I unclench my fists and climb out from beneath the desk. I straighten my dress, taking a deep breath, and make my way out to the foyer to greet Otto, thankful he’s finally here.
“Thank goodness, you’re home!” I say, running to greet him.
“I’m sorry I’m late, darling. We had a long day unfortunately.”
“Of course,” I say, swallowing against the tightness in my neck.
“You look upset. Is everything okay?”
“I’ve been listening to gunshots for the last hour. I don’t know where it could be coming from but it was terrifying to hear.”
Otto walks into the kitchen and takes a seat at the table. “Gunshots?” he questions, his eyebrows knit together into a v like shape pointing down his nose. “You know what…I think guards fire their pistols into the air if they’re struggling to get the attention of the inmates.”
“Why would they do such a thing? Is it necessary?” Wasting ammo doesn’t sound like a logical way to gain attention.
“I’m not around that area of the camp. I’m not sure. I know it’ll take a bit of time to feel familiar with the area and people. We’ll get there.”
“Yes, I suppose,” I say, pulling the foil off our dinner plates before taking a seat across from him. “Mama and Gerty paid me a surprise visit. Then Ingrid invited me over for a cup of tea.” Although something is amiss there too.
“How nice of your mother and Gerty to come by. That’s one surprise I’m sure you enjoyed,” he says with a wink. Itwasa nice surprise. “And tea with Ingrid sounds splendid. Her husband, Karl, is a great fellow. We get along quite well, in fact. His father got him into the field as well.” Otto rushes through his brief description of Karl to inhale a heaping bite of the chicken and dumplings.
I’ve yet to meet the man or see him leave and come home from work.
“How nice,” I say, convincing myself to smile. “Is he a real doctor?”
“No, in fact, he’s self-taught, which is quite commendable.”
I slip my fork out from between my lips and blink at him, questioning who Otto has become. Sure, we have known each other most of our lives, but something has drastically changed within him this past year.
“Well, I disagree. I don’t think it’s equally commendable. There’s a lot to be learned in a classroom setting, as well with supervised direct training. Not everything can be taught out of a book.” My heart races as the words pour out of my mouth. I’m speaking nothing but the truth and it has to be said.
NINE
EMILIE
SIX YEARS AGO, AUGUST 1936
Munich, Germany
The first day of a new school year is something I’ve always dreaded. People change over the summer break and are never the same again. Today is especially difficult because Gerty and I are in a different school now. Boys and girls are separated for educational purposes. At sixteen, none of us seems happy with the change.
Gerty gazes longingly out the classroom window, likely waiting for Jerald, her boyfriend of one year, to walk by. Though, he should be in his school too.
“At least we have each other,” I remind her through a whisper and a smile.
“Thankfully, or I’d go mad being stuck here alone. Never ever leave me, okay?”
“Never leave me either,” I say back, holding out my pinkie for her to grab and swear with.
A new teacher would make sense at a new school, and sure enough I don’t recognize the woman walking into the classroom with her nose pointed to the ceiling.Every chair scrapes againstthe floor at once as we hop to attention, hailing her by extending our right arm toward the ceiling with a straight hand.
“Heil Hitler. Heil Hitler. Heil Hitler,” we shout in unison before returning to our seats. Gerty and I share a look and roll our eyes, knowing the teacher hasn’t turned to face the class yet.
“Heil Hitler,” she replies, turning toward the chalkboard to scribble out her name. Frau Heine. “As you should already be aware, this class is a required general education class: Racial Awareness. You’re all expected to learn your racial duties to serve the national community, understand biology, and politics. If you have any questions, the answer will be in the textbook, and if not, you may stay after class.”
She hasn’t made eye contact with anyone. She must not want to be here. Rather than focus on her, we’re all forced to keep our focus straight ahead at the board where a large poster of Hitler hangs. The sight of him makes my stomach burn.
“I’ll be passing out the textbooks now and we’ll get started right away.”
