Boy from the Woods (9781311684776)

by Minkman, Jen

  Julia blinked at Gran owlishly. Maybe telepathy really did exist… or maybe Gran was just being her wise, old self again, trying to avoid causing trouble when there was no need for it. “Thanks,” she mumbled humbly.

  Anne had to rest again, so the visitors were ushered out by a nurse. They left the hospital and found Ignaz in the parking lot. He dropped Julia off at the edge of the Old Town and promised to return to the hospital later to drive Anne home together with her mother.

  Julia whistled a happy tune as she strolled toward the bookstore. Maybe it was a good idea to work for a few hours today before visiting Florian. She felt upbeat and energetic. Anne would be home by tonight, Gaby would stay over and they’d catch up on everything and nothing.

  All had ended well thanks to Michael. Julia thought back to her grandmother’s words: Michael saw more than the rest of them did. Had he told his parents? Or his other friends? She didn’t think so. He had changed, and she was the only one who knew just how much. There was no real explanation for it, but it didn’t matter. It was as it was. And everything about the way things were made life great.

  13.

  “I’m going!” Julia yelled in the direction of the kitchen. She was in the hallway, hopping around on one foot, trying to tie the shoelaces on one shoe and balancing a stuffed overnight bag from her shoulder.

  “See you tomorrow!” Anne and her mother hollered back.

  Julia would have loved to have breakfast with them, but she’d overslept and now she had to hurry like crazy to make it to work in time. Two minutes ago she’d stormed into the kitchen to grab a banana and indignantly ask her mother why she hadn’t woken her up.

  “Because you have to set your own alarm?” her mother had replied with a smirk. “You’re eighteen, you know. In other words, a responsible adult. Do you want me to wake you up for college after summer’s over and check your homework as well?”

  “I did set my alarm,” Julia grumbled. Her mom’s sarcasm was too much for her this early in the morning.

  Her shoelaces were tied. She rushed through the yard and turned right to get to the road leading to the bus stop. Sadly, her sprints weren’t what they used to be. She’d gradually gotten out of shape ever since things between her and Michael had become serious. Time was scarce – she now worked four days a week, and in her spare time she mostly hung around with Michael. A few days ago, Gaby complained to her, demanding a framed picture of Julia so she’d ‘remember what her best friend looked like’. Fortunately, they were going to London soon, so that would be the perfect opportunity to spend time with her friend. In the meantime, Michael had also bought himself a ticket to join them. They’d agreed that the boys would get their own dorm in the youth hostel and the girls would get another. Tamara was now the only one in the group without a partner, and she’d whined about their expedition turning into a ‘couple’s trip with one sad single tagging along’.

  “Don’t fret,” Gaby had replied with a naughty grin. “We’ll find you a sexy Englishman, and we won’t even mind if you take him up to our room.”

  Julia tore around the corner and caught sight of the bus just closing its doors. “Wait!” she screamed, even though the bus driver couldn’t possibly hear her. Arms milling, she sped up even more.

  Unexpectedly, the front door swung open again and Thorsten’s head popped out to grin at her.

  “In a hurry?” he chuckled. “I told the bus driver to wait for the cute blonde trying to stop his bus with her bare hands.”

  Gasping for breath, Julia got on the bus and nodded at the driver gratefully, then followed Thorsten to sit down somewhere in the middle.

  “Where are you off to this early?” she asked. “Don’t you need to catch the other bus to Eichet?”

  “No, I’m not working today. It’s time to take care of some uni stuff. Getting all the appropriate documents stamped and such. You know the drill.”

  Julia nodded in comprehension. Thorsten would start his sophomore year at Salzburg University after summer, so that meant a lot of red tape. Thankfully, her mom had helped her with her own application, even if she was supposed to be a ‘responsible adult’ by now.

  “And where are you going with a heavy bag like that?” Thorsten inquired, eyeing Julia’s bulging baggage. “Are you always dragging that much stuff to work?”

