Germany 1936 Chapter 1

I sit on my bed, bored. I think about my best friend Rose. Were not supposed to be friends, though. Actually, Im not supposed to know her, because shes Jewish. She and her family live in the forest, because the Nazis, whose leader controls Germany right now, dont like Jewish people at all. In fact, they want to put them all in prison camps, or kill them. Thats why they have to hide.Ana, calls my grandmother, Come here.I sigh. I live with Grandmother because my parents died. My grandmother is a wealthy woman. She also happens to support Hitler and the Nazis. She does not love me at all. I'm just a problem thrust upon her, just a waste of money and time. Ana! she says again. "Come!"I walk into my grandmother's sitting room. The room is spacious, full of soft sunlight, with light yellow curtains and a soft, carpeted floor. The small coffee table in front of her has a teapot and teacup resting on the edge. Shes sitting in her favorite chair, a tall-backed one, blue, with small yellow flowers, drinking tea. My grandmother is tall, with steel-gray hair that she always has pulled back into a neat bun at the base of her neck, never a hair out of place. Her face has frown lines around her mouth, and she wears long dresses made out of gray or dark brown material. "Ana," she says. "I believe I told you to do the dishes."My grandmother is so wealthy, she could have one of the servants do it instead of me, but I think shes trying to keep me busy."I did do the dishes," I say."Well," she says, taking a sip of tea. "I see more in the sink, so I'm assuming either you did not do them, or there are more to be done."That pretty much means "Go do them."Anger bubbles inside of me."I swear I-" I begin."Ana," she interrupts. "What did I tell you about arguing? Go. Now.""Fine!" I snarl. "I'll go do the dishes if it makes you happy!"I run out of the room, even though she calls after me. I push aside servants as I run down to the kitchen. I get to the white-tiled room, and slam a dirty plate in the sink. It breaks, and sharp pieces of ceramic fly into my hand. I burst into tears.I scrape the broken plate off of the counter, and put it in the garbage can, then walk out to the garden, tears still streaming down my face. I sit down on a large rock, and try to pull myself together. Teardrops drip off my chin and fall into my lap, leaving wet spots on my dress. Finally I dry my eyes.Maybe I should go see Rose, I think. She always cheers me up, no matter if Im sad or angry, or both. I get up from the rock, and start walking towards the woods.I start walking along the familiar path. Right, at the large tree, left, at the stump, until I get to Roses house.I have to admit, for a family that lives in the woods, that has to hunt and forage to stay alive, theyre surprisingly happy. Unlike me. Even though I have enough food, and my life is not in danger if I step outside my house, Im still not loved.Roses house is a small cottage that her family found abandoned three years ago. Her father fixed it so people could live comfortably in it, and it is one of my favorite places to be. The outside is white, although I have no idea where they got white paint in the woods. They have a small garden where they grow fruits and vegetables, and yes, roses and other flowers.I walk up to the door and knock. Anas mother answers.Oh, hello Ana! Please, come inside. I was just making some bread, and we found some honey today. she says. She's always trying to feed me. I always try to repay her, bring her some extra food from the house. I guess all Jewish women are like that. Im a pretty regular visitor, so theyre always expecting me. Obviously they cant come to my house.I love Roses mother. She's short, with long, dark hair, like Roses, that she always wears in a braid down her back. She always wears an apron, and she's holding a wooden spoon in her right hand hand.Rose and Abraham are in the back, hanging up the laundry. Ill go get her, tell her youre here. she says, then turns around and walks to the back door.I step inside the house. The kitchen is bright, full of sun from the open window. The kitchen is small, but I like it. The walls are lined with shelves full of spices and herbs, and they have a small stove they use for cooking. Hi, says Rose, who walks in, her younger brother behind her.Rose looks exactly like a younger version of her mother. Same dark hair, same braid, same warm, welcoming attitude.Hi, I reply.Do you want to go outside to the stream? she asks.Sure, I say.We found the stream one day when we were exploring the woods together, and it became our special place to go together whenever we want to talk privately. When she mentions the stream, I know she needs to talk about something.

