Deception - WWII Resistance / Holocaust Novel

Chapter 2: an out-of-body experience

The small, cheap, frameless mirror was mounted against the bathroom wall. The surface was covered in smeared fingerprints with grime caught between the cracks. There she stood with soft brown curled hair sitting on her shoulders in a flower embodied dress which reached her just below the knee. I reached my hand towards my face to clutch a lock of hair which clung to my bony frame, pushing it to the side. The girl did the same, her face staring back seemingly blank. Yet her brown eyes were filled with emotions, a mixture of light and dark. No one dared to look beyond the golden ring which hung inside her iris to uncover the depth of loss and rage within in them. Once they had been filled with warmth and hope with the prosperity of a rich future, now that vision had disintegrated into darkness.

Slowly her hand traced the red lipstick onto her lips, the corners curled into a smile. A smile so forced that her lips fought to fall down to reveal her true state of mind. But she could not let it happen. She could not. For to give in would be dangerous. She could not be herself. She was no longer herself. She had mastered this forgery of perfecting a genuine smile. At times she was astounded by her own deception, that she too almost believed it to be true. She tossed the lipstick back into her purse, snapping it close, the sound bringing her back to reality.

As she exited the stall, her eyes scanned the room till the landed on him. His own eyes had been searching for her. His face lit up instantly when his eyes found her, he had been afraid she had left without him. The two females whom had attempted to pre-occupy themselves with his attention halted in their tracks, their fingers clutching around their wine glasses so tightly they may have well shattered into pieces. Nonetheless, they pulled their lips into a thin line, trying to mask their disappointment. There were plenty of them in the bar. She ignored their dirty stares, she had him wrapped around her finger.

He stood up, relief and a look of mischief washed over of his face. He loved the attention from the women, but on this unusual occasion he loathed only for hers. There was something different about her approach towards him, the way she had dismissed his advantages and rolled her eyes at his gestures. He was used to getting what he wanted, but she proved more challenging. He relished a challenge. She had come back and to him that proved she had become infatuated with him too. He was too absorbed in his own thoughts of lust and desire that he failed to read her for who she actually was.

That was men.

His dark brown hair was neatly combed and parted to the right. He stood tall, his posture upright, never slouching. His face was strong and defined, his dark brown eyes reeled one into their depths, but not her. The uniform adorned with medals which made women both swoon but others fill with dread and disgust, outlined his muscular and toned body. If only his mind were as striking as his outward appearance.

'When will I get that kiss you promised me?'

'Let's go for a walk,' she smiled, ignoring his question.

They disappeared into the forest. She was always one step ahead of him yet he continued to follow as though he was on a leash. The buzz of the town slowly disappeared as they became enveloped into tightly-knitted line of trees. I breathed in the fresh scent of the earth and listened to the odd humming of the birds slowly change into a harmonious melody. At times the canopy was so thick, the rays of light struggled to penetrate through the gaps of the leaves to touch the forest floor. The sky would disappear simultaneously, it made you forget where you were. It made you forget that there was a war going on.

'Will you at least tell me your name?'

'It does not matter,' she teased.

'To me it does.'

'You will forget it come morning.'

'How could I forget the name of the most beautiful woman I have seen in all of Holland.'

'For all I know you could have a woman waiting for you back home in Germany... perhaps even tonight.' There was some truth behind her words, he indeed had women whom he could call on to satisfy his needs, but not today. Today there was no need for that.

'Even if I had another woman...I would still be here.'

There was a long pause. He awaited her response. The silence unnerving. He wanted her. He wanted her now. His mind beginning to fill with escapades of what he wanted to unfold before him.

'Sit,' she said sharply, pushing him to the ground.

The air was slightly knocked out of his lungs. He was in shock and at the same time in awe. He had never been commanded by a woman. He leaned his back against the trunk of the tree and propped himself up on the back of his hands. She dropped down, leaning back on her heels and grabbed his jaw in her palm, 'I want you to watch me.'

She stood up, slowly walking backwards, holding his gaze. His eyes never left her. She kicked off her heels so that the soil filled the gaps between her toes. She dropped her purse and unpinned the clip which held back her hair so that it cascaded around her face. Her fingers began to play with the buttons of her dress, one by one. Her dress falls open, exposing her pale skin. He is on the edge, ready to leap up and pull her onto him, but her command lingers in his mind. He has never experienced the control of the woman. She smirks, relishing in the power she has over him.

'Mieke,' she smirked, revealing her name. 'Mieke de Jong.'

He did not have the time to process her name, for he was already began to gasp, his mouth gone slack. He reached his hand towards his throat before bringing it into view before his face, drenched in blood. His eyes dilated, they filled with fear, anger and then hopelessness altogether. He tried to slur words of hate and vengeance. He gave me one final glare before the warmth disappeared from his eyes and his body went still.