  Julia shook her head. “This is my overnight bag. Because I’m staying at Michael’s house tonight after work. You know.” She flushed a little as she said the words. It was the first time she was going to spend the night at his place since their first date. Actually, she was kind of nervous. Of course he had a ginormous house with at least four guest rooms, but he also had a king-size bed in his own room.

  Thorsten caught her blushing. “Ah. Okay,” he nodded, pausing for a few seconds. “Well, you’ve been together for a month now, right? Spending the night is part of all that jazz. You know.” He playfully nudged her in the side, which made her turn even redder. Thorsten was probably wondering why this seemed like such a big deal to her – he was two years her senior and he’d been a freshman at Graz Uni last year.

  “Yeah, you think?” she mumbled.

  He smiled. “Nah, I’m just yanking your chain. You should take as much time as you need for these things. Don’t feel rushed or anything.”

  Julia nodded, falling silent when a group of young children with colorful backpacks got on the bus, a mom ushering them inside like a mother hen. It looked like a birthday party.

  Anne had celebrated her birthday a few days ago. The day had gone reasonably well, even though Anne had been quieter and more reserved than usual around her friends. The gruesome event she experienced had had an indelible impact on her. Ms. Gunther had decided to book sessions with a child psychiatrist twice a week, to minimize the risk of Anne sustaining trauma from unresolved issues later on.

  “Are you still happy with him?” Thorsten suddenly asked out of nowhere. He tried to sound laid-back, but failed.

  Julia turned toward him, blinking at her neighbor in surprise. “Why, yes. I am. Very happy,” she stuttered. “I know people still don’t understand how it all worked out for us, but...”

  Thorsten had heard stories about Michael from her cousin. Axel still had to get used to the idea that she and Michael were so close. A few days ago, they’d all convened in Julia’s yard to celebrate Anne’s birthday in the evening, and Julia had accidentally stumbled into a conversation between Thorsten and Axel. Her neighbor had asked her cousin some things about her history with Michael – and undoubtedly Axel had related to Thorsten how her boyfriend had cold-heartedly dumped her first before suddenly changing his mind. Axel didn’t hate Michael, but he wasn’t fawning all over him either. “If someone hurts my family, it will take that person a while to regain my trust,” he’d confessed to Julia once. “But hey, as long as he makes you happy, you won’t hear me complain.”

  Thorsten heaved an unhappy sigh. “I don’t have to understand,” he mumbled softly. “I can see the way he looks at you, and that’s what’s important. The past is dead. And he’s a really nice guy.” He cleared his throat. “I must be a bit jealous. Still.”

  Julia tried not to gape at him. “Oh.”

  Her gaze drifted to the world outside. Thorsten’s words confused her. She couldn’t understand why he still had these feelings for her when she was very clearly off the market. Plus, he looked like every college girl’s wet dream, so he’d have a girlfriend in no time after summer. And yet, he didn’t seem to be able to forget about her. It almost made her feel guilty – after all, there had been a time when they had definitely clicked, and she’d welcomed it for a while before Michael had gotten back in the picture again.

  She started when he put his hand on her arm. “Hey, you,” he said gently. “I don’t want to make things difficult. It’s just that you stirred something in me that I’ve never felt before. That’s why I’m having kind of a hard time forgetting about you. Oh yeah, and the fact that you live across the street doesn’t really
help, either.”

  His dry tone made Julia smile, but his words took her by surprise at the same time. They were such sweet words, sounding so genuine and straightforward. For just a split second, thinking back to the whole saga of getting Michael’s attention smarted a little bit: he’d needed more than just a few days to realize she had stirred something in him. But no, she shouldn’t think like that. He had turned into a completely different person after his accident in the woods, and she’d already forgiven him for his appalling behavior before that a long time ago.

  “Thanks,” she said in a slightly strangled voice, smiling warmly at Thorsten. “And my apologies. I’ll move out as soon as possible.”

  Thorsten started to chuckle. “Oh, come on. That won’t be necessary.” He cocked his head. “Or were you planning on renting a room in the city anyway, once you start college?”

