Cara's Story
Chapter One: The Girl who Ran
Cara took in the serene environment as she ran to the docks, her ticket clutched firmly in her hand. Her whole family had died to secure that ticket for her. She was the only one left to use it. With it, Cara would be able to board a boat to England, her citizenship already guaranteed by her papers. It was her eyes that had saved her in the end. Her unnaturally light blue eyes that no one in her family has. Had. Her eyes and her red hair had saved her from the Nazi's wrath, while her family had all perished during the Nazi occupation of France.
They had been fine until that damned Colonel Landa had come along. It was as if he himself was Sherlock Holmes, knowing exactly where her family had hidden. She had no idea if any of her family had survived or not; she had only received correspondence from Monsieur Lapadite and his daughters that Colonel Hans Landa had discovered all of them. Lapadite and his daughters had been allowed to live, and her family had not. The only reason she was alive was because she blended in with those damn Nazis so well. Lapadite had managed to get her a ticket for the Nadine, the boat leaving for England that she was sprinting towards with the last of her family's possessions.
Shoshanna, Amos, Mother and Father, and Uncle Bob. All dead. Amos only 9. Shoshanna only 19. Shoshanna had been her twin. If anyone would be able to escape, it would be her. Smart, witty, independent and resilient Shoshanna. Cara felt her absence the most keenly.
She felt her feet hit the solid wood of the dock, and she presented her ticket and papers to the man allowing passengers to board. He looked her over, and Cara felt herself holding her breath. What if she wasn't allowed to board? What would happen then? Finally, he nodded, returned her ticket and allowed her to board with her flimsy rucksack. She took in a deep breath and boarded, finally allowing herself to relax a bit. She was still on guard of course; Nazis could be found anywhere. Thank God she had a knack for languages. Cara knew how to speak German, English, Italian, Yiddish, and French fluently. The men asked her if she would like a drink, and she asked for a small glass of water. After receiving the beverage, they escorted her to her quarters for the remainder of the short journey. Only after they left did Cara grieve her family, her quiet sobs racking her slender body. She was truly alone in the universe, and she knew it better than anything else. Before this trouble began, she had thought herself quite wise and knowledgeable; now she knew for a fact that she knew nothing.
"You must be strong," her mother had said. "Strong and beautiful and charming. If you do this, perhaps an English officer will marry you. Then you will be truly safe mon ange."
Her father had agreed, saying that he would rather her be married in England than alone. Neither of them understood. Until this war was over, she would always be in danger. Hitler and his Nazi goons could still invade England and find her, and then she would have nothing. Not even her life. If she married a Nazi officer, perhaps she had a chance, but Cara would rather be killed than marry one of those pigs. She shuddered at the very thought. No. The only way to survive right now was to be unattached, and that was the way she would live until this goddamn war was over and Hitler was in his grave and suffering in Hell along with the rest of his Nazis.