Wrong about Us

by Lilly, Grade 6

Chapter 1

It is a cold, bitter morning in Lille, France. The leaves are starting to change colors and falling off the trees, becoming earthbound. This is my favorite time of the year, but today hadn't been as amazing as the beautiful trees and leaves. Nor had the last week. My mother and father had gotten into another fight which ended in my mother storming out of the house after yelling, “They already are in Poland! They will come for us! We are not safe, especially being Jewish” she screamed. “Good parents would already be in a different country!”

My father had then retorted to that by bickering,“It is safe! We could live here in peace! We don’t have to leave! Wait until we get news from the bloody government! They’ll know what to do!” with me left scurrying past the door frame with my mother, with only a small canvas bag to leave with. Outside on the sidewalk, with an assemblage of chalk drawings she stormed, with a storm cloud brewing over her head.

My mother turned on me, “Go! Leave me! You will be safer with Victor! I have to go, because I know the truth. Okay my sweet one? Never forget me, ever. Alright?”

I had been traumatized and answered, “Of course.” I assured her, “How would I forget you? I love you too much.” I reached out to hug her but she pulled away with a slight look of sadness out of those hard, cold eyes. She had only a simple phrase to answer me with. Then she was gone. I wept all night long,weighted by her disappearance. “But today is another day, a day to live on.” I thought to myself as I started to walk on my way to the Mayor’s abrupt announcement. We had been told to go on Sunday, today.

We had all filed into the City Square. The stores surrounding the fair had been closed and the shop tenders had been the first in the Square. All the little fancy city girls with hair ribbons, dress for every day of the week and sass that could really sting, I should know, they tease me more than anyone else. While I was wondering why we might be here, the Mayor started a speech.

Then he said something many people had to have him repeat also. “I will repeat myself. We are completely safe. The Nazis will not attack a state just standing by in a war not theirs to fight. Encourage family and friends to stay.”

“Huh?” I made a funny noise that I regretted doing right after it came from my mouth. I tried to cover it and went back to being quiet. But the speech is long and isn’t that what my family was fighting about?

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I was still thinking this through very worriedly the next day on my way to school with my brother Marius. “Jade lets go, You're moving slower than grandma Elenor,” he observed rudely.

“Okay, okay,” I said trying my best to walk when all I really wanted to do was crawl away. Marius was the kind of person who cared more about what other people thought about him, then what he thought of himself in his ridiculous clothes. He spends at least 30 minutes every day trying to get his hair absolutely perfect. I, on the other hand, put on whatever was clean and spent 30 seconds on my hair. I don't care what people think about me. Why should I? People don’t care, they will make fun of you anyway. I had started to fall back behind him again.

I rushed to keep up before- “Let’s go!” Marius complained again in an annoyed voice. “You don't want to be late for school…. again. Do you?”

“No,” I grumble, trying to sound like I didn’t care. I had missed a lot of school in the past month. I faked being sick a lot because I was getting bullied by a group of pretty, skinny, stuck up girls. I thought I might like them and want to hang out with them, but it turns out they were just mean, cruel and careless. I waved goodbye to Marius as we walked in different directions inside the school. Our school was located on the edge of town right next to a forest with floating red, orange and yellow leaves. I dragged my feet inside our small, crusty and rusty classroom. Great. Another day of ignoring the teacher and hating those pretty girls. I drop my head down hard as rock on the desk hoping for a headache, my ticket to go to the nurse. No such luck. I started interrupted by an ear-piercing scream. I jerked to attention and whipped my hair out of my face.

“What's going on?” Ms. Ardriane is then jeering in a demanding voice.

I couldn't see anything that looked wrong or out of place. Then I smelled it. Smoke. I slowly turned to the windows where all eyes in the classroom were pointed and I gasped. Those beautiful brown, red and yellow leaves floating down next to the window. Aflame.