After Math

For Those who are Confused

For those who are confused- alright, maybe not confused. Maybe you think I am crazy, or maybe both. Maybe you are confused because you know I'm crazy. Either way I feel the need to elaborate. To start off my name is Rosanna, last name unknown. Though, after all that happened I've begun going simply by R. I will let you know before I begin that I will be using lists several times throughout my story as it will keep things simple for all of us. This one will be my first.

Those who you will get to know:

Myself

My father

My mother

My little brother, Mathis

The love of my life, Christian

An idiot, Max

A sweet little girl, Emma

The monsters that haunt me to this day

Now, let me explain a few events that happened leading up to the end if the war.

I was ten when the war started. Although, in my naive age it may have started far before I realized it. Let me try that again. I was ten when my part in the war began.

It was late. The image of the green numbers that lit up my little bedside table are a blur, though the memory of the shouting and noise is still vivid. I slowly awoke, going to my brothers bed which was opposite the room to mine. He was around 3, maybe 4 at the time. He too was awake, slowly sitting up, rubbing those big green eyes of his. "Rosie..." I remember his soft sleepy voice as he spoke my nickname, though much if this night was a blur. I know my parents ran in only moments later, my mom was bleeding and my dad picked Mathis up and grabbed my hand. "We have to go." His voice had been so panicked, yet still soft and in a strange way, calm. We left the house quickly, greeted with panic and noise that made my heart pound. I wanted to cry but with Mathis there I was worried he would get upset too. That night we hid out under a highway. Again, a lot of the following is a blur. What I do remember is sitting with my brother leaning against my stomach as we watched my father scream at my mother. She was on the ground. I wasn't sure why they were bother crying and screaming yet she was still smiling. Soon my mother was still but my father was still screaming. "Lay down," I remember him telling us, not looking at us, but still down at my mother. "Mommy..." Mathis said. He tried to move closer but I had begun to understand. Mommy was hurt and daddy wanted to try and fix it without worrying about us. I laid down and Mathis snuggled up to my body. The next day my father explained that mommy had to leave. Mathis thought she would come back, and he held onto that hope for so long. I knew what had happened. My mother was dead.

Many months passed after that. Mostly we just moved. Walking around in the hot sun and god forbid we were in a city at sunset. Then we had to run. My dad always told us that at night the dark wasn't scary, but safe. He was right. Bombs almost never fell in dark rural areas.

I lost track of time. It may have been a year, or only six months when I met him. I had been wandering. Every few days my father would give us a break to relax. This happened when he felt we had found a spot that would be safe another night. There was rubble everywhere. This area had already been hit. That was why we thought it was safe. I had begun to wander and before I knew it something gave and a fell through whatever it was I was standing on in the ruble. I think I hit my head, I'm not sure. What I do know is that when I opened my eyes it was not the familiar faces of my father or brother standing over me, but a stranger. He was my age I believe. His dark hair almost made his dark brown eyes invisible. I don't remember what all was said, but I do recall the first words he said to me. "Hello?"

We became close. His parents were gone, he wasn't sure where but we took him in. He was my new light. The love of my life.

Our lives stayed as such. A few close calls and scares, but nothing worth mentioning here. I was scarred. Of course, I'm sure anyone who lived through this was.

But now it's all over. I thought I would be happy. I was wrong.