635798

Mutter kept to herself the rest of that day. She refused to talk at dinner. Abbey was confused as to why, but none of us said anything. Aalyshah got the hint and had no trouble commenting that she was glad she didn’t go. Both Mutter and Vater glared at her for this. I had a feeling it was for different reasons.

I set out early the next day to meet 635798. The meeting had to be quick since I was unfortunately scheduled for a gassing. I began at a run, ignoring the barking Berlin in the headquarters. My boots caused dirt to fly behind me and my uniform caused me to sweat bullets.

There was a roll call in session when I reached 635798’s barrack. Panting, I stopped a good distance away so no one would see me. 635798 was in her usual spot. Her face was completely healed but her ankle still had the bandage. From where I was I saw that she wasn’t putting much weight on it. Next to her stood Chaya. Surprisingly. The little girl had her hands behind her back and her head was dropped so low, an onlooker might’ve thought she was sleeping while standing. Vater passed by her with Jonji at his side.

When roll call was over, I watched 635798 usher Chaya inside the barrack. Then she rushed away so the SS men could close and lock the doors. I began to walk closer. I opened my mouth to call out 635798’s serial number, but stopped myself. She was walking towards a male Kapos, who was smiling. He put an arm around her to support her weight. 635798 didn’t look like she was limping anymore. The two of them walked in the opposite direction of Buna.

This was my chance to find out what 635798 did. Apparently it was important if Nazis went through the trouble of finding a new Kapos for her. I waited until she was nearly out of sight before starting to follow. The gassing this morning would have to do without me for once.

I ended up walking through nearly the whole camp. They reached the entrance when the Kapos picked 635798 up. He carried her around the gate after exiting the camp. I quickly followed. To my astonishment, I followed them through the green forest that looked so out of place in this area. It surprised me even more when I followed them to Jürgen’s mansion. I stayed at the front of the forest to watch them. The Kapos put 635798 down and she limped with him to Jürgen’s door. They let themselves in, closing the door behind them. Five minutes later, the Kapos walked out alone.

I hid behind a few bushes so he wouldn’t notice me. What was 635798 doing in Jürgen’s mansion? Surely that man didn’t need her for anything, correct? 635798 was on the weak side compared to many of the other prisoners. A general like Jürgen wouldn’t need her for anything.

Hopefully.

I waited in the forest until noon. I crept out of the shadows, looking around to make sure no one was watching me. No one was outside except for one prisoner. He was chopping wood. It was obvious he just arrived days ago or else he wouldn’t be as built as he was. He ignored me as I went up to Jürgen’s front door and knocked.

It was Jürgen who answered. “Ah, Wolfgang! Come in! I was just having lunch.”

The door was opened wider and I stepped inside. A fresh aroma of beef stew filled my nose. My mouth nearly watered.

“If you’re here to see deine Mutter and sisters, they’re not here. They went out to town with my family,” Jürgen said, guiding me deeper into the house.

“Actually, I’m here to see a prisoner. I saw a Kapos bring her over,” I said.

“Many prisoners come here to work for me. You’ll have to describe who you’re looking for.”

I told him what 635798 looked like and even gave him her serial number.

“How do you know her?” Jürgen asked.

“We just… met.” I bit the inside of my cheek.

“She is such a sweet girl. She’s in the kitchen right now. Come on. Follow me.”

Jürgen guided me through his dining room which had double doors to the kitchen. The aroma of beef stew was even stronger here. I found the stove which had a tall steel pot on top of it. I walked over and peeked inside. Everything was still bright in color and steam was still spilling out over the edges. I grabbed a spoon, dunking it into the broth. I brought it to my lips and sipped slowly. The luscious taste slid down my throat with ease. My stomach begged for more.

“This is the best beef stew I’ve ever tasted,” I said, mouth full.

“She made that. Isn’t she a marvelous cook? She’s over there by the way.” Jürgen pointed to a far corner of the room.

I turned around. 635798 was sitting against the wall. She had her legs hugged to her chest. Her eyes were closed and she was unusually still. A rush of panic came over me. She couldn’t be dead. As I ran over, I fell to my knees and slid the rest of the way. I was about to grab 635798 but Jürgen stopped me.

“Careful. She’s sleeping.”

“How do you know?” I asked worriedly.

“She’s breathing, Wolfgang. Calm down.”

“But… But she’s so still.”

“But breathing.”

I cautiously put my hand on 6357986’s stomach. It was moving up and down, signaling that she was, in fact, breathing. I sighed in relief.

“What is she doing sleeping?” I asked.

“Break time,” Jürgen said.

I shot him a confused look. “Break time? Why is she on break? I thought Nazis don’t allow that.”

“Not all Nazis are the same, Wolfgang.”

