War Girls Complete Collection Chapter 53

Chapter 27

“I

’m so proud of you, Lotte.”

Lotte couldn’t believe her own ears. “Proud? There was nothing especially brave or prudent I’ve done.” She had expected a lecture about her irresponsible behavior, but praise? Coming from Ursula, who’d never broken a rule in her life?

“Don’t say that. We found out about the Jews in hiding and the fake papers.” Ursula’s blue eyes rested on her with the kind of pride only an older sister could show.

“I don’t regret having helped them. But I do wish I had planned things better.” Lotte took a sip from the glass of cold, whole milk in front of her and then licked around her mouth like a cat so as not to waste a single drop.

“Yes, you should have. But that doesn’t matter now. What matters is that you did the right thing, and you’re here to tell the tale.” Ursula ruffled her cropped hair.

“Who are you and what did you do to my sister, impostor?” Lotte teased. The Ursula she knew would never condone an illegal action, morally justified or not. Hiding Jews and faking papers definitely fell into that category.

“A lot has happened in the past few months, and I have changed.” Ursula laughed.

“I am watching in awe. How could you even be so bold as to try and rescue me? Isn’t that against the law, helping a prisoner escape?” Lotte wanted to run a hand through her hair but stopped midway. She’d given up that habit months ago to keep her hands free of lice and filth.

“Well, let’s say I had an epiphany and decided that some laws should be broken.”

Lotte stared at her sister, disbelief in her eyes.

“Yes, I joined an underground network hiding Jews and helping them escape to safe zones.”

“You do what?” Lotte shook her head. Had the entire world turned upside down while she vegetated in the camp? “Ursula, you have to be careful.”

Her sister smirked. “Look who’s talking. Don’t worry, we’re very cautious. Always.”

“Does Mutter know?”

Ursula’s smile turned sly. “Let’s just say she’s a tacit accomplice, by pretending not to notice that we take provisions from the pantry and use the shed in our allotment garden to hide people for a few days at a time.”

“Gee whiz! I’m in hell several months, and when I return to earth, it’s not a globe anymore? You work as a subversive and Mother looks the other way. What else don’t I know?”

“A lot. So many things have happened in the past four months.” Ursula sighed.

“Four months…it feels more like four lifetimes.” Lotte’s voice trailed off, her eyes looking at the wall, not sure whether her sister expected her to give an account of the conditions in the camp. “It was so awful. Dehumanizing. Reduced to a number, an object to exploit and torture. I can’t…I can’t bear to talk about it now.”

“You don’t have to, sweetie, not now. You need to forget and let your body heal. We have enough other sources to tell us what’s happening in the camp. Anna, for example.”

“Anna!” Lotte screamed and jumped up, sending her chair crashing to the ground. How could she have forgotten about Anna?

“What about Anna?” Ursula’s hand flew to her throat.

Lotte wrung her hands and started to weep as she remembered the look in Anna’s eyes after the doctor had…

She sniffed and looked at Ursula. “Anna sacrificed…the doctor, he found out we were sisters, and he…he raped her!”

“You were there?” Ursula asked, horrified.

Lotte nodded and lowered her voice to a whisper. “He forced her to become his mistress in exchange for his silence.”

Ursula thinned her lips and sat up a little straighter. “She knew about the risks involved.”

“We have to help her,” Lotte cried, guilt over her sister’s sacrifice heavy on her mind.

“No. Anna will have to deal with it on her own. We can’t risk any rash actions that might endanger not only you and her but everyone involved in your rescue.” Ursula picked up the chair and placed it beside the table again.

“There were more people involved?”

“Yes. Many more. That’s why we can’t do anything for Anna right now.”

Lotte thought it was cruel and callous to let Anna fend for herself, but Ursula was probably right. She inhaled deeply several times. “What happens now?”

“I have something for you.” Ursula gave her a soft smile. “Come with me.”

Lotte followed her back into the basement and plopped on the bed while Ursula disappeared to fetch something. She was tired but sated. For the first time in months, the gnawing in her insides had disappeared.

She raised a hand and carefully touched her straw-like hair. It felt surprisingly soft. She ran the hand along her entire head and then looked at her fingertips. Clean. Only then did she notice the absence of another constant companion during the last months – the itching and biting. She really had been born again.

Ursula returned and handed Lotte an

Ausweis

. She turned it over and gasped at the healthy young woman with curly red hair looking at her.

That’s me!

It was a brand-new identification card in the name of Alexandra Wagner, born on February 28, 1926. She caressed the paper with her thumb. Unlike so many others who had perished, she’d been given a second chance at life.

“Where did you get that photograph?” Lotte asked her sister.

Ursula’s face darkened. “At my wedding almost one year ago.”

“How can I ever thank you for everything you did for me?” Lotte was touched to her very soul.

“Thank me by recovering fast and staying the compassionate, outspoken, and justice-loving young woman you are.” Ursula gave her a bear hug, and Lotte noticed with some jealousy her sister’s full bosom as well as her rounded hips and belly. Her own breasts had been reduced to hanging flaps of skin.

“What about Andreas?” Lotte asked. She couldn’t see her sister’s face in their embrace, but she felt the slumping of her shoulders.

“He’s gone.”

“Gone? He hasn’t returned from the front since your wedding?” Lotte’s mind didn’t work as swiftly as it had done before her incarceration.

“He’s dead. Killed in action.”

“I’m so sorry.” Lotte held her sister tighter.

“He died last May. I should have told you earlier, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. I guess I somehow believed he would come back if I didn’t acknowledge his death.” Ursula released her and stood from the bed. “You should rest. When you’re hungry, come upstairs. The blackout curtains will always be closed so nobody will see you.”