by Willow Rose
He went silent for a few seconds. "Do you think her disappearance had anything to do with what happened to Asgar?"
"It’s quite odd that it should happen right at the same time as his body appeared, isn't it?"
Samuel nodded. Maya looked at his perfect skin and glowing blue eyes. He was so handsome. Tall and muscular without being buff like some of the other boys at the high school.
"It sure is. I can't stop thinking about Asgar and his parents. After their fight, he told me he was going to run away. You think they might have killed him because of that?"
Maya wrinkled her forehead. "Probably not. Doesn't sound like something you'd kill your son over. Besides, his body was drained of blood, I heard Morten tell my mom. It doesn’t sound like something someone would do because they were angry."
"Maybe they killed him because of what they were fighting about, then," he said.
"Do you know what it was?" Maya asked.
"No. But he told me he was afraid of his dad."
"I know they wanted him to take over the golf course once he grew up, but he would rather be a writer. That's what he told me. Could that be what they were fighting about?" Maya asked.
Samuel shrugged. "Sure. But would his dad threaten him because of that?"
"I don't know," Maya said. "How about we find out?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. I feel so helpless, so useless. I never liked those parents of his. If they did something to him, then I want to know. Don't you?"
Samuel looked pensive, then nodded. "Sure. But how?"
"I know a little something about computers and getting into them. I’ve learned from my mother. Maybe if I get access to his?"
Samuel contemplated the idea for a few seconds, biting his lip. "That doesn’t sound like such a bad idea."
Maya looked in through the kitchen window. "The lights are still on, so my mom is still up. Go around the back. If she sees you, I won't hear the end of it."
Samuel nodded. "Sure. No problem."
Maya grabbed the door handle while Samuel rushed around the house. She walked inside. "Mo-om? Are you up?"
Maya walked into the living room where she found her mother and Victor and some girl she had never seen before. The girl was levitated above the couch.
"What is going on here?" Maya asked.
Her mother sighed and shook her head. She looked confused. "This is Skye. We found her in the backyard, don't ask."
"How? H-how is she doing that?"
"She can do a lot of stuff," Victor said, sounding unusually excited.
"We're taking her to the police station tomorrow, so they can find her parents," Maya's mom said.
The girl let herself drop onto the couch and laughed. Victor clapped his hands, then approached her. He gave her a hug. Maya stared, startled at her brother. Just when she didn't think he could get any weirder.
"Mom? He's hugging her. Victor is touching her? Touching a stranger? Touching another human being?"
Her mother exhaled. "I know. He's been acting very differently ever since she came into the house. Your grandfather thinks he’s in love. I don't know what it is or who she is, but I’m beginning to think she might be Heaven-sent."
Maya heard the ladder bump against the side of the house and remembered Samuel.
"I-I'll be in my room," she said, walking backward towards the stairs. "And sleep. I'll be in my room…sleeping."
Chapter 26
Victor insisted that Skye sleep in his room. I wasn't sure I completely loved the idea, but he was so excited to have her close and I had to admit I had never seen him quite like this before. It had me thrilled too.
I put a mattress on the floor for Victor and he gave her his bed, much to my surprise since he never liked for things to change and not be the way they always were. He never liked to share anything that was his. That was why he never brought anything to share in class for his birthday.
I tucked them both in and sang a song before walking to the door where Brutus sat, ready for his bedtime, which seemed to consist of him just sitting there, staring at the kids while they slept. I realized I had never seen the dog actually sleep. Did he sleep?
"I'll leave it slightly ajar in case you need to go to the bathroom," I said, even though I knew Skye didn't understand a word I said.
I walked into the hallway and stood for a few seconds and listened. I couldn't stop wondering about the girl and it dawned on me that she had been in Victor's life for quite some time now. It was more than a week ago that he first mentioned her, and I had believed she was just a part of his imagination. Why hadn't anyone been looking for her? If she was a tourist, why wasn't anyone searching for her? I knew Morten would definitely have told me if a young girl was missing on the island. Everyone would know by now, just like everyone knew about Susan and was searching for her.
I looked out the window into the dark night, wondering about Morten, who was still out there searching for Susan. Did her disappearance have anything to do with Skye's sudden appearance? It had all happened within the past week or so.
Something odd was definitely going on.
I sighed and went downstairs to turn out the lights before going to bed. I spotted Skye's shoes in the hallway. Had she been living in our shed for an entire week? Or maybe even more? She must have been freezing, I thought to myself. It was a wonder she hadn't died out there.
The girl flies, Emma. She talks in Victor's head. She's not normal.
"Levitates," I said to my own reflection in the dark window. "And I don't know if she really speaks to Victor in his head or if he is just making it up."
I felt like calling Sophia and telling her everything, but it was too late, and the lights at her house across the street were out, so she was probably sleeping. How would I explain it to her? How was I going to explain it to Morten? I had to somehow. I had to figure out where her parents were. The girl seemed to be Victor's age, so she wouldn't be out here on her own. Maybe something happened to them? An accident?
