literature

One Voice: Chapter 3

Deviation Actions

Frank-A-Lanka's avatar
Published:
3.4K Views

Literature Text

"Maddie! What shoes?!" you asked as you held up your strappy shoes and your normal shoes.

Maddie looked up from her book. She looked at your dress, the shoes, then back at the dress.

"Go with the nice ones tonight. It's your third date right?" she said with a wink.

You frowned and slipped the shoes on. "So what?" you asked.

"You know what happens on the third date right?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

You swallowed down the lump of nervousness in your throat. "So? I doubt that will happen though." you said as you fingered the hem of your dress.

Maddie sighed in exasperation and put her book down. "Quit putting yourself down! Why wouldn't he want to kiss you? You are a gorgeous young woman and you need to grow a spine. He likes you! Why would he keep asking you out if he didn't?" she said.

You shrugged and looked down at the ground.

"_______, you can't let what happened control you. I know it's hard but—" She was cut off by the now expected three sharp knocks on the door.

"Sorry, Maddie. I have to go." you said, her words ringing in your ears. You can't let what happened control you… You shook it away. You knew she was right but you didn't want to acknowledge it right now. You wanted to focus on Ludwig instead. You opened the door and beamed at him.

"Hallo Ludwig." you said as you walked out with your coat draped over your arm.

"Hallo _______." he said quietly as he took your coat and held it up. You smiled and let him help you put your coat on.

"Danke Ludwig." you said, smiling at him over your shoulder.

"Gern geschehen."

*********

You were walking down the same street. The same way. Dinner was amazing. Ludwig opened up a bit more. You smiled and leaned into him more. You liked how strong, yet gentle he was. Not like…. You shook the thought away and focused on the man next to you. You walked by the park again. You both looked at each other before smiling and stepping onto the path.

You fingered the seams on his coat sleeve as you walked.

"_______?"

"Hm?"

"You said you wanted to tell me something after dinner. What is it?" he asked quietly.

You bit your lip. Die Weiße Rose. Now was the moment.

"Ludwig, have you ever wished that the government and the Fuhrer would do something different? Or have you ever wished that you could change the things that are going on?" you asked. You looked up at his face. You could tell that you were going to have neck problems with this guy. He was so much taller than you!

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked up at the sky. He was in deep thought. You looked around to make sure no one else was there. No one was. Good.

"I do." he said quietly.

You looked up at him again. "I've heard people talk about the Eastern Front. And how people disappear. And I can't help but think, how did it get to this? People not talking because they are scared that they will be the next ones to disappear if they do. Lies are everywhere. I don't want Germany to be like this." he said, barely above a whisper.

Your heart leapt with joy. "Well, do you want a chance to help change things?"

Ludwig looked down at you in surprise. "Was?"

You looked around again. "Is anyone here?" you asked.

He looked around. His eyes glared at the darkness around you. He finally looked back at you and shook his head.

You took a deep breath and said, "I'm part of die Weiße Rose. We are the ones making the leaflets and painting the graffiti all over the university."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Was?"

You nodded. "We just want to let people know what is happening. Where the prisoners go. What is going on with the Russian front. We want to spread peace, not war." you said. Your heart started to pound in exhilaration. It always did this when you were talking about the group.

Ludwig nodded and looked ahead.

"So you want to join and help? We can use all of the help we can get." you said quietly.

He remained quiet. He led you to the benches again. You couldn't help but grin. You both sat down and you looked around. You didn't want to seem pressing. He finally sighed.

"I'll think about it." You grabbed his arm.

"You mustn't tell anyone Ludwig. We'll be convicted of treason if we get caught." you said urgently.

He looked into your eyes before nodding. You relaxed.

"Let's talk about something else." he suggested. You nodded. You crossed your legs and looked away.

You didn't know why you were suddenly bashful. You had no trouble looking into his face before. You looked down at your legs and your breath hitched in your throat. Your burn mark right above your knee was showing. It was about two centimeters wide and four centimeters long. You tried to cover it up with your dress.

"How did that happen?" he asked.

You jumped and looked at him. He was looking at you. Curiosity was in his eyes. You took a deep breath.

"My last boyfriend…" You held back tears. You can't let what happened control you…

"He decided that I needed to be an ashtray once." you mumbled.

You looked away in shame. You hated talking about this. You hated remembering it. The fear. The pain. The feeling of despair.

