Chapter 5: December 8, 1937

Nanjing, China

"Yue Lei!"

I heard my mother yelling for me. Life had been hard the past couple of weeks because my father and brother were fighting away from home now. Our city was now the capital, the army had to prepare for a possible attack from the Japanese. I missed them so much and it made me cry to think about them- I knew that I'd probably never see them again.

The Japanese terrified me. They burned women alive and speared babies on tree limbs. There were warnings in whispers about them. They'd hold competitions to see how many they could kill with their swords. There were animals that had more respect for life than they did. And as all this was going on I just kept asking my mother…why? Why were they doing this to us? What had we ever done to them? But she had no answer.

We had only recently moved here from the countryside. Neighboring cities were on fire and we were forced indoors when the wind blew the smoke onto the city. I had nightmares about the fire eating up our houses and my school. The Japanese were like fire demons and pounced on my friends and family. I just wanted everything to be normal again.

While I was running back home I came across some paper on the ground; it was covered with dirt already. I carried it with me to the house to ask my mother about it.

I reached the kitchen but my mother was in her bedroom. I waited by the door until she permitted me to enter.

"You must pack your things. Only what you cannot live without, do you understand?"

I was confused and didn't understand what this meant, "Are we moving again? We just got here."

"I know. I thought it would be safe here, I really did. They are moving so fast and everyone knows they're coming to take the capital."

I sighed because I knew she was right, "Where are we going now? We can't run forever."

That's when I remembered that piece of paper I had found outside in the dirt. I pulled it from my pocket and showed it to her.

She took the paper from me and she wiped her eyes and turned her head away from me.

"You remember that safety zone? The one that some of your friends moved to? That's where we're going. They have guards that will keep us safe when the Japanese arrive, and that seems inevitable."

My mother sounded sad and defeated as she packed some of her finest clothes. It reminded me of how scared I was the first time my mom decided we needed to move. I didn't know where we were going. The room and house we left behind was the one I grew up in. It was a place I wasn't supposed to leave until marriage.

Quickly I went to my own room and started to pack my things again. It seemed like this time I was taking far less….like I thought we wouldn't be gone very long. Maybe I was just realizing that I didn't need as much as I thought I did.

We left our new home that night and journeyed through the darkness to the safety zone.

As it turned out we weren't the only ones leaving our home that night. On the road we met many other families, but none that I knew. We walked in silence, not because of fear but because there was nothing to talk about. It made me think about my brother and dad. I wondered if they were still alive, if they were hurt, or if they were already asleep for the night.

December 9, 1937

When I woke I still wasn't used to sleeping in a foreign place. There were babies crying and the air seemed thick. There was a lot of tension and the borders were heavily secured. That provided comfort because we knew the Japanese were getting closer.

I heard a familiar voice cheer in excitement. I turned around and saw my best friend running towards me.

We met half way and I squeezed her hard, almost in tears. "Finally a familiar face."

"Luo, I thought I was never going to see you again. How long have you been here?"

She finally let go of me, "almost a month now. My grandma took me. It's actually not that bad here. It's bigger than it really looks."

I looked at the guards on the north end and let her show me around.

"There's a market by the university that has the best foods."

She took me by the hand and we ran off to the market. It was like home again, despite the droning sounds of weapons in the distance. The smoke was rising and it seemed to get closer as the day went on, but I was sure it was an illusion.

By darkness I think we were both exhausted. Luo was braiding my hair for me while we talked more about our fears.

"I miss Sun. I think about him almost every second of the day. He's not a fighter and barely knows anything."

Sun was Luo's boyfriend. They had been seeing each other secretly, although not so secretly since her father went into hiding. She was right, Sun was no fighter, but I tried to convince her that his male instinct would be his guide.

"Don't you worry about your father and brother? I'm sure you must…I don't mean it like. It's just- I keep having these images in my mind of the war ending and him not coming home."

She was sniffling and doing her best to control her emotions as she continued braiding. I would often close my eyes and listen to Luo as she spoke. Whenever she confided in me it was because she wanted someone to listen and not speak. I respected that.

"I have." My voice interrupted the silence. "I've thought about going home when this all over and father coming back without brother and vice versa. I try not to imagine losing them both. We could not afford it."

My braid was finished and we traded places, but before that I wiped a tear from her eye and she smiled.

"No tears. Mother says we should not be sad if we lose the ones we love. They're dying for our freedom, so they will die with dignity and honor. I bet Sun is looking up at the stars right now thinking about you. I wouldn't be surprised if he were to marry you once he returns."

She turned around rapidly in surprise, "do you really think so?!"

I laughed, "Of course silly. Why wouldn't he want to marry a girl like you? It will be a right marriage and I know your father would give his blessing on it. Sun is a scholar; he'll soon be a man of the people just like your father."

She hugged me and told me how much I had cheered her up. I was also happy because seeing her so sad was starting to rub off on me.

It was late and we had decided to go to bed. Mom was letting her stay the night and I wondered if it was to keep me happy. If only the night had stayed so peaceful and happy.

Alarms sounded a few hours later and the place was active again. City lights were powered on and mom told us to get dressed. We had no idea what was going on, but I was afraid that it wasn't good. If we had won the war, there would be no alarms.

The Japanese had been advancing our way the entire day. I only hoped this safety zone would work and they would stay away. Could the Japanese even be trusted? Would they respect the laws of warfare? Perhaps instead of worrying about our fathers, brothers, and lovers…we should have been worried about our own safety.