I let that sink in for a moment. Yes. It was true. Not all Nazis were the same. Jürgen and I were proof of that. We were the nice ones, the ones that actually cared.

“I have to thank you for killing that Kapos. What was his name? Yitzchak? I never liked him. The people who knew him always said he was a mean man. I despised the way he treated her later on,” Jürgen said. “Come. Let’s talk in the dining room.”

I followed him and sat down across from him.

“Don’t you have other duties to be attending to?” Jürgen laughed.

I smiled. “They can wait.” I became serious again. “Why is Six here?”

“Back in January, I needed another cook. My last one was gassed. Your friend – Six, you call her? – was brought here. I could tell she had just arrived. Hair was freshly shaven. Uniform was clean. Body was still fit. Still showed fear. I had her cook a chicken to test her out. She was simply by far the best cook I ever came across. Since then I have her work here instead of Buna. She gets breaks whenever she’s done cooking something. I let her make food for herself, which she does quite often. I let her bring snacks to her barrack for that little girl she takes care of,” Jürgen explained.

“Chaya?” I asked.

“Is that her name? I wouldn’t know. Six never talks. Even when I asked what her name was she refused to say anything. She just showed me the number on her arm. But speaking of that little girl, how is she doing? Six gets this depressed look on her face whenever I bring her up.”

“Chaya’s dying,” I said. “I don’t think she has very long. I’m surprised she hasn’t been selected.”

Jürgen’s brow furrowed and he bit his lip. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

We were silent for a moment before Jürgen changed the subject.

“Is something going on between you and Six?” he asked. “I usually stay with her in the kitchen and whenever we hear your name said by a family member, her head picks up. Now here you are, looking for her.”

“I guess you could say that,” I said.

Before I could expand, Jürgen and I heard a bloodcurdling scream. I jumped a foot out of my seat while Jürgen stayed where he was.

“Six’s just having a nightmare,” he said nonchalantly.

The two of us stood up and I followed him to the kitchen. 635798’s screams got louder. I stood in the doorway and watched Jürgen kneel in front of her. He shook her and hugged her as she woke up. 635798 wrapped her arms tightly around Jürgen’s neck. Her loud cries carried throughout the kitchen. Jürgen held her tighter. If 635798 had normal clothes on, the two of them could pass for Vater and daughter at the moment.

“You’re okay,” Jürgen whispered while rubbing 635798’s back. “It was only a bad dream.”

635798 hiccupped. She pulled away a little to wipe her tears away.

“We have a guest over. How about you batch up three salads?” Jürgen asked.

635798 looked confused. She held up three fingers.

“One for you,” Jürgen said.

635798 smiled big. She nodded quickly.

“You can have some wine, too,” Jürgen added. He got up and left, leaving 635798 to her business.

“You’re rather well with her,” I said, sitting down again.

Jürgen shrugged. “You need patience with a person like her. She seems to have a mental problem that makes her act younger than she is. I can’t put my finger on a name, though. All I know is that it’s not severe.”

I bit my bottom lip. 635798 told me about that when we first met.

635798 walked into the dining room, carrying three plates of salads. They were stacked on top of each other. 635798 nearly dropped them at the sight of me. She stood in the dining room with her mouth agape.

“It’s alright.” Jürgen looked at me and smiled. “I know.”

635798 cautiously walked over to us. Jürgen grabbed the top most plate and set it in front of me. He took the second one for himself. As 635798 sat down, two more prisoners walked in. One gave us forks and wine glasses. The other poured red wine into each glass.

Jürgen clapped his hands together. “Ah! Ceaser. My favorite. How about you two do some catching up?”

635798 looked at me, blushing. I smiled, and soon she did too.

“How did you two meet exactly?” Jürgen asked once the other two prisoners were gone.

I looked over at 635798. She was holding her fork clumsily, probably not used to such an object in her hands. Once she got a piece of lettuce in her mouth, she nodded, giving me approval.

“Well, it was when I was first assigned here. Vater and I were walking the path between the women’s ward and men’s. Vater saw Six, and he thought she was trying to escape. When she wouldn’t reply to his questions, he let Jonji attack her hands,” I explained.

635798 showed Jürgen the scars that had formed for verification.

“I checked up on her late that night. I guess it hit from there.” I put some salad in my mouth.

Jürgen’s eyes had widened, as if he was stunned. It took only a mere second for his expression to go back to normal. “And did you guys keep meeting?”

635798 quickly nodded before I could respond. Then, her eyes widened once she realized what she had done.

Jürgen put a hand on hers (which had begun to tremble). “I’m not going to tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me.” He pulled back. “So. Does this mean you’re lovers?”

I almost spat out the wine I had been drinking. Jürgen and 635798 looked at me, amused. 635798 covered her mouth with her hands, stifling her laughter.

Jürgen turned to 635798. “Is that a yes?”

