Reyna Feldman, a twenty year old Jewish girl from the tiniest of villages in France, is on the run. Captured by German soldiers while trying to escape over the border, she's taken to an internment camp in Freiburg, Germany, where she meets SS Philli...
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Hello again! I know what you're thinking... back so soon with ANOTHER chapter?!? I have been SO motivated to write these last few days! Chapters that would normally take me days to write are coming so much easier this last week. Here's hoping this surge of motivation/inspiration sticks around! ;) P.S. I wound up writing way more than I'd originally planned for so this chapter will be a two parter!
Reyna breathed in. The damp, sour smell of the cave she'd grown used to was now drowned out by another scent entirely. She inhaled again. It was earthy - cedar maybe? She breathed out, keeping her eyes closed as she nuzzled her face against the source of the smell.
She didn't want to wake up ... not yet. Despite the hard dirt floor, it had been the best night's sleep she'd had in days. She shifted, stretching out her stiff legs, wincing as they ached in protest. There was something heavy laid across her torso. She shifted again, the blissful grogginess of sleep slowly dissipating. She opened her eyes, squinting into the dimness. The fire had gone out, the only light source now a singular sliver of sunlight shining through the narrow mouth of the cave.
She blinked, trying to focus her eyes. The rising and falling of Luca's chest caught her attention first. She had turned towards him in her sleep, and was flush against his chest. It had been him she'd smelled. Her cheeks heated. She tried to scoot away but the arm he'd draped over her in his sleep tightened reflexively. She put a hand against his chest, trying to shake him awake but he didn't stir.
"Luca," She whispered, shaking him again. He groaned in response. "Luca," She repeated, louder this time. He cracked an eye open, the other opening slowly as his gaze fixed on her. She stared back, all too aware of how close their faces were. He blinked, his eyes focusing as the realization of where he was, and who was lying in his arms, hit him. Withdrawing his arm, he propped himself up on an elbow. She rolled away and sat up, ignoring the stiff ache of her muscles as she pulled her knees up to her chest.
"How," He cleared his throat. "How did you sleep?"
"Good," She nodded. "You?" She asked without looking back at him.
"Good," He replied.
She stood to her feet and grabbed her coat, stuffing it into her rucksack before turning her attention to the clothes she'd laid out the night before. She bent down, touching each piece. They were all mostly dry, at least dry enough to pack up without worrying they might sour. She glanced over her shoulder at Luca. He was watching her, still propped up in the same spot, a bemused expression on his face.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, the words coming out a bit more clipped than she'd intended them to. She grabbed up her clothing, making sure to fold up her bra and underwear inside her dress before turning around to face him.
"How am I looking at you?" He was sitting up now, his eyes still on her, the faintest hint of a smile on his face.
"Like that," She said, stuffing her clothing into her bag.
