I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate Mondays and Thursdays!

7th grade is such a drag…I say just throw out every other day of school just for the heck of it-nah more like for my sake, before I go crazy.

Other than that…Get ready for chapter…four? Yeah, four…I think.

XX

Today was another one of those days. One of those days where you sit on your bed starring out the window and the only thing that comes to mind as the rain comes down even harder is, "Days like these help me realize just how much I hate rain".

It was true. Gretel absolutely hated the rain.

It wasn't just because it was the middle of winter (for my sake just pretend it is winter) and no one bothered to remember the certain important holiday coming up. No, it was the fact that it wouldn't even stop raining at all.

It rained at night. It rained even as you woke up and then all the way until you went back to bed. It was like an around the clock over dosage of rain that wouldn't stop until it was content on how shitty you felt. It was even beginning to take over her mind and force un-lady like thoughts to produce like crazy.

At least snow, Gretel begged. Heck, she wasn't even much of one for snow but anything was better than this rain.

At least then she would be able to go outside. Right now it was like one crazy madman of a typhoon.

The least she could do on a day like this was to fix herself a warm cup of water.

With the current stage of weather, that hurled down rain drops faster than you could blink, today's and tomorrow's lessons would be cancelled.

Though, as she pulled herself lazily down the stairs she could not bring herself to care.

At least being bored with someone else would have been better.

The house was silent, even more so than its usual silence. Out-with…what did that mean? In came the people and out they went….

Bruno, he was nowhere to be seen. Gretel's mother wasn't even at the house to fret over the young boy who had left the house no later than an hour ago with last night's leftovers and rain boots.

Father was home, though. But, what difference did that make?

Gretel turned over the boring events of the most uneventful day in her head as her feet met the end of the stairs.

It was cold inside here, but Gretel did not mind. It was a miracle she hadn't even gotten sick yet.

But, here she was, as healthy as ever. Her bare feet padded to the kitchen as the wind howled outside.

No matter how many arguments she had with her mother that morning Gretel would not-absolutely not-be put into a dress.

Today was one of those rare occasions where Gretel would slip on a pair of trousers so large they barely hung on her hips. Today was one of those days where she would pull a shirt over her head, the kind of shirt that was so roomy it went down to her mid-thigh, covering the out-most part of the ugly pair of brown trousers.

So here Gretel was, on a winter morning heading to the kitchen, barefoot and dressed like a man. Oh mother, Gretel hummed, maybe you did give birth to two sons. At least no one will see me like this.

Or at least she thought.

Because, as Gretel rounded the corner to the kitchen something made her stop.

There-for once- was whispering inside of her Father's room, the one that she was never to enter.

It was not the fact that for once instead of practically yelling her Father was whispering that caught Gretel's attention. It was the fact they were talking about her.

Gretel, pretending as if she did not catch on to their whispering slowed down her pace to the kitchen. She walked as quietly and as carefully as she could while she strained her ears to hear the whispering that was now gradually gaining its volume.

"Gretel…daughter…you…if….want." Gretel's strained harder to hear as her Father's voice was soon replaced with a softer voice.

"Yes…-"

Suddenly, Gretel stiffened. There was an indefinite change in the atmosphere. The air was colder, and the rain was turned quiet.

Hastily, wanting to escape the troubles Gretel felt coming for her, Gretel started up her walking to the kitchen.

If I'm lucky, I can get my drink and head back up the stairs without being caught-

"Did you happen to find something interesting that they were talking about, darling?"

Gretel let out a gasp. Her heart was racing as she turned around to the hot, sticky voice from behind her.

The voice belonged to a man. His brick-red hair flamed under the lights of the house and his green eyes shone against the ugly, gray uniform on his shoulders.

He would have been handsome if not for the ugly smirk across his face as he looked down at Gretel.

"I…uh" Gretel stuttered getting nowhere. Her eyes flickered to the kitchen; the route there wasn't blocked but was a definite dead end. She could not try to run up the stairs without colliding into the man blocking her path.

"I asked you a question." The man said firmly. His smirk turned into a hard line and he glared down at Gretel.

"Who are you then, since you are incapable of responding." The man said quite harshly, succeeding in making her flinch.

"Gretel, sir." Her name had never felt so unfamiliar on her tongue before. It felt bitter, but calling him sir was even worse.

Gretel looked back into the man's eyes. They no longer glared. His mouth was no longer pressed to a hard line. And he no longer stood up straight.

His eyes were slightly wide and his jaw was slack. He stayed like this for a fraction of a second before he snapped back up straight.

"Miss Gretel, my apologies miss." He said formally. He dipped his head slightly and grazed his lips against her limp hand.

As he pulled back his body he stiffened.

"The Herr Commandant requests to see you." An angry, stiff voice says from behind them. Gretel peered over the man's shoulder to get a look at the man who had just made his presence.

She winced slightly and took a step back.

I should have known, Gretel said while inwardly sighing.

Behind them was none other than Kotler. The man whose name she did not know of turned on his heel without so much as a good-bye and headed towards the other direction, to her Father's private room.

Gretel's eyes stared at Kurt as he glared daggers into the unsuspecting man's back as he retreated. Gretel snapped her eyes back to the ground as the young Lieutenant Kotler shifted his glare to her. He continued to glare at her as he walked towards her. She was frozen under his glare. Gretel knew for sure she was going to be in trouble now.

Gretel, who had kept her gaze on the floor the whole time, finally looked up as she felt the presence of the man standing over her.

She slowly brought her eyes up to his face.

His face was looking noticeably better. The bags under his eyes had lessened, and his hair and uniform were back to their normal attire. But, that didn't help the burning glare on his face.

"What do you think you were doing?" He demanded harshly. This was it. She was going to get punished for eavesdropping for sure.

