A Breach In Berlin

Eleven - Elf - Spy in the Salient

I HAVE NOT EDITED THIS AT ALL, I AM RE WRITING IN THIRD PERSON AND WAS FOCUSED ON THE FIRST CHAPTER TO WRITER, SO THIS HAD BEEN BROKEN INTO TWO BECAUSE ITS SO LONG AND IT MIGHT BE BAD BUT HOLD OUT PLEASE. SORRY FOR ALL THE MISTAKES BUT THIS WAS NEEDS AND IMPORTANT.

THANK YOU

FRAN XOX

10:30 pm December 24th 2014, Aachen.

If all went to plan, I would arrive on the western front by two o'clock tomorrow morning. I would be ankle deep in churned up mud, on Christmas morning. As much as I knew I needed to get there, to do this for myself, I could imagine so many other, better ways I could be celebrating Christmas morning. The low temperatures were at a head on battle with my thoughts. Five hours ago I had walked into my parent's room and told them I would be spending a night away. They hadn't liked the idea one bit. My mother flipped out beyond proportion and I knew dad was angry with me even though he chose to stay out of the heated argument we had endured. Ever since I could remember, my mother had the idea implanted in her head I had zero common sense. So when she informed me that today was in fact Christmas eve and therefore tomorrow was Christmas day, I forgot to bite back my tongue and told her what I thought. If she hadn't noticed there was a calendar in each room, one on my phone and a friendly reminder on Facebook that it was Christmas eve. You couldn't miss it. There had also been a group of carol singers outside the hotel since mid-day who were close to driving me insane if I had left any later than I had.

Ultimately I had left her no choice but to let me go. I told her if she didn't let me leave and have some time to myself, I would not return. And, if you knew my mother, ruining her Christmas plans would put you in Mother Vermont Hell until next Christmas. It was her time to shine and stand out among all the other events organised in our town. Christmas parties were her forte and she was known to provide some spectacular sights if you were ever invited.

I left the room before she had time to answer. I knew what it would be. Nonetheless, I left anyway.

I was parked up outside the 'Eilendort und Atsch' memorial, and I had been for the past half an hour, biting away at my nails with nerves. Nerves, as powerful as they may be, were one of the last things on my mind. The tapping on the steering wheel, the playing with the radio and the biting of my nails was also a distraction. A distraction from how empty I felt without my cousin. It was only until this morning that I realised how much of a dent in my heart she had left. Until now had I only just realised how much I had relied on her as a friend to talk to. When I first left her, back to my hotel the previous night I hadn't thought about it much, my mind had struggled to get round the idea that I was leaving her in another century, and I would never be able to see her again. It had only clicked into place this morning.

Sitting down at breakfast had been normal at first. Dad was reading the newspaper like his life depended on it, clutching the thin sheets with a strong grasp and really concentrating. I supposed it was to avoid conversing with my mother.

"Darling did you see?" My mother spoke as I raised a questioning eyebrow.

"See what?"

"The room, on your corridor, just down from you, terrible incident," I still looked at her, more confused than ever, "Room one-nine-four Grace, the girl inside jumped out the window, or that's what everyone presumes, they cant find her body."

"Wasn't that Anna's room?"

"Anna? Who's Anna darling? Having you made a friend." I dropped my knife onto the china plate out of shock at what my mother had said.