arockysmith

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Ezra wasn't sure how to react to her outburst. Oscar? Was he part of the group that just left their bakery? His mind went racing trying to figure out how she could know that man. His first thought was she had slipped up. She told her mother or father about him and in return they got this man to go after him again. The look on her face and the sound of her voice and the way she began to weep in his arms. He hadn't realized how small she was until her tiny arms dug into his body. He embraced her quietly letting her cry. When she finally began to settle and he heard his father leave out the back he pulled himself out of her grip. He went over to the front door and locked it, pulling down the little shades to hide them.

"They just wanted to scare me. They stole my necklace and spit on my face, but they didn't do more than bruise my arms a bit. They knew about you though...but I guess you know about them...or at least one of them," Ezra said as he walked her over to the counter so she could lean on something. "I told you yesterday this was dangerous. If you saw them why didn't you leave? Why did you come here? I don't even know why I'm asking though. You're naive enough to convert at a time like this. Why wouldn't you run in the opposite direction?" He said trying to lighten the mood a little bit.

He wiped her tears and frowned a bit. She was worrying about him. She really thought she was going to find him dead in here. He hadn't realized just how much they invaded each other's lives until the moment he saw her come into his shop. Hearing her cry the way she was hurt his heart and put a gentle hand on her arm.

"How about I warm up something from the pastry case for you? I can even make you a warm drink. We have coffee and teas for customers that request it. Come around the other end and grab whatever you want and I'll heat it up for you," He said walking around the counter and waiting for her to join him. "You need to start getting used to these foods, if you become Jewish these are what you eat."

Abandoned Souls (Full for now)

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Abe went over and grabbed the dress from the girls hands and smiled. He gave her a nod and then turned to head to the kitchen. He couldn't worry about his son when there were things to be taken care of here.

Ezra looked at her a bit confused. He watched his father leave them alone up front and his hand went back to his neck. She had seen something she wasn't supposed to, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He walked over and rested his hand on her head. He couldn't see her again, but that didn't mean he'd go back on his words from last night. He looked down at himself, he was quiet the mess and he was a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Marta. I honestly wasn't expecting you. I would have been more careful," he said, "We can stay in here for the remainder of the day. My father decided closing early would be best after I hurt myself. He'll be leaving soon and we can study in the back." He was a terrible liar.

He did his best to act normal, like he hadn't just been attacked again. Like his life wasn't flashing before his eyes and like he wasn't ready to sit down and cry from anger. He had to let her know he was okay, even if he wasn't. Her own body was shaking and he pulled her into a hug thinking it was from the wind. It had started to get a little colder and the winds picked up quiet a bit.

"Hey...it' okay. Don't look so worried. You act like you were expecting me dead in here," he said with a small laugh to mask his own fears of that almost being true.

He tilted her chin up and gave her his best smile before kissing her forehead to show her that he was okay. He would pretend nothing was wrong and that he was just clumsy, if she asked he would deny as best he could, but with her it was hard to hold in the truth. She was in danger also, he thought, but telling her would cause a panic and she would probably do something dangerous.

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Ezra felt the pull of the blanket as his mom removed it from his body. He'd somehow managed to over sleep, probably from staying up so late thinking about Marta and how he wished she was sleeping next to him. He cursed himself for the words he spoke last night, but it didn't stop him from hating the words that had left her mouth before he called her selfish. He couldn't believe he'd allowed her to walk back home all by herself in the middle of the night. His parents would yell at him if they knew, but they would yell at him even more if they knew the two had shared more than just one kiss.

"Ezra, I need you to run the shop this morning. School will have to wait till next week. We need you here. Johanna called and said you never delivered her bread. She missed a meal because of it. You will bake her fresh loaves and your father will take them to her. I don't know what all happened yesterday, but if that girl is going to distract you then I suggest you don't see her again. I believe she's a Christian girl, one of those Hitler advocates. She seemed lovely enough, but you can't get mixed up in that if you're still having those terrors," Edith said to him as she folded up the blankets and set them inside of a makeshift basket.

