Chasing Down Secrets (3 page)

Chapter Three:

I rush towards him, tears streaming down my face. My whole body is shaking. He takes me in his strong arms and lets me cry into him. We are criminals now. But at least now we are together. A gunshot sounds from somewhere off in the distance. We separate quickly. They are coming. Sweat drips down my back. Emmett takes my hand and pulls me into a bush.

Men enter the clearing, searching everywhere. I am reminded of when my mother and I hid under our stairs, but this time I will not get caught. After a while the men leave. We wait for hours in there to make sure we are alone. Emmett is the first to emerge from the shrub. He walks over to a tree and pulls a bag out from the hollow center.

“We need to change.” He says tossing me some woman’s clothing.

The dress is beautiful. It is olive green and has short sleeves. It comes down just under the knee. A bow is attached to a band, which wrapped around the waist. There is a string that is placed neatly creating diamonds at the neckline illuminating the patches of porcelain skin. The shoes are black with a white inner and outer trim and a strap goes across the middle.

“Where did you get these?” I ask in awe.

“Out of the captain’s wife’s closet,” he replies.

He turns his back to me so I can change in privacy. I look down myself. I haven’t left these clothes in five years. Maybe they won’t come off. Maybe they are stuck to me. Slowly, I unbutton the cloth that has been like chains to me for so long. Immediately, I am embarrassed. A red scar shows brightly on my stomach. I got it the day they came for me. There had been a piece of wood sticking out in the closet. My dress got caught when the pulled me out. I hate that scar. It is a constant reminder of that day; the day my mother died. I quickly put on the dress so I won’t have to look at it anymore.

“Could you zip this please?” I say shyly to Emmett’s back.

“Uh, yeah,” there is an awkward silence once he finished.

“I don’t know how you expect me to run in this.” I chuckle lightly. He does too.

“I saw a river when I was on my way, let’s go wash up.” He takes my hand and tugs me along lightly,

I can see my reflection in the water. Dirt covers most of my face; my hair is in a long messy braid. I dip my hands into the water. It instantly washes away the filth. I hope it does the same for my face. Water is cupped in my hands and I slowly bring it to my face. The cold water feels good against my burning cheeks. I scrub my face gently with my coarse fingertips. After I finish I pull my fingers through my hair. The braid comes undone, I prefer my hair down. It makes me feel free even when I am trapped. My auburn curls are around my waist by now. I haven’t had a haircut since I was thirteen; I refused. Now I have it up most of the time. Emmett’s reflection enters the river. It kneels down beside my own. He also dips his hands into the river. But while he is washing I notice he has also changed. I have never seen him out of his uniform.

“Come on, we can’t be late, you look beautiful, by the way.” Emmett speaks standing up and extending his arm for me to take. Blood rushes to my cheeks; I have never thought myself as beautiful.

“Late? Late for what?” What could we possibly be late for? We are on the run.

“Do you want to miss supper?”

“No, but what do you mean, where are we going?” He doesn’t reply, instead he takes off. I try to follow him but it is hard to run in a dress.

“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?” I call after a few minutes of silence.

“If I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise,” Emmett calls back as he leads the way.

“Well, lucky for you, I hate surprises. My mom used to travel a lot, I don’t really know why, she didn’t have a job, but she tried to surprise me by coming home early and sneaking up on me one time and I didn’t even care that she was back, I just got so mad that she snuck up on me and I didn’t talk to her for the rest of the day.” I say back in a matter-of-fact tone.

Emmett stops walking and turns to face me, “you’re saying you’re going to ignore me for the rest of the day if I don’t tell you where we’re going?”

“I might,” I say, trying to play along, but my insides are itching to know where he is taking us.

We’re standing face to face now; I am a couple inches away from him. He leans forward until his face is right in front of mine, a devious grin on his face.

“I think I’ll take the chance.” He whispers.

“Tell me!” I whine stomping my foot on the leafy ground.

“Are we five now?” He laughs lightly, his warm breath tickling my face. “Everything will be fine, come on, let’s go.” He says while turning around and walking off in the direction he was walking before.

After a while his pace starts to slow, I can’t tell why until we round a tree and a small cottage comes into view. It is made of gray stone and has a chimney that smoke sprouts out of. Flowers are blooming by the steps that lead to an oak front door.

“Emmett, what are we doing here?” My voice fills with fear. We could get caught.

“They’re friends of mine. They know we are coming.” He pounds on the door three times before it swings open.

“Emmett! We didn’t think you were going to make it. Ah, and this, I take it, is Maria! I’m Christophe; it’s a pleasure to meet you. ” A plump man beams. He is shorter than Emmett but not by much. He is balding, and by the looks of it he is about forty-three. His stomach is rounded and he has laugh lines around his clear blue eyes. A small woman with dark hair comes up behind him; there are two kids around her knees.

“You must be Maria, I’m Annette Cavell, and these are my daughters Adelaide and Charlotte. “ The small brunette speaks softly.

I look down, behind Annette’s legs; there are two curly haired brunettes with matching sets of blue eyes. Their cheeks are rosy red as they try to hide from my gaze. Annette is shorter than her husband by at least a head. Her hair is very fine and twisted into a delicate bun. Her jaw line is sharp and her eyes are an electrifying gray that calls attention to her immediately

“Please, come in, I will show you to your room.” Annette speaks sweetly, guiding us down a hallway to a snug room. The bed is covered in a warm quilt with purples and blues sewed into it. The walls give off a warm glow.

“I hope you don’t mind, we only have one extra room.” She says apologetically.

