“It’s just up the road a bit. There are shops and vendors. Most of the SS families collect their supplies there,” Rosalie says.
Good to know.
“I should head back to the house,” I say with a sigh. “I’m not sure I’ve earned such freedom yet, or if I ever will.”
Celina scoffs and flaps her hand toward me. “Trust me… when it’s convenient for the officer’s wife, you’ll earn your so-called-freedom.”
“Well, enjoy the rest of your day.”Is that even possible?I give them a quick wave before heading in the other direction.
An unusual silence fills the house, making me wonder what I’m arriving back to. I overheard Ada and Heinrich arguing over her leaving for an appointment this morning. He told her she wasn’t allowed to leave. I pass the family room, finding nothing more than a sofa with worn round divots from overuse. The kitchen is empty as well. Not even Kasia is here. There’s no sound of hammering from above, either. There’s always the sound of hammering. Gavriel does nothing but hammer all day long from the moment he arrives until he leaves at night. I peekout into the back; the large yard being tended to by Adam. He wouldn’t be here alone.
“What is this?” a man shouts. His voice makes me jump back away from the window and frightens Flora out of her momentary calmness. “There are weeds. Weeds are a waste of living space—like Jews. We remove the Jews. And we remove the weeds.” With another quick peek outside, I watch a man in a prisoner uniform with one of those kapo arm bands charging toward Adam. I can’t watch what happens next.
Has this kapo already been inside and inspected Gavriel’s work too? Has Gavriel been hurt? I hurry to the stairs, making my way up to the second floor and do a quick sweep down the hallway to check for any signs of Ada. Even her bedroom door has been left cracked open, which hasn’t happened since I’ve been here. I glance in, finding the mundane decorated space empty.
There’s only silence as I climb the stairs toward the attic. Carrying Flora in my arms and the rush of movement adds to the heat, making it hard to catch my breath. I poke my head into the construction area, searching for Gavriel. A pit in my stomach tightens as I pass each corner, confirming he’s not here.
What’s happened?
“Oh, God!” His cry is guttural.
TWENTY-NINE
GAVRIEL
Flora screams over Halina’s gasp as my heart dislodges from my throat.
“You scared—” she begins to say, exasperated.
“You? I thought you were—” I swallow the last of my words as I step out of the alcove.
“I didn’t know there was an alcove,” Halina says, peering around me to get a better look.
“You still know nothing about an alcove,” I say, pointedly. “But do you want to see inside? It’s not quite a closet.”
This little nook wasn’t always here, at least not like this. It was just a hollow gap around the chimney situated between Halina’s room and the new expansion. It isn’t livable space. I added a couple of shelves, reinforced the beams, and disguised the hatch with a seamless clamp. It was nothing but a wall before and looks like nothing but a wall now. The Schäfers will never notice.
Hali looks a bit hesitant as I would expect but her curiosity is stronger as she makes her way past me, stepping into the alcove.
“I didn’t expect—it’s cozy, like a small hideout of sorts.”
“You never know when one of us might need a few minutes to disappear from this house. A few minutes can mean everything.”
“You’re brilliant,” I whisper. “I’m impressed.” She sweeps her hand along the lower shelf. “I’ve always wanted a hiding spot where the world can’t find me, just a place to go to when I need to think. There was never any privacy in the orphanage when I was growing up.”
“Well, this little place can be our secret,” I tell her, catching her captivating stare, holding it within mine. My heart gallops into my throat, sensations reviving from a life long ago, stronger than I can remember. There’s something between us, more than something, and if I stand here like this staring at her much longer, I might crumble. “I should get back to doing what I’m supposed to be doing, but if you want to revel in the hidden spot until a certain tiny human starts crying, you’re welcome to.” I gently pinch Flora’s nose. “Isn’t that right, little princess?” Flora shocks us both when an adorable little smile perks up her cheeks. “Well, let me guess. You would like your own little hiding spot too, young lady?” Flora releases a hearty giggle—a sound I’ve never heard from her before. I was wondering why I hadn’t heard such a beautiful little sound from her since I was sure babies found their laughter earlier on. I brush my knuckle along her cheek. “See, no reason to be sad. I’ll be happy to make you laugh whenever you want.”
“That’s the first time I’ve heard her giggle,” Hali says, a smile growing across her cheeks too.
“What happened to you last night?” I ask, knowing our moments together end as abruptly as they begin. There was something incredibly distressing behind the words she used this morning.
She hoists Flora up higher on her chest, resting her arm beneath Flora’s bottom. “Oh, it was just a typical evening—like any other evening really, loud, spewing with rage, and tyranny,” I say with a roll of my eyes. “Aside from that, I found a letter in the seam of a book that was left on the doorstep with me. Itwas from my mother.” She narrows her eyes, but stares past me. “Mother. That word doesn’t sound right on my tongue.”
“You said you didn’t know anything about your parents before, right?” I follow.
“Well, it turns out my father is no better than a modern day Nazi, beat my mother while she was pregnant with me, and she was planning to run away with me after I was born and live out our fairy-tale life, but this just-in-case letter was only meant to end up in my hands if the worst happened to her.”
My pulse throbs in my head as I dissect her words, trying to make sense of the story. “What do you think happened to your mother?” I ask.