Ezra stood up and went to the bedroom to change his clothes. His father was already at the bakery downstairs, he could smell the oven and the morning pastries. They didn't have any orders today so it would be all walk in unless somebody called. He slipped on his shoes and walked back out to the living room. "Mom...she's not distracting me. If it becomes too much I'll stop seeing her. I promise. I'll be down in the bakery helping Pa," he said as he took the steps two at a time.

He closed the door quietly behind him and began his day. The loaves for Johanna fresh out of the oven and packed neatly. He placed the sealing label on them and his father titled his hat and went out for the delivery. His mother was out buying fabric for new clothes, and once his father returned from his little venture he would be released of his duties. Today would be his day off, but since school wasn't priority today he was fine with the distraction of work. A few regulars stumbled in and he found himself glancing at his watch wondering if Marta would show up or not. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see her or not. The thought of her traveling back here...to him made his heart beat erratically.

"You're a stupid and foolish girl, Marta. But you're burned into my brain and now I can't move on from you," he whispered to himself as he loaded the glass cases with fresh items. It was just pass lunch time. His father would be back soon and Marta would appear before him. "Convert. If she'd said that to anyone else they would have smacked her, but she was so genuine in her words. She has no idea what this life means. She has no idea the struggles we face today. It was easier before him."

Everyone was nice and they were friends with strangers, but now things were tense and the radio had mentioned the word ghettos again. It was becoming more of a possibility. He'd been trying to figure out a way to get his mother out of the country, but she would never leave without his father. He begged and pleaded with her, but she was so stubborn. Then he heard the bell above the door go off and he smiled. Father was finally back and he'd get to go. But the faces that greeted him were angry ones. Crosses around their necks. Ezra's smile dropped as he recognized them.

"We've come to see how you've healed up," the leader said.

Two of his friend went around the counter and grabbed Ezra's arms. They were stronger than him and no matter how he tried to struggle their grips held him tight. The leader pulled out a knife...the same knife that had once entered Ezra's soft flesh and his heart began to pound in his chest as he was shoved around the counter and placed in front of the man.

"Word on the street is you've got yourself a rich girlfriend. People around here talk when their lives are threatened. I think your girl goes to school with my lil sister. Your soiled hands touched a girl like that," the man spoke and then spit in Ezra's face.

The knife was brought closer to his body. It cut down his shirt to show the bumpy marks across his body. Ezra looked away, but the men forced his head back. His legs buckled and he was on his knees biting his lip to keep from crying.

"I should have had them draw a cross straight down your chest, but we were nice," he spoke again.

The knife found his chain and Ezra began to trash around trying to keep him from taking it. It had belonged to his great grandfather, and was passed down from son to son. It was all he had when it came to personal items and he would be damned if he lost it. He could hear them laughing around him as the chain ripped from his neck and fell into the open palm of the man before him.

He let out a snarl, "Touch a Christian girl again and I'll take your life...Ezra."

Ezra flinched at the sound of his name and boys let his arms drop. They walked out of the store and his hands reached for his neck. Empty. His pendant gone. His safety gone. When his father finally came back Ezra was still on the floor, sitting in the fetal position. His body was shaking, but he wasn't sure if it was from anger or fear. His only good shirt ruined. He was ferociously apologizing to his father for losing the necklace, but his dad just grunted. Abe was just glad the necklace was all they took from his son.

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Ezra gently pushed her away and shook his head. She wasn't sensing his frustration. She wasn't understanding how hard this would be for him to do. He took a few steps back and kept his eyes glued to the floor. He didn't want to look at her, not now. His parents would be disappointed in him if they knew what he was doing. He pulled at the curls around his eyes and closed his eyes. This wasn't going to be easy and she would struggle, but she could always leave the situation. He was stuck inside of it.

