Betrayal Chapter 29
“Hello…? Hello, is anyone there?” The voice at the other end of the telephone asked.
I could feel the cold sweat beginning to bead on my forehead. My hand shook as I lifted the receiver back to my ear.
“Le-Le?” Speaking with a voice that quivered with emotion, shaking, I uttered the nickname that I had used for my best friend when we were children. Why that name? I couldn’t tell you. It hadn’t left my lips since we were about twelve years old, but then and in that moment, it just tumbled out.
“Heidi? Heidi, is that you?” came the sweet voice once again.
The moment I heard her voice, my chest began to tremor, my breathing becoming ragged. Tears welled up in my eyes, overflowing and streaming down my cheeks. A high, guttural wail erupted from my throat.
“Heidi? Are you alright? It’s late. What’s going on?”
“Help me, Le-Le! Please help me! I need you.” I forced the words out between the sobs that racked me as I desperately gasped for air.
“What’s going on? Where are you, Heidi? The last I heard, you were in Denmark?” Lela’s voice was strained with concern and worry.
Denmark? Why would she think I was in Denmark? The thought flashed through my mind momentarily before dissolving into nothing.
“Denmark? No, I’m in Norway. I’m at one of the Trollskogen cabins. You know, the big ones that are just off of the Vinterdallen road?” I forced my voice to steady as I spoke, although sobs still wracked through my body.
“Yes, of course, I know the ones. What’s going on? Are you safe?”
“Yes, I am safe now, but please come. I need you! I haven’t got anyone else to go to.” As I pleaded with Lela, that little doubt in the back of my head still whispered its poisonous words, Lars’ words, back to me. It taunted me, whispering that Lela had abandoned me, that she would never help me. “I know you don’t want anything to do with me anymore, but please help me. I need you!” Sobs once again tore from my chest.
The ground beneath me seemed to shift momentarily, the polished wooden floor suddenly felt damp, cold and rough.
“Hey, Babe! Of course, I’m here for you! Which cabin are you in?” There was an edge of shocked surprise in Lela’s voice as she spoke.
Glancing over towards Clara and Matthais, I asked, “What’s the number of this cabin?”
The German pair looked at me with blank expressions until I realised that I was speaking Norwegian and repeated the question in English.
“This is number five.” Matthias replied.
Nodding, I turned my attention back to the phone. “I’m at number five.”
“Number five, Trollskogen. You just stay where you are. I’m going to be there as quickly as I can.”
“Please hurry!” I pleaded as the phone crackled before going silent.
I dropped the receiver back onto the hook with a loud clatter. My eyes stared down at the jumble of maps in front of me, not really seeing them. Thoughts of Lela, of the memories that we had shared, of our times together, came and went too quickly to grasp.
A soft touch on my shoulder and a kind voice in my ear snapped me out of my daze. “Are you ok? Is she coming?”
My heart leapt. Spinning around with a start, I saw Clara standing close to me, her mouth turned up into a concerned smile.
Nodding, I replied. “Yes, she is. She’s coming up from Oslo, so will probably be here in an hour or so.”
“Come and sit yourself down then. Do you want anything to eat or drink while you wait?” The dark-haired woman spoke as she led me back across the polished wooden floor to the green sofa. “There’s some coffee or hot chocolate. Or, if you wanted something a bit stronger, I may just have brought a bottle of my favourite schnapps from home.” She said with a wink.
I sank down onto the luxuriously soft sofa. Its cushions seemed to wrap around me, engulfing me in a warm embrace.
“Thank you, Clara. The schnapps sounds amazing.” Managing a small smile, I spoke, looking up at her.
“Matthias, would you mind pouring Heidi a glass of schnapps? Oh, be a darling and while you’re at it and do me one as well?” Matthias smiled and nodded at his wife, turning and walking towards the kitchen. “I know what else I’ve got,” Clara said, turning her attention back to me. She fished around in her handbag and retrieved a small gold-coloured box, tied with a red ribbon. “His company always likes to give a little present to the ladies. A minor consolation for having to put up with those drab events, they like to think it keeps us quiet.”
Her long, slender fingers untied the bow, her rings glinting and glittering as the light caught the gold and diamonds. Letting the ribbon fall away, she lifted the lid from the box, revealing small, glossy, dark brown chocolates that seemed to shine and glow.
Taking one of the chocolates with a smile, I put it into my mouth. The flavour exploded onto my tongue, an intense, shocking sweetness. Too intense! too sweet! As I bit down on it, the rich, dark chocolate shell cracked loudly and gave way to a heavy, cloying hazelnut praline, which coated my mouth. After too long subsisting on the flavourless scraps that Lars had thrown me, I wanted so dearly to enjoy the chocolate, but I couldn’t. I closed my eyes, but the unnatural flavours refused to fade.
Glancing up, I watched Matthias walk over towards us. Smiling, he placed three glasses containing a clear liquid on the table in front of us.
“How are you feeling now?” He asked me, taking a small sip from his glass.
“I’m ok. Thank you both so much for all of your help.” I was feeling better than I had in a very long time, but the things hadn’t gone, they still twisted and turned inside of my head. My subconscious was still lined with the scratches, scrapes scars of the horrors I had endured, and they still screamed at me from the dark recesses of my mind.
My stomach fluttered. The lingering doubt about Lela still hung on. Something in the back of my head still taunted me. It insisted that she wouldn’t come.
But all those things, I pushed them back down. There was something about sitting there with Clara and Matthias, the sheer normalcy of it all comforted and calmed me. It was a fragile feeling. The darkness was always there. I could feel it, always just in the shadows, just out of sight. But in that moment, I felt safe.
