Internment

Chapter 1

November 1943

"If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry..."

Reyna looked up from her copy of A Farewell to Arms, her eyes scanning the bare, twisted branches of the trees they passed as the wagon they rode carried them down the desolate road that cut through the forest. They had set out under the cover of nightfall; their final destination a train track east of Besançon.

Shivering, she stowed her book in the pocket of her dress and huddled closer to her sister, Sela, wrapping the shaw she'd been wearing over their shoulders. She looked across from her, where her mother sat, her little brother, Uri, huddled in her lap. Her father was seated to the left of her mother, his arm wrapped around her, his eyes heavy with exhaustion.

Reyna's entire world had been flipped upside down over the last three years. After the exportation of the other Jews in her village, her family had sought shelter with Mr. Herrmann, a man her father had met during the twenty-two years he'd kept books for the bank, and his wife.

The Herrmann's, who's children had long since grown up and moved away, had retired to their summer home in Besançon, France. Reyna and her family had been sheltering their the last eighteen months, waiting for an opportunity to escape over the boarder to Switzerland.

Their chance had come days before, when Mr. Herrmann had received word of a boxcar train destined for Germany. It would pass through the neutral territory of Switzerland only briefly, but it was their chance. Plans to sneak them on board were made swiftly, and they'd been riding in the back of Mr. Herrmann's hay wagon for nearly three hours, on their way to an abandoned section of track the train would be passing over.

"What's going on?" Reyna heard her father ask, as the wagon jolted to a halt. "Why have we stopped?"

"There's a checkpoint up ahead," Mr. Herrmann said, turning around from his bench seat.

"I thought this road was supposed to be abandoned," Her father hissed, his forehead creasing with worry.

"It was," Mr. Herrmann said grimly.

Reyna's heart skipped a beat. The road they were on was supposed to be empty. Why were the Germans operating a checkpoint on it?

"The train runs parallel with the tree line," Mr. Herrmann pressed on in a hurried whisper. "If you cut through the trees, you'll intercept the train farther down the track. There's still a chance it won't've picked up enough steam and you can jump on."

Reyna looked at her mother and father. Her mother's face had contorted into a forlorn expression. Her father wore the same weary look he'd had the entire journey.

If they were to keep going, they'd be found by the Germans waiting up ahead, and if they turned around they would only draw suspicion from the officers at the checkpoint. They were stuck, with only one way out. They would have to make a run for it. Craning her neck, she peeked over the side of the wagon, and squinted her eyes. She could make out six figures standing in the middle of the road, and two vehicles parked on either side, about two hundred yards away.

"Go," Mr. Herrmann nodded towards the tree line as he grabbed the rifle he'd been stowing underneath the seat. Go, now!"

With that, they barreled out the back of the wagon. Grabbing hold of Sela's hand tightly, Reyna followed after her mother, who held Uri to her chest with one hand, her other clasped tightly in her father's as they headed for the trees.

Twigs snapped as their feet thudded against the ground. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as they weaved through the trees, ducking under low lying branches and side stepping downed tree limbs.

A string of gunshots echoed through the air, though who had fired at who, she didn't know. She picked up the pace, her lungs burning as she tugged her sister forward. The loud blast of a whistle sounded to the right of them. The train had arrived, and was slowly gaining speed as it rounded the corner, coming into view. She heard men shouting in German somewhere behind her, their footsteps growing increasingly closer.

Sela's hand was ripped from her's as she tripped over a tree root, and stumbled to the ground. Spinning around, Reyna knelt down, helping her to her feet.

"We're not going to make it!" Sela cried hysterically.

"Yes we are," She said determinedly. Gripping her hand, she jerked her forward. She glanced over her shoulder. Three German soldiers were trailing behind them. Sucking in a deep breath, she looked forward. Her parents had reached the track, and her father was lifting her mother and brother into one of the cars. They were so close.

Closing the remaining distance in a sprint, they reached the train. Her father hung from the car, holding out his hand for her to grasp.

"Grab his hand!" Reyna yelled over the roar of the train.

"Wh-what about you?!" Sela yelled back, her chest heaving as they ran side by side.

"I'll jump on after you!" She replied. Her lungs burned even more as she sucked in gulp after gulp of cold air, but she couldn't get on until Sela was safely inside the train car. She wouldn't make it on without her help. Grabbing her wrist, she catapulted Sela forward, letting go only when her father had grasped her other hand.

The train had picked up considerable speed now, and her legs burned as she struggled to keep up with its pace. Her father's hand extended out to her again, and she reached out, brushing his fingertips. Barring down, she broke into a full sprint, trying to close the increasing gap between them.

"No!" Her father yelled, his eyes darting to something, or someone behind her.

Suddenly, she was shoved forward, her dress and stockings ripping as she skidded across the ground. Hands belonging to a body she couldn't see held her down, pushing her face into the dirt as her hands were bound behind her back. More unfamiliar words were spoken in German as she was yanked to her feet. The soldiers had caught up to her.

She could hear her mother's screams as she watched her oldest daughter get dragged back towards the road. Reyna watched as the train cars sped away, the silhouettes of her family fading into a blur as the train continued down the tracks, eventually disappearing entirely.

Kicking and thrashing against her captors, she fought desperately to get free until a sharp pain shot through her head and her body fell limp.

—————————————————————
Hello peeps! I'm so happy to introduce this new story and these new characters to you all!! Whether you've found this book all on your own, or you've come here from one of my other works, thank you so much! I look forward to updating soon! <3