The Forbidden Six

May 1st, 1945

The years dragged by like molasses. Pieter eventually forgave Liese, but there was still a lingering animosity and Mena and Liese's relationship never truly regained the sister-like state it had been in before the war. They had fallen into a monotonous way of life. Liese had gotten a new job since the bookstore she worked at was bombed out. She now worked as a house cleaner for the wealthier citizens of Kassel. There was also a period of nervousness when Augustine had gotten injured by a shell. Although he got better, his sister worried incessantly.

Kassel had been spared from the relentless bombings that had devastated them since 1942. The last bombing had been in March of 1945 and since then, no planes had appeared on the horizon. The citizens had been trying to rebuild, which was a fruitless effort. Nobody could decide on anything. They decided that it would just be easier to wait until the war was over to rebuild their city. They also feared that if they started to rebuild it would all be torn down again by bombs.

Augustine had been updating Liese every so often about the war. Through the scarce news provided by Augustine, Liese, Mena, and Pieter learned that the Nazis were losing. The Americans had successfully invaded France through the Normandy shore. The Nazis had been continuously losing battles and the Allies had been steadily advancing. By March, the Americans had crossed the Rhine river. Although it had not been the first German city captured by the Americans, it was the start of the American invasion.

On April 1st, the Allies had tried to overtake Kassel. They successfully took over the city four days later. During the nights of the battle, the air filled with gunshots and the groaning of tanks in the streets. Mena and Liese had heard rumors that a few of the citizens had been arrested by the Americans. Thankfully the soldiers had stayed away from both of them.

On March 16th, Mena gave birth to a baby girl named Amalia Ottilie Bauer. She had green eyes and dark brown, curly hair. The birth of her daughter made Mena even more lonely. It just reminded her that Otto was gone. He hadn't even gotten to see his own daughter. When he died, he wasn't even aware that Mena was going to have a baby. Everytime she looked at Amalia, she saw Otto.

Mena had half a mind to give her up. She knew she couldn't, but the thought toyed at her brain day after day. Everytime she looked at the small baby in the crib, her heart broke just a little more. Amalia would have to grow up without a father. It was unfair and she blamed Otto. He was the one that left her.

Early in the morning, Mena laid awake in her bed, Salem lying next to her. Amalia was sleeping in a crib next to her bed. She missed Artemisia, she missed her mom, and she missed Otto. During the hours when the sun was not up was the time that she let her mind wander. Most of the time, she thought about her life before the Nazis. What was it even like? She could barely remember. It was so long ago and she was so young.

She remembered the first day Otto's friend group merged with her own. It was sixth grade. Leyna, Liese, and Mena were sitting at their own table and talking about some subject that seemed extremely important at the time. As she talked to her friends, she remembered seeing a blond boy walking towards them. Mena stopped talking and made eye contact with her two friends. Liese had glanced behind her and saw Werner weaving through the throng of students to get to them. She turned away and blushed. Mena recalled that she had teased her friend as Werner sat down beside her. He had pulled out a book about some man named "George Washington". Liese noticed this and the two struck up a conversation. They became fast friends and their two friend groups integrated to become one. If that had never happened, their lives would have been so different. Maybe Mena wouldn't have fallen in love. Maybe Otto and Werner would have been alive.

She turned to check the time. It was early; around five. She had accidentally fallen asleep—she tried not to sleep because when she did, there were always nightmares—and was awoken by a nightmare at three-thirty. It was the same as always. It always revolved around the same themes: her mom, Hitler, Otto, and occasionally Werner.