It was a few hours later. Alice woke to the sound of banging. She sat up and looked towards the door. She waited....but the sound wasn't coming from the door, it was coming from Alex. She walked over to the shelf and tapped gently on the side of the box "Alex are you alright?"

Alexander woke with a start "yes I'm fine."

"You were kicking the box. Did you have a bad dream."

Alexander had bad dreams every time he closed his eyes. He couldn't even remember this one. He only remembered the shout of Hans' name again. It still echoed in his head.

"No," he lied "I was thinking about my parents. I'm sure they think I'm a coward for running away."

"No they don't, I don't think you are. You were scared of being hurt by another bomb. That's sensible Alex, not cowardly. You were brave to run, you could have been arrested but you did it anyway."

"Does that make me brave or stupid?"

"Brave. You've always been brave. It was brave of you to ask me for help, and it was brave of you to tell me about your injury. How did it happen anyway?"

"I told you. It was a bomb explosion."

"But bombs don't just explode randomly. The Germans must have thrown it at you, or placed it near you, so which was it?"

"It was a bomb they'd placed near our trench" Alexander lied.

"So they were trying to kill one of you on purpose? That's horrible."

Alexander knew that it was horrible. But he had killed someone on purpose. He had pulled the trigger on Hans by choice. He had consciously chosen to pull the trigger and end his life.

"Yes," he said "that's what everyone's doing on the battlefield, trying to kill each other on purpose."

"I wonder what it feels like to know you've killed someone," Alice said. Alexander tensed. "I don't think I could live with myself if I killed someone. It's murder isn't it?" She continued.

"Well, yes I suppose it is" Alexander said "why exactly did you go into service anyway?"

"Why are you changing the subject?"

"It brings back horrid memories of the explosion thinking about the war."

"Alright. Well I suppose I went into service to help my parents. I wanted to help them as my father needed to see a doctor. He'd had a terrible fever for a while. I wanted to help him get better and once I'd raised the money to help him I couldn't face leaving Mrs Evans."

"Why not?"

"Well she had a son when she was younger but he died when he was only 9 years old."

"That's so sad. What happened to him?"

"He died from scarlet fever. She lost her husband in a mine explosion soon after. She never remarried but she almost became a mother to me, since I lost my parents she pretty much adopted me."

"What about the other people who worked in the house? What were they like?"

"Well there was George. He was the footman. He was actually in love with me."

"Did you like him in that way?"

"Oh heavens no. He was much too outgoing for me, He liked to...how can I put this?...have a good time when he went out on his days off."

Alexander laughed "oh, I see."

"He wasn't my type."

"Am I your type?"

"Well I said yes to being your girlfriend didn't I? But yes, you are my type. You're funny and caring and brave and....well, I really like you."

"I like you too. More than like actually. I love you."

"I love you too. I wish I could hug you right now."

"Me too. I miss you. I promise when we get to Edinburgh I'll give you the biggest hug ever."

"I'll look forward to it."

The two of them fell into a restless sleep.

As the dawn broke they heard the guard announcing that the train would be pulling into Edinburgh in five minutes.

"You should get back in the box" Alex said.

"Oh, yes" Alice replied and got back into her box.

The two of them continued whispering until the felt the train stop. Then they heard the door unlocking and two sets of footsteps walked in.

One of the men spoke, he was close to them "right Eddie, these two boxes here are heading for the Blackwood Estate. They're heavy though."

Eddie replied "right then. Hang on these lids aren't stuck on properly."

"I know. They were like that when I was given them in London."

"Well I've got some tape in my van, hold on a moment."

Alexander and Alice both grew scared. The idea of being taped in their boxes was not a nice thought. But, without revealing themselves there was nothing they could do.

Eddie returned and they heard the sound of tape being ripped and stuck on the lids of their boxes.

It seemed as if Eddie would never stop. Alexander counted 17 pieces of tape before Eddie decided that was enough.

"There," Eddie said. He tapped on the lid of Alexander's box "that's not going anywhere without a knife. We'd better get them onto the van."

The two men lifted Alexander's box out and into a van. From the tapping on the box, it must have been raining. It felt ages before Alice's box was slid in next to him. A few more boxes were placed on top of them and all around them, before the Eddie got into his van and drove away.

It must have been several hours before they finally pulled up to the Blackwood estate. Eddie was whistling as he opened the back doors of the van. He called out to someone "MR EDWARDS, COULD YOU GIVE ME A HAND."

Mr Edwards called back "we aren't expecting any parcels today!"

"Well you've got two. Big, heavy things they are."

Mr Edwards must have come over for a look "oh my goodness. What on earth is in those?"

"No idea. There was no contents label or paperwork with them."

"Very well. The Lord and her Ladyship will be most interested in the contents of these I'm quite sure."

The two men lifted Alexander's box into a huge house. Alexander could see out of a small hole that this house was the biggest he'd ever seen in his life.

Alice was also shocked at the size of the house. She'd never seen anything like it.

Mr Edwards left them alone for a few moments. Alexander presumed he was fetching the Lord or Lady of the house. He grabbed the pen knife and slowly cut open the side of the box.

Once he was free he cut open the side of Alice's box too. The two of them hugged silently for several minutes until they remembered where they were. They looked around and found themselves in a cupboard. Once again they were stuck behind a locked door.

There was also nowhere to hide. Their boxes were now wrecked and unusable as a hiding place.

Suddenly the door opened and the pair were face to face with Mr Edwards. He stared at them, then at the empty boxes, and then back at them. He quickly put two and two together. He pointed at Alexander "you're that deserter from the newspapers" he said. Alexander couldn't deny it. He could tell from the look on his face that Mr Edwards had seen a picture.

Alexander couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say. Mr Edwards looked at Alice "and who are you?"

"I'm his girlfriend" she replied.

"Well you won't be for much longer. He'll be in prison in an hour's time." He grabbed Alexander's arm and pulled him down the hall, leaving Alice to run after them, shouting Alexander's name as they went.

A woman came out of a room. "Edwards what is happening here?" She asked. Mr Edwards pulled Alexander into the room she had just exited. Alice followed. The woman also re-entered the room.

Mr Edwards replied "this is that deserter from the newspaper's my lady. Him and his girlfriend have posted themselves here from London."

"Well let us hear him out. He may have a good reason for escaping in the first place." The Lady replied."

"But your Ladyship running from the army is a criminal offence."

"I'm well aware of that. I had a hope that when you said a couple of parcels had arrived that one of them may have been him."

Alice and Alexander looked at eachother. Who was the Lady talking about when she said him. The Lady realised they were confused. She laughed and began to explain "oh I'm sorry. By him I mean my son. He was killed in the war you see. I hadn't seen him for years as he moved to Germany several years ago to marry a German girl, his brother in law was fighting alongside him. He died too. He was fighting on the German side of course but he was still my son. His body should be returned here so we can say goodbye properly. Well have we heard anything?"

"No my Lady we haven't" Mr Edwards said.

"Have we got a picture I can show them? So they know what he looked like?"

Mr Edwards went over to a drawer and rifled through it. He handed a framed picture to the Lady. "Thank you Edwards," she said and Mr Edwards left. She turned the photo around. "There he is, my son..."

She said his name but the whole world went black. Alexander couldn't help but stare at the photo. He didn't need to know her son's name, he already knew it. That person haunted Alexander's nightmares, his name flew around Alexander's head keeping him up at night. This man's death was the biggest regret in his life. And here he was, standing infront of this man's mother, knowing he was the reason that man and his brother in law were dead. For the man in the photo was none other...than Hans.