Cassie replied, shrugging on her coat.
"No, Cassie, let me rephrase that," Richard Johansson stated. "You are staying right here. No telling what those madmen are doing tonight."
"I'll be careful, Daddy." Cassie laughed, going towards the door.
"Cassandra Lauren Johansson, you step away from that door!" Richard roared.
"Oh, if it'll make you feel any better, I'll stay here." Cassie sighed. "But I'm calling Rachel to let her know."
She picked up the receiver and dialed the Berensons. "Hey, Rach? Something's brewing out there with the HY tonight. I'm not going to attempt going out there. What? It's down in your end, too? Ay… Yeah, well, I'll see you another time." She hung up and hung her coat back up in the closet and looked out the window.
What seemed like thousands of Hitler Youth and SS officers were flooding the streets, screaming phrases such as "Deutschland uber Alles!" (Germany for the Germans!) and "Verrecken juden-schweine!" (Die Jew-pigs!)
"Mama, what they doing?" Sara whimpered. "Mama, why are they all screaming?"
"Sara, darling, come away from the window. And close the curtains. Jordan, go lock the doors. Rachel, go check and make sure the windows are all closed." Naomi ordered.
"You really think that's going to stop them, Mother?" Rachel asked wryly, but did as her mother asked anyhow.
"What did we ever do to them, any way?" Jean asked bitterly.
In unison, Tom, Jake, Rachel and Jordan responded, "We existed."
"You didn't hear about the Embassy Secretary, Mother?" Tom asked, looking much older than his 21 years.
"Ernst vom Rath, the one who was murdered? Yes, I did." Jean responded.
"He was killed by a Jew." Jake said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"And since we're Jewish, we are now part of the plot to overthrow Hitler and take over the world." Rachel added.
"That's ridiculous." Steve scoffed.
"That's what they think." Jordan finished, glaring out the window. "These are supposed to be the best years of my life. And I'm spending it wondering if I'm going to die today or tomorrow."
"Tell me about it," Jake, Rachel and Tom agreed.
"I'm sure England and France and America will intervene soon," Naomi said nervously. "It can't go on too much longer."
"Mother, Hitler has already broken virtually every law set in place since the Great War and England, France and America have done absolutely nothing."
The sounds of crashing glass and shots ringing out made the adults, including Tom, Jake and Rachel, frown.
"You guys, I don't think they're going to stop." Tom muttered. Jake and Rachel looked at each other momentarily, then said softly, "Fraulein Ava."
"What?" Everybody else asked.
"Fraulein Ava, in Tobias' apartment complex. She said if something like this were ever to happen in Germany, to come to her apartment." Rachel responded.
"I'm not even going to ask how you know this woman." Jean muttered.
"Now comes the difficult part." Tom muttered. "You four are all Aryan-looking. If you time it right, they won't notice you when you go through the streets. Throw a couple rocks. Look authentic. Jake, throw this on." He tossed him an outfit. "Should stop any suspicions."
Jake looked disgusted. "I'm not even going to ask why you have an Hitler Youth uniform."
"They don't mess with each other." Tom continued. Jake sighed and muttered something about having to burn himself to ashes when tonight was over, then disappeared into one of the bedrooms and emerged a few seconds later, looking sickened.
"Freaky," Tom commented. "Now, Jordan, here." He tossed Jordan another outfit.
"Now this, I really don't want to know." Rachel muttered and Jordan disappeared into the bedroom, coming back out in the girls' Hitler Youth uniform.
"I feel like such a blasted traitor."
"All right, go. Sara, remember not to say anything about Jews." Tom said quickly.
"All right, Tom." Sara said, still looking at Jake apprehensively. She was clinging to Rachel's sleeve, then reached for her coat, only to have her hand slapped away by Jordan.
"You dummkopf!" Jordan hissed. "There's stars on our coats!"
"Ow!" Sara whined.
"Now, guys." Jake said through gritted teeth.
The four disappeared out into the crowds as they were turning onto the street.
Throughout Berlin, it seemed, it was all similar. Hitler Youth and SS officers were arresting Jewish men left and right and setting fire to every synagogue they found, after herding Jewish women and children into the synagogues to their fiery doom.
