Good luck homing pigeon

Chapter twenty seven-The vixen in white

I couldn't believe it! The woman in front of  me, the stranger who cleaned me, fed me, cared for me like a new-born baby was the sister who'd fallen in love with a Nazi? I remember saying to myself once that fate was a fickle thing. A funny thing. I could never have been more right than I'd felt right now. It all made sense! The hair, the familiarity to her touch, the things she said...it really was her. My sister.

"Shush!" She'd pressed a finger to my lips. "We have to be careful in here. I don't know much of what's going on outside, but I know there are still soldiers here. We have to be sure."

"Soldiers? W-what do you mean s-still?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She started coo, smoothing her palm over my unevenly cropped hair. "I'm making you excited. I should probably explain what's been happening these past, few days, shouldn't I?"

"Briana, why am I here?" I wanted to know most. "The last thing I remember is being outside the gates."

She pulled me further onto her lap, running her fingertips over my cheeks and nose. She was getting ready for a long, eventful sort of story. Now, Briana wasn't normally one for telling the tales-mostly it was her, curled up in my bed beside me and I descended into an exciting tale of Jacques and Annamarie's adventures in the tomb of Eli. Now look at us-curled up once again. Only it was her who was going to talk. Like she said before, all I'd have to do was listen and consider.

"I found you." She began, "there was a panic, at the front of the camp because some of the prisoners had seen groups of soldiers, getting into trucks and leaving without so much as a word. I was trying to find Dmitri-ask if he could explain what was happening. But instead, I found you..." She began to choke on her words, a sob threatening to escape. "I didn't even recognise you! You were curled up, naked, and covered in blood. When I touched you, you were getting cold and...I wasn't thinking clearly. Something bad would've happened if they'd seen me crying over a body. So I took you.

"I remember you being a baby when mama allowed me to carry you. I liked to pretend I was her sometimes and tried to carry you on my hip, like she did. Even when you got too big for me to carry you, I knew it wouldn't have been hard. You were always thin, and a little willowy. When I picked you up...it felt like carrying a ten year-old. You were just so light, it was alarming. I knew I had to hide you. I didn't know what was happening at the time, but if there was just a chance I could do something, I'd take it. Really.

"The infirmary wasn't busy-at least, not as busy as it normally was. I knew I'd be able to get you inside, but hiding you wasn't as simple. I had my own room, yes, but it would've been plain foolish to sneak you in there. So I started thinking of the empty barracks, at the very back of the camp, or that trading store. And then, this place came to mind."

"What is it?"

"The basement. I never knew the infirmary even had one, but I remembered the matron telling me once where they used to keep supplies before they extended the infirmary. It wasn't particularly easy to find, but once I got down here, I hadn't realised how big it was! It's dark, filthy, but it was enough room to keep you. So I did what I could. I brought one of the fold-out cots down here for you, I took what I could from the supply closets, and I've been taking some of my extra rations early. Not that it matters now anyway. There's nobody in there to run the kitchens. That's how I got such good soup. It's been me taking care of you Kate; unbelievable, is it not? It was getting so long, and I never saw you in the infirmaries...I thought I'd never see you again. And when I did, I was afraid you'd never give me the chance to talk. To hope you can forgive me."

I didn't reply. I couldn't even look at her. She saved my life-yes, it was true. She kept me alive-yes, yes she did. But she had to know that it wasn't just me she'd done wrong by! She had our mother sent away, turned on me, abused my friend, and pushed away everybody who'd loved her unconditionally. It's not that I wasn't grateful for her saving me-my gratitude was there for her to see, and always would be. I just didn't know what to tell her. Not once in my life had she made me so taken aback.