The Girl in the Emerald Coat and the Invisible Boy

Chapter 8

Kasper Schatten was an intelligent boy, and he could see a shadowing sadness that was tied to Elsa, passed from her brother on to her. Her emerald eyes were glassed over constantly, and it seemed as if she were falling, and slowly metre by metre getting closer to hitting the floor.

And Elsabeth felt as though nothing could stop her decent.

Then she stopped,

It was as if a rope had been tied around her waist and it had finally caught her, holding her suspended just a metre from the bottom of the ravine she had been falling from. Keeping her held in the most uncomfortable way possible, fear still coursing through her, and yet a relief soaked her as well.

On the 20th of September 1940, in the dark Alleyway Kasper, cloaked in shadows, hidden from sight, talked to her. Though Elsa didn't reply Kai spoke, he wove a net of words. They wrapped themselves around Elsa, and caught her. Pulling her back from her darkness. He spoke words that didn't mean a lot, and yet meant everything to her. He talked of dark nights, and sunrises, of starry nights, and thunderstorms. He murmured about games, and told stories and riddles.

At the end of it all, at the end of the day. An hour after Sunset, when it was suddenly darker than ever. So dark that Elsa couldn't see her hand in front of her nose. Kasper wrapped his arms around Elsa, in a comforting fashion, the innocent way that children do. To scare away the dark sadness, and in the end it did. It just did.

And the he whispered in the darkness, "Goodnight, Elsa." He whispered, and Elsa cold as stone in expression, gave a curt nod, and turned away and walked home.

***

When Elsa got home she ignored her family and raced up the staircase until she reached her own medium sized bedroom, which sat on the left hand side of the room. She shut the door behind her, twisting the key in the lock, and promptly shutting herself away from the complex world around her.

Elsabeth collapsed against the door, sliding into a seated position. Her knees pressed against her chest, and her arms wrapped around them, as if to hold everything from falling apart. Her head was leaned back against the door itself, tears streaked down from her emerald eyes, leaving a rim of irritated redness. She wept the way she used to do everything, Silently.

Elsa cried in anger, anger at her elder Brother's stupidity, at her Father's coldness. She cried for her Mother's obliviousness, and for her own naivety. Naivety that had now vanished, along with the unconditional trust she had once held for Edel. 'How could she trust someone who had betrayed their best friend?' she asked herself again, and again. And yet Elsa could not hate Edel, not for the world.

I do wonder though, what do you do? When your heart and your head don't agree? I believe that one shuts down both sides to avoid the clashing conflict, which is what I think Elsa did to begin with. Although Kasper had spoken until her locks had broken and Elsa had been left to sit there upon the floor, a puddle of mixed emotions, unsure of everything that she had once believed to be solid as stone.

***

Anya was a mess, her heart felt as if it had been torn from her chest, and was placed inside Elijah's pocket when 'they' took him away, without a second glance. His words were branded into her mind, even though they made next to no sense, and with them gone, brought the knowledge that she had to keep going. Stepping one foot after another, walking in a straight line that felt like a circle.

One thing I feel as though I should mention is,

Anya didn't know.

No one had told her anything, nothing. She knew not that her best friend was the cause of her husband being torn away from her. That Edel had betrayed both Elijah, and Anya herself, and I almost certain no one ever did. Somethings are best kept secret, for they might tear people apart from the inside out. And this knowledge would have left Anya a burning wreak, scorched upon a stained red floor.

Anya didn't stay in her little house, one she had lived in with Elijah for to few years, instead she stayed in the middle of the city with a dear friend, who helped her to hold her world from falling apart around her. Here I will leave it for you to guess from three friends, for only one could have helped her. Edel Rein, Ariella Grau, or Dominik Eisenburg. Only one makes sense, for only one was in the situation could have been there.

So Anya sat in the city house, wrapped in a blanket, clutching onto the materiel as if, if she let go her world would pull itself into a million separate strings. Then she would have to weave each string back into place again, into a million thoughts. What if she got it wrong? She might change it all.

Shattered and hurt Anya held her stomach tightly as if she might throw up. She could feel hysteria rising in her, sending shivers and shakes through her body, leaving her ice cold and burning hot all at once. All at one thought, that of her husband, Elijah Bauer.

She felt alone, as if she been dumped in the middle of nowhere, all by herself. All she had left was a thought of the one she loved, and an obligation she felt as though she couldn't hold the weight of alone. As she tried to stop the flood gates that shook her body, she thought of everything she and Eli had done together, and been through. And all she could think was, 'Why couldn't throw more at us?' and still the other side of her mind shouted out across the dark void,

'It's just another challenge, just another fight to face.'

And so she fought, fought until she could scarcely stand, until tear soaked her face turning it an irritated pink. Anya fought physically, and she fought mentally, keeping that voice alive in her head telling her again, and again. 'It's just another challenge, just another fight to face.' She fought with everything she had in her, every moment with Elijah another weapon to hold tightly too, to keep away the dark loneliness. So she could just keep fighting on, for just one more moment with him. She didn't fight for herself alone, she fought for the hope of Elijah returning home to her, and she fought for the baby she would now have to raise alone.

***

Dun dun dun! What do you think? Dropped a big bombshell didn't I! Anya is pregnant, and now she has to raise the child on her own, plus the kid is going to be half jewish? What will she do? I thought I might mention that I will be writing a short story about Anya and Elijah after I have finished this story.

Anyway, I have two questions! If you answer them correctly will dedicate the next chapter to you, I hope some of you answer.

First question

Who was Anya staying with? There is honestly a correct answer, the three options (yes I am giving you options!) Are...

a) Edel Rein

b) Ariella Grau

c) Dominik

The answer has a real reason, I promise. If you payed a ton of attention you might be able to guess.

Second question

Who is related to the Schatten siblings? A hint is in the characters last name! (Not Schatten.)

I hope some of you try to answer these questions, it would mean a lot.

Love, Claudia.