I nodded and shut off the lights in the kitchen. Yes, maybe that was it. Her parents probably couldn't get to her for some reason, or maybe they didn't know she was here on the island.
I grabbed my phone and called Morten to say goodnight. He didn't pick up, so I left a message telling him I loved him and missed him and that I had something I needed to talk to him about tomorrow morning. Something important.
I hung up, then walked up the stairs past Maya's room, when I thought I heard a sound coming from behind the door. I stood for a few seconds and listened, but there didn't seem to be anything. No, Maya had said she was going to sleep, so of course, she was sleeping. It was probably just Kenneth being unruly again. Why couldn't that dog be a little more like Brutus? I shook my head, walked to my room, and shut the door.
Chapter 27
She was holding her breath. Samuel was sitting next to her at her desk, not making a sound. Maya could hear her mother stop outside in the hallway and their eyes met, Maya's finger reaching her lips to make sure he kept quiet. If her mom found him in there at this time of night, Maya would be grounded for weeks.
Finally, her mom moved on down the hallway and she heard the door slam shut to her bedroom. Maya breathed, relieved. She looked at Samuel and their eyes locked for a few seconds. Then they snickered. Not loudly, in case her mom heard it, of course.
"That was close," Samuel whispered.
"Sure was."
Maya tapped on the computer.
"So, who was that girl downstairs?" he asked.
Maya stopped. "You saw her?"
He nodded. "Through the window as I ran around the house."
Maya bit her lip. "D-d-id you see what she did?"
He nodded. "How did she do that?"
Maya swallowed. "I don't really know. It’s very strange."
Samuel smiled. "I thought it was awesome."
"Really?" Maya felt happy. She feared Samuel would just think she was weird; it was always her fear that the outside world wou
ld realize how weird she and her family were, especially her brother. She was afraid of what they might say about her in school.
"So, you won't tell anyone if I ask you not to?"
"No. Of course not."
Maya tapped along, her fingers dancing on the keyboard. Samuel looked at her with admiration in his eyes. It made her blush.
"I’m in," she said and looked up at Samuel. He smiled.
"Awesome. I didn't know you could do that."
Maya shrugged. "It wasn't even hard."
"Not for you, maybe." Samuel focused on the screen. "So, now what? What can you find?"
"First, I’ll go through all his emails to see if there’s anything there," she said and opened Asgar's email account. It felt strange invading his privacy this way, even though he wasn't there anymore.
"So?" Samuel asked as she opened one email after another, most of it spam, but some private letters between him and his friends as well, nothing important, though.
"I don't seem to see anything out of the ordinary," I said.
"Let's try his Facebook," he said. "And Instagram."
Maya started with Instagram and they went through a ton of pictures and videos, but Asgar hadn't been very active in there himself, so it seemed useless. Maya then opened his Facebook and right away she found something of interest. Asgar had been writing back and forth with someone for quite some time. It was mostly him who had written her, whereas she had answered in short sentences.
"He was begging her to meet with him, why?" Samuel asked. He was getting closer to Maya, so close their arms brushed up against each other. Maya felt a warmth spread inside of her.
"I don't know," Maya said. "He doesn’t say, only that it is important for him to meet with her, whereas she tells him she can't."
"Who is she?"
Maya clicked on the account. "She lives in Copenhagen," she said, baffled. "Why was he trying to meet with someone from Copenhagen?"
"Someone a lot older than him," Samuel said.
"That is odd." Maya leaned back in her chair.
Samuel looked at his phone. "It's getting late. I should be getting home before my mom starts to wonder where I am," he said as he leaned over and gave her a hug.
As he let go of her, they were face to face for a few magical seconds before he leaned forward and placed his lips on top of hers.
Chapter 28
I couldn't sleep. Of course, I couldn't. Who would be able to with all that was going on?
As the clock struck midnight and I still hadn't closed an eye, I got up and walked to my laptop. I sat down and stared at the screen for a few minutes, then started to write. I wrote about the girl, about Susan, and some more about Asgar and, so far, it didn't really make a lot of sense, but at least I got some words on paper as my mind kept circling about it and especially about the girl, Skye, who had “fallen” from the tree.
I walked to the window, then noticed the lights were on at Sophia's house. I grabbed my phone and texted her.
YOU UP?
The answer came swiftly. YES. ALMA HAS A FEVER.
I answered: I'M COMING OVER.
I ran downstairs, grabbed my jacket and boots, wrote a note for the kids in case any of them woke up, then I rushed across the street and entered Sophia's house.
She was sitting in the living room, Alma in her arms.
"She just fell asleep," she said.
"You want me to call Dr. Williamsen?"
She shook her head. "I already spoke to him. The fever isn't too bad. It's just a little cold. You know how kids get a fever from practically nothing."
"I vaguely remember," I said, realizing it had been a long time since I last had a toddler.
"So, what's going on?" Sophia asked while swaying back and forth to make sure Alma slept deeply. "Why aren't you sleeping? You usually sleep like a rock."
"A lot on my mind," I said. "Maybe we should talk tomorrow. You need your sleep."