Chapter 2

We start walking deeper into the woods, where the trees are so thick, only a few dappled spots of sunlight break through the dark foliage. I love the woods, the cool, wet smell and all the forest sounds around me. I keep pace with Rose until we get to the stream.The stream is more of a brook, rather than a stream. Its in the middle of a wide clearing with soft, green, grass all around it, and small stones making tiny waterfalls in the water. The water is clear, and I can see tiny fish on the bottom, outlined against the smooth pebbles lying there. I stretch out on my stomach, facing the stream. The grass tickles my chin, and I run my hand through the soft blades of grass. I dip my hands in the water and take a sip of the cool, refreshing liquid."Im really worried, Rose says suddenly.I jump, startled at hearing a voice after so many minutes of quiet walking.What? I say.More of our people are being sent to those prison camps, and being killed every day. Just yesterday, Mamas friend Louie was found in the woods north of here, and were not sure what happened to him. At best he was sent to a prison camp, at worst......... says Rose.Suddenly I understand why shes so worried. Shes worried that her family will be the next to be taken to the camps. That her friends and family will be ruthlessly murdered because of their religion. And she cant do anything to stop it.You could run, I whisper. You could run, and never come back.But were not in any danger, she says.Yet, I say.You were just saying a moment ago how worried and scared you are.Everyone is, she replies. At least, every Jewish person is. And anyway, Im scared. I dont want to leave. Suddenly, I hear a sound behind us. I turn around, and recognize a face. Its Albert, the gardeners son. As our eyes meet, he turns around and runs in the other direction, towards my grandmothers house.Oh, no, I say, fear bubbling inside of me as I watch him run. He wouldnt.

Chapter 3

I grab Roses hand and we quickly follow Albert through the forest. The branches slap against my face, making loud noises, which makes it really hard to be quiet. When he enters the house and heads for my grandmothers sitting room, my worst fears are confirmed.Rose and I sneak through the house, and press our ears against the strong wood door of the sitting room. I can just make out the voices on the other side.Youre positive you saw this, comes my grandmothers voice.So he already told her.Completely, Im sure of what I saw and sure of what I heard. says Albert.I turn, and look at Rose, and see my own fear reflected in her face.When I listen again, I hear the sound of the telephone, and hear my grandmother talking.Yes, we need you here immediately. We have definitely found one, and because shes a child, I expect there are more of them.Them. She says it like Roses family are animals. Wild, dirty animals, and thats how theyre treated, too. Like they arent people. Arent equals.And also, I expect youll have to pick Ana up, too, for befriending those people, she continues. Good. Well, thats another problem solved.I gasp. How can she do this to me? Im her granddaughter! Now I know what it feels like to be Rose. To know that people want to track me down and throw me in a prison, or to kill me.We have to get out of here before they come, says Rose, her eyes wide with fear. Now.I know, I say. Just let me get some things together.I run down the hall, pulling Rose behind me, into my bedroom. I hurriedly pack my money, some extra clothes, and the small picture of my parents I keep by my bed into a rucksack.Ana, says Rose, her voice shaky with fear.What? I say.Then I hear it. The telltale click-clack of my grandmothers shoes against the hard, wooden floor. Coming towards us.I run to the other side of the room and throw open the window.Go! Go!, I say to Rose as she climbs out the window. I follow her, but my hair gets caught on a loose nail.Ana! Rose cries and runs to help me. We untangle my hair just as the doorknob turns and my grandmother bursts into the room. My grandmother cries out in fury when she sees that Rose and I are escaping. Her face contorts in anger.Ana! she screams. You horrible child! Come back here this instant! Rose and I run. We run as fast as we can towards the forest, not caring where we go. Finally, I call for a break.We.. I say as we gulp down air, holding the cramp in my side. Need...to get back..to..your family,Yeah, she says breathing hard.We set off at a much slower pace and after a while, I realize were right by the stream.I know how to get to your house from here! I say to Rose.I turn left, and keep going that way, until I get to Roses house. I immediately know something is wrong. The door is flung wide open, and the flowers in the garden trampled and torn. I start to run, and when I see the house closer, I realize nobodys inside.I walk in the door, and I freeze. The curtains are ripped, and the jars of spices are broken and spread out on the floor, while the shelves they were on are laying on the floor cracked. As I walk through the house, I see similar things in other rooms, tables flipped upside-down, dressers and desks on their sides.Oh, my God, says Rose. What happened here?The Nazis got here before us, I say. And its all my fault!