"Tell me about it." he said quietly, engulfing your hand in his.

You looked at him and you tried to smile. A tender look was on his face.

"His name was Ulrich Herrmann. I dated him for a year." You paused and bit your lip. "It was about six months in that he started to hit me and do those types of things to me. If it wasn't for Hans, Sophie, and Maddie, I think I would be dead." you said.

You shook your head and looked away. It was embarrassing; telling him that you let someone do that to you.

"______, look at me." he said softly.

You gulped and looked back at him, tears threatening to spill from your eyes. He looked down at his hand holding yours. He ran his thumb over your palm. Your heart swelled. He was big. Bigger than Ulrich, but he was gentle. You could see and feel the strength, but you felt that he would never do what Ulrich did to you.

"I would never do that to you." he said quietly.

You smiled and shook your head. Tears spilled over your eyelids and they started traveling down your cheeks. "I know Ludwig." you said, trying not to cry.

He leaned forward. Your breath hitched in your throat. He leaned closer. You could feel the flush rising on your cheeks and you could see it on his cheeks as well. He wiped away the tears on your cheeks before kissing your lips.

You could hear 'Lili Marlene' playing from a restaurant nearby.

*********

You checked your hair in the mirror again. You were getting ready to head to your class. You grabbed your bag and books and went to your door. You smiled as you walked down the hallway. Ludwig had asked to meet you after your class after your date last night. Your heart started to race. He kissed you. After hearing about die Weiße Rose, and about your past, he kissed you. And he wanted to see you again after this very class. You hugged your coat closer around yourself and stopped yourself from giggling. You haven't acted like this since you were in school. You got to your class, but you couldn't focus.

You thought about his tall, stiff, and serious manner. You smiled when you thought of his rare smiles or laughs. Oh mein, you are falling for him and you've only met with him four times, you thought in your mind. You shook the thought away and you tried to focus on the lesson. No success. You thought about his gentle kiss. You could feel yourself flushing. You tried to shake the thoughts away. Class finally ended and you had to stop yourself from running out.

You clutched the strap of your bag and took a deep breath as you walked out of the building. You wondered if he was going to give you a kiss hello or just a hug like he normally did. You froze when you walked down the steps. A tall man sitting on a bench stood up. It was a Luftwaffe Pilot. He started walking toward you. You couldn't see his face that well beneath his cap. You gulped. Your heart stopped when you finally recognized him. Ludwig. He was a pilot. In Hitler's army. In the Nazi regime.

Your lip started to tremble.  He stopped in front of you, his face full of concern.

"_______? Are you alright?" he asked.

You didn't reply. You couldn't. He's in the army, was all that you were thinking.

"Let me explain." he said.

You didn't reply, again. You looked away and took off. You ran through the square. You ignored Ludwig's voice as it followed you. You ran across the street, avoiding cars as you went. Your breath came out as big puffs of fog as you ran. You tried to hold back tears.

"Verdammt! Warum?" you wailed as you held back tears. You reached the park and you turned onto the path into it.

Just to think, you walked with him on this very path. You found the little square with the lights and benches and you stopped next to the one you danced under. You looked up at it sadly.

"Warum Gott? Ich endlich wieder wie ein Mann, und Sie machen ihn zu einem Feind zu sein! Warum? Er arbeitet für diesen Bastard! Und ich habe alle dem Untergang geweiht. Hans, Christoph, Alexander, Sophie..." you whispered vehemently. You held back tears. You promised yourself that you wouldn't cry because of another man again.  You hated yourself. You doomed all of your friends because you fell for another man.

You put your face in your hands and you sobbed. You just condemned everyone. Ludwig was going to tell the Gestapo about your group. They would arrest you and then find everyone else. Ludwig just acted like that last night out of pity. Your heart felt like it was being crushed.

"______!"

You looked up and turned to see Ludwig running toward you. Oh no, you thought. You turned to run away again. He caught you easily. He wrapped his arms around you and held you tight. You stared at the Iron Cross on his chest.

Your heart clenched in fear and hurt again.

"______, will you just listen to me?" he said in frustration.

He lifted you off the ground easily and walked back over to your light post. Our light post, you thought. He set you down and he kept a firm grip on your upper arms.

"Let me explain. Please, just let me explain ________." he said desperately.

You looked into his eyes. You nodded and he sighed in relief. "It's not what you think." he started, "I haven't told anyone. I'm never going to."