"Don't. Don't touch me like that and don't kiss me that way. I will do this, but I will not enjoy it. I will not be happy and I will not be thankful for your words. I will despise the time together because you're making me drag you to an early grave. You...you are selfish," he whispered walking pass her to where the sofa was.

She'd been too ashamed to even tell her mother where she really was. How would she ever be proud of his faith if she couldn't even be honest. "You should leave now. Call yourself a cab and say goodbye to who you were. If your lucky I'll be here tomorrow when you come around, but with how the world turns who knows," he wouldn't look at her when he spoke.

He knew he was being rude and that he was hurting her with his words, but she was making him feel ashamed. He suddenly wasn't proud of his religion. It seemed to become like a project now or a game. How long can you survive before the whole world decides your fate. He'd heard talks about them putting gates up and forcing his people into small cramped housing. They could barley survive as is and they wanted to push them even farther down the ladder. She wouldn't suffer though. She would continue her life and he would slowly fade away. He couldn't help but think that she was stuck in a fairy tale. He was supposed to be her knight in shinning armor and she was the damsel in distress.

"I don't know what you want from me, but right now it seems like you want my life. If I die..." he didn't finish his sentence. His scars began to ache and he wished for something to take away his pain, both physical and mental. He had hoped it could be her, but now he wasn't so sure.

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Ezra stared into her eyes a moment, not saying a word. He studied her face while his thoughts swirled inside his mind. There was no convincing her to change her mind. There was no point in spewing any more logic or concerns at her. She had made up her mind. He took a deep breath and considered his options. Let her explore and get hurt on her own, or help and get hurt by her or for her. After a couple minutes in silence he nodded his head and reluctantly began to speak.

"If you do this, it won't be easy. You'll be giving up on so many things that you've grown accustomed to. Sitting down for a meal with your family will be forbidden. You won't be able to attend any occasions or enter places of worship that aren't Jewish. If there's a church gathering you won't be able to attend. Your best friend could be getting married in a church and you will have to miss it because you are Jewish. There will be no more Christmas or Halloween. You will only be able to celebrate Jewish holidays. You will not be able to wear clothes like the ones I saw you in today. Those are too revealing. Even in the summer you will need to cover up. You will have to be careful what you consume and what you can buy. You can't carry things in your pockets outside of your home on the Sabbath. You will need multiple dish sets. Two sets of pots and pans (and at least one more set for Passover), and you will have to keep different types of food separate. You will have to wait six hours after eating meat foods before eating dairy foods," Ezra paused a moment to see if she was catching any of his words, "Judaism will guide your steps and your thoughts every moment of your waking life."

He was holding her close now. He'd taken a step toward her without realizing it and he was holding her face in his hands forcing the words into her mind. He would teach her his ways if only to spend nights like this with her. He brought her hand up to the pendant hanging off his necklace and closed her small fingers around it. His parents would worry about him no doubt and he would probably never be allowed to show his face outside if he openly tried to change this girls views. He would be playing the bad guy.

"You will make me no better than Hitler if I help you. I will be forcing these beliefs on you and you will hang onto my words without question and I will be just as bad, but you don't care. It is your ignorance that will get you in trouble, and that will be the death of me. But I won't stand in your way. I will teach you all I know, but you can't tell anybody. Do not openly practice this in your home unless you are ready to lose everyone you hold close to your heart," Ezra told her as he brought his hands back to his sides. The muscles in his body were tense and the look on her face terrified him to the core. Perhaps she would be the one to die first.

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Ezra slammed a fist on the counter top. He saw her flinch and he closed her eyes. Why was she doing this? Why couldn't she just leave him suffer the rest of the night alone? He shook his head wondering if he'd have to be more blunt with the girl before she understood his words. He'd spent a majority of their time together trying to push her away; to keep her from wanting anything to do with him. He had faltered a bit just now, but his goal was back inside his mind and he was furious at what she had just said.