"Are you kidding me? I’m not going to be able to sleep now. I never sleep when the kids are sick. I prefer to hold them in my arms, rocking them. That way, they sleep better, and she'll feel good tomorrow."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely. Having you here makes the night go faster, so you stay as long as you want to. What's going on?"
I sighed and rubbed my chin. "Victor has got a friend."
She looked surprised. "That's good, isn't it?"
"Yes, it's excellent, but she isn't a normal friend. She's not normal. In any way."
"Well…neither is Victor, so maybe that is a great thing. Did he meet her at the Pines?"
I shook my head. "No. That's the thing. He met her in our backyard. We don't even know her name, but we call her Skye because she—well she sort of fell from the sky."
"Fell from the sky? Because you don't know where she came from?"
I shook my head, feeling suddenly tired. "No, she actually fell from the sky."
"What?"
"She was in a tree, then jumped down…it's a long story. But no, we don't know where she’s from."
“Can't you just ask her?"
"She doesn't speak, not a single word and she doesn’t seem to understand what I say. But Victor says she speaks to him. She communicates…like through his thoughts. And, oh, yes…she flies, or I call it levitation; I don't know if it is actually flying."
Sophia stared at me. She blinked. "What?"
"I know it's late and all, but you heard me right. The girl can somehow get into the air and stay there."
"That sounds like the definition of flying to me."
I made a grimace. "It does, doesn't it?"
"What are you going to do?" Sophia asked.
"What do you mean?"
"As hard as it is to understand, and believe me I have a hard time really grasping what you're saying right now, so you might wanna repeat it sometime tomorrow—or even better—show it to me, but you have to figure out what to do."
"I was planning on taking her to the police station and talking to them. I figured they could help her."
"A girl like that?" Sophia said. "What if she suddenly starts to levitate inside the station? Do you even know if she can control when she does it and when she doesn’t?"
"No. Not really."
"Does she realize it makes her weird?"
I shrugged. "I guess. I don't really know since she doesn’t say a word."
Sophia sighed. "I think you should be very careful. What if they take her away and do experiments on her or something?"
"You really think they do stuff like that?"
"Of course. I have read a ton of stories online about people who were experimented on."
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. I was getting tired now. Sophia loved conspiracy theories a little too much for my taste and sometimes she would indulge in them. She even once told me she believed Fanoe Island had once been invaded by UFOs and that people around here talked about abductions and having experiments done on them during those abductions. I never bought into stuff like that, but I did fear she had a point. Skye risked ending up as a guinea pig somewhere or a circus freak on some TV show, and I already cared too much about the girl to let that happen. She had made my boy so happy and that was worth a lot in my book.
I walked home after saying goodnight to Sophia, wondering about what she had said, realizing that she was right. I had to be very careful how I handled this. As I approached my door, I heard a sound coming from the backyard, then rushed around the house to see what it was. I saw a shadowy figure disappear between the trees towards the beach. That was when I spotted the ladder leading to my daughter's bedroom window.
Chapter 29
He was pumping blood from her again. Just like every other night. Just around midnight, he came to her room, fed her, and then started the pumping. Susan had a hard time staying awake anymore and slept most of the day away. And she was so thirsty all the time, so incredibly thirsty. She couldn't stand the sound of the many clocks ticking away, reminding her of how
long she had been there.
"Tick-tock," the man with the mask said. "Boy, how time is flying, isn't it? Tick-tock."
Susan closed her eyes to not look at the blood gushing out of her into the tubes. She felt dizzy when looking at it and the thought of losing more made her certain that soon there would be no more left.
"Please," she mumbled and opened her eyes again, trying hard to stay awake, to stay conscious and not slip into the darkness she was terrified she would never come back from.
He had stopped gagging her since she was too weak to even scream. She kept slipping in and out of consciousness and he knew she didn't have long left. She would be running out of blood—and time—soon.
"Please, spare me."
She spoke almost in a whisper. The man hardly heard her. He didn't look at her and she closed her eyelids again, forced by their heaviness. A second later, she opened them, and that was when she saw it. The pair of scissors. He had carelessly placed them on the table next to her bedside. While he turned his back on her, she moved her fingers towards them, but couldn't reach them. She realized she could move slightly to the side if she wiggled her entire body to get herself closer. She reached out her pinky one more time, but still, it wasn't enough. Susan wiggled to the side again under the leather straps and came closer, closer still, and then almost had the scissors, when suddenly the masked man turned around and looked at her. She let her hand go dead and closed her eyes. He walked around her, pressing on the bag of blood.
"Almost there," he said satisfied, then walked back to the other side. "Just a few more drops."
Susan felt the drops leave her body, then opened her eyes a little, just enough to see that he had once again turned his back on her to polish his clocks. Cautiously, she reached out three of her fingers and managed to grab onto the handle of the scissors with her pinky and pulled them from the table onto the bed. It made a very small sound and she paused to make sure he didn't hear it.
He didn't. He was whistling Waltzing Matilda while polishing his old clocks, then he sang a line from it: