echo

Charlotte rolled her eyes, "this guy is crazy" she thought silently resting her back against the wall and looking up at the ceiling. She wished she had a way to tell the other adults their children were safe for the night, they always questioned her for hours after she came back. She closed her eyes and her mind wandered to where her parents could be, they were so old and fragile she doubted they would survive the winter if their conditions were as bad as this camp. Charlotte kept herself calm and layed her head on the folded blanket, closing her eyes but unable to quiet her mind enough to sleep.

"what problem?" she asked ignoring his last comment, she was a grown person she could decide when she would sleep on her own. Charlotte quickly got up when a child started crying from a nightmare sitting on their bunk and whispering to them quietly until they calmed down. Once the child was asleep once more she wiped their tears from their cheeks and walked back to the fire sitting down. "The only problem we have is with France... but i believe we could leave that in the past if we really tried" She looked at the fire remembering all the angry men in the middle of the streets cursing the French empire.

Charlotte watched him and sighed looking back down at the ground. "this is hopeless...." she thought to herself her eyes wondering back to the fire. The events of the evening began to catch up with her as she fought the drowsiness that plagued her. She yawned quietly and brought her knees up to her chest as she watched the fire. " Why do most of the guards hate us so much?" She asked after a long period of silence.

She watched him holding the blanket in her hands, "if you dont agree with what is happening why dont you do something about it" she said quietly looking out the window just noticing the pile up of snow. "If you feel your so righteous why dont you turn your words into actions I stead of sitting with a prisioner girl and a bunch of children reading off your philosophies". Charlotte looked back over at the children sleeping, "they cant survive like this.... this is no way to spend a childhood" She sat back down folding the blanket and setting it beside herself.

Tears started to come to her eyes hearing his harsh words, she knew they were true but she just couldn't except that one minute she is a free women with a future and the next she is just some animal to be thrown away on the whim of someone else. Charlotte looked at the children sleeping and realized when they were older they probably wouldn't remember life before this place. She wiped her eyes with the edge of her dress and looked away from him not wanting to hear what he had to say any longer. "im going back my bunk" she decided outloud before standing up.

She looked down at her lap, "so nobody is coming to help us...." she murmured to herself now understanding the hopeless looks on the faces of the other adults. She took a strand of her hair combing it with her fingers processing the new information. "how long are we going to be held captive like this...?" she asked looking back up at him the color returning to her cheeks as she warmed back up completely.

She looked down at her feet figuring he couldn't be as bad as freezing to death in corner and after a few long minutes sat down keeping the fire between them. "what do you mean i can't understand?" she asked her curiosity starting to grow so be bigger than her fear. Charlotte's over protection as a child caused her to fail to understand his last comment. She wiggled her toes beginning to gain feeling trying to get rid of the pins and needles.

She became wide eyed scrambling away from him, "dont touch me!!" Her back was now pressed against the far wall away from the fire so she was half covered in darkness. "why are you doing this? why are we being kept here??" she finally blurted out after recovering from her frightened state. She made sure to stay far away from the guard, but that also meant being far away from the fire. As consequence she started shivering a little the worn fabric of her dress doing little for warmth. Charlotte remained stubborn however not allowing her body to move an inch that would bring her closer to the man.

She shifted her feet nervously, "i-im aware..." she said softly. Charlotte kept her eyes on the fire glad to have something warm to stand by. "at least the kids are ok... thats all that matters remember... " she thought trying to keep herself brave. She knew she had no chance of escape against the older bigger male in front of her so she had no choice but to go along with whatever he was doing for now. "n-no i didn't think any of the guards would be out...."

She was about to reach out and stop the girl but hesitated. Charlotte thought over how this might go, if he was telling the truth or not. Some of the guards were cruel and heartless and he very well may be one of them. She sighed and decided to let the children eat the bread that was provided. "i suppose that would only be fair" she replied not moving from her spot. She glanced at the door but considering the guard was between her and her target she decided against it.

Charlotte watched him board up the window and took a step back thinking he was up to something. "dont move" She spoke quietly the children in the bunks behind her. She kept her eyes on the guard, "what are you doing in here?" she asked nervously after examining him. He most definitely was the guard from before even in the darkness she could tell that. Charlotte noticed the cleanliness of his uniform which confused her from being used to seeing sloppy ill mannered guards pushing people around. "Maybe he will tell me why they are doing this..." she thought silently.

Charlotte picked up a smaller toddler then heard the door open along with the feeling of the chill from outside. "oh no...." she whispered and turned around still holding the child in her arms. She was about to run for the window when she realized it was the same guard from the that morning. " i-i... um" She failed to come up with an explanation for herself as the children who had yet to be tucked in quickly got into bed and hid under the covers. The pile of blankets from the adult building was sitting the middle of the floor. A draft from a window was causing a soft whistle to ring through the building creating the only sound beside the nervous breaths of the children.

After a while of talking Charlotte was sent with some of the adult's blankets. Once in the children's building she passed them around to the shivering children."the sun is going down..." she looked out the window then back at the children starting to tuck them into bed singing a soft german lullaby.

She looked out the window and sighed softly. " How long are we going to be stuck here?" Her mind wandered to the few who attempted to escape, out of everyone only one had managed to slip passed the guards. She wondered where they ran, if he actually made it or was caught and sent to a different encampment. Charlotte pulled her blanket tighter around herself hoping it wasn't the case. She had tried before to confront a guard as to why they were doing this but her only reward for her curiosity was spit in her hair and a bruise just under her eye. She shuddered glad it went away quickly. Charlotte looked back at the other people in the building, atleast it stayed mostly warm with everyone packed into such a small space.

