Roz shifted in her seat, then winced as a pain shot down her side. Grimacing, she guessed she must have fallen asleep in an awkward position, so she readjusted herself and tried to drift back to sleep. Only this time something else was keeping her awake. It was the sound of children chatting, singing songs, and, in the case of some, crying softly. Roz peered out through her eyelashes as she tried to work out where she was. She appeared to be in some sort of corridor, surrounded by children. Not wishing to draw attention, she continued to peek between her lashes, but her parents were nowhere in sight. Opening her eyes fully, she became aware of a boy sitting opposite who was staring at her with great interest. Roz, who didn’t like the idea of being stared at whilst she slept, shot him a stern glare before looking around the corridor. It was at this point that she saw she wasn’t in a corridor at all, but rather on a train, and judging by the swiftly moving scenery outside the window, they were travelling at speed. The realisation as to what this meant filled her with joy. They were on their way to Holland! Wondering where her parents might be, she started to crane her neck in order to see further, when the carriage fell so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The reason for the deathly silence soon became clear. Two German soldiers had stepped into their carriage from the corridor. Roz felt her heart plummet. What on earth were Nazi soldiers doing on a train bound for the coast? Did they know about the Sachs’ attempt to flee the country? Were they here to stop them at the final hurdle?

One of the soldiers halted abruptly and pointed at Roz. Speaking in German he asked her what had happened.

Roz stared back at him blankly. What was he talking about? And why had he singled her out in particular? Could he know of her escape from Frankfurt?

Growing impatient, the other soldier demanded that Roz answer the question.

Roz’s heartbeat quickened in her chest. Her father had told her not to speak to soldiers, but to let him or her mother do the talking for her instead, only they weren’t here.

As the first soldier stepped towards her, the boy who had been staring at Roz came to her rescue. He quickly explained that Roz had been hit by a car, which was the reason for her injuries, and that the shock must be causing her silence.