"I –uh…was" she stuttered like earlier. Kotler raised up his hand to silence her. Gretel flinched slightly, expecting to be hit. When the blow did not come she slowly looked up.

"Why were you talking to him?" Kotler demanded, no longer questioning. Gretel just stared. What was he talking about? Certainly he did not think she had talked to that man by choice, did he?

Opening her mouth to speak Gretel closed it again once she saw Kurt open his mouth; he was not done with his questioning.

"I do not want you talking to him," the young man stated relenting, "Ever."

Gretel just stood there shocked. The shock soon melted into anger. What right did he have to tell her who she could or could not talk to?

Gretel stepped forward, ready to jab her finger into his chest.

"It's for your own good." Kotler said, stopping her in her movements. Gretel was so close to him she could smell the cologne on his skin, she could feel the steady breathes coming out of his mouth. And she could feel the tremors as he almost began to shake with anger.

Gretel was confused. Why was he angry? What had she even done to make him so angry? All she had done that could have possibly made him mad was talk to that man.

But, as the man only two feet in front of her inhaled a deep breath, ready to throw another accusation at her, she cut him off.

"I think I know what is for my own good." Gretel said, angrily returning the glare that had yet to slip from his face.

"What?"

"I do not need you to protect me, or be doing whatever you think you are doing."

Gretel wanted to let out a frustrated scream. "Beside what you think I am not a little girl! I can do what I want, when I want; on my own. I do not need you telling me the wrongs and rights of my decisions."

Kotler's hands reached up and grabbed Gretel's shoulders tightly. Pressure began to build as he squeezed harder; Gretel tried her hardest to repress the whimper trying to escape her throat.

Before Gretel had time think of what had happened and what was happening she was being pulled.

Her body jerked forward as the young man gripped onto her shoulder and dragged her across the house and near the door to her Father's room. The room she was never to enter.

"Lieutenant Kotler, is that you?" A voice called through the thick wood of the door. Despite the door that blocked the view to both the man and girl, Kotler just nodded.

Weather her Father had the ability to hear or see through doors he responded "Very well, enter." bellowed his voice.

Gretel looked straight to the door then looked up to the face of the man still gripping her shoulder tightly.

As pain shot through her arm Gretel quickly jerked back. The lieutenant's hand lost its hold on the young girl. Gretel, sensing that she had done the wrong thing, began to quickly walk away in the direction of the stairs.

Just going to go to bed and forget this ever happened, Gretel said within her head trying but failing to calm herself.

When her feet brought her into her second steps towards her destination a strong grip returned to her shoulder.

The young Lieutenant was not willing to keep the Herr Commandant waiting, and as he grabbed onto the girl with one strong hand he flung open the door with the other.

Struggling, Gretel froze as soon as the sound of the door opening sounded. She turned her body to the door quickly.

Sitting inside the office chair of the room was her Father.

He looked important. With a uniform sleeker and grander than any of the others. His hair was neatly tucked under the fine fabric of his hat, and his eyebrow was raised at the two.

Bowing her head slightly Gretel knocked the man's hand off her shoulder before looking up again.

"Father."

"Come in, Gretel. The same for you Lieutenant."

Throwing a brief glance at the young man by her side Gretel took a big step into his room.

It was quite fancy; with a large desk and a fine chair in which her Father sat upon. Gretel's Father looked at his young girl as her eyes traced around the beauty of the room.

Beautiful it was, but, Gretel could not seem to shake the feeling of an eerie coldness that settled inside the large room.

Gretel looked back towards her Father as he coughed. His head slightly motioned to the left. Following her gaze in the direction of his indication Gretel looked to two different men in the far-most left corner.

They looked familiar. They both held the same posture as they stood by each other's sides. They both had the same brick-red hair and forest green eyes. They both stared straight ahead as if they had not acknowledged the gaze's of everyone within the room.

"Soldiers." Her Father said simply. As if set to the simple words of 'soldiers' the men seemed to come to life.

Their heads both snapped towards Gretel, both starring at her unemotionally.

Gretel noticed for the first time that she did know them. Or at least one of them. Which one she had talked to earlier, she would not know.

"Well…" her Father said.

Both men stepped forward in the same step.

"Pleasure meeting you Miss Gretel. You may call me Soldier Bryant." Said the man on the right. He stepped forward and took her still limp hand from her side and let his lips graze against the skin of it before letting it drop and step back.

The one the right was more hesitant. "The amount of pleasure is the same for me, I assure you Miss. You may have the privilege of calling me Soldier Skyler (who knows why I came up with these random-crap names)." He said as a small smirk formed on his lips, almost as if he really was giving her a privilege of calling him Skyler.

The man-apparently Skyler- stepped forward and grabbed her hand before Gretel could react. He bowed slightly and grazed his lips against her hand. As he pulled back he slowed his momentum by a fraction.

"Second time of acquaintance is always a charm." He whispered before fully pulling up and straightening. All traces of his former smirk were gone and now replaced with blankness.

"Very well. You're all excused." Said her Father.

Without sparring a glance at either of the twins Gretel gripped her loose trousers and headed out the door.

So much for no one seeing me, Gretel thought slightly embarrassed that they had seen her in such a thing less than formal.

As she grumbled to herself and slipped up the stairs she seemed to forget the question that had started to form inside her head.

Where had Kotler gone?

Instead, that question was replaced with a different though. Not just a thought but a statement in fact.

Stupid, perverted, dense, demanding Lieutenant Kotler.

XX

Was thinking about making this longer but I have a headache and…I'm lazy.

Get ready cause chapter five is coming up soon. Hopefully before five days.

But, I will gladly postpone the chapter I have in mind if any of you have good chapter ideas.