Naava
September 17, 1939
I looked down at the letter in my hands, begging for it not to be true. My best friend, the one I’ve always done everything with, is gone. He got drafted to join the Nazi’s. I suppose it was nice of him to write me a letter before he was gone.
I heard Mama’s hushed whispers to tell we needed to hide. I sighed, thinking about last time. We were trapped in the annex with a few other families, squished together. Sometimes we were only in there for a few hours, sometimes a few days. I looked outside one last time before we were trapped in that claustrophobic box. 
My thoughts went back to the note in my hand, as we rushed into our secret cage. Adam. I looked at the letter, my teardrops smearing the ink.
“Hurry up, Naava! They’re going to catch us!” Mama yelled. Honestly, I thought we were supposed to be quiet.
I walked into the annex and looked around. I squinted my eyes, peering through the darkness. We weren’t allowed to light any candles. Mama said they would catch us, by the smell or the light I wasn’t sure of.
My eyes were starting to hurt me, and I couldn’t help it. I had to light a candle. I knew there was no chance of us getting caught, right? It didn’t matter though. If they were going to catch us, I wanted to read my letter one last time.
I heard footsteps from below. The Nazi’s. They were here. This meant we had to be extra quiet. I felt my way around for my small little corner I had for a room. I hugged my knees to my chest and waited for the Nazi’s to leave. They usually stayed for a few hours before they rampaged our neighbor’s homes.
The sounds of bombs going off echoed in my brain. It was weird not being able to hear the panic as the Nazi’s bombarded Germany.
I couldn’t take it anymore. My eyes were hurting terribly. I had to light a candle. I knew that meant we might get caught, but at the moment I didn’t think about that.
“Mama?” I asked quietly, not wanting the Nazi’s to hear. I could barely make out her face, but I’m pretty sure I saw her glare at me.
“Yes, Naava?” She asked in a whisper. The tone in her voice made it feel like this was the wrong time to be talking, and it probably was.
“M-my eyes hurt.” I stuttered. Then quickly added,”I was wondering if I could light a candle. Just a small one with very little light.”
She looked at me, as if she couldn’t believe I would even ask something like that. As if I didn’t even know the dangers that could happen. Then her expression softened as she pulled me into a hug.
“Naava, do you even understand the dangers that could happen, no matter how small the candle is? They could smell it, or see it.” She whispered speedily and angrily. I slowly nodded my head.
“Mama, of course I understand the dangers.” How did I explain to her that we were probably going to be caught anyways? It was a secret I’ve been keeping from the rest of my family.
My thoughts flashed back to a week ago, the last time I saw Adam. His family isn’t jewish, but they still offered us food and protection. We had just gotten out of the annex, when he was searching our house, probably trying to make sure we were okay. Adam was like that, always thinking of others.
Finally he spotted us. He brushed his brown hair away from his eyes and slowly approached. At the time, I didn’t notice the person with him.
“Naava, are you okay?” He asked. I nodded, thinking about the way he said my name.  
He saw us get out of the hiding place, he knew where it was. The person with him knew where it was. “I’m so happy you’re okay! I was worried about you.” He said while we was grinning at me. His teeth were so perfect. Eventually I noticed the guy standing behind him.
“Who is that?” I whispered quietly, so only Adam could hear. “What? Oh him?” He nodded his head in the direction of him. I nodded as a reply. “That’s just some guy the-” He lowered his voice. “Some guy the Nazi’s sent. They drafted me, so I’m forced to go. But, they want to see who I really am. He’s forced to follow me everywhere.” I suddenly got very scared, and I’m pretty sure it showed on my face. “Naava, it’s going to be alright. I won’t let them take you. No matter what.” He embraced me before quickly walking out the door.
My thoughts went back to the present. I really wanted to light a candle, because I’m pretty sure they were going to capture us. I wanted to see my family one last time. I could barely make out the candle in Mama’s hands. I quickly snatched it, and lit the candle.
Everyone stared at me, like I was a crazy person. “Naava! What are you doing?” My sweet little sister asked. “They’re going to find us anyways. They know where we’re hiding.” I quickly tried to explain.
The footsteps from below started getting louder. I heard some muffled voices. Now they definitely knew we were here. The door broke down as everyone screamed.
“Naava, this is all your fault!” Someone shouted. I couldn’t quite make out the voice of who it was.
A Nazi grabbed my wrist and yanked me away from the rest of my family.
“No!” I screamed out in pain. “Naava, help me!” The shouts from my younger sister was heard from across the room. I quickly looked over and saw a Nazi hit her on the head.
“No, don’t hurt her!” I yanked my arm out of the guards tight grasp. I ran towards her before another guard grabbed me and shoved me out of the room. I remember screaming before he knocked me out.

Naava
September 20, 1939
They shoved me into a room filled with lots of other people. It was terribly crowded. People were jammed into every corner, making the annex feel like a breath of fresh air compared to this place. The Nazi guards walked in, scanning the room as they did so. I felt a pair of eyes on me. I turned around and saw Adam. We just stared at eachother for a while.
They turned around to leave, but I’m pretty sure I saw him mouth I will find a way to get you out of here. Then, he was gone. Even though I was in a claustrophobic room, I felt like I was all alone.
I felt someone shaking me awake.
“Naava. Hurry and get up! We only have a few minutes.” The sound of a deep voice woke me up. I finally opened my eyes and saw Adam standing over me. 
”Come on Naava. Wake up.” Then he saw my eyes open, and quickly swooped me into his arms.
When we got out of the room he gently set me down. He quickly explained me the plan. I was incredibly anxious, jumping at every sound I heard. Soon the front gates were approaching us slowly.
“Just stay hidden behind me, and stay completely silent,” Adam spoke, almost too quiet to be heard. I followed behind him, like a lurking shadow. We reached the gates, as I waited, not stirring a breath.
I could hear the faint words coming from Adam’s mouth, as all the blood rushed to my ears. At this moment, I was terrified. I knew this wasn’t going to work. Even if this whole thing did, where would I go? I would not be able to go back home.
The sounds of the gates opening interrupted my thoughts. Adam grabbed my arm and pulled me forward with him. He whispered in my ear,”I told them you were accidentally kidnapped and placed in there. At first, they didn’t believe my story. But, the more I explained, the more they started to believe it.”
I breathed in the fresh air. It felt like we were still in Germany, but I wasn’t sure where, or how close to my home we were.
“Adam? Where am I going to go? I can’t go back home,” I explained to him.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better I found a safe house, only a few hours from here,” He said, a grin growing on his face.
The next few hours went by slowly. Sometimes we would have to hide behind a tree or a bush to avoid getting caught by Nazi’s. Adam would snicker every time they passed us without noticing.
Finally we got to the safe house. I walked in first, and immediately went to go sleep. It was the best sleep I got in a while. The next few weeks went by without any interruptions. Adam returned back to the Concentration Camp after he got me to the safe house.
This was the safest I have ever felt since the war started.