Chapter 4

Anger courses through me. I probably got Roses entire family killed because I wanted to bring some extra clothes! I think. I kick at a desk, and the leg I kick snaps in two. I start walking around the room, kicking all the broken furniture.Ana!, says Rose. Its not your fault!Yes it is! I scream. Theyre probably dead now because of my selfishness!Its only natural you would want some money so you could be sure we wouldnt starve, and Id be really surprised if you didnt want to take the picture of your parents! I would have done the same thing if I were you. Its not your fault! she yells back, and I notice shes crying.Oh, Rose, Im so sorry, I say and hug her. I didnt mean it. I was just angry that we couldnt find them. I truthfully feel scared without your father here to protect us.Well, says Rose. I at least hope hes protecting the others.We need to leave, I say. Theyre bound to search the woods, and we should probably try to find you family.No, she says.What? Are you crazy? Theyll kill us when they find us here if we stay! I say.No, I mean, we shouldnt go looking for my family, because we would just get imprisoned or killed, and I know my parents wouldnt want that, and also......Im scared.I sigh. Me too. I just feel that I owe them something for not being there to warn them, but youre right, wed just get ourselves killed. I say. I think we should try to go to America. I hear that there, they dont judge you based on your religion, and that they dont tolerate Nazis for a second.But we would need to get on a ship to get there, and we dont have enough money, and nobody will let us on anyways once they learn Im Jewish and that youre my friend. Rose says.I have to admit that she has a point.We could sneak onto the ship, and ride in the baggage part. I suggest.It would be dangerous, but we could try. she replies.Alright, then, I say. We should leave right away, though.We walk out of the ruined house, switching to a run once we got away form the clearing that surrounded the house. Where should we go? I ask.I think we go west, but Im not sure, Rose says.I'm not sure if she's right or not, but now we have a goal, and I'm happy to feel that we kind of know what we're going to do. We start towards the west, walking whenever we get tired of running. After awhile, it begins to get dark."We need to find somewhere to sleep," says Rose."Yes," I reply. "We need to be fully energized for tomorrow."Right then, it begins to rain."Wonderful," I mutter under my breath.Rose and I begin to run, and suddenly, we enter a clearing. In the middle of it, there's a house. It looks abandoned and ruined, but nonetheless, a house."Thank God!" says Rose."I'm drenched!"We run inside, and are apparently in a kitchen. The stove, shelves and cabinets are falling apart, but the rain is still mostly kept out. The walls are gray, and everything is covered in a thin layer of dust. We walk into the next room, which is obviously a bedroom, with two beds and a bedside table in it. I put my bag down on it.Rose immediately walks in after me, and collapses on a bed. Theres no blanket or pillow, but the mattresses are mostly clean, and still in one piece. The bed frames are wood, but they are still mostly together. I follow Roses example, and as soon as my head hits the mattress, I'm asleep.

Chapter 5

When I wake up, Rose is already awake, and had gotten food out from my pack."Good morning!" she says, then sneezes."Are you sick?" I ask."No...ah...ah...ah.....achoo," she sneezes."Yes, you are," I say. "At least rest for awhile before we leave. I think that rain gave you a cold.""Fine, I'll rest," she says. "But wake me up after an hour.""Okay," I say.She lays down on her bed and falls asleep. I step outside, and notice a blackberry bush."Oooh," I say aloud, and pick a few.I go back inside, and slowly eat the berries and some of the other food I brought.Suddenly, I hear a noise outside. Like............a hundred people marching through the woods. I get up and look out the cracked and broken window. The first thing I see is the Nazi symbol waving on a flagpole above the trees. I know this symbol by sight because my grandmother has it in many rooms of her house.I run back to where Rose is sleeping, and shake her awake."Get up!" I whisper.She opens her eyes, and yawns. "What? Has an hour passed so soon? Why are we whispering?" she asks."Shhh! There's no time for explanations!" I say. "We have to hide!"I pull her up and quickly look around the room. I see a dresser with enough space under it for both of us to fit. I pull Rose under just in time, because a second later, Nazi officials burst into the room. I press myself against the floor, and feel Rose shaking beside me. The officials stomp around the room. I see a pair of boots stop right in front of us, and my heart is pounding so hard, I'm positive the Nazi can hear it. He steps away, and I let out my breath. I hadn't even realized I wasnt breathing.Suddenly, I hear one of them say in a gruff, low, voice, "Hey look! Food and a sack!"When I hear a voice say, This locket could be valuable. I know that hes opened my pack. Lucky for me, I kept my money in my dress pocket, or he would have taken that, too.I hear the sound of their footsteps receding, and I know they left the house. I crawl out from under the dresser, and stand up."They took my rucksack, and all of our food and money!" I say indignantly."Never mind that!" says Rose, who got up too. "They would have killed us if they found us! You're right though, we won't get far without food.""There's a blackberry bush outside," I offer. "And I think I can tell which nuts are edible.""Well," says Rose. "That's a start."Once we're completely sure the Nazis are gone, we go outside, and Rose picks about a dozen blackberries, while I collect some hickory nuts from underneath a tree.We quickly eat the food, and, since Rose has gotten over her cough, we start walk/running again.After a while, I notice that the trees are thinning. Soon I can see buildings up ahead, and realize we must be near a town.