635798 nodded, grinning.

Jürgen’s laugh bellowed throughout the house, and I felt my face turning red.

635798 finished her salad before any of us. In fact, I was too full to finish mine. 635798 pulled it to her side of the table. She got up, taking it with her. On her way to the kitchen, Jürgen stopped her.

“How about we take it to that lad outside? What’s his name? I thought I heard him say Shlomo,” Jürgen said. “Give it to him. I’m sure he’s not used to the poor rations you get in the camp.”

635798 did as she was told. Jürgen and I got up to follow her. By the look on Jürgen’s face, I could tell Shlomo was someone who gave everyone a hard time. 635798 seemed to be dreading the task the whole way outside. I stood in the doorway with Jürgen while 635798 walked up to Shlomo, who was the man I saw earlier. He was still chopping wood, and he had his uniform top off. Sweat dripped down his body at a rapid pace.

“The lad’s from Transylvania,” Jürgen explained. “Arrived no more than a week ago.”

Shlomo stopped what he was doing and looked down at 635798. They were having a conversation of the sort and suddenly, Shlomo pushed 635798 back. I jumped forward, but Jürgen put out an arm to stop me.

“I will not let you serve me food,” I heard Shlomo growl. “You grimy piece of shit. Get me someone else to give me food.”

“What’s this guy’s deal?” I whispered to Jürgen. Anger was growing inside of me.

I glanced at Jürgen, who I could tell was angry too. “Does that to her at every meal. Probably thinks he came from some royalty. I don’t know what royalty it is, though. Dein Vater told me his batch was picked up from the worst ghetto of Transylvania.”

From where I stood, I saw a glare etch its way onto 635798’s face. She has had it. She shoved the plate into Shlomo’s hands and then quickly turned around. Jürgen smiled as she stormed back to us.

“How dare you shove this into my grip?” Shlomo screeched.

Next thing I knew, he threw the plate to the ground. It only took him a second to catch up to 635798. He grabbed her by the shoulder, yanked her back, and then pushed her to the ground. 635798 shrieked. Shlomo got down and held her to her spot. As he spat in her face, Jürgen and I began running over. Jürgen kept up, despite his roundness.

“Look at you, mangy thing!” Shlomo exclaimed. He slapped 635798, causing her to scream. “The dirtiest piece of fuck I’ve ever seen. Doesn’t anybody wash you? Jesus fucking Christ. Don’t fucking serve my food again!” He spat in her face.

Jürgen reached the two before I did. He pulled Shlomo to his feet by his neck and held him firmly in front of him. Shlomo struggled to escape the grip, but surprisingly Jürgen held on. His grip looked deathly, which was rather frightening. The glare wouldn’t leave his face either. 635798 crawled over to me and used my uniform to hoist herself up. I tilted her chin so she was looking at me. A red hand was forming on her chin and somehow her lip was split. I ushered her behind me.

“Who gave you the authority to do that?” Jürgen spat in Shlomo’s face. “What is your problem? You’re not some prince. If you want to survive around here, take any food that’s given to you!”

Shlomo’s eyes widened.

Jürgen shook him. “Do you want to know why she’s dirty? She’s been here for seven months. Seven. Months. She survived so long because she works here. You work here, too, brute so consider yourself lucky. I could always send you to work in the camp, where the life expectancy is only six weeks. One more act like that and that’s what I’ll do. Do I make myself clear?” Shlomo was shaken again.

Shlomo nodded feverishly. “Y-Y-Yes sir.”

Jürgen threw the prisoner to the ground. “May I remind you every prisoner is treated the same here, rich or poor?”

Shlomo got up on his shaky legs. As he ran back to his work station, a car pulled up near the mansion’s gates. 635798 began to whimper besides me.

“We need to get her back to work,” Jürgen said. “Dein Vater doesn’t like it when someone’s not working. Six isn’t too keen on dein Vater either so be aware of that.”

Not to my surprise, Vater walked out of the car, a barking Jonji behind him. 635798 cowered between Jürgen and me, staring at Jonji’s teeth. Vater pulled the leash back so the dog wouldn’t attack anyone.

“What is this thing doing out of work?” Vater asked. He tried poking 635798 with the back of his rifle but she jumped back on instinct. I cleared my throat, trying to get Vater’s attention. He glanced at me, and his eyes widened as if realizing something. He proceeded to shout, “This brute is near my family?”

I raised an eyebrow.

“I thought I told you to keep prisoners away from my family?” Vater screamed. Shlomo was staring at us.

“Wolfgang’s a Nazi. He’s around prisoners every day. Why can’t he be around this one?” Jürgen asked calmly.

Vater spat on the ground. He pointed his rifle at 635798. She squealed behind me.

