Unlikely Heroes

Chapter 1

The year was 1942 and america had just entered the war. They were asking for recruits, any able body willing to fight for their country. Everyone flooded the medical experts, wanting to get in and fight the nazis. Simon Nitram had signed up to go to war, considering he had fought in the First World War. He came back home to tell his family that he was going to the war, and that he wanted his son to join too.

"Spinelli!" Simon called into the house when he got home. Instead of his wife, he was greeted by his eight year old daughter who jumped on him. "Oh! Hi sweetie! Would you go get your mother?"

"Sure thing!" The little girl jumped off her father and ran into the kitchen, where Spinelli was reading a news paper. "Moooooooom! Dad needs you for something!"

"I heard him the first time!" Spinelli, a woman with long black hair, stood up and put down the news paper. She walked into the living room and looked at her husband. "You called?"

"I wanted to tell you I joined the war." Simon crossed his arms. "And I need to talk to Rufioh, too."

"Again? You've already been in a war! And don't drag Rufioh into this! He doesn't need to see this!" Spinelli got defensive, but Rufioh had already heard.

"I don't need to see what?" Rufioh asked, coming down the stairs. "What am I getting dragged into?"

"Don't say a word about this! He doesn't need to know, he's too young anyway!" Spinelli snatched the papers from Simon, trying to hind them.

"¿Qué es?" Rufioh asked, knowing his mom only spoke a little Spanish.

"It's nothing!" Spinelli said, going back into the kitchen with the papers.

"Quiero que se unan a los militares. que necesitan soldados para luchar otra vez en Alemania. (I want you to join the military. they need soldiers to fight over in Germany)" Simon explained so that his wife wouldn't know what he was saying.

"What if I don't want to! And yeah, I'm not the right age! I'm only sixteen!" Rufioh wasn't a fighter. He didn't want to leave the country to go fight.

"Well I want you to! You're only a year younger! It's for your country! You'll get lots of recognition and you'll be a hero! Don't you want to be a hero?" Simon was insistent on his son going to war. "I was in the war!"

"So what? I don't want to be in the war! I don't care if I would be a hero! Why do you want me to go so badly??" Rufioh groaned.

"Because you'll be fighting for your country! They've already bombed us!" Simon grabbed Rufioh's arm. "It'd be good for you too!" He tried to make it seem like the greatest thing that ever happened. "Imagine coming home to everyone cheering and praising you! After we've won the war everyone will want to date you!"

Rufioh pulled his arm away. "I don't care about all that. I'm not the fighting type."

"Just come with me tomorrow for the physical. If they approve you then you can decide what you want." Simon lightly punched Rufioh's arm before going to talk to Spinelli.

"Like you'll give me a choice..." Rufioh rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

The next day Rufioh was taken to see if he could get approved to go to war. He was in perfectly fine health, so he could go. Simon was happy about this, but Rufioh wasn't. "Well, you can definitely go to war! Aren't you proud of that!" Simon asked.

"No, and you said I could decide if I wanted to go! My decision is still no." Rufioh did not want to go to war, and he was making that apparent.

"I know I said I would let you decide-" Simon started.

"This is exactly what I expected! I'm going to have to go, aren't I?!" Rufioh groaned.

"I sort of signed you up already." Simon shrugged, not thinking this was a big deal.

"Why do you want me to do this so badly?? I'm not a fighter! I have a higher chance of dying!" Rufioh complained as everyone else around him seemed to be celebrating.

"Because I was signed up in the war! It didn't do me any harm! You'll be fine! I know you'll do great things in the war! Look at how many others are proud to be in the war! Your friends are probably going into the war too!" Simon put his arm around Rufioh, trying to cheer him up.

"Who? Horuss? I bet not..." Rufioh mumbled.

"Well, why don't you go see? And if he isn't you can at least go tell him you are." Simon kept trying to make situations better, but it didn't seem to be helping.

"Fine, I'll go over there... I'll meet you back at home later." Rufioh pushed his dad's arm off as he walked to horuss' house. When he arrived he was greeted by horuss' younger brother, equius. "Oh, hey there equius. Can I come in and see your brother?"

"Sure." Equius said, letting Rufioh inside. The young kid was missing a few teeth and he had broken glasses. "Horuss! Rufioh is here!" He called into the large house. "One moment."

"Sure thing." Rufioh rocked back on his feet, waiting for Horuss.

He eventually came to the door, smiling. "Oh, Rufioh, I wasn't expecting to see you today."

"Uh, yeah... I kinda have something I need to tell you... This is all kind of sudden too. I just got into it myself..." Rufioh rubbed the back of his neck.

"Why don't we go upstairs?" Horuss suggested and Rufioh nodded. "Oh, tell dad that Rufioh is here." He told his brother, who nodded and ran off. The two of them went up to Horuss' room, shutting the door behind them. "What did you need?"

Rufioh groaned, plopping down onto Horuss' bed. "My dad did something stupid..."

"What did he do?" Horuss asked, sitting next to Rufioh, who sat up and leaned on him.

"He signed me up for the war..." Rufioh said into the other's chest. "He said 'it would be good for me'!"

"What?? When are you leaving and when did this happen?" Horuss was shocked, his face was worried.

Rufioh looked up and frowned. "It happened today... And I have no idea when I'm leaving..." He looked at how saddened Horuss was. "...you're just making this harder...you look so sad, doll..."

"Oh, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to upset you more!" Horuss abruptly apologized.

"No! No! You're fine..." Rufioh kissed Horuss on the forehead. "...I don't know how long we can hide this..."

Horuss looked down. "...I hate hiding it...I just want to say 'I love you' without knowing someone will want us dead..."

"I know..." Rufioh leaned against Horuss again. "And I just want to break up with damara!" He groaned loudly.

"...I want you to, too..." Horuss mumbled. "But that might make things bad..."

"I don't care, things are pretty bad now!" Rufioh flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"How about..." Horuss paused. "On the day you leave, you come back here. For the last time until you come back..." He smiled.

Rufioh looked at Horuss for a minute, before smiling. "Definitely, doll..." He sat up and kissed Horuss. "Well, I have to go. I'll be back some time later, though! You can count on that!" He said as he got up and headed out of the house. Horuss was still smiling by the time he left.