Happy Wednesday and (almost) February!! Here's a little update for you guys in honor of the longest month of the year finally being over! Let me know what you guys think! :)
"Reyna," A voice whispered into the darkness of her room.
"Reyna wake up," It whispered again. She felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her.
She groaned, trying to roll over but the hand on her shoulder held her there.
"Reyna," The voice repeated, louder and more frantic this time. She recognized that voice. It was Luca's.
Luca?
She opened her eyes, peering into the darkness. She didn't even remember falling asleep. What time was it? She must've dozed off waiting for Luca to return. She squinted as the dim glow of lamp light flooded the room. Luca stood before her, an empty rucksack in his hand. Sliding it's twin off his shoulder, he tossed it on the foot of the bed.
"Come on," He said, grasping her upper arm and hoisting her into a sitting position.
"What's going on?" She asked, still trying to shake the grogginess of sleep away.
"Pack your things into this," He said, shoving the empty pack into her hands.
"Where are we going?" She asked, watching as he turned his attention to the dresser on the opposite side of the room.
"We're leaving," He replied robotically, pulling out various articles of her clothing from the top drawer before closing it and moving on to the next.
"What?" She blinked, unable to even register the words.
"Tonight," He added, dropping the pile of clothing he'd amassed onto the bed before crossing the room again.
"What do you mean?" She shook her head, trying to make sense of it all.
"I don't have time to explain," He shook his head, returning a moment later with her coat he'd plucked off the hook beside the door. "Put this on," He said, taking the rucksack from her hands and replacing it with the wool fabric. "It'll be cold at night."
She watched, speechless, as he went to work packing her clothes into the bag.
"Luca."
He ignored her. Opening his own rucksack, he began taking out various items he'd packed and placing them into her's.
"Luca."
A canteen ... then a loaf of bread ... then a box of matches.
"Luca," She grabbed his wrist, snapping him out of the trance he'd been in.
"What's all this about?" She stared at him incredulously.
He stared back, his chest heaving as he contemplated whether or not to take the time to explain himself.
"The Allies have invaded France," He said breathlessly.
"What?" She blinked.
"The British and Americans landed on the beach in Normandy eight days ago," He said, a forlorn look in his eye.
"That's..." She trailed off, her brow furrowing. "Good news, is it not?"
"There's orders from Berlin for all internment camps to be centralized immediately," He pressed on, his entire expression forlorn now.
"What does that mean?" None of this was making sense.
"It means camps closer to the borders will be shut down." He explained. "They'll transfer as many people as they can, and the rest..." He trailed off, letting the insinuation hang in the air.
"I don't understand," This was all too much. She needed time to process everything - needed to figure out what the hell was going on. "How do you - how do you know all of this?"
For a split second, his forlorn expression gave way to clarity. She studied him, and the look in his eyes she couldn't quite place.
"Liza," He finally answered, the look disappearing as he spoke. "Lieutenant Becker is getting her out. We're supposed to be meeting them."
"I..." She swallowed, standing to her feet, and paced across the room. "Phillip. I need to talk to Phillip." He could make sense of all this. He would know what to do.
"He's not back yet," Luca shook his head. "And we don't have time to wait for his return."
"No..." She shook her head. No, no, no. This wasn't happening. She couldn't leave - not without talking to Phillip. She couldn't. She wouldn't.
"Reyna," His expression morphed into a pleading one, as if he was reading her mind. "There's no time."
She shook her head, pacing again. A hand grasped her arm, turning her around. She looked up, meeting Luca's eyes. "Reyna, we have to go."
"I have to see him," She pleaded, her words nearly a whisper.
"By the time he gets back it'll be too late," He shook his head, but his tone was less sharp - gentler. "There's nothing he'll be able to do for you if you stay."
"Okay," She sucked in a breath, trying to collect herself. He was right. Staying would be pointless - especially when she didn't even know where she stood with Phillip. She bit her lip, cursing herself. Why hadn't she gone to him sooner? Would it have made a difference if she had? "Okay..." She repeated the word, biting back the tears that stung her eyes.