“Bruno, calm yourself!” Jürgen exclaimed. He lifted the rifle so it pointed at the sky. “I don’t need you killing another one of my cooks.”

Vater’s glare hardened as he reluctantly put the rifle down.

“Let’s go inside,” Jürgen said.

We left, leaving Shlomo to contemplate what he just saw. Jürgen brought us into the dining room, and ushered 635798 back into the kitchen. She sent me one final glance before disappearing behind the closing door.

“What did you come here for, Bruno?” Jürgen asked, sitting down.

“Are my wife and daughters back?” Vater asked.

“No.”

“Good. I want to have a surprise dinner for them. Invite as many men as you can. Let’s introduce them to the clan,” Vater said.

“When and where?” Jürgen asked.

“Here, of course. Where else?” Father laughed. “Let’s have it two nights from now. Make steaks, mash potatoes, peas, corn, everything! Get the finest wine you can get your hands on. Of course get grape juice for Abbey and your youngest. Don’t want them drinking at such a young age.” Vater chuckled.

“I’m sure Six could fix that all up. Just get me a count of how many people are invited so I could tell her,” Jürgen said.

Vater frowned. “Who’s Six?”

“The prisoner you almost killed just five minutes ago.”

Vater put a hand to his chin and looked up, thinking. After a minute, he said, “Bring her in here.”

Jürgen called 635798 and she silently walked into the dining room. She gulped at the sight of Jonji growling at her. Vater motioned her over. When standing face to face with him, she began to bite her bottom lip. Vater grabbed her face, making her gasp, and turned it side to side. Jürgen and I stared at him intently, ready to jump if he did anything terrible.

“Hmm. She could be waitress material if she wasn’t so grimy,” Vater said. He forced her bottom lip away from her teeth. “Dear Lord. Who knew teeth could get so yellow? Can I use your bathroom? And do you have an unused toothbrush?”

“I think…” Jürgen mumbled. He was just as confused as I was.

“Danke! Watch Jonji please.” And with that, Vater turned out of the dining room, dragging 635798 along with him.

Jürgen jumped up but I put a hand out to stop him. I followed Vater, his heavy footsteps guiding me. When I reached the bathroom, 635798 was kneeling in front of the bathtub, my Vater next to her. He held her trembling body by the neck. The faucet was turned on, and Vater ran his hand through the water.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Vater didn’t jump like I expected him to. “Cleaning this thing up. Don’t want her looking like a dog the day of the dinner. Ah. Perfect.” He left the water running as he opened a new toothbrush. He put the toothpaste on it, ran it under the water, and then shoved it into 635798’s mouth. She whimpered as Vater violently ran the toothbrush over her teeth. Tears streamed down her face from the minty taste she was no longer used to.

“Vater. She’s my age. I’m sure she could brush her teeth by herself,” I said.

“You never know what spots she might miss,” Vater said. He held 635798 over the bathtub. “Spit.”

She did what she was told.

“How are her teeth?” Vater forced 635798 to look at me.

Her teeth still showed in her stunned face. There was no difference, but I knew better than to tell Vater that. I told him they seemed cleaner and he proudly accepted it.

Vater didn’t wait for 635798 to take any breaths. He forced her head under the running faucet. I gasped. From where I stood, I saw dirt streaming down into the bathtub. Vater ran his ran through 635798’s hair and splashed some water in her face. 635798 was struggling in Vater’s grip but he wouldn’t let her go. He pulled her back long enough for her to get a few deep breaths in. She was shoved under the faucet again.

“Her arms and legs will have to be dirty for now,” Vater said. He looked down at her feet. “Must’ve lost her shoes during her stay here.”

Half a minute later, Vater pulled 635798 from under the faucet. 635798 arched her back as the cold water trickled down her spine. There was absolutely no dirt on her face. Her skin was extremely pale. Not a sick pale, though. More of a healthy, porcelain shade. Her hair seemed to be even cleaner, too. The brunette shade was prominent now instead of the greasy brown.

“Better,” Vater said. He pulled 635798 up. As he walked out of the bathroom, he said, “I must go. Duty calls. Thank Jürgen for me.”

I watched him walk down the stairs, whistling for Jonji. When the dog came, the two of them walked out of the mansion.

I put my arm around 635798’s waist and walked her back to the dining room. She was silent the whole way, eyes wide and too stunned to speak. Jürgen jumped up at the sight of her. I explained to him what happened as he grabbed a hand towel and wiped the water out of 635798’s face. He used it to squeeze the extra water out of her short hair, ignoring the splatters it made on the hardwood floor. 635798 stood still the whole time, hugging Jürgen tightly.

“That was extremely out of character for dein Vater,” Jürgen said.

I sighed. “What do you supposed we do now?”

“Just wait for the big dinner, I guess.”

I thought I saw 635798 shudder.