The Book Thief: Rudys pov

Chapter 4: The führer's day

The next day. I waited outside the door for Liesel to be her company and we raced to school.
The best parts of the day was always before school and after because only then I could be with her. Yes of course in school too but at that time I had to focus on my work too and not only her.
School was as usual, we sang "Kampflied Der NationalSozialisten" in the morning and then we got back to our lessons.
When we ran our way home I challenged Liesel on a race with me again, and of course I'm
faster than her. "Jesse Owens! The fastest man on earth!!" I screamed full of confidence and joy.
Oh I don't think I've told you about my idol Jesse Owens he is an American black Olympic runner who won it, he inspires me so much that I once painted myself black and pretended that was him running the olympics, but I got caught by a friend of papa and he told me that I shouldn't want to be black, I didn't understand why and I still don't , after that incident ,people around our streets were saying stuff about me, that I'm weird but they're also calling me Jesse Owens to tease me but I don't get why that's mean, it's not, I like it.

Right then we met my papa standing on a ladder scraping signs off.
What?... scraping them off?..
"What are you doing Papa?" I asked
"Working... For once" he answered a little bit annoyed.
"I thought you painted signs, not scrape them of" I said as I knew something was wrong
"Well the scraping off business is picking up Rudy... What can you do.."
He seemed too much down to make me believe that was just it.
"A.. Accountant" Liesel read at the sign
" You make me proud girl. She's clever Rudy" papa said
"Yeah sir" I said as I giggled and looked at her
"What's an accountant?" Liesel asked
"Something we will never need" Papa said as he continued with the scraping

I didn't ask him after. I didn't want to bother him more.
The next day was the fürhers birthday and we were all going to gather around a big bunch of books (and I'm talking a lot of them) and then we were going to burn them and if we wanted to we could throw our own books into the fire.
In the late evening when we were gonna go, my papa and I walked to Frau und Herr Hubermann to pick them up.
"Right, come on let's go". Hans said to papa .
"Saumench" I said as a greeting
" Hallo Rudy"

At first we were listening to a man talking about why we should burn the books and how we should greet our fürher, then someone came in and set it on fire.
Then we were heiling and sang the national anthem "deutchlandlied" and people were starting to throw books into the fire. Suddenly Franz Deutcher came up to us.
"Hi Jesse Owens" he said
Ugh not him I'm so tired of him
"Push off Franz!" I said
He got mad and grapped my jacked while he was going to hit me.
"Leave him alone!" Liesel said courageously.
"Shut up Dummkopf, were you listening?" He asked
"What about it?" Liesel asked him back
"Your mother was one wasn't she?? A communist?, at least that's what they say!"
"Who's they'"? Liesel asked
"You even look like one!" Frans teased her
"What are you talking about?" I asked him confused
"I'm not talking to you Steiner! She knows" He said and nodded at Liesel
She know what??What does he want with her?!
Suddenly Franz walked up to me and hit me with a book and gave it to me
"Burn a book"
Then he gave one to Liesel
"Go on burn a book! Go on! I'll be watching!.. Both of you"

Liesel and I walked to fire with Franz behind our back
"What was that about?"
I asked her
Liesel was just looking at the ground ashamed
"Nothing" she said back
So I threw the book into the fire and walked back to Franz but he was staring at Liesel who was stuck in her thinking. She looked back at Franz and then threw her book into the fire as she groaned of anger.