"I don't know what kind of death wish you have, but don't bring me or my religion into. It's bad enough that we have to hide it and now you want to come here and tell me you're looking to convert? Did you not hear what I just said? Are you an idiot?" He asked flicking her on the forehead, "You don't get to come here with your pretty words and talks of love and then over look everything I've told you. You're delusional if you think anyone in this country is going to help you dig a grave. We spend our lives trying to teach our younger ones the ways of your religion so that they may have a chance to survive and you're going to tell me you want to speak with my rabbi?"

He wasn't sure if she was crazy or just stupid at this point. Everything went over her head and she was stuck in this fantasy world where everything seemed to be sunshine and rainbows. He couldn't even imagine what her parents would say if they knew she had said what she did. Convert to Judaism. She had to have lost her mind somewhere between his couch and the kitchen. There was no way on earth he had heard this girl correctly. Was she really this shallow or maybe she was just that ignorant to the dangers that she found it to be some sort of joke.

"Did you miss the part where I told you I was stabbed? You're ready to throw your whole life into the trash because of what? Some fantasy that you'll never love again if you choose to love me? I don't want your love if it's built up on that ideology. I should have never kissed you. It messed with your head and now you think the whole world will be changed if you just show people our way of life. I won't help you kill yourself. Call whoever it is and tell them to pick you up. All you have to do is say you're in a Jewish part of town and you'll hear the gasp in their voice. They'll assume you're in a bad neighborhood. They'll want to stay on the line with you until your ride arrives and then they'll ask if you're in danger. Who's phone are you using and where are we holding you. They'll ask if I hurt you. If I touched you in ways no girl wants to be touched unless it's with her husband," his voice was trembling, but he refused to let up. She would cry and he would blame himself.

But he had no doubt that tomorrow she would wind up outside his families bakery again and he would go to her and he would want to kiss her like earlier. He could try and scare her but his voice would give him away. He was more scared than he allowed others to know. He had to be brave and he had to be tough and if it came down to him giving up his life for one of his neighbors he would do it in a heartbeat. He wished it was simple enough for her to convert, but nothing was every that easy. He had learned the hard way.

Abandoned Souls (Full for now)

I strive to write like @Xeron *cries*

Abandoned Souls (Full for now)

@Inda@Xeron@Astarael42@Kote

Ryker looked over everyone in the room as he sipped the drink the women made him. He was a little happy that he wasn't the youngest person in the room. That spot seemed to be filled by Sara. The girl from earlier didn't appear to be the oldest anymore either. She was trumped by a James Miller. He found it rather odd that all of them had been requested. They appeared to have very little in common if anything at all. He found himself glancing at the table and debated tasting the food. He watched as the women, Cedar, took a plate of treats and a couple pictures. He waited for her to take a bite to see if she endured any effects.

The food before him was fancier than he was used to, along with the drink in his hand. The alcohol was top shelf and it went down like water. He'd never been one for the high price items. Usually it was the cheapest money could buy and you were down on your ass after a couple sips because the taste was horrible and your body wasn't meant to ingest something of that nature. Cedar seemed to be taking the food no problem, Ryker began to wonder if she was used to eating like this or if it was foreign to her the way it was to him.

He scanned the room a little room watching the movements of the one named Chronus. That was a weird name for a person. It was certainly original and he had no doubts that the poor boy was bullied as a child based purely on name alone. He cringed a little thinking about how he missed out on that aspect of life. All he knew about children was the stuff he read in books and what his guardian had told him. Other than that he wasn't sure. Maybe Chronus had a nice personality that saved him from ridicule. His slender arms holding onto papers. Ryker couldn't help but feel a little unprepared. The whole situation reminded him of the first time he went on an interview and he had no qualifications up against men with years of experience. He'd failed to get the job then, and he was sure he'd fail again.

