The Forbidden Six

February 3rd, 1933

February third was a Monday. Pieter hated Mondays because he had to go to school. The only good part of school was that his friends were there. 

Frau Keller was yelling something about a great achievement and that February third, 1933 was a day to put in the history books. He closed his eyes and put his head on the desk.

"Herr Engel," Frau Keller said. "Sit up. This is a classroom, not a bedroom. Although, I don't know if you'd know that difference."

Werner laughed and Frau Keller shot him a glare. Werner folded his hands on top of his desk and pretended to take notes with an invisible pencil. Liese started to laugh as well. She quickly disguised it as a cough. When the teacher looked at her, Liese cleared her throat and pretended to be taking notes too. She exchanged a sly glance with Werner.

"Today is a very special day," Frau Keller said. "Does anyone have any idea why?" She stared at each student in turn. Her eyes bored a hole into Mena. "Nobody? Today President Hindenburg appointed Herr Hitler to be chancellor. He will bring our country to peace and prosperity. During lunch today, he will make a speech and we will listen to it on the radio. It is mandatory that you all come back to this classroom during lunch," she announced. 

Leyna gave her friends a look. She rolled her eyes and rested her chin in her hand. She looked up at Frau Keller with bored eyes.

"Now. Let's get started with class." Frau Keller passed out an algebra worksheet, just like yesterday and the day before that and every day she had ever taught the class.

After class when they were walking to second period, Mena voiced her complaints, "He's so angry all the time," she said about Hitler. "He gives us a bad rap."

"The Great War did that to us, actually," said Liese, who was one of the two history geeks of the friend group; Werner was the other one.

"Sure. Whatever. I don't want to go to Keller's during lunch. Who wants to skip with me?" Leyna interrupted. 

Nobody spoke up. "She'll know. We'll be caught and Frau Keller will hit us," Werner replied. "I don't want to be hit today. I've been hit enough for a lifetime. Jakob will hit me and then I'll hit him back because of self defense and then I get in trouble. I don't see how that's fair!"

"Werner, stop talking. I'm not going, whether you like it or not. That's final. None of you can change my mind." Leyna nodded.

Liese shrugged. "I just don't want to get in trouble. Anyway, I'm kind of interested to hear what he has to say. I know it's all lies, but hey, why not listen?"

Werner shook his head. "It's not a lie. Hitler's going to help us, right?" 

"Wrong," Liese answered in a sing-song voice as the group walked to gym class.

Gym went by relatively quickly, which was both a blessing and a curse. As lunch drew nearer, Leyna's apprehension grew. She was going to skip. Of course she was. Leyna loathed Frau Keller so obviously she was going to disobey her every chance she got. Who wants to listen to some man make a speech, anyway? Speeches were boring.

"Leyna," Otto said, "are you sure you're skipping Frau Keller's lunch?"

"Of course I am. If you're smart, you should skip with me. You wear glasses. That should make you smart!"

"They're reading glasses."

"I don't care." 

Time seemed to be sped up and it passed in a blur. Lunch was quickly upon them. The seventh grade class made their way to Frau Keller's classroom. Everyone except for Leyna. She quietly slipped away and found Pieter.