Among the Enemy

Chapter Thirty-Five

Too bad. We didn't catch them kissing," one of the guards said.

It was Mike. He stood there leering at the two of them, the lights of the cafeteria blazing behind him.

"The kid keeps saying he needs a midnight snack. The girl always says she has extra work to do," the other guard said, shaking his head. 'And I'm supposed to believe them?"

Too late, Matthias realized that this was the same guard who had been on duty the last time he'd sneaked down to meet Nina. The guard reached out and grabbed the back of Matthias's shirt collar. Mike took hold of Nina's collar too and pulled her out of the closet.

"Think the commander will be interested in hearing about this?" the guard asked. "Think he'd give me a reward?"

"Or a swift kick," Mike mused. He steered Nina by the collar until she was right beside Matthias. "Don't you think they're cute together? It'd be kind of a shame to thwart young love. And you've got to give the kid credit for winning over an older lady."

Nina and Matthias stood stiffly, side by side, frozen in fear.

"But the commander—," the guard said.

"The commander just lost Tiddy," Mike said. "You want to be the reason he stops trusting the kid?"

Nina tore away from Mike's grasp and fell to her knees.

"Please," she begged. "Punish me if you have to. But don't — don't tell on my boyfriend." She lowered her head, and Matthias could see tears glistening in her eyelashes.

"See?" Mike said. "How can you resist that?"

"But what if they're—," the other guard began.

"What?" Mike asked. "Spies? Saboteurs? Rebels? Con men? Give me a break. They're just a couple of kids. In love. Don't you remember the first girl you kissed?"

The guard got a dreamy look on his face, then he shrugged it away.

"Okay, okay," he muttered. "I won't say anything this time. But if I ever catch the two of you sneaking down here in the middle of the night again, you're in big trouble. Now go on back to your rooms."

He shoved Matthias forward and Matthias fell over, sprawled out on the floor. As Matthias was scrambling back to his feet, he heard Mike say, "Oh, at least let them hug each other good-bye."

Mike stood back looking thoroughly entertained as Matthias awkwardly put his arms around Nina's shoulders. She was still on her knees, so Matthias had to bend over. He kept his head on the side away from Mike and the other guard, so he dared to bury his face in Nina's hair and whisper into her ear, "You have to let me go with you now. Now that they suspect—"

"Okay! That's enough!" the guard called out.

Nina pulled away and stood up. Matthias could see the tears welling in her eyes, the red marks on her neck where Mike had pulled her collar too hard, the individual hairs that had escaped from her braids and reached out toward Matthias like they had a mind of their own. And he could see her head moving slowly, up and down.

She was saying yes.