Chapter 6

We might be able to buy some food or something there. I say.Only one of us should go, though. says Rose.Just to be safe.Yeah, I agree. Ill go.Are you......alright, she says, after I give her a look when she starts to disagree.I start off in the direction of the town while Rose sits down underneath a tree to wait for me to come back. The town were near is small, but I can see a general store and grocery store. Good, I think. We can get food and other supplies there.I walk to the entrance of the town. The first building I see is the grocery store. I walk inside. The building is brightly lit, large and clean. I walk down the long aisles of food. I decide to just buy some bread and milk, because I want to save my money to get some other necessities at the general store.I go to the checkout counter, and hand the cashier the food and some money.Is that all? he asks.Yes, I reply. Thats all. Thank you.He nods, hands me the change, and I leave the store. I walk to the general store across the street. I open the door and walk in. The store is small, and everything, literally, everything is covered in dust. I sneeze.Bless you, says a gruff, raspy voice, apparently belonging to the owner of the shop. I didnt notice him at first, because he seemed to have adopted the same look as his shop. Small, brown, and dusty.Oh, I say. Uh, I didnt know you were there. Sorry.Doesnt matter anyways, says the man. No one would notice me even if I put on a chicken costume and started dancing.Oh, well, thats a real shame, but, uh, Im looking for a small bag of some kind, like a knapsack or something.Right here. The man sighs.Um, okay, well thanks, I say.I walk over to the place where he pointed. All of the bags were small, but they were big enough to hold the food. I picked out the cheapest one, a dark brown one, and turn around to look at the other products in the store. I notice a stack of blankets. These might be useful if it gets cold later, I think. We wont always be able to sleep in an actual house. I pick out the cheapest two, a knitted gray one, and a brown one. I bring my items to the man, and put some money on the desk. He counts it and pushes some change back to me. I pick it up and take the bag and the blankets. I put the food and the rest of the money into the bag and walk out of the store. I quickly leave the town, and go back to the place where Rose is sitting under the tree.What did you get? she asks when I get within earshot.Bread, milk, and a bag, I say. And a two blankets. I wanted to save some money in case we might need it later.I took the bread and milk out of the bag and tore off two pieces of bread. I handed one to Rose, and took a bite of my piece. It was good, salty and soft, and I finished mine in small bites so I could savor the food.After Rose and I are done, we each take a few sips of the milk. Its delicious, sweet and creamy, and I have to force myself to stop drinking it.Later, we stroll through the woods, sun coming through the trees, making small patches of light on the ground. The normal forest sounds surrounded us gave us a feeling of safety. This is the most calm Ive been in the last two days. I breathe in the cool forest air. A butterfly lands on a tree branch next to me, and Im able to brush my fingers across its wings before it flies away. Suddenly, I hear a sound behind me. I whip around to see two Nazis running towards us, one holding a gun. How long have they been following us? I wonder.

