Author: Kate Leslie
Category: Other
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“You said it should be done at night. If you won’t be seen, neither will I,” Mia replied.
Vi groaned. “I will not let you go alone. So, I will come too.”
“So, it’s settled then?” Phil asked the group.
“Although I think it’s risky, we have to get people talking about it and what better way to attract attention. I’m in too,” Mia said.
“Then count me in too. This time, I’m not letting you drive into town alone.” Considering the consequences of Mia and Phil’s last trip, Vi’s reaction was not at all surprising.
They quickly agreed Vi would take care of the design, whereas Phil would expropriate the spray paint.
40
Mia
Phil planned to acquire the paint as soon as his schedule allowed. He complained again about the unfairness of having to work two shifts each as well as that there was so little free time in between. He would have to hurry so his absence would not be obvious.
Vi had an easier task. She could take care of her things during her free time in her room. Since her parents respected their children’s privacy, she didn‘t have to worry about someone bursting in on her.
Mia, on the other hand, had not been assigned an undertaking. She spent her days performing her chores or hanging out in the van Berg family’s quarters. Since the shifts of all three deliberately overlapped each other, she would not see Vi and Phil until supper time.
So, she spent much of her free time with Edith, who welcomed her warmly and made her feel at home. Her guilty conscience appeared when she reminded herself, they were going behind everyone’s backs again. She briefly thought about bringing it up with Edith but was reluctant when she thought about how strict Markus was raising his children. As he pointed out often, it was a measure he had not exercised in the past.
“Did you have a nice evening?” Edith asked Mia as they were sorting and ironing the laundry.
Mia nodded. “Yes, it was very nice.” She briefly described their get-together and how they had laughed and danced. Thinking about her dance with Max, she remembered his touch and how she felt when they were so close to each other. And it was that closeness that was responsible for throwing her off balance. Max had changed partners and danced with Becka intending to switch back, which did not happen thanks to Phil’s tenacity for fear of ending up with the ‘shrew’ or ‘broom’ or whatever name he had used for a partner. She kept that incident to herself.
“You should do it more often. It’d be good for all of you,” Edith said.
“If that keeps them from coming up with stupid ideas, I’d be happy,” Markus interjected.
Mia felt reassured about keeping her plans to herself.
“It might give Phil some stability,” Edith continued, ignoring her husband’s interjection.
Markus gave Mia a look that betrayed his doubt but didn’t comment.
Perhaps she should leave the group before she got them into even more trouble. But where could she go? What would she do? She could not be seen in Filiae. That was a fact. Which options were left? The rebels? How could she contact them? Would they help her? They probably had other goals. If they wanted to do something about the students, they would have already done so.
“What’s wrong?” Edith asked. “Suddenly, you seem depressed.”
“I was only thinking,” Mia answered. Edith scrutinized her. She was obviously waiting for her to continue. Mia let out a breath. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve created nothing but problems for you. Maybe it’s best if I leave.”
“Don’t even think that.” Edith went to Mia and hugged her. “You don’t create problems. You are only worried about your brother. It’s expected. And it’s only natural that you want to do something.”
It did not really ease Mia’s conscience. She felt she did not deserve the warmth Edith welcomed her with.
Edith looked at her husband for confirmation. “Isn’t that right, Markus?”
“Whatever you say, dear, like I would ever argue with you.” He gave his wife a mischievous grin. It reminded Mia so much of Phil. The two clearly had more in common than either would ever admit.
By suppertime, Mia’s mood had not improved. The way Edith had treated her made her feel even worse.
“You seem depressed? Is something wrong?” Max asked.
Was it that obvious? “No, everything is fine.”
“Did something happen?” Vi inquired.
Mia shook her head. “No, really, everything is fine. Why are you asking anyway?”
Vi sighed. “We all spend too much time alone. Who wouldn’t be depressed?”
Max studied her. “You are lonely?” And immediately answered his question. “No. It’s about your brother. You worry about his well-being and what you could do for him.” He was silent for a few moments. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Mia shook her head and avoided his gaze.
“At least I could try to get your mind off him. H’m...” He considered. “I have a few books you might be interested in. If not, I’m sure we can think of something else. Just come on over afterward.”
“Very subtle, Max,” Phil commented.
Max didn’t seem bothered by what Phil was implying. He gave Mia a winning smile.
Mia’s eyes moved involuntarily to Becka, who did not disappoint, “It’s only a book, Phil.”
“Becka is right, it’s only a book,” Vi said.
Phil stared in horror at Vi. Neither he nor Becka ever expected Vi would side with her.
“So, it’s agreed. You’ll come over. I’ll cheer you up somehow.” Max was still grinning at Mia.
After dinner, Mia, Vi, and Phil finally had an opportunity to talk about their days in private. Phil had acquired what they needed. Vi showed them the template designs she made and they settled on one Vi should use.
“Now all we have to agree on is when it goes down,” Phil said. “I’d say as soon as possible. Before everything goes back to normal and people become used to the idea of never seeing their children again.”
