Once Upon A Time Read Online Free PDF Page B

12 years old, slim,
pale skinned as were most of her race, and big, dark eyes that saw
into the soul, as much as my own abilities allowed me to do.
    The house was
in a quiet suburb of Paris, and if one closed one’s eyes, it might
almost be as if the war was not real. But then things would stand
out, not least of which was the lack of children playing in the
streets. War was a real and present thing, even in this quiet
street, and here, the war against the Jews was in earnest. What was
yet to become the norm in Hungary was happening here.
    She had not
said much to me when I arrived. She was old enough to know why I
was there, even if her former neighbours had not told her. One of
them waited with her, smoothing the child’s braided hair, and I
could see the fear in the older woman’s eyes, and the sure
knowledge of what might be her fate if it was known that she had
sheltered ‘an enemy of the regime’, a child. She wore a dark dress,
no different from any other child, apart from one thing: a yellow
star sewn onto her dress, the symbol on which the authorities
insisted to mark her as Jewish.
    I was
conscious that my size and my height in comparison to the girl’s
slender form. Crouching down, to bring my head closer to her, I had
given her a half smile, trying to put her at ease, even in these
difficult circumstances. Her face was thin, showing the deprivation
that was becoming the norm for people here. She had no coat, so I
had pulled off my jacket to give it to her, even though it meant
that the damning yellow star was concealed, an act which might have
meant even more trouble for both her and the family which have
given her shelter. Given my size in relation to her, the jacket had
swamped her.
    She had smiled
shyly. "Thank you, sir." Then she had looked worried. "I have
nothing to give you in return."
    "Nothing is
required, child." I said gently.
    "But my Mama
said I must always give my thanks." She looked thoughtful, before
she reached inside her dress, and pulled out a long chain. "This
was my Mama's but she gave it to me ... just before." Her voice
broke slightly. "I want you to have it. Will you wear it?"
    I looked at
the chain, and the small pendant that she placed in my larger hand.
I knew that her faith was passed down the matrilineal line. Giving
me this link with her mother was more than just thanks. This was a
gift of considerable value, and one which I had to acknowledge.
    "I will wear
it so that one day I might return it to you, little one." I
promised her softly. She had smiled, and placed a light kiss on my
cheek.
    "Then we have
a deal." She had whispered to me.
    We left the
building, walking some way down the street, before we slipped into
a doorway, and I was able to transport her to the cellars at
Hunter's Inn. Kat and Sandu took over from there. As we had for
others of her age, a family were waiting to welcome her in the
States, and she would travel there via Wales.
    After the war,
even though I had never said as much to my Alpha, I could not help
but watch over those children whom I had helped escape from the
carnage of war. So many had died, and in comparison, we had managed
to rescue such a small number. When they came to the USA, it was a
far from easy process. We were conscious that this was the land
where a boatload of Jewish refugees had been turned away, and
forced to return to Europe, where many perished. Fortunately, we
were not without our connections. As the children grew to
adulthood, the Negrescu Foundation, established for reasons of
sorrow within our own Pack, provided them with grants that they
might establish businesses, attend college, build careers and in
some way demonstrate their gratitude for the fact that they lived
when so many had perished.
    This girl,
Eliana, thrived in her new life, yet it seemed that she did not
forget either. Despite my best attempts to conceal my identity, she
knew who I was. I would see her flash a quick smile in my direction
sometimes, or when she