Chapter 7

I grab Roses hand and we run, not caring where we go. Branches whip my face as we tear past the trees.We burst into a clearing, and I stumble over a rock and fall, scraping my hands. Rose runs back to help me up, but its too late. The Nazis have caught up to us, and I feel strong arms lock around my shoulders, feel my arms forced behind my back. I hear Rose cry out.Rose! I say, but my right arm twists, and pain flares in my shoulder.Owww! I yell.I fight against the Nazi holding me.Feisty, arent ya? he says to me. Hey, he yells to his friend. Weve got a little fighter here!Then my foot connects with his shin. He lets go of me, and cries out in pain. He crumples to the ground, where I kick him in the side. I turn, and crash into the Nazi holding Rose. As I slam into his back, he lets go of Rose, and drops his gun in surprise. He reaches down to get it, but I step on his hand and Rose kicks his gun away, into a rabbit hole. We sprint for the edge of the woods.We run for fifteen minutes straight, until I finally call for Rose to stop. Th....., I say, panting. That......was..... the.....most.......scary.....thing.......in my......entire.....life.Rose gulps. Me, too. she says.We need to find somewhere we can sleep. From my guess, its about four oclock. We only have about two or three hours until it gets dark. I say.How about over there? asks Rose, pointing through the trees to a big pile of rocks. There might be a cave or something where we could rest.I start walking towards the rocks, with Rose behind me. We come out of the forest, and into another clearing. The rocks piled in the middle are gray and rough, with darker, black specks.Rose and I split up, walking opposite ways around the rocks. When I get about a quarter of the way around, I hear Rose cry out in triumph. I run the rest of the way around the rock to her, and see that shes standing in front of a small space, between the rock and the ground. Its small, but both of us can fit inside comfortably, and we can keep the bag and blankets there, too.Perfect! I cry. Rose, youre wonderful!I kneel, and slide the bag with the remainder of the money and food into the little cave, along with the blankets.I stand back up, and Rose says, I think I should go look for some water. We dont have much milk left, and I dont know the next time well be able to be somewhere we can get a drink and have shelter for the night.I crouch down again and retrieve the milk from the cave.We should drink the rest of this so we can bring back water in the empty bottle. I say.Good idea. says Rose.I open the bottle, and we share the rest of the milk.Ill go look for the water. You went to the town to get supplies. Its my turn to get something now. I was so bored waiting for you. she says.Okay, I agree. I wanted to find something to use to make the cave softer for something.

Chapter 8

Rose walks ahead of where we found the rocks, and I headed into the forest behind her to look for some soft leaves or something. I see a pine tree, and collect some of the needles in my skirt, and carry them back to the cave. I find some large leaves, and spread them out over the needles. I also find some soft moss, and spread that out, too.Rose come into the clearing, with the bottle filled with water.Theres more if you want a drink, she says. We should try to save this, because we dont have another container.Im good. I say.We eat the rest of the bread, and Rose finds some wild strawberries that we eat, too. It begins to get dark, so we crawl into the cave. I wrap a blanket around my shoulders, lay down, and close my eyes.We wake up in the morning, and have some more strawberries. Rose brings me to the stream where she got water the previous day to get a drink. My shoulder is stiff where I twisted it, and it hurts whenever I move it. We pack up the bag, and fold the blankets so theyre easy to carry.We begin running, until Rose calls out for me to stop. We begin walking instead. We have a quiet day of walking, and as it begins to get dark, we start looking for somewhere to spend the night. I notice a big den-hole thing, that both of us could fit in. We go inside, and fall asleep.I wake up to the sound of growling. I look into the entrance of the den, and see two green eyes stare back at me. I scream, waking Rose.Whats going on? she says, sleepily, and then she notices the eyes.Oh My God! she exclaims. Thats a badger! One came into our garden at night once, and I was never able to forget the eyes. Id know them anywhere! We have to get out of here.Ummm, Rose, in case you didnt notice, the badger is blocking the doorway. I say.Easier said than done. she replies.The badger backs out of the hole, and I sigh with relief.I stick my head out of the hole, ignoring Rose when she says, I dont think you should do that, Ana.Thats when I realize that the badger is running towards me.I freeze in terror as the badger moves towards me. It gnashes its teeth, and I see the razor sharp fangs glinting in the moonlight. Out here, in the light of the moon, I can fully see the badger, and that just terrifies me more.The badger is huge, up to my thighs, with long claws and a white stripe down its forehead and the middle of its back. Its green eyes cut into me, and it lets out a guttural growl.Suddenly, it jumps. I never knew that badgers could jump so high. I sinks its teeth into my arm and I cry out. Blood pours from my arm.Rose crawls out of the den, and runs to me. She slams into the badger, and it lets go of me. It falls to the ground, dazed.I grab Roses arm with my good hand, and we run.Finally, I collapse. My injured arm is gushing, and the pain is overwhelming. I clap my hand over my wound. Rose kneels beside me, and I black out.

