Jenny Plague-Bringer(63)

“I hope you’re both right,” she said.

The ship docked, and she drew very close to Sebastian as they descended the gangplank towards a dense crowd of people coming and going in every direction. She wore a hat and an unseasonable scarf, as well as her gloves, but she always worried. Maybe, she thought, the scientists of Europe really would cure her, and she would never again need to fear being around other people.

The vast concrete terminal struck her as overwhelmingly foreign—not just that most people in the crowd spoke German, or that the frequent, crackling loudspeaker announcements were in German, and all the signs, newspapers, and magazines were in German, but there was an overwhelming array of countless tiny differences, from the buttons on people’s coats to the steamy pickled smell of the food sold by the vendors.

“Where do we go?” Sebastian wondered.

“Look there.” Juliana pointed to a uniformed chauffeur holding up a placard with Sebastian’s name on it. “He must be here for us.”

They made their way through the crowd toward the young man, but as they got closer, Juliana realized that what she’d assumed what a chauffeur’s uniform was actually black military or police wear, with a matching peaked cap and boots. He wore a brown shirt and a black tie underneath his jacket. The only splash of color was a red armband with a strange symbol, like a broken, twisted black “X” inside a white circle. As they made their way through the crowd, Juliana spotted a few other men in similar uniforms.

The young uniformed man saw the two of them approaching his sign. He whispered something to a tall, beautiful young woman who stood near him, and she turned to face Juliana and Sebastian. She had a similar uniformed look, a black coat and dress with a starched, high-collared white shirt. The two of them looked similar to each other. Their eyes were gray, the boy’s the color of a dark stormcloud, the girl’s much lighter and clearer. They had blond hair—again, the boy had a darker, dirtier shade, while the girl’s hair looked like spun gold.

“Heil!” the young woman greeted them, smiling, as they arrived. “You are the two sent by Herr Barrett from America? What are your names?”

Sebastian told her, and she gave a short, crisp nod, as if verifying she had the right people. She took Sebastian’s hand for a moment and looked into his eyes, and an odd, glowing smile spread across Sebastian’s face.

“I am Alise,” the gray-eyed girl said. “This is Niklaus. I am your...welcoming committee.” She smiled. Her English was hesitant but perfectly clear. “Welcome to the new Germany. We will go this way. Niklaus!”

When she said “Niklaus!” the boy immediately reached for Juliana’s new suitcase. Juliana instinctively stepped back, holding her suitcase close.

“No, no,” Alise said. “He can carry it. Boys should carry.” She gave Juliana a bright, heartwarming smile, as if she were desperate to win Juliana’s approval.

“Hmm...” Juliana smiled, then handed her bag to Niklaus. “Maybe boys should carry.”

The gray-eyed boy touched the brim of his hat and gave Juliana a very slight nod. He had a solemn, serious expression that didn’t change. Juliana noted that he wore black leather gloves, while Alise wore none. Alise looked at Juliana’s gloves and frowned, but said nothing.

As they passed through the cavernous building at the terminal, which echoed with the sounds of dockworkers hoisting and dropping large shipping containers, Alise fell into step beside Juliana, while the boys lagged behind with the luggage.

“We have all been so excited to meet you,” Alise told her. “Especially me.”

“Why is that?”

“Because there are so few girls who are truly...like us.” Alise covered her mouth and giggled a little. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Like us? What do you mean?”

“You have the touch,” Alise said. “Yes? It moves through touch.”

“What do you know about me?”

“I read telegrams, letters.” Alise smiled.

“Are you in the research project? Are you a scientist?”

“Scientist...” Alise turned the word over in her mouth, and then laughed. “No! Not a scientist. More of...administrator? I apologize for my English, I will study more of it for you.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’ll learn German.”

“I need the practice, thank you,” Alise said. She glanced over her shoulder, and then whispered, “What I read about you, I recognized. You both have the touch, you and Sebastian. Disease and healing. Opposites. Sometimes, people like us are opposites. Like Niklaus and me.”