The Price We Pay

Chapter 49

I could feel my bag shift every time I took a step. A constant reminder of what I intended to do. I tried to steady my pace so the contents wouldn't shift within my backpack, but its weight still tormented my thoughts.

"Where exactly are we going?" Peter asked, his breath was slow and white in the cold air.

We were both in a fresh new pair of clothes with our guns and walkie talkies strapped to our sides. We had barely spoken since we left, both venturing through the night, lost in our own thoughts. A comfortable silence surrounded us, one I didn't feel obligated to fill.

I had taken the lead, but forgot to mention it to Peter. "We're going back to Irene's." I replied, hiding all emotion from my voice. I had been preparing myself: I knew Irene wasn't going to be there this time, her genuine smile and warm embrace wouldn't be waiting for us, the smell of her bread wasn't going to greet us when we entered her home.

Peter tilted his head, "Why are we going there?" he sounded genuinely confused.

I stopped walking, "You don't know?"

He turned to me, "Know what?"

"About the papers? You know, all those ration cards and identification papers that got stolen?" Peter stared back at me blankly, his eyes slightly narrowed, I scratched my head, "Why did you go to Irenes then? You know, the day we met?"

He still looked confused, "Because someone reported her, they said that she had unrelated guests in her home. Suspected she was sheltering Jews or something."

I shook my head in disbelief, "So you didn't go to her house in search of papers?"

Peter shook his head again, "I have no idea which papers you're talking about."

I tried to wrap my head around it all, for the last few weeks, I had thought it was Jacob who had gotten us caught, that it was the papers he'd stolen that led them to us. "Who reported her?" I asked.

Peter shut his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose while he thought, "I'm not sure? I think it was a neighbor." He guessed.

I searched my memory, trying to picture any of Irene's neighbors--and then it hit me. It was the lady who had approached me while I was at Irenes, the one who asked if I was related to Jacob.

My nails dug deep into my skin, I hoped that lady knew that Irene had died because of her selfishness. I hoped she knew the conditions Jakob and Adri were living in because of her.

She better hope we never meet again.

Fuming, I stomped on, hoping the cool air would cool my temper. Peter caught up beside me, "So are those the papers we're going to get?" He asked.

I kicked a rock, "Yeah, and now I'm positive they'll be there. If the Nazi's weren't looking for them, they wouldn't have found them."

Peter didn't seem to fully understand, but still he nodded. I glanced at him, guilt filled my chest, "Before you showed up, Jacob had stolen an entire backpack of ration cards and papers. When he showed me, I lectured him on how dangerous that was."

He chuckled, "You...leacured him...on being safe?" he playfully pushed me. I swatted his hand away and I rolled my eyes. "I've survived everything that's happened to me so far." I replied defensively. That only made him laugh harder.

After a minute of contagious laughter, he pulled himself together, "So, then what happened?" he said as he stifled another laugh. I shrugged, trying to hide the guilt that consumed me, "We got in a fight, I left, and when I got back, you were there." He turned to look at me, as if he didn't quite believe me. I stopped and put a hand on one of the trees, "Recognize this?" I said, trying to lighten the mood and avoid whatever he was planning on saying next.