Chapter 19
The cold battering my body was not the pleasant kind. Not even this coat was warm enough to melt the frost settled in my lungs. We had stopped and slept, just for an hour or so, but that time was enough to change our entire surroundings. Instead of ferns and grass, I saw a white blanket, and even if a few fronds did escape, they glistened silver in the dull light. I looked around, over at our attackers, but only two were awake, one just about and other watching us carefully with a gun in his hand.
My gown still feels as damp as a flower, and the ground below me is lumpy and uncomfortable. Liesl still has her arm around my waist, and is sleeping silently, her hair covered in fresh, white snow, as is Artur's. I shake him awake, trying not to wake my sleeping sister.
"It's so cold…" he mumbled, stretching a little, eyes droopy.
"I know," I agreed, looking back over to the boys.
"Should we wake Liesl?" Artur asked, looking at my older sister.
By then, however, our movement had already done the trick, and she was up, tense and angry. Her grip tightened around me, as it did around Artur, and she narrowed her eyes, looking around.
"Liesl? What are you doing?" I asked, slightly alarmed by her abnormal behaviour.
"I thought those horrid boys were doing something to you both…" she blinked a few times, going a little red in embarrassment at her mistake.
"No. No they haven't done anything…" Artur reassured her.
"That's alright then," she replied simply, shaking the snow from her knotted hair.
"What did you think they were doing, Liesl?" I asked, my curiosity overwhelming.
Liesl looked down at me. Her eyes glimmered like the dark sky just as lightning strikes, yet it was not a comforting feeling. In fact, her pupils seemed to swallow most of the striking blue in her eyes, leaving the tiniest smidge of colour left. She shook her head, eyes twitching a little.
"You wouldn't want to know, Brigitta," she sighed, closing her eyes.
I pouted a little. But I did want to know, that's the thing. If Liesl and I… and Artur… were prisoner, then we should at least know what they'll do to us. Was it that bad? I mean, I wouldn't understand unless someone told me… or I if found out myself. Chances of finding out is high in my case, mother doesn't say that I "see everything" for no reason.
The thought of mother made my stomach hurt. Oh, she must be so worried about us, as will father and everyone else. Even now, with Liesl and Artur beside me, I felt so alone… For the first time in my life… I… I was alone… I huddled beside Liesl, feeling no warmth, no feelings radiating from her, like someone had just switched off her life light. I knew it was there, that it was on… but… for some reason I no longer felt it. In fact, I felt no warmth at all. Not even the fire, which I had felt even from way over here, prickled the hairs on my skin. I shivered, gripping Liesl's arm, cowardly hunched in a ball, blood-shot eyes hazy…