The room suddenly exploded into a series of uproars, "We can take one elf!! We'll just kill 'im!!" One elf shouted capturing Joker's attention. "Is that what you think we are? A bunch of murderers just hanging around the cause trouble?" She approached the taller elf. " Is that really what you think?" The darkness in her eyes and the confrontation silenced the room. The elf not expecting Joker to hear his remark sealed his lips and looked down ashamed. " However.... He has a point" She sat back down, "We need to find out more about this new comer and why he is sticking his nose in everything... He could be a threat to our goal." She sunk low into her chair thinking. "He is just as agile as any of us so it would be far too difficult to capture him for questioning." Joker got up from her chair and walked out deep in thought pulling her scarf over her face as she stepped out onto the street. Her eyes were focused on the ground in front of her. Being so focused on the problem handed to her she failed to notice a dark figure following her not too far off. "Hmmm what if i let him see the letter... pretended I needed his help. Maybe he would reveal his goal in all of-" Joker's thought was cut off as she heard shuffling behind her. "who's there??" She called out quickly turning around. She was disturbed when not a soul was in sight. She decided not to take any chances and took to the roof tops to get back home.

Joker recovered remembering the half breed's threat. "Hmm time for a meeting.." She released a small yellow bird from a cage in her room letting it fly out the window. After a minute of watching the bird she ran out of her small dwelling heading toward an old bar further into town. Upon entering, a crowd of elves looked at her expectantly, she sat at the front of the small bar that had been taken over as a meeting place for the elves. "We have a problem" she started looking at the different faces of her allies. "Who let those barrels loose earlier today?" Three elves stepped forward. "We have a nosy civilian that could prove to be dangerous its best for you to disappear for a few days"

After assuring all the adults that their children were ok, she took the thin blanket from her bed and wrapped it around herself. "Its getting colder outside...soon there will be snow on the ground." She looked outside at the overcast sky. "I hope they give more blankets to the children..." she curled up and tried to get warm from that morning's adventures. Charlotte looked around at the adults and those that only weeks before had a fire in their eyes and resisted against the mysterious government now seemed to have lost hope of escape.

She watched him write the note and leave, her curiosity got the beat of her and she took it. Charlotte leaned against the wall for support, "he knew I was there....". She quickly tore up the note and ran back into the adult housing, "I wonder why I didnt get in trouble..." she sat on her small bunk contemplating this for a while as parents surrounded her asking about their children.

Charlotte's eyes widened and she held her breath looking up at the soldier who was now only a few feet from the bush she was hiding behind. She tried to remember whether or not today adults were allowed outside, but even so a random girl popping up from a bush would rise suspicion. She wondered how much trouble she would get it, she heard stories about what happened to people who broke the rules and while she was sure they couldnt be true Charlotte would rather not find out for herself. So she sat silently praying the guard would leave.

Charlotte held her breath as a guard started walking in her direction. She backed up further behind the building hiding behind a large bush. "Please dont see me!" She thought silently holding her breath as he walked to the fence. "How am I going to get back in now?? My only way in is blocked now!" She looked around starting to panic a little but finally decided to stay put and see how things would go. "They are never here early the morning guards are lazy whats going on...." Charlotte frowned and continued to watch the guard unable to recognize him from the usual group.

Charlotte peaked out the window and snuck down of the back of the children's housing after hugging them goodbye. "Alright here we go..." she whispered under her breath breath running quickly along the back of the fence. "Why are they out so early today?" She asked herself pressing her back to the building. "There already in the adult housing... theyll count one missing this isnt good" Charlotte thought to herself watching the guards and their leader approach the building.

"Shh...." Charlotte often visited into the camp full of German children to help calm them down. Although it was strictly forbidding she sat on the dirt floor of a small building with a little girl in her lap and the test of the children in a semi-circle around her. "And then Goldylocks came across three bowls of porridge" She was interrupted as a child asked why they had to read the same story everyday. Charlotte looked down at the worn brown nook and sighed, "its the only book we have". She looked out the window and saw guards passing by, "but it looks like its time for me to anyways..."

Character sheet: Name: Charlotte Klein Age: 19 Nationality: German Appearance: Charlotte is of average height with blonde hair down to her back and light blue eyes. She wears a plain brown dress so not to stand out Status: civilian Bio: Before strange men broke down her front door and took her parents, Charlotte was a normal girl working at a dress shop. After the new government came everything changed. She was thrown into a camp full of other people her age she didnt know. Personality: kind, smart, resourceful. Weapon: none

She kicked off her flats and opened the letter. To whom it may concern, With the rising of the elven comminuty against the viscount, a special elite team of soldiers have been given a mission the assasinate the current leader of the rebellion- She stopped reading and let the letter slip from her hands. "They know who I am...? But ive always hidden my face... my real name is a mystery to all but myself..." she looked out the open window. Joker left the letter on the floor and curled up on her bed to keep from trembling.

Joker clenchd her fists and walked him leave. "Well they dont know anything about it anyways..." she muttered heading out toward the edge of town. "I cant believe him..." at the very edge of town she entered a small dark house moving aside a small cloth that acted as a door. She relaxed once she was in her dark two room home taking her scarf from her head to let her black hair small down her back. "Now to look at this letter..." she layed back on her bed and opened the envelope carefully so not to rip the paper.