“I’ve been thinking about that all afternoon,” Mia began, “I place a burden on your family. I only create problems for you. But I cannot sit here and do nothing. I can only think of one solution.” She took a deep breath. “So, I don’t create more trouble, I should leave.”
“You will not!” Vi’s tone expressed determination.
“What good would that do?” Phil agreed with her. “Do you think once you have left, Vi and I will sit idly around with our hands in our laps and resign ourselves to our fate? Do you think I want to hide for the rest of my life? To grow old without ever having really lived? We have a right to enjoy our youth. Later on, perhaps start a family. But for the unforeseeable future, these rights are denied to us and I certainly won’t accept that whether you are here or not.”
“Phil is absolutely right. We won’t surrender to that fate. We will stand up for our rights whether you are here with us or not.” Vi’s tone softened. “See, you don’t have to leave on our account. On the contrary, we can use all the allies we can get.”
“Thanks.” Mia put her arms around Phil’s neck, who sat next to her, and held him close. Then she got up and hugged Vi.
“I’m going to leave now. This here is getting too damn emotional for me,” Phil said as a goodbye.
Vi rolled her eyes. “Guys are so emotionless. And Phil is the worst of them. Speaking of guys, I thought you wanted to borrow a book? Or did you forget that?”
Mia went to sit on her bed. “No, I haven’t forgotten, but should I really leave you alone? I could help you. Or you might get the idea I’m only thinking of myself.”
“I believe you’re not doing it often enough. I mean, putting yourself first.” Vi tilted her head to one side. “What else?” Nothing escaped Vi.
Mia hesitated. She was nervous just thinking about meeting Max. It would only be the two of them.
“Go to him,” Vi said softly. “Enjo
y the evening.”
Mia took a deep breath, walked to the door, and turned around. “Thank you, Vi, for all your support.”
Vi nodded. “Go on.”
Mia knocked on the door of Max’s family, the Bergers. When everything remained quiet, she carefully opened the door. Nobody was there. Three doors led off the central room. One stood open. A double bed was visible. It seemed to be the parents’ bedroom. Good that they were not here. Mia would not have liked running into them. She stood there, indecisive. The adjacent room was the bathroom. The third door was locked. Presumably Max’s room.
She would knock on the locked door now and if no one answered, return to her quarters.
Her knock was answered by Max. “Come in.” Mia opened the door. Max lay on his bed, one arm behind his head. His other hand held Becka’s, who was sitting on the edge of his bed. When Max saw Mia in the doorway, he let go of Becka’s hand and sat up. “Hello,” he said. “Nice of you to come.”
Becka sneered.
“I... I don’t want to disturb you guys,” Mia stammered.
“You’re not disturbing anything.” Max had risen to meet her, but Mia had already left the room.
She did not want to go back to her quarters just yet. It would only raise questions she did not want to answer. So, Mia went to the upper level. She heard voices come from the dining room. That was not an option either. She looked around. The pantry was right there. She entered the room. She left the light off. She did not want anyone to know someone was in here and find her. In the dark, she felt her way around and sat on a box. She remembered the time she was here with Max. He had been angry with her but had forgiven her. Then was the incident with the message. He had shown sympathy and stood up for her. Now they were scheming again, which could have far-reaching consequences. Would he forgive her once he found out?
Did it even matter? And what just happened? Why did it affect her so much to see him with Becka? She realized from the beginning that Becka was his girlfriend. Still, she thought they had something between them, a special tension. She had been sure he felt it too. She must have been wrong.
He evoked emotions and desires she had not experienced before. Why did it have to be him? Max was merely a boy. A boy like many others. Sure, he was good looking, but so was Phil. He was always nice to her, but then she had never seen him rude to anyone else either. He was simply a nice guy. Even Phil’s teasing did not unsettle him. He only regarded her as a friend, she simply had to accept it.
When Mia entered her room, Vi glanced up from her work on the template. “You’re back already? What about the book?”
Mia sat on her bed. “I didn’t see anything I like.”
“Too bad. You would be good together,” Vi said regretfully.
Now Mia knew why Vi stood up for Becka. “What does Max see in Becka?” She asked, ignoring Vi’s comment. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so derogatory.”
“It’s an appropriate question, you’re simply asking the wrong person. I wouldn’t know.” After a moment’s thought, she continued, “Their parents have been friends forever. They want to see them in a relationship. Becka is difficult, to say the least. She watches over Max like a dragon its treasure.” Vi smirked dismissively. “We’re a small community here, besides, Phil is not always approachable. I believe I already mentioned that. At times, he ridicules everything and jokes about it. That’s when I went to Max. At least, he listens. Becka didn’t like that one bit. Perhaps that’s the reason for our mutual dislike.”
Mia lowered her eyes.
Vi resumed the conversation. “In my opinion, they don’t fit together. Becka and her parents have to understand that. Max is passionate. Granted, not as impulsive as my brother. More controlled. He is a warm friendly being. Becka, on the other hand, is bitter. She lacks any imagination or creativity. She will suffocate him.”
