After dark
I was frozen
Without a spark
So close, so far

~"Umi" by Yoste

Prologue

"Mama, please," Evelyn begged. "Please, I can't leave you!"

Mama bent down to adjust Evelyn's oversized hat which was obscuring her eyes. Her older sister, Freya, squeezed her hand in reassurance. The whistle of a train echoed around the crowded station.

"Hush, my darling," Mama said, tears brimming in her eyes. "We'll only be apart for a little while. I must stay here to look after Papa's things until he returns."

"But the SS took him away," Freya said in a low voice, watching the many people hustling by. Mama and Papa had warned them to be very careful about what they said in public, as one would never be certain of who was listening.

"He'll be back," Mama said, her voice growing strong. "And when he returns, we will meet you both in Switzerland."

"But why can't we stay?" Evelen said clinging to her mother's skirts.

"Evelyn," Mama said, kissing her gently on the cheek, "You must be brave. Do exactly as Freya says and remember, don't talk to anyone. You must go by Lisette and Freya must go by Helga. These are the names on your travel papers and you must not give yourselves away."

Mama stood and planted a kiss on Freya's cheek as well. "Remember, Freya, when you reach the last stop in Austria to look for Frau Mosser at the station. Her address is written on your travel papers if she is not there when you arrive. She is the one who will take you across the border to Switzerland."

Freya nodded, pretending to be brave, but Evelyn could see that Freya was just as scared as she was.

"Sei mutig, meine Lieben," Mama said. "Now go, the train is about to leave."

Freya had to almost tear Evelyn away from Mama. Holding her hand firmly and a suitcase in the other, they made their way onto the train. Evelyn sat on a rickety bench while Freya stored their luggage overhead. Tears spilled down Evelyn's cheeks and Freya sat next to her, placing an arm around her shoulders.

"It'll be okay, Eve—Lisette," Freya said, correcting herself. "It'll just be for a little while. We'll be much safer with Frau Mosser."

"But what about Mama and Papa?" Evelyn asked. "Will they be safe?"

"Have faith, Lisette," Freya said. "Now, what is my name?"

Evelyn sniffed. "Helga."

Freya nodded. "Very good. And where are we from? Why are we visiting Frau Mosser?"

"Lisette and Helga are from Munich," Evelyn said, recalling what was on the fake travel documents and identification cards Mama had given them. "Frau Mosser is our great-aunt and we are going on a holiday to visit her."

"Well done," Freya said. "Now remember, let me do all the talking and act like you're stupid if anyone talks to you directly."

Evelyn nodded, leaning her head against her sister's shoulder. The train ride to the Swiss-Austrian border was a full day's travel and Mama had warned that there would be lots of checkpoints along the way. Freya had to have their travel and identification papers ready at all times in case a German officer came into their car. Thankfully, no one seemed to pay any mind to the two small girls at the back of the traincar. Evelyn spent most of the train ride staring out the window or sleeping on Freya's shoulder, afraid that catching a stranger's eye might give them away.

Evelyn and Freya's family weren't really German. Both sisters were born in York where their parents had met. But when Evelyn turned two, Papa's uncle was given a great position of power in Berlin under the new chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler. Papa ran a humble newspaper in York, but had always done poorly due to the vast amount of competition in England. So, in the fall of 1933, their family moved to Berlin to start anew.

Things were mostly peaceful at first. Evelyn had enjoyed school, where she was praised for her hair and blue eyes by her teacher. Papa had regularly spoken German in York and both girls were able to pick up on the language easily. But over the last several years, things began to change. Tensions rose between Mama and Papa when Germany had invaded Poland. Evelyn's teacher had told her class it was to take back what belonged to the Fatherland, but Mama had become distraught when Britain had declared war on Germany. She had begged Papa to leave Berlin, but it was too late. Papa's newspaper was at the forefront of political news thanks to the inside information her great-uncle was able to to provide. However, at the dawning of 1940, Papa had had enough. She heard him say the word "propaganda" over and over to her great-uncle until one day, Papa refused to let his company print any more newspapers for the Führer. It was only a few days later that the "SS," as Freya called them, showed up to their apartment and took Papa away in the middle of the night. It was this that made Mama arrange their escape to Switzerland.

