The Book Theif

Chapter 3-Kyan

"Ouch!" I cried out as I cut my hand with a pocket knife for the fifth time in a week. I tore off the sleeve of my shirt and wrapped it around the cut. Now, my right hand looks like it has been mummified. It's hard surviving in these ruins. Not many animals-or people-venture in this part of the city. It was destroyed about a year ago when the war had just begun. I was 11 at the time. It was my birthday...

{Flashback}

"Kyan! Honey, smile for the camera!", my mom said as she snapped a photo. Today, I turn twelve. Today, I can legally stay home alone. Today, and from now on, I can watch pg-13 movies. Today, I am starting the rest of my life. My mom doesn't let me do much. I don't have a phone. I can't have any social media. I can't play football. I don't own any video games. I don't have a tablet. I even still get babysat! She is really overprotective. She keeps all her photos on a couple of big, tall shelves in storage units because she thinks our house is going to flood. We live on the top of a hill.

"Alright everybody. Run on outside to play. I have some cleaning to do", my mom said after the photo was saved on her camera. Of course, we all ran outside one after another, but I hesitated before going out the door, and stepped back instead of forward. I couldn't do this. I can't just go outside and play with a bunch of people I don't even know. Mom decided to invite my entire fifth grade class, and only ten of thirty-two kids showed up. They don't talk to me at school unless they have to. Some of them even bully me. This is wrong. Before my mom could say anything, I darted up the stairs.

I slammed my bedroom door and buried my face in my pillow, tears streaming down my face. My mom slowly opens the door.

"Are you alright sweetie?" she asks me, with a concerned voice.

"Do I look alright to you mom? Do I ?" I responded back, furious. She doesn't need to baby me. I am twelve now. "Just go back downstairs and have a piece of cake or something. I don't care what you do. Just leave me alone."

"Oh sweetie-"

"Stop calling me that! I'm not two anymore! I'm not a baby."

"Yes, but you will always be my baby."

" I don't care who's baby I am! Just leave me alone!" I screamed. I have never screamed before. Never. I have always held in my pain, fear, and difference. I don't want my mom to know. She'll just make everything worse. I don't make eye contact as I say, "mom, I am not your baby anymore. You can stop throwing me stupid pity parties. Just go downstairs and leave me. Forever."

"I-" she was cut off my the playful scream of a child. "I better go see what that was." She darted away from my bedroom door in the direction of her bedroom, not the stairs.

I suddenly feel horrible. Why did I do that? She was much happier when I just forgot my emotions. Whatever. I'll hold it in. I am going to go downstairs and play. I will jump and shout, climb and swing. Maybe I can even socialize a bit. But yes, I will do it. I'll do it for mom. I'll do it for her.

{flashback over}

That is when it begun. Ever since then, Casper has been searching for the books. War broke out. Everywhere.

I grabbed my nap sack and moved forward. I stopped and stared at the street. Everything is ruined. Nothing will ever be the same. Nothing. There's no going back now. Now, we must just push forward. I kept walking through the rubble. That's when he grabbed me.