The only reason he even came to this place to find out how they knew so much about his mother and the man that Ryker could no longer consider a father. He wondered if the person in charge knew who his father might actually be. Why did he hate his mother so much that he felt like death was the only way to deal with things. Had she told him he existed? Did she use her last breath to continue keeping her secret or did she reveal everything? His eyes went back to Cedar for a moment. More photos of food. He wasn't sure if she maybe her job outside of here was a food blogger or whatever.

Then he turned to look at James. The man was the bigger of all three boys. He prayed he wouldn't have to try and lift anything heavy or participate in some sort of fight club for the spot. The place seemed to fancy for fighting though. Ryker eyed him up though. Squaring his shoulders and putting his now empty glass on the table and tried to portray himself as tougher than he appeared. He was no alpha, but he wouldn't let himself get pushed around. He was always on the defensive when it came to other people. Never sure of what they wanted. James wasn't suspicious, but he was competition and that was all that mattered.

Sara was a beautiful young women. She looked a couple years younger than him and he felt the need to protect her, although she looked like she could handle herself. Her face was emotionless when his eyes fell to her. She looked strong, but he made the mental note to try and keep by her. He wasn't one to pick himself over another, especially a female. She was quiet though, and quiet always made him think of danger.

Everyone was silent though. Chronus had spoken some, but that was about it. The voice that came out of the boys mouth was not what he had been expecting either. It was slightly musical and he kind of wished the kid would speak again. He let out a small cough and he could feel all the eyes move in his direction.

"If you don't mind me being so blunt, but why are we here?" Ryker asked crossing his arms over his chest and staring the women who had greeted them up and down. He didn't trust her for a second, but she looked to be a decent bartender. "You bring us here and offer us things, but you neglect to actually say why exactly we were summoned. I don't think I'm the only one who got a little....I guess...gift in the mail. You wouldn't offer up information like that without a price." His voice was skeptical and he his face serious. He wanted answers and he was sure everyone else did to.

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

"You're missing everything I've said. Romeo and Juliet don't live to the end Marta. One of us will die and with the way the country is shifting that someone is going to be me. You don't understand the fear I've lived with since Hitler started coming into power. You saw those flyers. The way those peopled saluted him. The words the called my people and then laughed about it. If I set foot outside with you hanging onto my arm I'll be the one beaten. I'll be the one lying on the pavement while you stand there horrified at what a man is capable of. You find these good things in life and you run with it. You've never had to look over your shoulder every couple of seconds because some guy wants to be tough in front of his friends. We are nothing more than parasites. I'm not placing you on a pedestal, Marta. You were born on one. I am to grovel at your feet and beg for you to let me live. You and everyone that believes in what you do hold all the cards," Ezra was talking so fast he wasn't sure if she even understood a word he was saying, but when the words began to flow he couldn't stop them.

"You think we'll grow old together and that what we feel will keep us alive. You don't know what it's like to lay on the pavement and feel life slipping away from. There's no bright light Marta. There's just pain and blood and darkness. You hear the people but you can't respond. Your heart begins to slow down to a point where they're positive you won't make it to the hospital. Your mother is screaming your name, but you can't even be bothered to open your eyes. Breathing gets harder and the more you try to suck in air the worse you feel. The puddle of blood soaks your clothes and you can still hear those laughs. People rip your shirt open to see where the damage is all at. The swastika carved into your chest like you'd carve your lovers initials into a tree. You don't ever have to feel like that. Like in the blink of an eye everything you are and will ever be slipping away."

He was starting to become angry. He stood up and walked to the counter the phone was sitting and held it up to her. She needed to leave. It was time for her to go back to reality. They would never share more than a kiss and maybe he'd get to hold her hand, but he'd never tell her again that he loved her or could love her. He would keep it a secret and make her hate him. She would come to see him and he would be stuck with the desire to take her to his bed, but the urge for her to live and to love another would keep him from doing it. He would yearn for her, but he wouldn't allow her to do the same.