The sound of the door slamming open made Svetlana jolt upright in bed, her heart leaping into her throat. She had barely managed to sleep a couple of hours, lost in a haze of confusing thoughts and emotions she couldn’t name.

“On your feet, girl!”

Giulia’s commanding voice snapped her out of her daze.

Svetlana blinked, trying to clear the fog of sleep. Giulia stood before her with arms crossed, a deep frown on her brow. Behind her, two young women waited in silence, holding clothes in their hands.

“What…?” she tried to ask, but before she could finish the sentence, the girls stepped forward and began pulling the blankets off her, forcing her out of bed.

“Move. We don’t have all day,” Giulia said firmly.

Svetlana wobbled as she stood, still caught between sleep and confusion. The girls worked swiftly, helping her out of her nightgown and dressing her with practiced hands.

“Why…?” she murmured, trying to understand why they had woken her so early.

Her Italian lessons wouldn’t begin for