Imperishable Virtues

"If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a small chance of survival. There may even be a worse case: you may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to PERISH than to live as slaves".

[Winston Churchill]

*

"Breaking news...Last night the SS raided another company suspected of hiding Jews and other unmentionables from the Nazi's. Officers were sent to the building around 11pm, around 10 arrests were made, The Fuhrer commend his men for their bravery and virtues during the raid. more on the story later. In other news..."

She reached over, turning off the old tin radio as she heard the front door creak open behind her. She enjoyed listening to the news, liked to hear what was going on in the world around her day to day, but not when it involved so much death, so much destruction.

Her brother Emmett walked in the door, covered in scratches and dust. Glass fragments glittered in his hair, he wasgrinning from ear to ear though visibly exhausted and reclined in his armchair, taking off his hat as he did so and placed it on the side of the chair. in a way that was very much like their father. He turned to acknowledge his sister, questions would have been running in her head to where he had been, if she didn't already know the answer.

"Late night?", she asked anyway just for effect, raising her eyebrows, apart from that her face stayed impassive. she might as well ask first, he was going to show off to her anyway.

He looked at her, still smiling. "Yeah, working late, obviously", he motioned down to the uniform he was wearing in a dominant, showy manner, black, like the abyss, the only colour on his body was a blood red band around the top of his arm, a ominous black symbol in the centre, surrounded by white. He noticed her looking at it and twisted it round so she could get a better look.

"Like it? I fully qualified yesterday afternoon, I would have told you, but I had to go to work straight away. Emergency." He spoke as if his work was thoroughly important.

"Got to stop people from rebelling against the Fuhrer, especially the Jews, it was a tough night last night, though you probably heard". He motioned to the radio she quickly turned off as he walked in the room.

She had forgot that her father no longer hated the news, now that The Fuhrer had begun to censor the reports, putting speakers on the streets and making people buy his own short-wave radios. But old habits died hard, especially when there was a beating waiting for her wrongs. She nodded, only half taking in what he was saying, she surveyed the room, not wanting to hear the full details of the raid last night, hoping he wouldn't tell her, hoping his friend wasn't in the house too. He caught her looking and winked,

"He went home to get changed before we head back out to our next duty in the square",

and at his words it was like a weight had been lifted off her stomach, the feeling of oppression left her.

"He isn't here?",

Emmett mistook her relief for confusion and smiled at her, shaking his head. "No Raina, but I can always get him to stop by if you want". He winked, and the sick feeling returned to her stomach.

"Raina?", The sound of her name snapped her out of her thoughts and back to a reality, a safe reality, he wasn't here.

"I'm okay", and that was true for now.

Emmett just laughed again, "You know what, if Lance wasn't my best friend I would tell him to leave you alone and stop courting my baby sister".

He didn't mean it though, he never meant it when he said it.

"Courting", the word filled her with so much sickness. Her brother had no idea what his best friend Lance was doing to her, how he was treating her, she shuddered at the past memories she had endured with his abuse, she hid the torture well from the others.

And now her father wanted her to marry him? She couldn't imagine spending the rest of her life with someone as sickening and disturbing as Lance.

It was as if he was listening to her thoughts, manipulating her, using violence and strength to overpower her and make her do what he wanted. He had made her do some terrible things in the past.

She snapped herself out of her trance and looked away, hoping that by doing so it would make her forget the horrors she endured.

"Father mentioned it the other day you know, to the Fuhrer. He said he would send you a personal message once you are married. Apparently he called you the perfect German couple". her brother looked at her, elbowed her playfully and winked.

Of course, 'Perfect'. The word Perfect only stretched as far as the shell of the person. The colour of their hair, eyes. The only reason for him to call them the perfect couple was the fact they were both Aryan. The "supreme" race in Germany. Raina didn't see how this was different to anybody else.

"Lance is coming over later this evening though, me and him are going through security strategies for our next posting tomorrow".

Raina made a mental note to leave the house before he arrived, she didn't know where she was going to go, but anywhere was safer than in a house with him, especially if Emmett left them alone in a room together. She didn't even want to think about what might happen. He had been around more often than usual, though thankfully he was too busy planning "security strategies" with Emmett to take too much notice of her, he still looked at her though, and the looks were what scared her the most, because she could guess what thoughts were hidden behind those cold, ice-blue eyes, and she really didn't want him to go any further than that.

She just nodded to Emmett and walked out the room, leaving him to sit in his chair, contemplating the violence he had ensued last night, completely oblivious to the latter which was right in front of his eyes.