The Prelude: Chaos, Darkness, Fear... and Hope.

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Mama... I cannot see... where are you...

Elizabeth...

Papa...

I... I cannot see you...

Where are you...?

Johannes somehow snapped out of a daydream, an unfortunate memory the day she, her older sister, and their two dearest friends were captured. Elizabeth looked to her younger sister and held her hand tightly as they queued for the line to receive their rationed lunches. Anneke, Elizabeth's best friend, queued up behind the sisters, with the girls' next-door neighbor Rebekah in tow. The young women were used to the rationed lunches of small loaves of bread, potato-and-chives soup [which was mostly watery but still somehow filling], and a small glass of milk or water. It wasn't the best thing edible for the women, but as they were indeed at the mercy of the Darkstrom they really had no other choice.

"Johanne" Elizabeth spoke softly, "are you having milk or water today?"

"Water" the younger sister spoke, "I'm not really up for milk today."

"But Johannes!" Anneke whispered. "You haven't drank milk in days!"

"And in the state you're in" Rebekah chimed in quietly, "you shouldn't be in such a state of total illness. You need to stay strong somehow."

"I am strong" Johannes replied softly, her soft gaze slightly tilted to the ground. "I'm just weaker in spirit than in flesh."

Elizabeth sighed sadly. Her sister truly was stronger in the flesh than in spirit, but it hurt her older sister more that the poor soul was more glum than usual. Johanne was not born to be a cynic she thought to herself, she was born to overcome the darkness. But she sighed sadly, holding onto her younger sister's hand, worrying terribly over what had become of Johannes.

"I do not know what is worse" Johannes spoke softly again, "being born blind or being cynical."

"Do not say that, Johanne" Elizabeth pleaded softly as she took one tray while Anneke took two [one for herself, and another for one of the two sisters], Rebekah taking one tray. Elizabeth helped Johannes with getting the glass of water in her hand, while taking a glass of milk for herself. Rebekah placed one of the glasses of water on her own tray, while settling a few more on the plates that Anneke carried. Together the Düsseldorf Quartet--as they were known in the Lisbon, Portugal concentration camp of the Darkstrom--made their way to a table in the corner of a desolate building which was the cafeteria, and set their stuff on the table, sitting down for grace.

Grace was said, each girl taking up the line--

"Dear God, upon this table humble," Elizabeth started.

"Here we praise the TriGodhead," Rebekah added.

"Thank you for our lives, our hands," Anneke contributed.

"And above all, this our daily bread," Johannes chimed.

"In the blessed Lord's name" Elizabeth concluded, and the Quartet answered "Amen," and began their meal.

After their humble lunch Elizabeth, Anneke and Rebekah returned to their daily chores while Johannes was able to carefully walk through and "explore" the grounds of the concentration camp. The young blind woman had a tendency of being able to figure out her whereabouts on her own, which was tough and inexplicable to understand on her part. She didn't know where she obtained this odd intuition, all she knew was how to find her way around on her own. It was a strange miracle all its own, but she never took that ability for granted.

Elizabeth wiped the sweat off her brow as she sewn the prisoner shirtdresses mercilessly, glaring intently at the sewing machine. It was an old machine, but cooperated well with her. She had sewn about a dozen within the first two hours, as she was an incredible seamstress, and the hall guard complimented well on her task well done. She sighed, looking for a moment at her worn now-bleeding hands, when a handkerchief was placed in her fragile fingers. She looked up to see the surprisingly kind, smiling face of the hall guard, a Darkstrom trooper, who gave her the kerchief.

"You've worked very hard today, Miss Korinn" he spoke. "Take it, and rest for the remainder of the day."

"But... how will I be able to return it to you?" she asked, curious. That sort of thing had never really happened to her before. But the guard just smiled.

"I have witnessed your hard work, you and the Quartet" he replied. "And the way you care for that young lady outside is remarkable. The patience of a saint.

"Take this, a token of my gratitude for your humble inspiration. You are the reason why I haven't been so harsh on any of these amazing seamstresses here."

With tears in her eyes she smiled, and nodded once, holding the kerchief carefully for her bleeding hands. "Danke" she answered softly. "I will never forget your kindness, Sir. Thank you."

"Not a problem, Miss Korinn" the guard answered.

"Really, Elizabeth is fine" she said.

"I am not worthy of adressing you as Elizabeth" he retorted with a wry smile. "You deserve a title of respect, in my honest opinion. The troopers and guards here are all in admiration of you and your Quartet."

"I'm just worried really over Johanne," Elizabeth replied, sighing a bit. "She doesn't deserve to live a cynical life or anything. I don't ever want that poor girl to be cynical."

"What exactly is wrong with Johanne... and who is she, even?" the guard asked.

Elizabeth looked at him with a sad smile. "Johanne--Johannes rather, she's my younger sister... she was born blind."

The guard was shocked. "Dear God, I'm sorry, Miss Korinn..."

"It's no trouble really" she replied. "Just that, after Mother and Father died, all there was left was me and Johanne. So basically it was me, Anneke and Rebekah who all looked out after her. Even here and now." She fixed her gaze to her younger sister, sitting outside the window, against a fence. "That young lady, with the dull yet hopeful stare... the cold, lifeless eyes..."

The guard nodded.

Elizabeth nodded also, tears in her eyes. "That is my Johanne."

Rebekah and Anneke joined the elder sister, their eyes fixed to the second-youngest of the Quartet. The guard too fixed his eyes upon the dark-haired young woman, and for the first time really understood what despair was for not just the trio of women beside him, but for the girl that, while she could not see, was surrounded by chaos, untold pain, fear... and a strange light called hope.