I was still wondering what Neid meant by 'Sklavenheim' when he abruptly stopped. Had my reaction time not been as good, I would've run right into him without even realizing it. Nothing could be more embarrassing.
The man's finger slipped from my hand, but the fabric of the glove delicately brushed the skin of my palm as it relinquished touch. Whether my cheeks went red for the second time in such a short span of time or not, I'll never know. All I know is that Neid's smiling face was both reassuring and uncomfortable.
Desperate to avoid my superior's gaze, I turned my head to the door we'd stopped in front of. It was very ordinary, carved out of an almost purely an alabaster-colored wood; part of me felt that it must be very lonely to be the lone door in the long corridor.
Upon further inspection, I noticed that a small sign had been nailed into the door. It read in bold black letter, 'Sklavenheim.' Below the sign, someone had lovingly carved 'Heil Hitler' into the door.
"Herzlich willkommen in Ihr neues Haus," Neid said with a smirk and a jitter in his voice. He shook the long green hair away from his figure, spectacularly shaped even under the bulky uniform, and extended his right hand to the doorknob, which was glimmering a faint onyx. Slowly, the knob turned, and the door slid slightly ajar with a creak that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Slowly, unsure of what to expect, I entered, but only after a gesture from Neid. My feet inched closer and closer, and my stomach began to turn upside down. Afraid that I might throw up in front of my commanding officer, I hurried myself inside.
"I'll retrieve you for a briefing in a few hours' time. Make yourself comfortable in your new quarters." Neid waved at me before he slowly closed the door, leaving me inside without a notion of what I was supposed to do.
No one else seemed to be in the Sklavenheim. I crept forward, examining the rather plain room. It held, on one side, nothing but bare floor and peeling white wallpaper. There was a stain on the old wooden floor paneling, but I had no idea what made it – evidently, the spill had occurred a while back, as there was only a faint white tint to it. I was at a loss for what it could be.
"Also, Sie sind das frische Fleisch des Kommandanten wie?"
The voice was so sudden that I might've visibly jumped out of my skin. Whirling around, I searched for whoever was talking. "Wh-who's there…?" I asked, hoping I wasn't losing my mind.
"Over here."
My eyes finally set themselves on the opposite side of the room (which was quite large), where I noticed someone lying beneath a layer of thin sheets on a small bed. Apprehensively, I moved a few feet from where my feet had planted themselves in my fear. Now I could get a better look at who was talking.
It was a boy, who had to be younger than I was, with a long mop of dark black and green hair. His eyes, which were purple like Neid's, had a tired, yet mischievous, glow to them. Slowly, he rolled off the cot and got to his feet, yawning and stretching. His body was lean and lanky, with a pair of regulation issue military pants and a torn white shirt the only things covering his body. I noticed his arms were a bit spindly for being in the Nationalsozialisten.
The boy came over to me and began to circle me – I didn't quite know what he was doing, but I reasoned out that he was sizing me up. Would I be military material or not?
When he finally stopped, the boy grinned. "I can see why he wants you," was the only thing he said. A few laughs in reply came from the cots, from mouths I couldn't see.
"Who are you…?" I asked, beginning to go on the defensive.
And then, miraculously, the boy's sharp and playful face softened into one of friendliness and compassion. "Schauen Sie brr! auf Sie. Sie wanken wie ein Blatt." Only after he said this did I realize my entire body was quaking. The boy extended a hand towards me. "Come on," he continued. "Some more layers will heat you right back up."
I cautiously took his hand and he led me over to the beds. He beckoned me to sit down, and as I complied, he reached into the cot above his. He brought down a few thin, almost wiry blankets and wrapped them around me. And though they didn't look the part, they made me feel warmer.
The boy sat down beside me and he smiled. "I'm Zorn," he said.
And his attitude had become inviting. Though unsure of what I was doing, and why I was doing it, I took his hand and lightly shook it. "I'm Edward," I replied. "Edward Elric."
"Welcher schöner Name," he replied, causing my cheeks to stir and resonate with a shade of light scarlet.
"Hey, everyone, come on down and meet the commander's latest catch!"
I heard shuffling, and before I knew it, three other people stood in front of me. My eyes blinked in rapid succession a few times before I could register what it was I saw. There was one other boy and two girls.
The boy nodded to me, his short brown hair not even reaching halfway down his neck. The bangs were pulled two different directions. This boy still wore his military uniform. "Alphonse," he said. "Alphonse Heidrich."
The first girl had short-cropped black hair that almost fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were a sparkling blue and she smiled at me. Bending into a curtsy, she said, "My name is Lyra."
I looked to the second girl, who bore freckles across her nose. Her blazing orange hair was tied back into two separate ponytails. She seemed not to much care about appearances, as she wore nothing but rags. She shook her hair out of her brown eyes as she came forward to me – her grin was playful yet sinister. "The name's Nina," she told me. She patted me on the head. "I run this place, and don't you forget it.
"Sie antworten auf mich, und ich werde nicht den Kommandanten zu rau sein lassen." Everyone in the room got a few cheap chuckles from this, but I had no clue what Nina meant. Too rough…? What on earth was she talking about…?
As everyone went back to their beds, Zorn turned to me. "She's just exaggerating. Neid's actually quite nice."
"Schließen Sie es, Sie sonderbarer Bengel. Sie gerade wie die Art, wie er Sie berührt, sind alles," Nina retorted in a stern yet sisterly tone.
Now I began to wonder what really was going on, and what the Sklavenheim was all about.
Unfortunately, I didn't have long to contemplate. Just as my head started to wrap itself around what everyone had said, the door opened with that same gut-wrenching squeak. In came Neid, looking positively blissful.
I turned to Zorn for no reason in particular, but he seemed much more intent on feigning sleep.
"Ed…" Neid came up to me and offered me his hand. "It's time for your briefing."
Unsure of what else I could do, I took his hand and he led me away from the Sklavenheim. Before we exited, I stole one last glance back. Nina was standing there, near the room's center, a forlorn expression of woe on her face. She started to mouth something to me.
But whatever she attempted to communicate to me was blocked off by the closing of the Sklavenheim's door.
Translations:
"Herzlich willkommen in Ihr neues Haus" - "Welcome to your new home"
"Also, Sie sind das frische Fleisch des Kommandanten wie?" - "So, you're the commander's fresh meat?"
"Schauen Sie brr! auf Sie. Sie wanken wie ein Blatt" - "Wow, look at you! You're shaking like a leaf"
"Zorn" - Wrath
"Welcher schöner Name" - "What a beautiful name"
"Sie antworten auf mich, und ich werde nicht den Kommandanten zu rau sein lassen" - "You answer to me, and I won't let the commander be too rough."
"Schließen Sie es, Sie sonderbarer Bengel. Sie gerade wie die Art, wie er Sie berührt, sind alles" - "Shut it, you queer brat. You just like the way he touches you."