by Kirsten Boie
“So now you’re going back to school,” said the older man. “And maybe to see a doctor or a psychologist, you crazy little princess! And it seems to me you’re just as crazy, boy. What made you think we wouldn’t find you?”
They were right; it was a ridiculously obvious hiding place, thought Jenna, surprised at how wide awake she was now — wide awake and feverish. Why did I think I’d be safe in the navigator’s house? Any fool would know that’s the first place they’d look for me. And it’s no consolation that Perry’s as stupid as I am.
In the car, they sat jammed together in the backseat with the youngest of the three men, barely more than a boy himself. When they’d driven out onto the main road, he’d offered them something to drink. Jenna sneezed, then held her head up high. There’s no danger, she thought. Nothing to be afraid of. It’s not like last year. We’re not prisoners. They’re not threatening us, or preparing to torture us. They’re just taking us back to school.
Like that wasn’t bad enough.
She could picture the school cafeteria, or the classrooms, which would all fall silent as soon as she walked in. She could see Ylva’s face and hear her harsh laughter. “Well, and there I was thinking I’d have the room all to myself!” she’d say. “Without the constant eau de northerner! But the poor little Pizza Princess can’t even run away right. What can she do?”
But there was still her other life — she should concentrate on that now. There was Bea, and her few other friends from her old school, even if everything else had changed. And when she was totally grown-up, in just a few more years, no one could stop her from going home.
She felt the tears rising. She could not even begin to let herself think about Jonas now. She wanted to think about Bea, about dinner at Bea’s, how they’d both climbed out the window. She fished her cell phone out of her pocket. The men hadn’t even taken their phones, but then, why should they? She and Perry were just two runaways being brought back to school — mixed-up kids, that was all.
“First chance I get, I’ll run again,” hissed Perry. “They can’t lock me up forever in their stupid military jail!”
The man in the passenger seat turned around and laughed. “That’s got nothing to do with me, kid,” he said. “You can work it out with your father. But if you were my son, well … in the old days there was such a thing as the cane.”
“Yeah, maybe in the Middle Ages!” said Perry furiously. “In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re in the twenty-first century now. And I wasn’t talking to you, anyway!”
It’s even worse for Perry than it is for me, thought Jenna, switching on her cell phone. No one tried to stop her. She opened the address book, then pursed her lips and zapped through her pictures in search of the pizzeria photos. She’d tell Bea she’d come and visit her soon, and ask if that was OK.
The phone of the man in the passenger seat let out a shrill tune, and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Yes?” he answered in a bored tone.
Jenna had flipped through all her pictures and reached the videos. They were all dark, and you could scarcely make out what was going on in the one she’d taken tonight: the hangars under the streetlamps, the trucks and the figures scurrying around the stockyard.
The man on his cell phone listened, then gave a start and quickly turned in his seat. Jenna couldn’t make out his expression. “That changes everything,” he said. Now his tone was sharp. “Of course. We’ll see to it.”
With a loud click, he shut his phone.
“There’s been a change of plans,” he said. He gazed straight ahead at the road. “We’re not going to Morgard. At the next junction, turn left.”
“Why not Morgard?” asked Perry. Jenna could hear the mounting panic in his voice. “I won’t go to the military academy! Don’t even try it!”
“Shut your mouth!” said the man in the passenger seat, the anger audible in his voice. He nodded toward Jenna. “Take her cell phone!”
The young man grabbed for it.
“Why?” cried Jenna. She held her arm as far away from him as possible in the confines of the car. At least she was going to send Bea the photos from the pizza place, even if she couldn’t write her a message. She pressed the SEND key. “It’s mine! It’s none of your business!”
The young man pulled her arm, then bent her fingers back. “Perry!” screamed Jenna. But Perry didn’t even try to help her. Coward! thought Jenna.
“Do you know who we are?” Perry asked, leaning toward the back of the passenger seat. “What do you think you’re doing, treating us like this? You’ll be in serious trouble with my father. Serious trouble, I promise you.”
