Mistress

Chapter 1

Mother hugs me goodbye as I come down, ready to go to school. We're all worried. So many of our friends and family have been taken by the Nazi Party. I don't know how they skipped over us, but we feel lucky every day that God has allowed us to stay safe. Just in case though, we say every goodbye as though it is our last. We know that just because we're family, we may not be sent to the same camp. I wonder every day if I will come home to see Mother cooking supper, or Jakob playing on the floor. I wonder if Daddy will make it home from work safely. I know that God watches over us, because without Him, we would not still be safe.

As I walk to school, I meet up with my best friend Gabriele, who also has been lucky enough to stay safe. We talk of our hopes of the war ending, of Hitler's downfall, of seeing all of our friends and family again. We know inside that these are false hopes, but if there is anything we need, it's hope.

I go about the school day just as always. I pay close attention and learn everything I can, for someday I hope to go to University. I try not to notice the growing number of empty seats, the growing number of missing friends. I try not to think of where they are. I try to convince myself that they are only ill, that they will come back tomorrow. I know this isn't the truth, but it makes going to school bearable.

At the end of the day, I walk home with Gabriele. We try not to look as we watch as they take the bookstore owner and his family away. When we get far enough away to feel safe, she whispers, "This is no way to live, Sofia. Are we not humans, just like them? Why must they take us away?"

"Don't think like that. We can't afford to think like that. We must remember that God has a plan for us. I do not understand it, but there is a plan." Gabriele nodded. I hugged her. "Goodbye, Gabriele. I will see you tomorrow, right?"

She hugged me back. "I hope so. Be safe, Sofia."

With that, we head our separate directions. As I reach my house, everything seems in order. The door isn't off its hinges as I've seen. I enter, expecting to be greeted by Jakob's quick feet running to me. Jakob is nowhere in sight. I call out for Mother, only to receive no response. I felt a boulder settle in my stomach. I knew where Mother and Jakob were. I waited for hours, hoping that Daddy would come home from work. He never came.

I knew that I couldn't go back to school. I couldn't call Gabriele and talk to her. I needed to stay hidden and discreet. I couldn't let them find me.

I went two days living entirely alone. I lived as quietly as I could. I didn't use electricity or heat. I couldn't give them any leads. It was on the third day of being alone that I was awakened by the sudden crash of the front door. I heard someone call out, but I didn't make a sound. I hid myself in a closet, knowing that someone was in the house.

Someone crashed into my room. I watched through a small crack in the door as he went through my things, looking for anything of value to the Nazi Party. I tried not to breathe, fearing that he would hear my breath. I quickly realized that I hadn't picked a good hiding place, as he was going through everything. I closed my eyes, hoping it was all a dream.

Suddenly, the closet door flew open. My eyes opened wide, and I looked into the man's pale blue eyes. He was surprised to see me, and he looked me up and down. His hand reached out and touched my arm. When he felt me and knew that I was real, he stepped back. "Well, what have we here?"