You relaxed, a little. "Why didn't you tell me about…?" you whispered, looking at his uniform. He frowned and looked away.

"When I first met you, you seemed like a person who didn't like the army and the Reich. I was right. When I started talking to you, I didn't want you to blow me off and ignore me. So I lied. I kept my job a secret. Mir leid ______." he explained.

You gulped and looked at the buttons on his uniform. You would have admitted that he looked handsome, if he wasn't in Hitler's army.

"But it makes no sense. If you don't like what the army is doing, why are you in it?" you asked, shaking your head.

He sighed and sat down on the bench. He kept a firm grip on your forearms. It didn't hurt and it didn't intimidate you. You wondered how he could be so strong yet so gentle at the same time.

You stood in front of him and he looked down at the ground. "My family and I were hit really hard with the depression. My Vati disappeared because he left to find work and he never came back. My Mutti died from starvation. It was my bruder, Gilbert, and I on our own. After Gilbert was taken, the army was my only choice. I flew planes to fertilize farmers' fields so I was put into training for the Luftwaffe. I became a pilot and then the Fuhrer invaded Poland. I've been trapped ever since. I hoped to find out about my bruder but, I've lost hope."

He looked up at you. His hands slid down your arms to your hands. You looked at his head. You almost smiled. You never saw the top of it before. You saw the lighter strands of hair mixed in with his blond ones. This is the only time I'll be taller than him, you thought.

You looked at your hands in his. They seemed so tiny compared to his. He looked at your hands.

"Please, don't run from the Iron Cross and Swastika. Look at the soldier behind them." he murmured.

You both stared at your hands for a long time. You debated in your head. I know him as a man, but he obeys the Fuhrer, you thought. You thought about last night, and all the times before that. Ludwig is a good man. Sure, he was quiet and he didn't smile much but, he was kind.

"I'm sorry I ran." you said quietly. He looked up at you.

His eyes showed joy before they were subdued by something you didn't recognize, control? Is he that scared to show emotion, you asked yourself.

"Don't be. I don't blame you. I would've thought the Gestapo was after me as well." he said.

You smiled. His thumbs brushed across the back of your hands. Your breath hitched. No one has ever treated you with such gentleness.

He sighed and said, "Well, I obviously can't join your group but, I will listen to you and support them if I can."

Your heart clenched. You couldn't believe what you were hearing. "I also wanted to ask you something." he said.

You sat beside him. You were shorter than him again.

"Ja?"

He turned and kept looking at your hands.

"I'm being sent to the Eastern Front in three days. Can I write you?" he asked.

You could hear the fear of being rejected in his voice. A deep blush was on his cheeks.

"Ludwig, how many friends do you have?"

He looked up in surprise and he sighed. "Johan, and you." he said.

You gulped back tears. He was that alone?

"Of course you can write me." you said with a smile.

He smiled back; a genuine smile back. Your heart felt like it was about to burst.

He kissed your hands. "Danke." he said softly.

You smiled and leaned into him. You couldn't believe the mess you gotten yourself into. You were part of a group doing treason and you were falling for a Luftwaffe Pilot.

What could go wrong?
Gah! The Fluff! It's taking over! :icondizzyplz:

Not that many of you mind I believe :iconsmartyplz:

Yup Chapter three!

You finally found out what Ludwig does for a living. Will things work out for you and him? What about The White Rose? What are they gonna think?

Find out next chapter ^^

Translations:

Warum Gott? Ich endlich wieder wie ein Mann, und Sie machen ihn zu einem Feind zu sein! Warum? Er ergibt sich, dass Bastarde Bestellungen! Ich habe Hans, Christoph, Alexander, Sophie verraten ....------Why God? I finally like a man again, and you make him to be an enemy! Why? He follows that bastards orders! I've betrayed Hans, Christoph, Alexander, Sophie ....

Hope you all liked! :iconludwigplz:

Chapter 1: [link]
Chapter 2: [link]
Chapter 3: here
Chapter 4: [link]
Chapter 5: [link]
Chapter 6: [link]
Chapter 7: [link]
Chapter 8: [link]
Chapter 9: [link]
Chapter 10: [link]
Chapter 11: [link]
© 2011 - 2024 Frank-A-Lanka
Comments160
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
GreenEyedOkami's avatar
Oh yeah sure! WHAT COULD GO WRONG?! lol I love this so far!