Page 47 of The Berlin Sisters
‘Do you have any news from Eliana?’ he asked, looking relieved when she reached into her pocket and produced a letter.
‘I do. She made me bring this for you, and she said that you must read it out loud to your parents.’
He nodded and put it in his pocket. ‘Thank you. You wouldn’t believe how much I miss her.’ He grunted. ‘How much I miss everything.’
Ava didn’t know what to say; she could only imagine how difficult it would be for him, being stuck up there without his sister, with only his parents for company.
‘I know it won’t help your boredom, but I made you a promise, David, and I wanted to make good on it.’
His eyebrows lifted in surprise, as if he hadn’t expected her to ever follow through with her promise.
She reached into the bag at her feet and lifted out a pistol to give him. ‘My father told me to give you this. He understands your need to feel safe, to be able to protect your family.’
David stepped forward and took it from her, looking over his shoulder at his parents who were stretching their legs properly by walking up and down the hallway.
‘Would you mind if I took the bag, too?’ he asked. ‘I don’t want to worry them any more than they already are, so it would be best to keep it hidden from sight.’
Ava handed him the bag. ‘Of course. But he said to tell you that there are six bullets loaded, and a handful more in the bag.’ She cleared her throat and leaned a little closer to him. ‘He also said that if they find you, if anyone makes it up to the attic for whatever reason, that you are not to hesitate to use it.’
David’s gaze was still trained on the gun, but when he finally looked up at her, she noticed a steeliness to his stare that she’d never seen before.
‘Tell him that I have no intention of hesitating. But I’d prefer to be of use elsewhere. He still hasn’t found something for me to do?’
‘Other than typing the notes he’s given you?’
David sighed. ‘Having a typewriter delivered and being asked to type his notes wasn’t what I had in mind when I asked for a job.’
‘Yes, but it will be a factual account for after the war, of what has been happening here. To someone, one day, it will be important.’
Her mother came upstairs then with a tray of food, and when she disappeared up to the attic with David’s parents, the pair of them started to walk. Ava noticed that he seemed less relaxed today.
‘Eliana is thriving, you know. She’s loving her job, and she told me that it’s the most surreal feeling, to be able to work among people and have no one recognise her.’
He smiled. ‘I can only imagine how she must feel in her disguise. I’m happy for her. Even though I miss her terribly, I’m so happy that she has the chance to live.’
‘Will you go back to your studies, if...’ The rest of her question hung between them.
‘I hope so. The only thing I’ve ever wanted to be is a doctor – a surgeon actually.’
Ava smiled. ‘You know, I remembered something about you the other day, from my childhood. I remembered seeing you with a little dog, throwing a stick for him down by the river.’
‘Ahh, yes. He was a wonderful little dog. He belonged to my grandparents and they used to bring him with them when they came to stay. That’s something else I can imagine, having a dog by my side one day.’
‘Well, I shall imagine you as a surgeon with a little dog at your feet, then,’ she said with a laugh. ‘How does that sound?’
He laughed back at her, and she realised it was the first time they’d ever had such an easy conversation.
‘Tell me about you. About what you’re involved in,’ he said. ‘I overheard our fathers speaking.’
Ava was taken aback. ‘About me?’
‘Yes. Something to do with being worried that a certain young man might be taking advantage of you. I believe they were talking about the resistance movement.’
‘Taken advantage of?’ She shook her head. ‘Noah has been very upfront about the risks involved, and I made the decision to do what he asked. No one is taking advantage of anyone.’
David stopped by the steps to go back up to the attic. ‘So he is putting you in danger?’
She didn’t want to argue with him, but she also needed him to know that she’d chosen to be part of this world, and that Noah was very much one of the reasons she’d changed her perspective.