Mia sighed. She took the photograph of her family off the shelf and lay comfortably on her bed. Now was not the time for more complications anyway. She had to think about Ben. Freeing him should be her top priority. She should not allow herself to be distracted.
41
Ben
They planned to make a test run. So far, Clara had never dared to leave her room at night. Now they wanted to see if she could sneak out as successfully as Ben.
When Ben stepped out the door of his barrack, Clara was already there. She was leaning against the wall in the shadows. He almost did not see her.
She attracted attention by hissing quietly. Ben had already explained the route to her, so now they were moving slowly in that direction. Whenever they heard a sound, even if it was only an insect, they stopped.
When they reached the entry point, they crouched so they could not be seen through the windows. Fortunately, the spot was not within the field of view of any watchtower.
Clara had managed to acquire a pole. She had been assigned a task and had seen the pole when she had walked by an open workshop. After she made sure she was unobserved, she quickly grabbed it and went around the corner of the building where she placed it on the ground next to the wall.
She had told Ben its location, who retrieved it during one of his nightly recon missions and carried it to the drainpipe, where he attached it to the ladder going down.
Now, he made sure the pole was still in its place and looked up. Clara smiled at him. Ben felt his cheeks growing hot. He had hoped that was over with. They had conversed frequently, but this here was different. Insecure, Ben returned her smile.
“I’m glad we’re doing this together,” Clara whispered.
Ben nodded. “I hope everything goes smoothly.”
“Me too,” Clara agreed. “But I didn’t only mean that. I meant us being together.”
Now Ben’s cheeks were on fire. He was glad it was dark so she could not see them. “I’m glad about that too. I’ve always liked you. I always wanted to go out with you.”
“All you had to do was ask,” Clara replied
“I was too much of a chicken,” Ben admitted bashfully.
Clara lowered her eyes. When she looked at Ben again, she said, “Maybe, in the end, something good will come out of all this after all.”
42
Mia
Mia and Vi showed up at breakfast later than usual. Today, it was not Vi’s fault, who liked to sleep in. Mia had taken her sweet time. She dreaded running into Max and Becka.
Mia realized she felt more for Max than she had previously admitted after seeing them so intimate with each other. Seeing them together hurt her. She would like to avoid encountering them altogether, but that would be hard to explain. Once she ran out of excuses to delay, she and Vi had finally left for breakfast.
“What took you so long?” Phil greeted them. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming. It’s been an eternity since I woke you.”
“Nice to hear you miss us,” Vi replied as she sat.
“Well I do,” Phil said. He cast a meaningful sideways glance at where Max and Becka were sitting. “I appreciate your intellect.” When the two girls remained silent, he added, “And that’s what I’m talking about.”
Max looked at Mia questioningly but said nothing.
At lunch, Mia was just as silent. Occasionally, she participated in the conversations while ignoring Max and Becka as much as possible. Even though she told herself it was silly, it was difficult seeing them together.
“Why didn’t you stay yesterday?” Max immediately questioned her.
Mia could feel Vi’s appraising look. “I would have only been in the way.” She deliberately avoided Max’s gaze.
“You wouldn’t have bothered us,” Max leaned forward and tried to catch her gaze. “You wanted to borrow a book.”
Mia glanced at her plate. She really did not want to have this conversation. “It appeared you had already lent out your books.”
Phil laughed. “Now it’s getting interesting,” he whispered purposefully audibly to his sis
ter and chuckled softly. Vi shot him a dark look.
“What makes you say that?” Max asked perplexed.
Mia shrugged.
Max’s gaze wandered to Becka, then back to Mia again. “Becka just stopped by to chat.”
Vi huffed. Max glanced at Vi, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but then pressed his lips tightly together and stared down at his plate.
After lunch, Mia quickly disappeared to her quarters. She excused herself to Edith, saying she had a headache and was now lying on her bed. She was angry with herself. She had behaved wrong earlier. Even she knew that. She should not have been so dismissive. After all, she could not blame Max for not feeling what she felt. Mia sighed. Life was complicated. She had to treat Max like Vi and Phil, as a friend.
How long had she been lying here? Mia glanced at her watch. She had to go do her chores. She was already late.
In the upper-level corridor, she ran into Max. Hesitating, Mia stopped. She intended to treat him like a friend. No more no less. Now that she was about to face him, her good intentions seemed to go up in smoke. Mia scolded herself for being silly. She would simply greet him in passing, he would greet back, and everything would be fine. She inhaled deeply and continued walking.
When she reached Max, she nodded to him. “Hi.”
He did not reply. He just grabbed her arm, looked left and right, then pulled her into the pantry behind them and turned on the light. “I’d like to talk to you alone,” he said to explain and released her arm. He gazed into her eyes, which made her lower hers. “Are you mad at me?” he asked.
Mia shook her head as she continued staring at the floor.
“Did I say or do something wrong?” Max leaned against the doorframe. When she still did not answer, he asked, “Why did you immediately run away?”
Mia hid her hands in her pockets. “You weren’t alone.”