To Live is to Love: Prologue

Better summary: Laura Love, passionate about writing, and a victim of war's hardships finds the parallels between Anne Frank and herself phenominal. Some factors, however, may it be her parents' death or her older brother's upbringing on the wrong side of the battlefield, simply do not match up.

Author's note: The majority of the characters are based off of people I know in real life and some historical figures and events are included. Regardless of any content that may or may not seem real, please remember that this story is and will always be fictional. **On a side note, sorry if it seems a little short, but I promise next time around, it will be much, much longer. Enjoy, and don't forget to review!


June 15th, 2011

"There's a place deep within the Minnesota territory where summer never comes and shadows stretch on for miles. It goes by the name of Stealthwood Forest, and hidden beneath the shelter of its trees is a wooden cabin I am reluctant to call home. It's fairly small, granted it has a main room with only a bed and bathroom to complete it. The nights get cold this time of year, and dark as well, which makes for no compensation. Inconveniently, the one source of heat comes from the fireplace, while light is obtained through candles and a battery-operated flashlight. No electricity is present, and therefore I have no cellphone, TV, or any other necessities most my age would cling to. All in all, it's the price I'm forced to pay after the war began. If anything good came out of this atrocity of a living arrangement, though, it's that I find myself much more focused on my writing, a passion I developed growing up in New York.

To say the least, I can't think of anyone better to compare myself with than Anne Frank. Like her, I've taken refuge behind solid walls to escape the dangers lurking in every direction of the outside world. I, too, garner my thoughts into what one might argue to be a diary, but in actuality is just an old notebook I would've used for school, that is if I hadn't been pulled out. I remember reading 'A Diary of a Young Girl,' the very work in which Frank was given fame, and wishing so desperately that I could feel sympathy for her having to live in her older sister, Margot's shadow, but I simply cannot. I have a brother, twelve years my senior, who will be turning twenty-seven in July. His name is Vince, and I don't, nor will I ever have any desire to be like him. You see, there's a huge difference between Anne's older sibling and mine. As far as anyone is concerned, I'd say it's pretty safe to believe Margot Frank wasn't a killer.

Nevertheless, I'm still greatly inspired by Anne's heart-breaking story of having gone through the hardships of World War ll. Somehow, the more I think about this courageous figure, the more hopeful I become considering the current state of things. Once again, different cultures and beliefs has triggered fueding across the entire globe, and undeniabley it's a war like no other. Adolph Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Charles Mansen-- three well-known men with one thing in common. They're all murderers. Each, so cruel, so inhumane, that some might debate whether any of them were ever worthy of life at all. What happens, do you think, when it comes to be thought that all humans, well-guided by the light or devilishly corrupted, haven't the will to live on any further? We're led straight into, by far, the biggest conspiracy mankind will ever face.

How and why this came to be, nobody knows. The only established fact is that it did, indeed take place. Close to two years ago, an Italian group stormed through countless cities of different countries and massacred each one in new and unthinkable ways. As they passed, they gained followers, eventually enough to raise an army-- one so diverse with different ethnicities, it'd be nearly impossible to distinguish what side someone was on. This war happens to be one where citizens, even leaders have abandoned everything they once knew to aid the creation of the other side, in this case the Deliverance, as it's called.

What does any of this have to do with my brother, one might question? The answer's simple. Everything. He tries to keep me in the dark, but from the very beginning his efforts had bound to be short lived. For one thing, I have reason to believe he's one of them, maybe the one calling the shots. What's led me to this assumption, well I'm not at liberty to say just yet. In all honesty, I still have some loose ends to tie up, but I will proceed to asking myself this question. If Vince really is in favor of the Deliverance, then is it likely he believes I'm no acception to the destruction of the human race? To that, I have yet to give a direct answer. Perhaps, I'm meant to share the same destiny as Anne Frank, hence I should expect to die at any given moment. Whether my blood will be on the hands of my brother or on someone else's still remains to be seen. Am I scared? I see no reason to feel otherwise. The last I'd heard of any war news, the Deliverance had long since invaded my hometown of Manhattan, and mind you, this was precisely six months ago. God knows where they could be headed now. With that knowledge, my safety is at the most, prolonged, however, with an alledged follower sleeping merely feet away from me, my chances of survival could very well be less than they appear.

Why do I choose to stay put rather than run away? If I am to die, and God forbid, but if fate must be cruel to me, then I refuse to go without first accomplishing something. Surely it is known that without evidence, we would have no history. If it weren't for Anne Frank and her diary, no one would know in detail, about her remarkable experiences. If I don't write about what I see or what I hear, who will know my history? Who else can get close enough to uncover the causes of our wounded Earth?

I wish I could say this is fiction-- that there is no war and my brother is nothing but a good soul. If not that, I wish I was unconditionally insane and couldn't give a damn if the whole world was to burn in hell. But I'm a real, genuine girl with pages filled with stories as real as life itself. My name is Laura Love, and to my dismay, I haven't the slightest idea what's to become of me, my brother, and everyone for that matter. Given time, and a lot of patience all the while, I hope to get my answers."