Chapter 9

When I wake up, its morning. Im laying under a tree. I push myself up to a sitting position, and pain shoots through my arm. I look at it, and find that Rose bound it while I was unconscious. I notice a dull stinging, and guess that she put some healing herbs on it. She knows about all that kind of stuff, since her family lived in the woods for part of her life.I see the remains of her apron on the ground next to the bag. She must have torn it up to make the cloth for my arm. I turn, and see her asleep under another tree. She has dark circles under her eyes, and a lock of her black hair has fallen out of her braid, which is messy, with leaves and twigs stuck in it.I pull myself over to the bag with my uninjured arm and take out the water to cool my parched throat. Im glad that she remembered to bring the bag when she came out to save me from the badger. I also notice that there are some wild strawberries in it. I eat one, and take a sip of water. Exhaustion sweeps over me again, and I crawl back to my tree and fall asleep. I wake up, because my arm is stinging like crazy. Its about noon and Rose is awake. Shes kneeling next to me, rebinding my arm. She pulls off the old cloth, and I get a good look at the wound for once.The wound wraps around my forearm, like a messed up armband. The cuts are deep, four of them, one for each of the badgers canines, and the blood is still wet. Pus oozes from it. Rose touches it, and I wince in pain.Sorry, she says. She exhales long. Well, its not any better, but at least its not any worse. I just hope it doesnt get infected.Rose pours a little water over it, and washes off the pus, then pats the wound dry with another strip of cloth she tears from her apron. She re-wraps it, and we have some water and the remainder of the strawberries.We should try to get some more food and water. I say.Yeah, Rose agrees. I got those strawberries, but I took all of the ones that were in the patch. We could look for more, though.Sure. I say.I push myself to a standing position, wincing as I put weight on my arm. Rose gets up, too, and we walk through the trees. This forest is different from the part we were in yesterday. The trees are smooth and gray here, and theres not so many animals here, judging by the silence. Then again, I dont know if I want to have animals around me, not after the badger.Look, says Rose. She points to the base of a tree. Mushrooms! And those are the edible kind!We collect as many of the small, light brown plants as we can and carry them back to the bag. Rose makes a small cooking fire, and uses the bottle and remainder of water to cook the mushrooms.When they are fully cooked, we divide the mushrooms between us. Theyre actually pretty good, for mushrooms in the forest. We finish eating, and I pick up the bag. Rose hefts the blankets to her shoulder. We keep walking, and soon it begins to the get dark. We find a thick bush with a lot of space underneath, and lay down to go to sleep.

Chapter 10

I wake up in the morning to rain. Oh no! I say, than wince.My arm feels like its on fire, burning and aching. I unwrap the bandage, and gasp. The skin around the wound is bright red, and more pus is seeping out from it. The actual wound itself is yellow in some places, and the dried blood is black.Rose wakes up beside me, and looks at my arm, than out at the rain.Wonderful! she says sarcastically. Rain, and an infected arm! Just what we needed!She sighs, and says Go stand outside for a minute to wash off that pus, and set the bottle on the ground to collect rain water.I do what she tells me, than go and stand outside. I watch my arm, and when the pus is all washed off. I go back under the bush, dripping.Rose reaches out, and grabs the bottle. The rainwater is murky and dark.Youre not going to pour that on my arm, are you? I ask. Because itll just make it worse.I know that, she says. Im boiling it first.She starts a small fire, and after its done cooking, the water is more clear.She pours the steaming water over my arm, and I wince when it hits my wound. Does it hurt? she asks.I nod.Good, she says. That means its doing its job.She wraps my arm, and we wait out the rain. When it finally stops, we resume walking. When we stop, because of the coming darkness, Rose checks my arm. It looks better, the yellow parts are gone, but its still inflamed and red.Well, says Rose. Thats the best that I can do. Once we get to America, we can get your arm fully healed.We find a big tree with lots of foliage, and lay down to sleep under it.When we wake up in the morning, we begin to walk again. Soon, I notice the trees thinning, and can see the faint outline buildings in the distance.

