The door slammed loudly behind her, mainly due to the strong wind that had followed her home, but nonetheless it attracted att

The door slammed loudly behind her, mainly due to the strong wind that had followed her home, but nonetheless it attracted attention. She had been out the whole day, exploring the town, looking in all the shops, accept the Jewish ones, she would be in trouble for going into them, not only with her father.

"Where have you been!?" the familiar words pounded into Lara's cold ears, herself sighing at the strictness of the voice that was above her. Her father had been waiting for her, he would have gone out himself to drink if she was home tucked up in bed.

"It is nearly dark and you are out gallivanting!?"

Lara daren't speak back, that would be the worst thing she could do at that moment. She stood there, her head down, eyes fixed on the floor at where she saw his shoes. She tried to admire how well polished they were, always distracted by his yelling. He was the only one who would be allowed to speak when he was in this temper.

"How could you be so stupid?!" he spat down at her before turning away and walking towards his wife, "How can you let her be like this?!" he talked equally as angry to her, and then began pacing.

Lara would never listen to a word he said, she knew that in herself, her heart and mind would always be elsewhere.

--

Oh how I miss his smile, his warm, perfect smile.

I miss so much passing him in the streets, being served in the bakers, our hands brushing against each other as he hands me my loaf of bread, a small smile across his face, the only smile he could give to his situation.

Every moment we shared was at a distance, until the night I was foolish and walking alone down a dark street. The smell of whiskey was so strong I could have drunk it from the air; my muffled screams could not be heard by even me. I felt the surge of pain get worse and worse until I finally gave up the fight when my attacker fell to the floor, blood pouring out of his left ear.

There I lay on the floor while Nicholas stood above me, the weapon in his hand. The officer lay dead on the floor beside me; I gathered myself up and crept away from him to the wall of the alleyway. Nicholas was as speechless as I, he only spat on the officer before gathering me in his arms and carrying me away from the alley, leaving the weapon on the floor beside the dead body.

He held me in his arms that night, and how I cried into his old, torn clothes. We had sat on the cold stone floor of the baker's shop, behind the counter while I sobbed and he comforted me in silence. He did not leave me, he did not take me home, and he just stayed beside me. I felt so dirty, I felt so used, an officer under my fathers command! Had he recognised me he would have lifted his hat and let me pass by. But no, the whiskey I could smell on his breath saw to it that he did not recognise me at all, and he never would again.

The sun filtered through the windows of the store and I awoke from what I had hoped would have been a nightmare. I was disappointed to find it was true and Nicholas was sitting beside me. His perfect features calm while he slept. He stirred under my watchful gaze and finally woke up, squinting against the light. The way he looked at me, I hated it, he looked at me with sympathy, and I didn't want sympathy! I wanted anger! I wanted him to yell at me and tell me how stupid I was for going out alone!

His words never came. Instead he stroked my cheek with a finger, which brought a small smile to my lips, the night before was slowly becoming a distant memory while I was staring into his dark eyes, his Jewish eyes.

I was soon walking home, I was set against him coming with me, he would get into trouble if seen with a catholic girl, he was not allowed in my area of town anyway, no Jews were.

I was home early, around seven. My parents had just woken up when I came through the door, they clearly hadn't missed me. My father had given up all hope of searching for me. He was too busy celebrating last night anyway. He and mother had stayed in the pub drinking while I walked home alone through the dark streets.

Hatred spilled through her veins at the thought of her parents sleeping soundly in their beds, thinking their daughter was safe and tucked in, only in the next room which they had not bothered to check.