The man turned around with a contemptuous expression on his face. “Oh really?” he said. Then he grabbed Jenna’s cell phone and switched it off.
“Yours, too,” he said to Perry.
Stand up for yourself, Perry! Jenna was thinking. Don’t be such a wimp!
But Perry made no attempt to resist. He handed over his cell phone, looked at Jenna, and shrugged. “We’ll get them back soon,” he murmured. “Why fight over it? You don’t think my father’s going to turn a blind eye to this, do you?”
“Turn right,” said the man in the passenger seat. The forest opened out, and for a few minutes they drove through fields. There was thick mist hovering over the ground now, hiding the road and swallowing up the headlights. Dawn was breaking. “Who knows? You might get a good old-fashioned caning after all!” The man turned to look at Perry, and laughed. “Yeah, that’s a pretty safe bet. You may even end up wishing that’s all you were getting.”
Jenna turned cold. Something had changed. This latest threat definitely had nothing to do with Perry’s stupid military school.
“Yes, we’ve got them,” Bolström said into the receiver. “Now don’t get all upset, Captain. Why did you tell me about it in the first place? Everything’s perfectly fine, so just calm down,” The man at the other end was evidently very agitated. Bolström rolled his eyes. “Yes, of course,” he said. “I’ll be in touch.” He slammed down the receiver. “Idiot!”
He went to the window and closed the curtains. It was slowly getting light outside. The heavy red velvet smelled musty.
“But of course we do actually have a problem now, Norlin,” he said. “You do realize that? A serious problem.” He looked at the other man in the room. There was dust on the paneling and the brocade wallpaper, as if the room had not been used for a very long time. The men sat at a delicately ornate writing desk on equally delicate chairs that looked as if they would collapse under their weight. The lamp on the desk was lit.
“How come, Bolström?” asked Norlin. He was holding a glass of cognac in his hand, and the bottle was standing beside him. Bolström had given up trying to keep the man on the wagon. “It can all quite easily be …”
“Quite easily?” said Bolström. “Really? How so?”
“When our mission is accomplished,” said Norlin. “When we’ve saved our beloved country.” Now that he had the drink again, he seemed almost clearheaded. The trembling had stopped, and there were no beads of sweat on his brow. “No one will ask any more questions. We just have to make sure that it all happens fast — faster than we’d originally planned.”
Bolström’s hand jerked in the direction of the bottle, then he took a deep breath. “The booze has softened your brain, Norlin!” he said irritably. “So, after we’ve saved the country, the children suddenly turn up safe and sound and everything’s wonderful. Is that what you think? But what happens when they tell their story to the press, huh? To the world at large? What if someone talks? How will the people react? They may start by cheering us for rescuing them from conspiracy and economic mismanagement and terrorism. But do you imagine they’ll keep on cheering when they hear it’s us who’ve actually been organizing —”
“Those two children won’t talk!” said Norlin. But his voice sounded uncertain. “I’m sure that once they’re back home, they won’t tell …”
“Nonsense!” snorte
d Bolström. “Complete and utter nonsense, Norlin! Of course they’ll talk! How are you going to stop them? And what will happen to us when they do?” He was breathing heavily. “The children are dangerous, Norlin. Surely you can see that, can’t you? They could wreck everything! Blast! I should never have stayed out of the country for so long!”
“But we can’t keep them locked up forever!” said Norlin uneasily, and poured himself another glass. “After we’ve taken over the country, they’ll have to go home, if not beforehand. You’ll have to think of something, Bolström.” He began to grovel. “You’ve always found a solution before.”
Bolström nodded grimly. “Trust me, I’ve got one now as well,” he said. “As long as they’re alive, these kids are a threat to us, my dear Norlin. You understand what I’m saying?”
“No!” yelled Norlin. “You don’t mean … No, Bolström, no! Not my little Jenna!”
