Easy is the Descent

Chapter 02

October 1941

"Tanja, wait up!" Annelise called.

A group of girls turned around, looking surprised and uneasy. "Um, hi Annelise," Tanja answered.

Annelise suddenly felt very out of place. The other girls were nicely dressed, their patent leather shoes were shiny, while Annelise's own clothes were plain and bordering on shabby and her shoes were ratty. "Oh, I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday."

"Thanks," Tanja said curtly.

"So, are you having a party or anything? You know, like you usually do," Annelise said, frustrated that she was humiliating herself like this.

"Oh, um…" Tanja turned to her flock of friends, shooting them knowing glances. "Actually, I can't this year. The war, you know. My parents say it wouldn't be safe and that we don't have enough money."

Annelise deflated. "Oh, well, I'm sorry. Your parties were always so much fun."

"Yes, I'm sorry too." Annelise could tell that Tanja was trying to suppress a grin. "Well, I'll see you later Annelise. C'mon girls."

As they were walking away, Annelise heard Tanja's friend Sonja ask, "Are you really not having a party?"

Tanja laughed. "Of course I am, silly! It's this Friday. We just don't want her there."

Annelise fought to hold back tears as she turned to go home, school books tucked tightly under her arm.

She didn't understand why the other girls didn't like her. It's not that she was mean, or extraordinarily unusual. She was just different. More serious, in a way. In the past year she'd become even more intense, more so than she used to be.

Annelise felt a few drops of water land on her nose and turned her head upwards. She growled with frustration as it started to pour. All around her, people pushed around her to get under cover. Having no hat, her hair was soaked within minutes and she felt like a drowned rat.

One final shove sent her over the edge. She collapsed on the sidewalk, dropping her books onto the wet pavement in front of her and began to cry, her shoulders shuddering violently.

She didn't budge, even when frustrated people tried to shove past her. She just stayed there, on her knees in the pouring rain.

"Miss, are you all right?" A heavily accented voice asked her.

Annelise looked up and her eyes widened with fear. It was one of the German guards.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." She was all too self-conscious about the red V she'd painted on the cover of her notebook. She pulled herself up, grasping her books and ignoring the hand he held out to help her. "Thank you for asking." Annelise walked briskly away, trying desperately to get away from him.

"Miss, may I ask your name?"

Annelise glanced back once, but kept walking. Ignore him, she told herself. That's what they all did. Her parents had told her to ignore them and ignore them she did. The Danes didn't like the Germans, though they were glad that their treatment was not as harsh as in other countries.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced back. It was the same German soldier. "Please, leave me alone," She whispered, trembling with fear. Oh, she'd angered him, hadn't she?

The German smiled slightly, showing pearly straight teeth. "I'd just like to know your name and perhaps why such a pretty girl would be crying."

"Annelise!"

Annelise turned her head sharply in the direction of the voice. "David," She breathed, relieved for his presence.

David ran up to her and grabbed her arm. "Come darling. You're wet. You could catch cold."

Annelise let him lead her away, away from the cold and the German.

"Why were you talking with him?" David asked her once they were inside their building.

"I wasn't! He was trying to talk to me," Annelise protested, frightened at David's tone of voice.

David combed his wet hair out of his face nervously. "Annelise, you mustn't talk to them. It's too dangerous."

"But David, I-"

"Annelise, I'm being serious! They're lenient to us because we tolerate them. But there are those among us that don't and could… They could get in a lot of trouble if they were to be found out and-"

"David, listen!" Annelise whispered harshly. David was silent. "I wasn't talking with him. I was trying to get away. I don't trust them one bit and I feared that I wouldn't be able to hold my tongue if he made me talk to him."

David sighed with relief. "That's good Annelise. Come, you have to dry off and get warm."

"David?"

"Yes lovey?"

"Who exactly could get in trouble if whatever they were doing was found out?"

David looked away nervously. "Oh, no one you know."

"Then why were you worried that I would tell something I wasn't supposed to if I don't know who or what it is anyway?"

David sighed, looking into Annelise's eyes worriedly. "It's…" He sighed heavily and looked away. "It's not mine to tell, Annelise. I'm sorry."

Annelise scowled and stormed into her apartment, slamming the door behind her. No one ever told her anything. Was she untrustworthy? No! Who did she have to tell? She had no friends besides David and he obviously knew. Something was going on.

A few hours later when her parents came home, Annelise confronted them. "What's going on?" She demanded.

"Annelise, what are you talking about?" Her father asked, looking at her surprised.

"David was angry at me when he saw a German trying to talk to me. He was afraid I'd tell him something. What could I possibly tell him? I know you know."

"Peter," Her mother said delicately. "I think we should tell her."

"Janake," Her father said warningly.

"She's not a child anymore, damn it!" Her mother exclaimed, looking embarrassed when she realized exactly what she'd said.

Annelise kneeled in front of her mother and grasped her hands. "Mother, please. I need to know what's going on."

Janake glanced at her husband and sighed, speaking in a low voice, "Annelise, your father and I… Our involvement in the resistance movement runs deeper than we'd ever admitted. Your father runs an underground paper and I…I help to write for it."

"And David…?"

"He… He helps too."

"Henrik?"

Peter sighed and nodded. "Your brother was heavily involved. The information he found out…haunted him. These Germans are not to be trusted at all. None of them. You say a German tried to talk to you today?"

Annelise nodded. "He…he wanted to know my name."

"Did you tell him?"

"No, but he heard David calling me. But he doesn't know my last name."

Peter nodded, breathing heavily. "That's good, good…" He mumbled. "Annelise, you realize you must not breathe a word of this to anyone. David will tell you more if he sees fit. I dare say, he knows you better than we do nowadays. You do realize that if any word gets out, your mother and I and David will be arrested? Even you could and David's family. We are all in danger."

Annelise nodded vigorously. "I promise. I won't say a thing."

Her father continued his demands, "Not even to your friends at school," Annelise felt a pang of irony upon hearing this. "Only to us and to David, and even then you must be careful as to where you talk. I think it's best that it's talked about as little as possible. Don't correspond on paper about it. Paper trails could be the death of us."

Annelise nodded vigorously. "Papa?" She asked tentatively. "Papa, I want to help."

"No," Peter shook his head. "No, Lise. You're much too young."

"Papa, I want to help," Annelise said more firmly.

"Peter-" Janake said. "She's just a girl."

"Mama, please! I can do it! Help, I mean. I'm capable."

Janake glanced at her husband. "It's not that you're not capable. You're my baby. I don't want anything happening to you."

"Mama, I want to help."

Janake and Peter shared a meaningful glance. "Annelise," Peter said finally. "If you really want to help, you may. But not until you're finished with school. Next summer, we can look forward to your help if you promise to try your hardest in your studies until then and prove that you can be trustworthy."

"Oh, thank you!" Annelise cried out, happier than she'd been in a long time. "Thank you so much." She was officially a part of the resistance.

Thanks to:

Penny: Thank you for your review! I'm trying to update as quickly as possible but sometimes it's hard since I'm so busy.

Anonymous: You've hit Annelise on the spot. Naïve, but with an old soul. Thank you for your review!

Poetic Squirrel: Hmm, I should have made the date more eminent. I was referring to the time since the funeral, but I see how it could be taken. However, I thought the date at the beginning had spoken for itself but I'll try to make those more noticeable. But thanks for your review and please keep reading!

Thanks to all those that reviewed and to those that will review this chapter, right? ::wink:: Reviews are the food of life!