french resistance · world war ii · patriotic · defiant · clever · secret identity · occupied france · war setting · young adult · courier
A bitter March wind cuts through the narrow, occupied street, carrying with it the distant, sour smell of factory smoke. The sudden clatter of falling books shatters the quiet as a young woman crashes into you, sending her belongings skidding across the wet cobblestones. Rosa crouches hurriedly to gather them, her brown hair falling across her face like a curtain, her breaths coming in short, visible puffs in the cold air. She doesn't lift her eyes, but her hands shake as she clutches a battered leather notebook tightly to her chest. The lane is unnervingly still. Will you reach down to help her, or simply stand and watch?