  She shrugged. “Not really. I live close by. And I like it at home. It’s cozy. And cheap, of course.”

  “Well, I see no other solution but for me to move out,” he replied. “I mean, I’m filthy rich. And my parents are an absolute horror, so…”

  Julia rolled her eyes. “Sarcasm bites. You and my mom should start a club together. She’s really good at that, too.”

  Thorsten raised an eyebrow. “How is being in a club with your mom going to help me to run into you less frequently?”

  “True that.” Julia blushed. “Not such a brilliant idea after all.”

  “Hey, don’t you need to get off here?” he suddenly said in alarm.

  Julia sprang up when she saw he was right. They’d pulled up next to her stop. “Hey, thanks! I wasn’t paying attention.” She hauled her bag over one shoulder and waved at Thorsten before getting out and setting a course for the bookstore. It was going to be a hot day; already the sun was burning down relentlessly, and it wasn’t even nine in the morning yet. Julia could feel the sweat gather on the skin under her bag strap. She hoped Martin would drag out the kitchen table onto the patio again today, so they could have lunch outside. Inside, it was sheer horror on the second floor at this temperature.

  “Servus,” she greeted Marco and Silke, who were waiting on the steps in front of the store. “Shop’s not open yet?”

  Silke shook her head. “Martin got here a minute ago, but he’s escorting Michael back to the bus stop. He was feeling really sick.”

  “No way! Really?” Julia immediately dug up her phone to see whether Michael had called her. Not yet. She would send him a text straight away. ‘silke just told me ure sick? I’ll B w/ u asap, ok? xx’

  “Hey, you look all pale,” Marco said worriedly. “You want to leave a bit early today? After lunch? I can fill in for you, if you want.”

  “You could? That would be fantastic.” Julia shot him a grateful look. Marco was a life-saver: she’d leave straight after lunch and go to Michael’s house to nurse him back to health. His parents weren’t home, because his mom was on vacation and his dad was on one of his business trips.

  When Martin opened the store just after nine, Marco asked straight away if he could take Julia’s shift. Martin didn’t mind. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate your visit,” he told Julia. “He was feeling really nauseous. Must have eaten something wrong.”

  The morning seemed to crawl by, now that Julia was mostly waiting for lunchtime. When the store closed at noon, she once again thanked Marco wholeheartedly before running out the door. Once outside, she decided to walk to Michael’s house on the Giselakai – it was even hotter now, and a ride on the bus would be uncomfortable. Besides, she needed the exercise. If she picked her route carefully, she could stay in the shade almost all the way. Large sycamores and chestnuts lined either side of the pedestrian lane flanking the river, so the only sunny part of her walk would be the bridge she needed to cross to get to the other side of the Salzach.

  Thankfully, a soft wind was blowing. Julia hitched her bag on one shoulder, brushed the hair from her face and put it up in a ponytail. Everything around her looked peaceful. Little boats were floating down the river, but no larger ships could be seen. The water level was extremely low due to the July drought. The weather had been hot and sunny throughout Europe this summer, and it wasn’t over yet. Julia smiled when she thought of London – they’d be able to ride double-decker buses to tour the city, do touristy stuff and take pictures of all the monuments before retiring in Hyde Park during the evenings.

  It took her twenty minutes to get to Michael’s place. When he opened the front door, Julia gaped at his pallid face. “Oh my God. You really look like shit,” she exclaimed.

  “Always nice to hear,” Michael responded with a faint grin. “Please come in.”

  “You got food poisoning?”

  “No idea.” Michael took her to the living room and flopped down on the couch with a sigh. “I don’t feel like eating anything, that’s for sure. I just feel like catching some fresh air.”

  Julia took a seat next to him. “So you want to go out?”

