Chasing Down Secrets by Katie Matthews Page A

hair and crooked teeth.
He never gave her a chance to answer. Her mother’s feeble cries were cut off by a gunshot. Maria tried to run to her, to save her but another man pulls her back.
My eyes fly open as the intensity of the memory consumes me, sweat mats down my hair, it clings to the back of my neck and my mouth is dry. As my eyes adjust to the dark I see the familiar crowded room. There are beds everywhere and it is filthy. Looking out the window I estimate it is around two in the morning. My mind immediately begins thinking of him. Emmett. I wonder if he is on guard. He is the only thing that makes this place tolerable, well, James used to, but he doesn’t talk to me anymore, he won’t even look at me and I have no idea why. I’ve been here five years and they still refuse to believe that I am not Jewish. They keep me locked up here, and I don’t understand why they don’t do off with me the rest of the people who have been here forever. It smells horrible. I need air.
Carefully I swing my bare feet onto the cold, dusty floor, my feet glide across the floor leaving a trail. Slowly I slide the door open and the morning light enters the small living space showing dust particles floating in the air. It’s august, I think, it is muggy outside and there are lots of flies. The second my feet hit the cool sand a hand covers over my mouth and I am dragged into the shadows. I’ve done it now; they don’t tolerate sneaking out, even though I know that it has never stopped me from doing it every night. He is breathing down my neck, his one hand over my mouth the other securely wrapped around my waist. As I breathe in his scent a sense familiarity washes over me. It is Emmett. As we stand there the memory of us first meeting comes to my mind. We met a year ago, more or less.
Maria sat on the bench away from everybody else. It was another hot day. She looked down at her filthy uniform, the Star of David stuck out against the gray stripes. There was dirt on her knees. Suddenly, the sun disappeared. Maria looked up and saw a young man standing before her. His eyes were a piercing blue that reached down into her soul; his hair was a golden blonde color. He was the most beautiful person she had ever seen, but she hated him instantly. He stood there for a while before sitting down next to her. The tension practically rolled off of him, was she in trouble? Maria couldn’t handle another beating; she was still healing from the last one.
“I’m Emmett Ritter, what is your name?” He spoke in a smooth silky voice. He was studying Maria’s face intently.
“Maria Kaiser,” she said softly staring down at her lap.
“Why are you here, Maria?” This time Maria stared incredulously at him.
“What do you mean? You know, why I am here,” a cold edge crept into her tone.
“No, you seem different. You are different, I can tell.” He stated with authority in his voice.
“I shouldn’t be here.” Her voice was tainted by sadness.
“What happened?” Maria didn’t know whether she could trust this man or why he had to find out why she was here but, regardless, she told him how they mistook her for one of them and brought her here.
After Maria had told him her story, he told her his. He was nineteen, an only child because his sister had died, and joined the army after his father passed.
“You shouldn’t be out of bed.” Emmett’s playful voice says in a whisper close to my ear. I laugh softly as he releases me from his grasp.
“Were you waiting for me?” I whisper back with a huge smile.
“I see you come out here every night. I thought I might as well take advantage of this opportunity so I could see you.” My stomach swells with butterflies and blood rushes to my cheeks. “Are you blushing?” He chuckles to himself while raising a hand to caress my cheek.
“Stop laughing at me!” I pout which causes him to laugh more. “I’m serious!” I snap, slapping his hand away.
“My apologies, ma’am,” he says taking my