Mama was from a well-off family in York and her former governess, Frau Mosser, now resided in Bern. Frau Mosser had assured Mama that both Freya and Evelyn would be able to safely cross from German-occupied Austria into Switzerland if they pretended to be two wealthy German children on holiday. Mama promised them that as soon as Papa returned home, they would join the two sisters and Frau Mosser.

The sisters were able to purchase milk and sandwiches from the meal cart without any suspicion from the train's attendants. Freya looked steadily ahead during the trip, not even phased when the train would come to a screeching halt and soldier after soldier would board to check everyone's papers. Evelyn's older sister was only twelve, but she had grown up seemingly overnight when Mama had first told them of the adventure they would be taking. It made Evelyn feel like a baby, sniffling and crying at nine-years old.

The sun set slowly and once the darkness settled, Evelyn leaned against her sister and did her best to sleep. The rocking of the train car seemed to nauseate her the more she thought about how far away they were from Mama. She closed her eyes, praying sleep would come easily.

She was awoken a few hours later by a woman screaming and the roaring of something overhead.

"It's the Allies!" the woman shrieked, waving her arms to those in the train. "They're coming. Brace—"

She was never able to finish her sentence. The window behind her shattered, followed by a burst of flames. Evelyn was thrown from her seat and Freya threw herself on top of her, protecting her from the flying shards of glass.

"Freya!" Evelyn screamed, forgetting about their alternate identities.

"C'mon," Freya grunted, grabbing her hand. "We need to get out of here!"

The train car was still in one piece, but many of the passengers lay on the floor, moaning in agony. Freya told her not to look as they stepped over the bodies, but Evelyn couldn't help herself. Burned faces and tattered clothes met her gaze. She let out a whimper as a burnt hand grabbed her ankle, pleading for help. Freya yanked her free of the hand's grasp and pulled her to the end of the car.

They had both just stepped out onto the connecting platform between cars when a strange sound filled the air, making Evelyn's ears hurt.

"Run!" Freya screamed, pushing Evelyn off the platform and onto the soft grass below. Just as she did this, the train car in front of them exploded, sending their train car tumbling onto its side.

"Freya!" Evelyn cried, unable to see her sister. She stood, running to the train, but the strange sound that had filled the air earlier returned.

"They're bombing the railroads!" someone cried.

Fear gripped Evelyn's heart as she darted away from the train, screaming as she felt the heat and shuddering from the impact. A large forest was on either side of the track and she ran to its safety, desperate to be covered by the tree branches and out of sight. She cowered at the base of the largest tree she could find, covering her ears and squeezing her eyes shut as she felt the ground shake from impact after impact. At last, all grew silent.

"Freya," she said softly, turning to where the train had stood. Between the tree trunks obscuring her view, she saw tall flames licking up to the night sky. There was an eerie silence that was only filled with the roaring and crackling of fire. Where were all the people on the train? Where was Freya? Paralyzed with fear, she collapsed at the base of the tree, looking in horror and what had become of the adventure Mama had promised them.

She woke the next morning to sunlight piercing through the trees, creating intricate shadows on the forest floor. It took her a moment to remember where she was, but the smell of smoke quickly jogged her memory. She leapt up, seeing she was missing a show and that her clothing had scorch marks all over it.

Freya! she thought.

She dashed to the train car, but skidded to a halt at the sight before her. She covered her nose and mouth with her handkerchief as the smoke burned her nose and throat. The train car she had been on with Freya lay on its side, still smoldering. The train car that had been in front of them was blown in two. She looked away as she saw scorched bodies within.

"Freya!" she called, but there was no answer.

The rest of the train was gone! Had the Allies really bombed the rest of the train without a trace? Or had the Germans simply abandoned their train cars and returned to Germany with what was left? The only thing Evelyn knew for sure was that she was alone, without Freya, in a country she knew little about. Her stomach growled and her mouth tasted of soot and ashes. She turned back to the forest, desperate to find water and someone to help her.

As she went back to the tree where she had spent the night, a flash of gold caught her eye.

"Hello?" she called. "Please, is anyone there? I need help!" Her voice seemed so small and weak…

There was no response, only the wind in the trees to fill the silence. But another flash of gold appeared and she took a step forward.

