After dinner they had an hour of free time to read their Bibles, share a few stories of their old lives, and drink a single cup of sweet lemon tea. By nine o’clock it was bed time. Sasha was rankled a bit by the fact that she and her fellow young women were being ordered into bed at a set hour. But she was so exhausted by her day of labor that she couldn’t work up much frustration over the mild injustice. Perhaps when she’d had more time to adjust, she’d bring this up to Helen.

She collapsed in her bunk bed certain she’d fall asleep in an instant. Instead she lay awake for the better part of an hour thinking of Alexander. She’d still heard nothing more from him, or about him. She’d asked Helen a couple times today and the older woman had almost seemed angry. Somehow Sasha knew the anger wasn’t toward her, and that was doubly confusing.

“Sasha?”

Anne’s voice broke her reverie. The other girl was situated just below her on the bunk bed. Sasha was surprised to hear her, still awake.

“Yes. Is something the matter?”

“No,” Anne said, “I just couldn’t sleep. I thought maybe you were awake, too.”

“I guess we’re both in the same boat then.” Sasha kept her voice low, more to avoid waking any of the others than out of fear of breaking the rules.

“In more ways than one,” Anne said. “I’m waiting for a man I love too.”

Sasha’s heart beat a little faster. It was like that with everything that made her think of Alexander. Her mind didn’t need a great deal of prodding to turn toward him.

“Your love is at the front too?” Sasha asked.

“I think so,” Anne said. “I was lucky enough to get to see him, twice. I arrived in Coppell first, back before the Kingdom took Plano. We met once then, and once more after the city fell and they moved us into the House of Miriam.”

Jealousy seized Sasha’s heart. She tried to replace it with gratitude in the Lord. He’d sent her someone who could understand her pain and frustration. Wasn’t that a blessing?

“That must be hard for you,” she said, “getting to see him and then being separated.” The words came out a bit stilted and cold. She hoped Anne hadn’t noticed.

“It is,” Anne said, “but it isn’t half so rough a place as you’re in. I can’t imagine how anxious you must be, arriving here and not seeing him.”

“He’s not the only reason I came,” Sasha said, a bit defensively, “but yes. It’s hard. I’m…scared. I don’t know why I feel so silly admitting that.”