The following days were full of both suspense and hope. All Tesla could do was pray that the plane ticket her aunt was sending would arrive safely—and that Nane wouldn’t discover it before she could make a run for the airport.
She felt bad for her aunt. When she came to pick her up at the airport in the U.S., she’d only have to watch her get hauled away by the police, left to deal with the shock and confusion. There was simply no way to warn her ahead of time about what was to come—if Tesla even made it to the airport in the first place.
She had considered telling her aunt about the warrant for her arrest, but Nane would’ve wondered why she brought it up so suddenly.
As stressed out as she was, all Tesla could do was wait and hope. Hope that nothing would go wrong. Hope that Nane wouldn’t explode again before she could escape.
She even tried to imagine enjoying the trip to Turkey. It would be a new place, new things to experience. Maybe it wouldn’t be all bad. As unfortunate as it was, she wouldn’t be checked for warrants, extradited, or denied entry once she arrived.
So she kept her head down and played the part. Stayed away from Nane as much as possible. Didn’t argue. Didn’t disobey.
The week passed in agonizing slow motion. Then finally, Tesla found herself wedged between Nane and the airplane window as they headed south for Turkey. She hated sitting so close to her for hours. Even in bed, she could put a little space between them. Not in the air.
They landed and quickly checked into a hotel in Istanbul, eager to freshen up and start sightseeing.
Tesla tried to like Turkey. She really did. The weather was a huge improvement—she could swim, lounge in shorts and sandals—but she didn’t care for much else. Everything felt rocky and crowded. Many buildings were literally carved from stone. The streets and waterways were filthy. The air was stuffy. The country sat uncomfortably close to places like Iran and Iraq. It all made her uneasy.
“See why I want us to move here someday when I retire?” Nane asked cheerfully as Tesla bit into what was supposedly called an Adana kebap served on pide flatbread.
“Not really.”
Nane shot her a look of irritation.
“I mean—it’s nice in some ways,” Tesla corrected quickly. “I like the weather.”
“You must love that we can swim and not wear heavy coats even though it’s still winter.”
Tesla nodded, doing her best not to grimace as she chewed the overly spicy food.
The rest of the week crawled by. As much as Tesla disliked Germany, she couldn’t wait to return. She just wanted to make her grand escape—assuming nothing went wrong.
“Remember, Tesla,” Nane warned once they were back in Germany, “you go out to get the mail and do the laundry while I’m at work. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Okay.”
“Okay what?”
“Okay, Master,” Tesla said, forcing a pleasant tone.
That night, she couldn’t sleep. Her thoughts churned with what-ifs.
What if her aunt didn’t think to book a weekday flight?
What if Nane found the ticket?
What if she got caught trying to escape?
What if she didn’t have enough stolen change for bus fare?
She’d been quietly swiping coins from Nane’s stash—a few here, a few there. Careful not to take too much at once, but afraid it wasn’t enough.
Nane breathed softly beside her in the dark. Tesla would miss being with someone so beautiful—but no amount of attraction was worth this. The misery only grew with each passing week. Sometimes each passing day.
Her aunt’s ticket was her only hope. The Munich authorities wouldn’t help. They’d just tell her to leave Nane, as if she had anywhere to go, a job to get, or even a grasp of the German language.
But she had none of that.
All she had was hope.
Eventually, exhaustion won. She slipped into a deep sleep.
Tesla glanced over her shoulder as she made her escape from the apartment building.
The months of hell with Nane were over.
She was free!
She ran faster, hardly believing it. The streets were usually busy this time of day—but today?
Empty.
Where was everyone?
She pushed the eerie stillness aside and focused on reaching the bus stop. Being late made her stomach turn.
She rounded the corner, expecting to see it.
What—?
She stopped cold.
No. No way.
But it was true.
She was back at the apartment building.
How?
Tesla’s heart pounded violently in her chest, making her dizzy. Slowly, she turned and scanned the surroundings.
Still no one.
No cars. No pedestrians. No voices. Not even birds.
No sound. At all.
Not even a breeze.
She looked to the trees.
Not a single leaf stirred.
Panicked now, she turned and ran. “Hey!” she called. “Can anybody hear me?”
Then she remembered—few people here spoke English.
“Hilfe!” she cried. “Bitte, helfen!”
Still nothing.
Then—a flicker of movement in a dark café window.
She ran to it, peered in.
A tall woman sat at the counter, her back to the glass. Tesla couldn’t see her clearly in the dark.
She darted inside.
And felt it—that unmistakable chill of danger, like prey sensing a predator nearby.
The woman turned.
Nane.
“No, no, no!” Tesla screamed, backing away. “It can’t be!”
Nane stood and charged toward her.
Tesla spun and bolted—but the harder she ran, the less ground she seemed to gain.
Cramps seized her legs. Her lungs burned.
“It’s too late, Tesla!” Nane shouted, gaining on her. “There’s nowhere to run!”
Tesla collapsed on the sidewalk.
And succumbed to the inevitable fate closing in on her.
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