"I'm sorry," He said, squeezing her arm gently.
She shook her head dismissively. She wouldn't allow herself to think about this right now - about everything she was leaving behind - everything she was losing. If she did, it would crush her - would destroy her entirely. Sucking in another breath, she blew it out and picked up her coat from the bed, slipping it on. Grabbing her shoes from the foot of the bed, she slid them on and threw the rucksack Luca had packed for her over her shoulder. When she was ready to go, she turned on her heel to face him. He was watching her, with a far off look in his eye.
"Ready?" She asked. He blinked and it was gone.
"Ready," He nodded. "Let's go." Bracing a hand on her back, he led her through the door and down the hallway. She followed silently along, allowing him to lead her out the servant's entrance of the house and across the grounds at the back of the camp.
He'd been right about it being cold at night. The balmy spring air from earlier that day having been replaced with a damp chill that seemed to seep through one's clothes. She buttoned up her coat as they continued walking in silence, Luca glancing over his shoulder every few steps to make sure they were still alone.
There was nothing but an empty expanse of grass behind the Stubaf's quarters, not unlike the typical backyard of a house. There was even a wooden fence separating the area from the rest of the camp. Did anyone ever come back here? She looked around. There wasn't a soul in sight, just a dim glow illuminating from the officer baracks a few dozen yards away. If she had to guess, the area probably wasn't patrolled at all.
They carried on a few more paces until two silhouettes began to take shape. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw them. Had they been discovered? She glanced to Luca, whose eyes were on the two figures, and was carrying on straight for them. She squinted, straining her eyes until she could make out their faces.
Liza and Elias.
They were standing at the chainlink fence that encircled the camp, rucksacks thrown over each of their shoulders. When they were only a few paces away, Liza's eyes fell on her and she propelled herself forward, throwing her arms around Reyna in a tight hug once she'd closed the distance between them. Reyna melted into the embrace, wrapping her arms around Liza in return.
"Luca," Elias said in greeting.
"Becker," Luca nodded.
"Take these," Elias extended a folded shirt and pair of pants. "Change into them and ditch the uniform as soon as you can ... And this," He said, the moonlight glinting off the dark metal of the handgun he'd pulled from his pack. "It's loaded, and has two extra clips."
"Thank you," Luca nodded, stashing the change of clothes and gun in his bag.
"You're not coming with us?" She looked at Liza, her brow furrowing.
"I'm afraid not," She shook her head, a sad smile turning up her lips.
"Where will you go?" The sinking feeling she'd been trying to keep at bay had returned.
"We'll skirt around the occupied bits of France until we reach the coast," Liza explained. "From there, we'll board a ship."
"To where?"
"We're not sure yet," She shrugged. "America ... maybe Argentina? Just as long as it's not on this continent," She added with a small, mischievous, smile.
"Will I ever see you again?" She knew the answer to that question but asked it anyway.
"Never say never," Liza replied, taking Reyna's hand in her's. Her smile widened as she squeezed it. "I'm so glad to have met you."
"Thank you," She said, squeezing it back. "For everything."
"We need to be going," Elias' voice called, pulling them out of the moment they'd been sharing. Reyna swallowed down the lump in her throat, and blinked away the tears brimming in her eyes.
"Be careful," Liza said, wrapping Reyna in another hug. "Both of you," She added, throwing a glance at Luca, who nodded in return.
Elias pushed against the fence, revealing a small hole that had been cut in the chainlink. He held it back as Liza, then Reyna and Luca, climbed through. Crouching down, he slipped through himself, and then arranged the chainlink until the hole was all but invisible.
With one last hug goodbye, the four of them split off, she and Luca in one direction - Liza and Elias in another. "I'll be sure to write when we all get to where we're going," Liza whispered over her shoulder.
Before Reyna could respond, they'd disappeared into the tree line.
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I told you guys things would be taking a turn ;) I would love to hear ya'll's thoughts and theories! Drop them below! <3