At first, she could only see the blur of color. It moved quickly, but would wait for her to catch up before it moved again. Evelyn wasn't sure what she was doing, as each step took her farther from the train and deeper into the forest. They came to a clearing where she leaned against a tree to catch her breath. When she looked up, she stumbled backwards and tripped on a root, sending her sprawling to the forest floor.

Before her was a lion. Not any ordinary lion like she had come across at the Berlin Zoo, but the biggest lion she had ever seen! Its mane was full and shimmered like jewels as it moved in the breeze and its eyes were like staring into those of someone she had known for a long time. It stood tall and proud, watching her closely. Evelyn, who was deemed a crybaby by her family, was surprisingly unafraid of this majestic beast. Something in the way it looked at her made her realize she would not be harmed. With a gentle nod of its head, the lion motioned for her to follow.

He walked more slowly now. She followed him for several minutes. Perhaps an hour? Her thirst was beginning to overcome her and she couldn't help but smack her lips noisily to ease the dryness of her mouth. The lion would turn to look over its shoulder every now and then to look at her, seemingly unphased by her tear-streaked appearance and clumsy gait. The trees seemed to move to make way for him, almost as if they were bowing. Evelyn was amazed at how calm and comforted she was by his presence, despite the fact that she was alone and without Freya.

Suddenly, the lion stopped and faced her. He let out a roar, but not one meant to frighten. The trees shook at the resonance of its sound, their leaves cascading down around his head. He bowed ever so slightly to her before turning and bounding away, much too quick for her to follow.

As soon as he was out of sight, fear gripped her heart. However, she realized he had brought her to a series of pools which she had been unable to see before. They all sparkled with clear, blue water that flushed and rippled in the breeze. Her thirst became overwhelming and she went to the nearest one, gulping down handful after handful until her belly hurt from being so full. When she had finally quenched her thirst, something in the water caught her eye.

At first, she thought there must be fish swimming beneath the surface. But as she brought her head closer, she realized it was a camel!

It wasn't a camel in the water, but rather an image of one, almost as if she was looking through a window into another room. A man wearing a turban in brilliantly colored robes was on its back, moving steadily through a vast desert landscape. Beautiful mountains decorated the desert edge and the water was sparkling blue from the cloudless sky.

Evelyn leaned even closer, letting one of her fingers disturb the water's surface. Before she could realize what was happening, her hand pulled her forward until she found herself losing her grip on the bank of the pool. Letting out a cry, she plunged headfirst into the water, taking one last look at the forest around her.

Sand was everywhere. In her hair, in her shoe, even in her eye. She blinked and coughed, spitting it from her mouth. It was as if she had never drank from the pool at all as her throat and mouth were terribly dry once more. Shakily, she stood and shielded her eyes. All around her was sand, cut off by a wall of mountains in the distance. As she looked around, her eyes widened. This was the place she had seen in the pool! She whipped around, trying to see if there was any way back, but all she could see were mirages from the heat against the sand.

"What do we have here?"

A rough hand grabbed her by the back of her shirt, hoisting her in the air. She thrashed and kicked, but it was no use against the strong grip that held her. She looked up to see the robed man on the camel she had seen in the pool. Up close, she was able to admire his piercing green eyes, tan complexion, and dramatic moustache that nearly covered his mouth. His robes sparkled in the sunlight from the many jewels sewn into the embroidery and his turban seemed too big for his head.

"Calm down, girl," he said, holding her farther away as she let out another kick. "All alone out here, eh? Don't worry, you'll be just fine in the Tisroc's palace. You can thank Tash I found you before the creatures of the desert did!"

Tash? The Tisroc? What was this man talking about?

He bound her hands and feet, giving Evelyn chills despite the merciless heat from the sun.

"The Tisroca will be very pleased I found another slave for her apartments," the man said, setting her on top of the camel and securing her so she wouldn't fall off. "Don't worry, the Tisroca is a fair mistress if you stay on her good side. With your pretty hair, I'm sure you'll become a favorite."

Sliding off, the man took the reins of the camel, leading them off across the desert. Evelyn tried to sort through her thoughts as they began to trod through the sand. Slave? What's a Tisroca? Where was she? Where was Freya?

Her eyes widened as she saw a city come into focus in the distance.

This was not the adventure Mama had promised her.

Please R&R!

*Sei mutig, meine Lieben = Be brave, my dear ones