Swing Band (War Shadows: Book 3)

Chapter Two

The entire city of Krakow was still, as if holding her breath in anticipation of what would come next. Janek didn't like it: in fact, it just about drove him insane. The thing he loved the most about Krakow had been the energy of the city, the hustle and the bustle. The life. Granted, there were times where he wanted to step back and have some peace and quiet, but not like that. It felt as if the Germans had killed the city, itself.

Despite all that, and despite the noose that the Nazis tightened and tightened around them, Nina insisted that the two of them get along as normal. As normally as they could, anyway. She continued to teach her vocal, clarinet, and saxophone students. At least, the ones who still had instruments after the bombings. And the ones who were still interested in it after watching their entire world go up in smoke. She encouraged Janek to try and do the same, as hard as it was with his still ringing ears to teach piano students.

He didn't much mind not being able to hear some of his students, to be honest. He loved teaching, but he didn't love listening to children stumbling their way through simple songs.

A week after the Germans took Krakow, Janek and Nina found themselves at the studio, along with the two other members of their jazz quartet. Lev Ziskind and Anton Kijek had been friends of theirs since their teenaged years. All four of them attended a music-centered secondary school in Krakow, where Janek, Lev, and Anton all participated in the school jazz bands. Nina had originally been there to study opera, but somehow got suckered into singing for the jazz bands every once and awhile, as well as dusting off the clarinet of her childhood when needed, and eventually learned to play the saxophone. Lev and Anton had both been spared from the bombing, as were their instruments, thank God.

But, when Janek and Nina arrived at the studio, it was apparent that things wouldn't be able to just go back to the way they were, before.

Anton seemed normal enough when they arrived. He greeted them at the door, hugging both of them briefly. "Afternoon! Happy to see that neither of you got yourselves killed."

"Happy to see you're okay, too," Janek said.

"Nina told me about what happened," Anton said. "You going to be alright?"

Janek didn't respond for a moment. All he could do was think about those scenes he saw, that day. Specifically the old woman on the train. He saw her every night, saw as she went from smiling and chatting with him to being blown to pieces. He hadn't screamed from the nightmares, but they always left him shaking.

"Yeah," he finally said. "Yeah: I'll be just fine."

"Good to hear," Anton said. "Come on in: Julia's got tea on."

They all walked into the building.

Anton and Julia owned the storefront on the first floor of the same building their apartment was in. The front half was a storefront, mostly for sheet music and records, but with a few instruments, every once and awhile. One of the back rooms was a recording studio, where they made records with some of the jazz groups in Krakow, including their own. They went to the apartment the brother and sister shared, along with Julia's young son, Eryk. Julia and Lev were both in the kitchen, she at the stove while he sat at the table.

Julia smiled at them when she saw them. "Afternoon. Looks like you're healing up well, Janek."

Janek nodded.

"Come on: don't be strangers," Julia said. "Take a seat. The tea'll be ready in a minute."

Janek and Nina sat down at the table with Lev.

That was when Janek realized that there was something wrong with his friend.

Lev had always been the quiet type. The kind of person who never had that many friends, but it suited them just fine. That day, though, he was a different kind of quiet. He was a nervous quiet. Scared, even. He had a wide-eyed look on his face, like a man who'd seen too much. He kept tapping his fingers on the table, drumming frantically. He looked like he wanted to get up, run, and never stop.