Not Leaving {The Book Thief}

17

Liesels POV
I felt an urge to cry again. I had woken up in the hotel room all alone in the middle of the night and became so afraid I started to sob loudly. A few minutes later Rudy tip toed in but whenever he saw me curled up crying he collapsed next to me and heald me tight, just like Papa would've. He fell asleep a little while after that but I stayed up. Had I really just lost my mother? And my father too? I had thought about this before I fell asleep, but all my thoughts were selfish. When Rudy returned I finally thought about him. If Rudy had a chance to see his parents, he would take it. Even if he had reason to hate them, one conversation with them would make his world. But here I was throwing my chance to meet my father away. I wiggled out of Rudy's arms and slipped my shoes on.

"Liesel?" Rudy croaked out. "I'm going to my mama." I whispered and walked out the door. I heard the door reopen and slam behind me as Rudy ran towards me. "Liesel it's midnight, just wait till das morgen." He gripped my arm and tried to coax me back. I shook him off and marched down the stairs. "Mama said Papa will be there any minute, I need to see him." I reached the door and marched out with a chime. I swerved around to get a good look at the surrounding streets so I could figure out which way to go exactly. The walk over to the hotel had been a blur. "You need some help there?" Someone said behind me. The accent was terrible. "Bitte? I, um, need to know where Apfel Baum is. Please." I said, hugging in my own warmth. "No problem! Right this way." I turned to see if Rudy was following but he was nowhere in sight. "Are you going to Apfel Baum too?" I asked him. I didn't want him to be taking me there just because I was too stupid to know my way back. "Somewhere around there, yes." He said smiling.

He was an older man with a light tuft of hair on top of his balding head and brown eyes. We were about halfway to Apfel Baum when Rudy ran around the corner of an old shoe shop and grabbed my shoulder. "Liesel! Who is this?" The old man turned to him casually with a nice smile, "I happened to be heading up to Apfel Baum when..." he stopped when he met eyes with Rudy. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost. "Your a Steiner, aren't you?" The old man said to Rudy. "I am, why?" Rudy pulled me towards him and I leaned on him willingly. "Was your Mother Barbara? What was your father's name, Alex?" The old man scratched his tuft of hair. "How do you know his parents names?" I didn't even question how he could tell Rudy was a Stiener. Anyone who knew Barbara could tell Rudy was her son. "When I lived here she was a good friend of mine. She was on her fourth or fifth kid last time I checked. Rudy stretched out his palm, "that would be me, I'm the fourth child of Barbara and Alex." Rudy smiled, glad to find someone who could bring his parents memory back to life. I stood there stunned. His story lined up with Mama's I had remembered years back. That ment... "What is your name?" I blurted out as Rudy shook his hand. "Pardon? Oh I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier! Meminger, Jonas Meminger."

I felt myself going faint again. Rudy wrapped his arm tighter around me as I started to slip to the ground. "Is she okay!?" The old man said with urgency. But perhaps at this point I should call him Papa. "You said your a Meminger? Right?" Rudy said to him with his eyes wide and his jaw dropped. "Yes..." Papa said awkwardly. I stumbled back up to my feet and outstretched my hand. "I'm Liesel Meminger."
Papa ran his hands through his pale hair and went white as milk. "Oh Liesel, I'm sorry. If your Mama finds out that I met you she'll kill me. Please, just leave before she finds out." He said, leaving my hand hanging in the cold German air. "What do you mean Mama will kill you? Please Papa, please don't leave me so soon. At least let me tell you some important things you'll need to know." I said grabbing his arms. "Liesel, I'm so sorry. Please tell me where I can meet my son and then I'll leave." He said with his eyes on the ground, he was still running his fingers through his tuft of hair. "Papa... that's the thing. Please, it's such a long story won't you come back to the hotel. Mama isn't there, she won't know!" Me and Rudy tried to coax him back down the street. After Papa looked around quickly he started the walk back the hotel with me and Rudy. I looked at my Papas hands and tried to imagine them holding me when I was a baby and opening the door to the apartment to leave for the last time.

The door chimed as we entered and we formed a line as we made our way up the narrow staircase. When we finally reached our room Papa flopped into a chair. "Liesel, where is Werner? I just want to see him and then I will go." He sighed. "Papa, eight years ago when the signs of war were starting Mama sent me and Werner to a foster home. The train ride was long and cold and we had little to eat. Werner died on the ride."

》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《
I really don't know how to get to where I want to go with this fanfiction. I literally have the last chapter done and all laid out, but how do I get there!?!?!?!