We Are Wolves chapter sampler

Chapter Four

It is the twenty-third of December and Mama and I are Christmas shopping. Not for presents, but for food. It’s a special outing, just the two of us. Normally, I’d be at school on a Saturday, but not now when the winter has grown so harsh. We go to school for shorter hours and not at all on Saturday, which saves on firewood. By the time we arrive on Monday, the classroom is so cold after sitting empty for the weekend that there is ice on the windowpanes – inside as well as out – and our fingers and toes feel like stone. Yesterday, Otto tried to lick the ice from the window and his tongue got stuck. Fräulein Hofmann had to breathe on the glass until the ice softened enough for Otto and his silly tongue to pull free. I thought she would be furious, that she would shout like a commandant. But when Otto was free, she gave him a hug and spoke to him softly, gently. ‘Think before you act, my boy. It is important, Otto … now more than ever. Be sensible. Stay safe. Please, Otto.’

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