Bolström laughed. “Right now they’re more use to me alive than dead,” he said, “in the short term, that is, though just how short remains to be seen.” He leaned toward Norlin. “You’d like to be regent again soon, wouldn’t you, Norlin? Eh? But there’s a price to be paid.” He slammed his hand down on the desk.
With trembling fingers, Norlin reached for the bottle and took a large gulp.
They’d been driving for a while. Occasionally, Jenna’s head had sunk onto Perry’s shoulder, or vice versa. It was amazing that even in a situation like this you could actually go to sleep if you were tired enough.
As the sun rose and the air in the car began to get warmer, Jenna woke up.
“Aren’t we there yet?” she asked with a yawn. She tapped the seat in front of her. “Where are you taking us?” And then the fear returned.
The car jerked to a halt. “Stupid animals!” said the driver. Ahead of them, two shaggy dogs were driving a flock of newly shorn sheep along the sandy road. The bleating was so loud that anyone who hadn’t been woken up by the abrupt braking of the car would certainly have woken up now.
Perry yawned, too. “Morning already?” he asked in surprise.
A confused sheep tried to break off and run into the trees on the right, but the larger of the two dogs herded it back into the flock. A lamb veered off to the left, and its mother let out a shrill cry.
“Stupid animals!” said the driver again. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. There was no way he could move on.
The man in the passenger seat impatiently wound down his window. “Hey, shepherd!” he yelled. “Hey, old man, how long is this going to take?”
Leaning on his crook, the shepherd stood at the edge of the forest, looking at his flock. He appeared to be counting every single animal, as if he knew each one of them by sight and was making absolutely sure that none of them got lost. His hat was pushed back on his head to reveal gray hair that looked as if it had once been black.
“Not long now, sir,” he called out apologetically, and gave a signal to one of the dogs. Only then did he look at the car. “They belong to Mr. von Soderberg, sir. Lovely sheep!”
“Lovely sheep!” growled the man in the passenger seat. “We’re in a hurry, man!”
The shepherd raised his hand. “Can’t go no faster, sir,” he said. “Not many more to go. Lovely sheep!”
“Curse these stupid old men!” said the man in the passenger seat. “Probably never even been in a car! We need to get off this road before we’re too far into the day.”
“Where are you taking us?” Jenna asked again. The last of the sheep were now crossing the road, with a small black dog zigzagging behind them.
“You’ll soon find out, Princess,” said the man. He wound the window up again. The shepherd tipped his hat and called out something that they couldn’t hear through the glass. Then he disappeared into the forest with his flock.
“And here we are!” said the man. The car turned down a path that looked too narrow to be passable. Branches scratched the doors and scraped across the windshield.
Then suddenly the path broadened out. After the drive through the shadowy forest, the brightness was blinding, and Jenna shut her eyes against the glare. The morning sun was reflecting off the water, and little flashes of light were dancing over the crests of the waves. Once again, they were beside the sea.
Jenna knew at once that she’d never seen this place before. A weathered wooden hut stood at the edge of the forest. There were plants growing out of its foundations. It looked as if it had been abandoned for a long time. A few feet in front of it, a narrow dock jutted out into the water. Just like the one at the navigator’s house, it had boards missing and one of the piers was broken, so that the end of the structure hung down at an angle into the water.
“What is this place?” asked Perry.
The man in the passenger seat laughed. “No five-star hotel, I can assure you that,” he said. He checked to make sure the central locking was secure, then keyed in a number on his cell. “We’ve arrived, sir. But we need to be relieved as soon as possible. My men need sleep badly.”
Jenna couldn’t hear what was being said on the other end. The man closed his phone.
“What do you mean ‘relieved’?” she asked. “And I want my phone back! When my mother hears how you’ve treated us …”
The man released the lock and got out. “You’ll stay here till I tell you to get out,” he said.
Suddenly there was a gun in his hand. Was it real?
“Out!” the man ordered Perry.