Sara continued to cling to Rachel's sleeve, looking more and more terrified, when a Hitler Youth about Rachel and Jake's age, approached with a girl a little older than Sara, who was looking around wide-eyed. "You're not from the Berlin Division." he said. "I don't think you're even Aryan. Sure, you look Aryan but we can never be too sure, can we? Produce your papers."
Jake dug a shaking hand into his pockets and found nothing. "I left them at home by mistake," he bluffed. "I was just going to retrieve them now."
"No Aryan leaves their house without their papers." The boy smirked. "You're Jews! Oy! Jews over here!"
Immediately, they were swarmed by HY, eager to throw a punch. Instinctively, Jake and Rachel swung back while Jordan tried to battle her way out with Sara.
"What's going on here?" a forceful, yet familiar voice yelled.
"Herr Dietrich!" the boy who'd discovered them said, standing up straight. "Jews trying to escape!"
Jake and Rachel stopped fighting. Dietrich? Tobias Dietrich? Was Tobias even Aryan? Why would Tobias be here?
Like Moses parted the Red Sea, the Hitler Youth made a pathway for an SS officer, in full uniform, who snapped, "Return to your activities, boys. I'll handle it from here."
"Yessir, Herr Dietrich!" Each boy scrambled off, except for the one who'd called them in.
"It was you, Rudolf, who captured these Jewish swine?"
"Ja, Herr Dietrich. Trying to pass as Aryan Hitler Youth. They did not produce the proper papers."
"Good, Rudolf. You may return to your duties and I will see if Herr Fritzenfeld does not have room for another SS trainee. At the very least, I will inform Herr Mandel and you will promoted to the status of Elite Hitler Youth."
"Danke, Herr Dietrich." The boy gasped and ran off.
"Traitor," Jake hissed as the four got shoved roughly into a truck already filled to overflowing with other arrested Jews. He was bruised and bleeding from protecting the girls from the blows issued by countless Hitler Youth and SS officers.
"I have no clue what you're talking about, Jew," Tobias said loftily, slamming the door shut and the truck rumbled off.
"Bloody traitor." Jake growled under his breath.
"Jake, Jake, what's going on?" Sara whimpered as she was crushed against Jake's legs as prisoners shifted endlessly in a futile attempt to get a few whiffs of fresh air.
"Hush, Sara." Rachel whispered, pulling her sister to her side and stroking the silky blonde hair. Jake could hear the sad, confused and betrayed tone in her voice. Poor Rachel was having a hard time grasping the idea that Tobias was an SS officer and didn't care about her any longer, and replacing her with the idea of the Thousand-Year Reich.
"This is bad, isn't it?" Sara said softly.
"No," a stranger remarked sarcastically from across the truck. "This is a great situation."
"Give the girl a break, Enoch." Another snapped. "She's only a child."
"Then why isn't she in Baruch Synagogue with my children?" a third voice chimed in.
"Because our great and merciful God has spared her for His own purposes," yet another voice joined in the conversation.
"Rachel, I'm frightened," Sara whimpered again, pressing her face against her sister's side. "Rachel, don't leave me."
"Hush, Sara, I'm here," Rachel whispered, rubbing Sara's back.
They arrived at a jailhouse and the guards ran the whole group, plus a few other truckloads into cells built for three. They shoved about twenty into one cell.
Surprisingly enough, when Jake, Rachel, Jordan and Sara were pushed into their cell, a surprised voice said, "Rachel? Jake?"
Rachel and Jake both whirled around. "Cassie?"
Cassie pushed her way through the crowd, looking tearful.
"What are you doing here? I thought you said you weren't going out tonight." Rachel asked.
"We didn't," Cassie said, leaning against Jake's shoulder tiredly. "They charged in."
Jake, Rachel and Jordan all paled. "They went into houses?"
"Yeah. They… you know… my parents…" Cassie affirmed, voice trembling. Then her eyes went wide. "No."
"Mom…" Jordan whimpered.
"Mom, Dad, Tom…" Jake muttered darkly.
"It's all his fault." Rachel growled.
"Guess what we discovered tonight?" Jake told Cassie angrily.
"Tobias is an SS officer." Rachel cut in, finally giving up the struggle and letting the tears fall.