Chapter 11

"Rose, look! Town!" I say. I want to go sprinting towards it, because Im so sick of running everywhere. I just want to sleep in an actual bed for once, but Rose puts out a hand to stop me."We're escapees, remember? The Nazis will probably be offering a reward for our capture. They do it with all of the Jews. We can't just go running into town!" she says. "We need to go around it."What she says makes sense, and because there's no alternative, I agree with her. We start walking along the outskirts of the town, staying behind the houses.At first, I'm surprised that nobody has come outside to throw out their garbage, or to do their laundry, and then I remember that when we woke up today, it was really early. Most people will still be in bed, or having breakfast.I notice Rose looking around the corner of the house we're behind."What are you looking at?" I ask."I thought-quick! In here!" she drags drags me into the house, her face pale."Rose!" I say. "This is private property! We can't go trespassing here!""N-Nazis," she says, shaking. "They were just about to come around the corner of the house!"Suddenly, a woman's voice come from behind us."What are you two doing here?"We spin around. In front of us stands a young woman. She's tall, with long blond hair like mine and gray eyes."W-we," I stutter."I- .""It's okay," she says kindly. "I won't turn you in."That was probably the worst possible thing she could say."Trust me," says Rose. "Once you hear who we are, you will. For one thing, I'm Jewish, and the Nazis are looking for us because we escaped from them.""Yes," I say. "And I'm her best friend, so I'm wanted for befriending the enemy, as my grandmother says. And by the way, I'm Ana, and that's Rose."Ana, Rose whispers. I dont think that we should tell her our names.Well, weve already told her the worst of it. i say. And anyways, we dont really have a choice. "Well, Ana and Rose, I'm not turning you in for that, but you will have to get out of here before they come to search the house.""We were planning to try to get to a ship to go to America," says Rose. "But we don't exactly know where the port is.""Oh, the port is at the edge of town, only about half a mile away. I can drive you there if you like. And my name is Elizabeth, just so you know." she says.I look at Rose, and shrug my shoulders."Sounds good to me." she says.Right then, we hear a knock at the door."Open up," yells the person outside."We're Nazi officials and we are authorized to search this house! Open this door now!""This way, " Elizabeth says.She grabs my arm, and I wince, stifling a cry of pain with my other hand.Whats the matter? she whispers.Its infected. I reply.Ill get you something for that. she says, and leads us through the house, outside, where a car was parked."Get in." Elizabeth says, and Rose and I climb into the backseat, where she covers us with a blanket.We hear her walk back inside, where she lets in the Nazis, who were on the verge of breaking the door down.About fifteen minutes later, she comes outside again. She gets in the car, and begins driving. I poke my head out from under the blanket."Those Nazis are such troublemakers, and not very smart either." says Elizabeth."They insisted on checking in the bathroom, even though it stinks like crazy! Can you believe that?!""Uh-uh," I say. "They're crazy!""I don't understand why they hate Jews so much," she replies. "I mean, they're the same as everybody else."We drive in silence the rest of the way.

Chapter 12

We get to the port, and climb out of the car. I look around at the many ships docked there.Elizabeth asks around, and finds out that the SMS Berlin was headed to America. She distracts the worker, and Rose and I climb into two of the empty barrels the man was bringing up to the ship.Once the barrels stop moving, we come out, and find ourselves in a storage compartment, that also is holding a large amount of food and water. We live on that during the three weeks we travel to America. The ship docks at the port three weeks later, and we slip back into the barrels.We jostle around for about an hour, then we stop moving. We emerge from the barrels, and meet a nice storehouse owner who brings us to the Jewish Aid Society. Later, we meet up with Roses parents and brother who escaped Germany as well, and begin our new life in America.

EpilogueTen Years Later

Amidst the cheering crowds and the ticker tape parade, the two young women run to each other and embrace.We won! says the shorter, dark-haired woman. The Americans won the war!I know! exclaims the blond woman. Isnt it wonderful? I heard that they liberated all of the Jews that survived the death camps. I hope that they try the Nazis for their crimes committed during the war.The two women walk off, arm in arm, talking about their future, and Americas success in World War II.

About the Author

Lucy Hoying is eleven years old. She lives in Chicago, Illinois with her parents brother, sister, and pets. She likes to read, write, do ballet, and play with her dogs. When Lucy is an adult, she either wants to be a writer or a veterinarian. This is her second Young Authors story.