As soon as Jo opened her eyes, she knew she'd gone back in time again. She found herself in a different house this time; instead of the white ceiling, she was looking up at the bare wood sloping roof of an attic. Someone nudged her, and she looked over to see Renate, looking several years older than before.
"Time to get up, Magda," said the older girl. "Papa and Horst leave for Stalingrad today."
Jo was jolted awake, scrambling from the bed to find her slippers and then rush downstairs with Renate. What year was the Battle of Stalingrad? she asked herself, wracking her brain to remember. Oh, how she wished she'd paid better attention in class!
At the table downstairs sat an older version of Horst and a tall man with short dark hair. A middle-aged woman with soft light brown curls was setting plates on the table. Father and Mother.
"Good morning!" called Renate and Jo.
"Good morning, girls." Their mother gave them each a kiss on the cheek. Jo's heart ached for her real mother back home. Would she ever see her again, or would she remain in Magda's life permanently this time?
Jo sat down at the table beside Mr. Weber as Renate sat down beside Horst. The sausage and strudel were delicious, and Jo ate quickly, listening to the conversation around her.
"Is it safe to talk?" asked Mr. Weber.
Mrs. Weber hurriedly glanced out the windows. "I see no one around."
Even so, Mr. Weber's voice was lowered as he began to speak.
"The invasion of the Soviet Union was a huge mistake. We have neither the manpower nor the weaponry to bring them down. This battle will only cost us more lives and ammunition."
Mrs. Weber sighed. "I've known that ever since Barbarossa began. The Fuhrer has lost his mind. The invasion of Poland was foolish, the air attack on Great Britain was an even bigger mistake, and to break the nonaggression pact with the Soviets was the worst decision of all."
"I am an old man, Elsa. My fighting days should be over, but I love my country. I have to do all I can for the Fatherland."
Mrs. Weber took her husband's hand and gazed into his eyes. Jo felt her stomach churn. Madly, her eyes darted around for a calendar on the wall. There it was. August 1942.
The war still has three more years to go. Why, oh why, is this happening to me?
"I can't eat any more," she said.
"Neither can I," Renate echoed.
"It's time to get ready to go to the railway station, anyway," said Horst.
Although the weather was very warm, Jo was shaking as she and Renate dressed in the attic.
"I'm scared!" she whispered.
"So am I," Renate replied. "I can't help thinking this might be the last time we ever see Papa and Horst!"
Jo put her arms around Renate, and the two girls embraced for a long moment. When they parted, Jo saw tears in Renate's eyes.
"Thanks, Magda. Papa and Mama always worry about how sensitive you are, but today you seem stronger than me."
"Are you almost ready, girls?" came a voice from downstairs.
"Yes, Mama," said Renate.
The girls finished dressing and hurried downstairs. The family piled into the car, and Mr. Weber drove to the railway station.
Saying goodbye to Magda's father and brother was a very emotional time for Jo. Although she'd really only just met Mr. Weber, he didn't realize that, and Jo knew he loved her as a father loved a daughter, as her own father back in Concord loved her.
"You will be a good girl and mind Mama for me," he said as he embraced her.
"Of course I will, Papa," she whispered back.
The following morning, Jo was shaken awake by Renate.
"Hurry, or we'll be late for work!" Renate said.
The two girls ate breakfast, put on their work uniforms, and walked to the factory. The streets were full of soldiers marching to and fro. The sight of them sent cold chills down Jo's spine.
Inside the factory were rows and rows of sewing machines, and behind each one sat a young woman busy at work. Renate and Jo sat side by side at two empty seats. Jo saw her friend from school sitting across from her. Her name tag read 'Frieda.' She looked up and smiled as Jo sat down.
"Hi, Magda!"
"Hi, Frieda," Jo replied, looking at the pile of black material beside her. She picked up two pant legs and began to sew them together. A woman dressed in gray walked between the two rows, observing the seamstresses closely. She had short blonde hair and fierce blue eyes that looked like they could drill a hole right through someone.
"I'll be so glad when this war is over and all the Jews and other filthy scum are gone," Frieda said in a loud voice.
"The world will belong to us Aryans, as it should," agreed the girl sitting beside her. Her name tag read 'Liesl.'
Jo glared at both girls. Liesl ignored her, but Frieda glared back.
Later, Jo was walking to the lunchroom with the others when someone grabbed her arm so hard the fingernails dug into her skin, and she was yanked into a tiny room which was completely dark.
"You fool!" hissed Frieda's voice. "Don't you know they watch our faces too? Come home with me after work. There's something very important I have to show you."
"What is it?" asked Jo.
"Sh! I can't tell you now. Just do it!"
Amazed and perplexed, Jo ate lunch and then returned to her work station. When the shift was over, she told Renate she was going home with Frieda. Renate nodded without saying anything.
As it turned out, Frieda lived in a large, two-story house in the opposite direction from the Weber's. Jo followed Frieda inside, nodding hello to Frieda's mother.
"This way," said Frieda. Jo followed her, noticing her mother walked right behind them.
They walked down a long hallway to a door about halfway down which opened into a small bedroom. Against the wall was a large dresser. Together, Frieda and her mother pulled the dresser away from the wall to reveal a large square opening which had been cut into the wall behind it. From the opening peered two young women of about the same age as Jo and Frieda, and several other people were behind them.