The hut was in a terrible state inside as well. Many years of neglect had left their mark. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling as thick and white as mesh curtains, and low enough to brush against Jenna’s hair. On the floor were coils of rope covered in bird droppings. A broken lobster trap stood under the single window, in which a missing pane of glass had been roughly replaced with a piece of cardboard.
“Welcome!” said the man. “Do sit down wherever you feel most comfortable. And get it into your heads that there is absolutely no point in trying to escape.” He waved his pistol. “As you can see, I have my little friend with me.”
He pulled the door shut behind him. It seemed almost incredible to Jenna that there was actually a key to lock it with.
“Perry?” she said. She could hear just how weak her own voice sounded. Perry had gone to stand at the window, and was looking through the three remaining panes of glass. They, too, were covered with cobwebs. “Perry, do you understand what’s going on?”
Very slowly, Perry turned toward her. He shook his head. “I’m scared!” he whispered. “At first I thought they were just bodyguard types who’d been sent to find us and take us back to school. The whole country must have been searching for us, so it’s not exactly a surprise that they found us! Isn’t that what you thought, too?”
Jenna nodded. Barely visible through the cobwebs, the head of the youngest kidnapper now appeared outside the window. He grinned at them, and made a V-for-victory sign with two fingers before disappearing again.
“It was the phone call,” said Jenna. “That’s when their behavior changed. Do you think it suddenly occurred to them that they could demand a ransom? Then they decided to kidnap us instead?”
“Could be,” Perry said slowly.
“It’s the only explanation that makes sense,” said Jenna. “So now what are we going to do?”
Perry sat down on a coil of rope.
“Wait,” he said. “Wait for them to ransom us. Our parents will pay. What else can they do? So we might as well get some sleep.”
The gulls screamed outside the hut. Jenna found a fishing net spread out on the floor, and lay down. She tried to tell herself that the men could only get money for them if they were still alive, so they weren’t in any real danger. She wanted to stop being scared. She was so tired of being frightened.
Her eyes closed.
Bea had never gone to school this freakishly early before. The place was empty, and there were only three cars in the parking lot. From one of the ground-floor cl
assrooms came the occasional sound of a weary voice: Some poor sucker was having a private tutoring session before classes began.
Bea pulled open the heavy main door. Of course, the custodian was already up and about, but his cubicle was empty. Usually he’d be sitting there behind the glass partition with a steaming cup of coffee and a bacon sandwich. “Hello?” she said. “Anybody frickin’ home?!”
“What’s the matter?” asked Philippa. Bea hadn’t heard her coming. “What are you ranting about so early in the morning?”
“He isn’t here!” moaned Bea. “Oh, for the love of —!”
“Tsk, tsk, don’t let any of the teachers hear you going off like that,” said Philippa. “Why do you want him, anyway? Is he your secret love?”
“Shut up, Philippa, this is important!” snapped Bea. Maybe the man had an appointment — even custodians go to the doctor — or he might be somewhere in the school, looking at a broken window. If she was lucky. “You don’t have Jenna’s number, do you?”
“Have what?” asked Philippa.
“Jenna’s cell phone,” said Bea. “That’s why I’m here.”
“You think the custodian’s got Jenna’s phone number?” asked Philippa incredulously. “You can’t be serious!”
Bea groaned. “Would you please try to keep up! I left my phone in the gym yesterday, and the number’s in it, duh! So now I can’t call her …”
“Oh, I get it. You’re worried about Jenna because of all that stuff on TV yesterday!” said Philippa. “I saw it, too.” Now she sounded excited. After all, it wasn’t every day that a former classmate became a princess, or got kidnapped, or appeared in a special news program on television. “But she’s your best friend! Don’t you have the number written down on a piece of paper somewhere? You could just call her from a landline.”
“Do you write cell phone numbers down on pieces of paper?” Bea asked sarcastically. “Doesn’t that kind of defeat the whole point of them being cell phone numbers? Why do you think they invented all these devices? So that we’d no longer have to write every last bit of information down on little pieces of paper!”