Part Two

Chapter Thirteen

"Empty Chairs and Empty Tables"

"I'm worried about you, Hans," said Trudy, the moment Hans offered her a cup of coffee. He didn't say anything except sit in the empty seat next to hers. She made sure it was a silent morning. Too early for the sun to fully rise and silent enough to know, no one was awake. The only noise was the creaking of the floorboards when Hans moved from one side of the kitchen to the other and the snoring of the children in their rooms. It was important they shouldn't hear this conversation. "The boy told me everything."

An ache in Hans's head was beginning to take shape. It was tolerable at first, barely noticeable, but soon manifested into a loud orchestra of deep drums and cymbals against his poor temples. He tried to rub them away while his sister continued to speak. "Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"I would have, if it were a problem," he answered matter-of-factly.

Trudy scoffed, at the very idea, "and nearly killing our little sister, is not a problem-"

Hans slammed his fist on the table. "That was an accident!" he shouted.

It was silent again. The two siblings quickly turned their heads and looked up the stairs, waiting for any signs of awaken children. There were still snores, from what they could hear, and at that Hans slowly faced his sister again and apologised. Trudy took her brother's hand in hers, trying her best to comfort him. She can see what the war has done to him, but she's not afraid. She knows her brother deep down, and believes, what happened to Liesel, was indeed just a one time mishap. "We're all we have now, Hans," Trudy whispered somberly.

Hans nodded his head, "I know."

Up the stairs, a clever Liesel Meminger, lying in her bed, waiting for everything to go silent again. There is a vent in the kitchen which leads all the way up to her room. She can hear the whole conversation, making her breathing heavy and slow so to fool her adopted siblings into thinking she was asleep. She found out, she was very good at fooling her brother and sister, but not Rudy, though as much as she tried.

"What happened that night?" Liesel heard Trudy's voice echoing through the vents, muffled but clear.

Hans dropped his face in his hands, "I don't know," he admitted. "I was washing the dishes when suddenly I could have sworn I saw Mutter standing there with me. I know she couldn't have been there because she's…"

"It's not your fault," Trudy interrupted him, her eyes wetting in compassion and hurt for her brother. She was now holding his hand with both of hers and squeezing it tight. "There was nothing you could have done to save them."

Hans shoved her hands away almost immediately. "I am the soldier! Am I not!?" he shouted again, this time not caring who he woke up. Trudy on the other hand was trying to calm him down. She didn't want Liesel and Rudy to hear this. Thankfully he did as the look in his eyes grew heavier and heavier, "I am the soldier." He stood up and looked out the window. Well not out the window, but at the window; his reflection was clear on the glass if he focused on it. "I took this job to protect you, Liesel, mutter, and vater…" his voice was cracking between words, "I even took in a… stupid stray… a stray Steiner." Dropping his eyes to the floor again his voice was now broken and falling apart, "It's my job to protect all of you."

"You were protecting us," Trudy tried to reason, "and it's a miracle you came back to us at all!"

Trudy quickly stood up and ran to her brother, catching him as he was about to fall, "It was my job! M-my job to -sniff- protect our country, our HOME!"

"You did," Trudy whispered as she held him. He was crying into her shoulder, drenching her sleeve with his salty tears, "You did all you could."

Liesel turned her head holding an almost forgotten treasure underneath her pillow. 'The Standover Man' was a little bent, the cover creased and the pages shedding some of the cracked paint, but Liesel loved it still. It was the only thing left she had of Max. The only bit of proof, to remind her of the jew who lived just beneath the stairs. The man who was like an older brother.

She wished some how she could go back to that house on Himmel. Some how her Mama would be there screaming at Liesel, wondering where she had been, while her Papa was rolling up another cigarette, smiling at her and motioning to a new book on the table. Liesel would smile at them and be glad the event which happened months ago was only a bad dream and she would eat her Mama's infamous pea soup, as if she had been wanting it for years, and she would listen to her Papa play the accordion for hours. Then she would be reminded she had a newspaper to give to Max, making sure the cross word was empty.

It was a nice fantasy, but fantasy was all it was.

Liesel cried silently into her pillow, knowing if she tried to go back to that house on Himmel she would find nothing more than empty chairs, broken beneath the rubble, and a barren table, with no soup to eat, and keep her warm.

READER'S NOTE-

Okay some of you guys have seriously been asking for more Rudy and Liesel kisses and romance, and I'm going to explain why I haven't written so much of it. One being, they are kids and because they are children have yet to truly understand what they feel for each other. Yes they love each other and they are aware of it, but they don't exactly know what that means yet. I try to simplify the romance so it's real and truer. I promise after they are older and more 'mature' (basically when they are teens and hormone raged) there will be a whole LOT of romance between the two characters.

Anway! Thanks so much for reviewing! You guys are REALLY great and I hope you keep reading. Love it, hate it, don't understand it! Please…

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