Dangerous Territory

Hide Everything

As they slipped through the maze-like streets, Eren heard shouts in French and German. The noise bounced off the stone buildings until it sounded like police whistles were blowing all around him. His heart raced in fear, but he kept telling himself, so long as he still heard those whistles, it meant they had not found Levi yet.

"Please, God, let him be safe."

They came to a spot where the narrow alley opened to a main avenue. A young teen with thick-rimmed glasses raced into their pathway. He held up his hands to stop them and whispered urgently.

"Attendez un instant s'il vous plaît."

Alexeï took hold of Eren's shoulder. "He's warning us to stay here."

"Who is he?" Eren asked suspiciously.

"He used to be one of Yelena's men."

Eren's mouth dropped as he watched the young teen peek around the corner of the building. "He's a child!"

"Levi kicked him out for being too young. He had no place to go, so he's been working for me." Then Alexeï asked the boy in French, "Udo, is it Levi?"

"Oui," he replied. "I ... I saw what happened," he said with an anguished face. "I followed him. He's with Madame Duvalier."

"As I thought. We were heading there."

"You need to wait. The police are out there. We're redirecting them."

"We?" the old man asked in surprise. "Are they with you?"

Udo looked back with a grin. "Yes! They're my friends, after all."

Through the downpour and thunder, Eren could hear three children's voices speaking in German, and he crept forward as they sounded familiar. Out in the street, he saw Falco and Gabi dressed in their Hitler Youth uniforms and rain gear, facing off with Colt and the French police. With them was a taller girl with blondish-brown hair, large gray eyes, and a Greek nose.

"You should be at school," Colt scolded his little brother. "You're going to catch a cold."

"We were sent on an errand, I swear!" Falco yelled.

The tall girl nodded. "We were just walking when this person in a blue coat with a gun ran by."

"Wait, Zofia, are you saying you three saw him? Where did he go?"

Zofia pointed east. "Down that street."

Gabi added eagerly, "We can help you follow that partisan trash."

"No. Head back to school, and avoid Place Saint Simplice."

"Oooh, are there dead bodies?" Gabi asked in excitement. "We heard the gunshots. Are there any left for me to shoot? Please!" she begged.

"Get back to school," Colt snapped. "Gabi, you should be glad that I won't tell your parents you were out playing hooky."

She stubbornly folded her arms. "Sheesh! Falco told you, we're on an errand for the teacher."

"Then finish up and hurry back. Get out of this rain. We don't have enough medicine to spare on two miscreants." Colt waved to the French officers and led them down the street Zofia had pointed out.

"Have fun chasing that partisan trash!" Gabi called out. She kept up her smile until they were past, and then her face went into a scowl. "I can't believe those police pigs follow around a German."

Falco sighed. "I'm sorry."

She waved it off. "I've told you a million times, it's not your fault. Your brother didn't choose this life, just as none of us has a choice in wearing this," she said, pulling at her own Bund Deutscher Mädel uniform, the same as Zofia's, while Falco wore a tan Hitlerjugend uniform. Gabi turned and waved to Udo, calling out in French, "Tu peux sortir, c'est bon." You can come out, it's okay.