  He nodded. “Once I feel slightly better, I actually want to drive to the forest behind your house. Just strolling underneath the trees, in the cool shade.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Julia poured them both a glass of water from the pitcher on the table. She hadn’t been to the forest herself for quite a while. Ever since Anne’s abduction, she had tried to avoid the woods. Whenever she felt like going for a run, she chose the paved road to Eichet. A little while back she’d decided to use the forest trail for a workout session, but memories of all that had happened there had come flooding back to her – Michael’s accident, her oak tree getting sick and shedding leaves, the secret meetings between Anne and that creep Andreas. She’d never thought she’d come to think of the woods as a dark and sinister place. Maybe it was a good idea to go there together with Michael and try to recapture the sense of security she’d always had among the ancient trees.

  After teatime, Michael was doing well enough to leave the house again. Together, they got into Michael’s mom’s car and drove to Birkensiedlung.

  Michael parked the car on the same spot that the ambulance had used when the paramedics had come to take Anne to the hospital. Julia slipped her hand into Michael’s and breathed deeply in and out. The fresh air was doing her good. Overhead, the leaves in the canopy whispered in the soft breeze, and suddenly, she remembered what it had been like to be in the woods before the dark events of the past few weeks had changed her perception of them. This place had stayed the same – it was she who had changed from the inside out. And that was a pity. After all, Michael had told her to keep dreaming. He didn’t need her to change or turn into a down-to-earth, responsible grown-up anytime soon.

  “Come on, let’s go,” he softly said, walking along the forest trail and taking a right turn after a few minutes. He left the path and took her straight to the clearing where her oak was silently waiting for them – at the site of his accident.

  They tacitly stood and stared at the oak. More leaves had turned yellow since the last time Julia visited her tree. When would the forest wardens come and chop it down? They usually cut down ailing trees in the fall, to keep the woods healthy. This year, their job would be scheduled around the time she’d start college.

  Julia swallowed thickly. The thought of no longer having a sanctuary to find refuge whenever times were tough made her throat constrict painfully. But then Michael squeezed her hand, as if he could feel her sadness, and she looked aside with a smile. She would have a sanctuary. She could take refuge in his presence. He would be there for her, and all would be well.

  He turned to her and smiled back at her. Somehow, he always managed to do that when she looked at him from the side. It was no longer a source of astonishment for her that he seemed to sense her gaze on him. Ever since he had told her of his experience of life upon waking up after his accident, she assumed he was just more sensitive than most people. That’s how he must have managed to find Anne. The police had been back on his doorstep several times after locking away And
reas Mittelmayer, even though Andreas had confessed to the charges. The fact remained that Michael had inexplicably known where her sister had been hidden away, but Detective Spitzer put an end to the interrogations by writing something in the police report about profilers, mediums and people with a sixth sense helping the police force sometimes.

  Michael’s voice snapped her out of her trance. “You want to sit down for a while?” he asked, pointing at the tree. Julia nodded. He was probably tired after walking all the way out here, so she sat down next to him, her back pressed against the sturdy tree trunk just like old times. Michael slipped his hand into hers, and a deep feeling of peacefulness spread through her body.

  “It’s so beautiful here,” he mumbled beside her. “So quiet. So different than the city. And yet, I love city life. It’s big and fantastic, full of people and life and love. Everything moves.”

  His voice had taken on a tone that suggested he wasn’t really talking to her. He was thinking out loud, and Julia glanced aside to see the expression on his face.

  “You love being in the city, right?” she asked.

  He nodded pensively. “I can always feel you amidst all the people in it,” he replied. “It’s as if you’re radiant with love for me.”

  In the quiet afternoon, Julia slipped her arms around his waist and kissed him on the cheek. “That’s so sweet,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

  Sitting underneath the trees and enjoying the cool shade made Michael gradually feel better. When they finally left the woods again, it was almost six.

  “We’re going to fix dinner,” Michael announced as he pulled up in front of the house.

  “And after dinner, let’s watch a movie?” Julia suggested.

  “Let’s do that. Why don’t you pick something you like?” Michael motioned her toward the shelves lining an entire wall in the living room. Julia had never seen this many DVDs together in her entire life, not even at the video store.