A girl and her camera

Chapter thirteen

From then on, Martha fell into some strange, sort of daily routine. In the mornings she would wake early, cook breakfast for her, and a still inconsolable Vera, then make her way to school. There she would do whatever was required of her; handing homework in on time, answering the questions correctly when required of her, and dealing with Brams and Cecil's corny jokes. Mostly, Martha did this with a strange sense of unconsciousness. Where she was awake, but not really present in her surroundings.

When she spent time with Hanna, writing up broadcasts from the BBC for 'The truth', she felt slightly more at ease. Watching Hanna, working intensely over the type-writer, made Martha envy her slightly. Even though she had a majority of her personal freedom taken from her, at least Hanna could still live her dream. She could write reports that meant something; even though it was against the law, she could still do it. But Martha? The only way Martha could make films that meant something to her would be to defy the very men she was working for. And that simply wasn't possible. Her brother was their main source of income, and if she'd gotten him fired, it'd meant that Vera would be stuck in the factory forever.

So Martha went along with this, not only for Vera, but for the chance to see Samuel as much as she could. Over the next few weeks, she came to and from the Ghetto, filming glimpses at a time, before being whisked away by her lover to some small nook of seclusion. There, they would mostly talk, kiss, or sink into each other's arms as they day-dreamt. Together, they'd imagine a world where there were no Jews, or Christians. Where they were both just people; allowed to fall in love without the prospect of deportation, or death. And if they had the time left, they'd look back on their friendship during childhood. How they played together, the nicknames they had for one another, and the innocent vows they took to always be by each other's sides.

All the while, Annabella knew, clearly well, about the affair. And while she worried about what would happen to them if they got caught, she was also extremely happy. Perhaps Martha and Samuel would marry someday after all, she hoped. After the war was over, and these silly laws were all done with, Annabella would plan the wedding herself. Although the intention was rather premature, Annabella didn't care.

And so as Martha reveled in her forbidden romance, it seemed only fair that Hanna worked upon hers too. Even though Bart of course, wasn't forbidden, she still felt a certain kind of excitement in the thought of pursuing him. He was her the first boy Hanna had ever thought of, romantically after all. If only her courage could stretch as far as a flirtatious conversation! Hanna was nothing like Eve, in that sense. Eve could have any boy she wanted, wrapped around her finger. And it wasn't as if Hanna was in a position to ask Eve for advice either. If Eve even knew how Hanna felt about Bart, she would probably put it in her best interests to divert his attention elsewhere.

But today, it seemed, must've been Hanna's lucky day. For when she and Martha stood at their lockers, after school talking, she spotted Bart, in the corner or her eye, approaching her.

"Hey, Hanna." He said to her, shyly. "You look nice today."

Hanna highly doubted that, as the swelling on her cheek from Eve's latest beating was quite obvious against her skin. But it was sweet of him to say so.

"Thank you, Bart." She murmured, "You look very well too."

Martha sensed that the conversation would soon have nothing to do with her, given the way those two were gazing at one another. So she thought now would be the perfect time for her to slip away, to give them some privacy.

"I've got to get to work early," She quickly summoned the excuse, "Bye you two!"

She began to walk away, before Hanna could even stop her.