In chapter two, Kizzy has a flashback in which she shows up at Wolf and Seraphs apartment. There, she witnesses them trading guns to each other which someone of that age should not be exposed to. However, Kizzy does not seem to be affected by her cousin handling a gun. This is because this is what she is used to seeing her cousin doing dangerous things, as this was common in the time period. She is exposed to many events such as this which affects her throughout the novel.

 

     In addition, Kizzy is forced to act much more mature for her age and she never gets to fully experience a childhood because Kizzy and her family's main goal is to stay alive. For example, on page 40, Tsura tells Marko to just leave Professor Duerr outside when she had protected them and raised them. She told Marko to abandon the only person who would be left for Kizzy after Marko and Tsura left.

 

     Another example of how Kizzy has to act older than she is is when she witnesses her guardian, Professor Duerr, get extremely sick and eventually die. This forces Kizzy her to be more stoic and strong. The novel says that  “she wanted to burst into tears; she’d never see her kind, old guardian again.” Kizzy is forced to cope with the fact that the only thing that has kept her family safe and together, will be gone from her life and she will be fighting for her own safety by herself. This moment was a big deal in the Romani kids lives not only because they relied on her to remain hidden children, but also because they have gotten to know her and she has been a big part in their lives. This scene in the novel represents the kids moving forward in their lives. There is a metaphor shown through this about how Kizzy, who is only thirteen, is left alone and is forced to grow up and fend for herself because the only guardian she has is gone. Professor Duerr's death also is a huge example of foreshadowing for later events. This is shown because Kizzy is tasked with the job to take her to the hospital which means she has to go out in public. This leaves the reader with the question of will Kizzy be able to stay in her fake identity, or could she possibly get caught as she goes to a very public area?

 

      An additional time where Kizzy has to mature quickly is shown when she has to make decisions that are important for her life. It states on page 42 that Tsura types a code into Seraph’s apartment and Kizzy chooses to remember it because she knows she may need to use it for her protection sometime. Kizzy acknowledges that she needs to make smart decisions because of the time period she lives in and how one action could cost her life. Kizzy’s childhood is taken away from her because she has to pay attention to things normal kids wouldn’t need to pay attention to.

 

     Another way that Kizzy is forced to grow up is because of her family, and the situation they are living in. Kizzy is treated like an adult because everyone in her family are adults and she is constantly spending time with them. Therefore, she needs to act like one too, which makes her family members feel they don’t have to pay much attention to her. For example, Marko tells Kizzy to take Professor Duerr to the hospital. He’s acting like she isn’t a thirteen-year-old and can take care of herself. He is trusting her to do something very risky and it doesn’t even cross his mind that she could get into trouble because she has shown that she is mature. It is shown later on in the novel, when she gets caught by guards, that she is not ready to be on her own and go out into the world.

 

     In conclusion, it is evidently shown that Kizzy is perceived by her family members that she is ready to be on her own, however, the readers see a side of a little girl who still needs the protection of her family in a time period where her community isn’t accepted as equals.