“That won’t be a problem, thank you, Annette.” Emmett replies politely.

“Well, I gave you some of my old things, they’re in the wardrobe. Dinner is in a few minutes, I’ll let you two freshen up.” Without waiting for a reply she leaves.

“This is the closest I’ve been to home since I was thirteen.” I think aloud.

“I know, let’s go eat.” Emmett whispers back, kissing my temple.

We sit around a small wooden table. It’s silent for a while; everyone is at a loss of what to say. Finally, the petite dark haired woman brings out the food. It smells heavenly, maybe because I haven’t had a meal like this in years.

“I hope you like roast beef, Maria, we need to put some meat on those bones.” The hefty man chortles.

“Yes, sir, thank you for letting us spend the night.” I say politely to Christophe.

I bite down on my fork and the juices from the beef land on my taste buds, satisfying my hunger.

“You can stay as long as you would like. Any friend of Emmett’s is a friend of ours.” Mr. Cavell says gently.

We finish dinner in silence; once we finish the girls are put to bed. Emmett and Christophe go into the living and I accompany Mrs. Cavell to the kitchen to help clean.

“Maria, could you go ask the men if they’d like a drink?” I nod and am about to go ask them when I catch their conversation. I quickly hide behind the wall separating the dining room and the living room.

“So, what is the real reason you’re here, huh? I doubt you are just passing through.” Christophe says seriously.

“Maria isn’t one of them if that’s what you’re implying.” Emmett replies harshly.

“What do you really know about her?”

“I know I love her. And it may not be enough for you, but it is for me.”

Chapter Four:

I quietly walk back into the kitchen grinning from ear to ear. I do my best to contain it but it doesn’t work.

“Did they want anything, dear?” Mrs. Cavell asks. My grin falls.

“Oh, uh, I forgot to ask.” I smile sheepishly.

“Eavesdropping, were we?” She questions giving me a knowing look. I nod shyly.

“Hear anything good?” She says surprising me by sitting down and getting comfortable.

“Well, Emmett really loves me. I always got worried he that he would walk away. I mean, he doesn’t have to live like this, on the run. He deserves someone who can make him happy.” I say kicking myself immediately, why did I tell her that?

“I’ve known Emmett since he was little. He’s different; he’s happier and kinder. You make him happy, he’s never looked so happy. Ever since his older sister passed when he was ten he has shut everyone out. It only got worse when his father died two years ago.”

“He’s happy for now. How long will that last? The war may end, but what if it doesn’t? They won’t stop looking for me if it continues.”

There is sorrow in her eyes as she is thinking of what to say next. But before she gets a chance to reply Emmett and Mr. Cavell come in as she opens her mouth to speak.

“What are you ladies talking about?” Mr. Cavell asks while stifling a yawn.

“Doesn’t matter, we’re finished. Come on, let’s go to bed.” His wife says they hold a gaze that contains so much love and intimacy I have to look away, afraid I’m intruding; I can’t help but feel like Emmett and I may never get that.

They walk off hand in hand down the hall to their room. Emmett sits down next to me. He doesn’t say anything and it’s quiet for a while until he finally spoke.

“I couldn’t help but hear the end of that.” He murmurs thoughtfully.

“Oh?” I muse, not really paying attention to anything.

“I would never,
ever
leave you. You should know that.” He sounds hurt by the fact that I would even
think
that.

“Even if you find someone prettier than me?” I snap, trying to keep my voice light, but I’m only half joking and he can tell.

“Are you asking me if there’s a chance I’ll find someone better? Impossible, that’s like asking the sun not to rise every morning.” He grasps my hand and stands up. “Come on, it’s time for bed.”

My stomach drops at the sound of his words and is caught by the butterflies that begin swarming inside of me. We have to sleep in the same bed.

“I love you, Em,” I say nervously rubbing my palms against my thigh, trying to appear calm.

“I know.” He whispers while kissing my forehead before turning down the hall.

I stand nervously in the entryway to our small room. My emerald irises follow Emmett’s movements as he pulls out his pajamas. His back is to me as he takes off his shirt. It is tanned with a freckle here and there. His arms are muscular. He turns sideways to grab his shirt off the bed. His front is chiseled and I feel yet again that he is too perfect for me. He has no flaws, and that’s all I am. After he changed he comes towards me, another set of clothes in hand.

“These are for you. I’ll just be in the hall.” He whispers passing off the nightgown.

After I have discarded the dirty dress I pull back the blankets and lay down on the soft pillow. I don’t remember Emmett coming back in but a while later I feel his strong arms wrap around me.

A baby’s cheerful laughter sounds throughout the house. I stand in the kitchen contemplating what I should make for supper. A little boy comes running in and hides behind me for cover.

“What’s the matter sweetheart?” I ask, a smile playing on my lips.

“He’s coming to get me!” An out of breath little boy exclaims.

“Who is, honey?” My question is answered by a beautiful man, who comes charging in and sweeps the boy up in his strong arms.

“Daddy,” squeals the child.

“
Annaleise is up, Maria. She won’t let me touch her.” Emmett grins, setting down the boy who runs away quickly.

“Did you have a good day, Mrs. Ritter?” He asks before leaning in and kissing me.

“Maria, Maria, wake up. We have to go now!” Emmett’s panicked voice brings me out of my blissful sleep.

“What’s wrong, Emmett?” I ask drowsily as he starts to pack up the bag.

“They’re here,” Emmett says, not even bothering to look up from what he was doing.

I jump out of bed and walk to the door, sure enough there were two Nazi’s in the living room. Mrs. Cavell comes in.