My eyes drifted around the room, taking in my surroundings for the first time since I had arrived. The walls were bare grey stone with four large windows that looked out into the dark night outside. The fire in the fireplace now flickered, its flames hungrily licking at a fresh log, which I assumed must have been thrown onto it while I was on the phone to Lela. The faint, earthy smell of wood smoke lingered in the air. Pine resin mixed with the sharp, chemical scent of pear rising up from the glasses that Matthias had just put in front of me.
Placing the glass to my lips, I took a sip. The flavours that almost overwhelmed my senses immediately took me aback. I had been expecting something similar to the aquavit that I was used to drinking. But instead of that warm spice, a searing fire hit my tongue before quickly receding and being replaced by the sharp, almost acidic taste of pear.
The low, rhythmic, barely audible ticking of a large wooden wall clock drew my attention. I watched the second hand sweep from one number to the next. How long had it been since I had called Lela?
“You’re looking a little less like a deer in the headlights now, dear. I’m sure that your friend will be here soon.” Clara’s calm words settled on me, but a needle sharp prickle of doubt was already cascading down my spine.
“Will she? Lars said that she had moved on, that she wanted nothing to do with me anymore.” I muttered the words absently, without thinking, and as soon as I had, I cursed myself. It was stupid, momentary drop in my defences, I let my guard down and the words tumbled out.
“Lars? Your brother?” Matthias’ voice sounded surprised.
I just nodded. What else could I do? It was too late to take back what I’d said now. My stomach twisted, and the dull, familiar ache of unease replaced the peace and calm I had been feeling. All of a sudden, I felt vulnerable again. I had to be more careful.
Matthias must have noticed the change in me. His eyes fixed on mine with a fiery heat blazing behind them which I hadn’t noticed before. He leant forward, placing his glass back down on the table in front of us with a sharp clink. He spoke in a hushed voice, “Whatever has happened to you, it’s none of our business. Just know that you’re safe here. Whatever’s going on, whoever hurt you, they can’t touch you here.”
“He’s right, Heidi. You are safe here and you’re more than welcome to stay with us until the morning if you need to. But I’m sure it won’t come to that. You spoke to your friend, didn’t you? She said that she’d come?” Clara said, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.
I nodded again. “Yes, yes, she said she’d come.”
“Then I’m sure that she will.”
The heat from the fireplace was hot on my arms. The deep red embers seemed to peer out at me like glowing eyes, and despite the uncomfortable warmth, an icy shiver rippled over my body. My gaze drifted back to the clock. I watched it as minute after slow, agonising minute passed by. Every time the second hand passed twelve, I became more convinced that Lela would not come. It was nearly four o’clock in the morning, and hour and a half had passed by since I had phoned her.
She wasn’t coming!
Lars’ voice hissed loudly in my ears, he taunted and laughed at me. He told me that I was worthless, that Lela didn’t need broken, toxic things like me in her life. She had moved on, she didn’t want me anymore. I was nothing but a rag doll, discarded and forgotten. The acidic aftertaste of the schnapps rose up in my throat, making me gag.
My breathing came shallow and rapid as the green sofa wrapped itself around me tightly. Clara and Matthias’ voices blurred into the background, drowned out by the deafening staccato ticking of the clock.
Tick, tick, tick…
Then, a sound cut through the deafening rhythm of the clock. A low rumble, distant at first but gradually getting louder. I felt the breath stick in my throat. All of a sudden, two piercing beams of pure white light strobed through the windows, like two searchlights sweeping the room. The shadows danced in the dazzling glare before the light vanished.
My ears strained as the sound of the engine died, followed by the dull thud of a car door closing.
Was that the soft crunch of footsteps?
I glanced back at the clock. The bright red second hand had slowed to an agonising crawl. Every tick felt like an age.
Until a sudden, loud knock on the door caused me to jump to my feet, spinning around.
My body quivered uncontrollably, my stomach tumbling over itself as I watched Matthias rise before slowly and deliberately making his way towards the door. My heart pounded against my ribs and thumped in my ears as he pulled the heavy door inwards with a groan.
A dark figure stood in the doorway, its form silhouetted black against the headlights shining in from outside. My knees trembled as an icy grip twisted my gut. For one terrible moment, I saw Lars standing in that doorway, those cold blue eyes looking at me with a cruel grin stretching across his blood-soaked face.
“Lela? Yes?” Matthias spoke to the dark figure standing in the doorway. “Come on in, she’s over here.”
The silhouette moved, and as it stepped into the cabin, the light of the room fell on its face.
The cold, hard fear and doubt that had been building in my chest suddenly shattered. Breaking like a dam as a warm torrent of emotions burst free.
Not Lars, it was Lela!
My Lela!
She had come!
She was dressed in blue jeans and a black coat. Her face was plain, missing the usual vibrant colours of her makeup. Her hair, hastily tied back into a knot, was uncombed.
I had never known her to leave the house looking anything other than immaculate. Her makeup was always pristine, her hair was always perfect. Yet, there she stood after being dragged out of her bed in the middle of the night, she’d thrown some clothes on rushed to my side without a single thought. Even in her urgent, dishevelled state, she looked more elegant and beautiful than I had ever remembered her.
Large, dark, round eyes met mine, eyes that were usually sparkling with life were now flooded with worry. Her lips drew into a wide, delightfully warm smile.
“Lela, thank God! Lars said that you wouldn’t come!” I shrieked the words at her.
I was already halfway across the floor when the last of them spilt from my lips. Tumbling forward, I launched myself at her, wrapping my arms around her tightly. Her arms, in turn clamped around me and pulled me in close to her. Her familiar scent filled my nostrils and the warmth of her body seeped into my core.
For the first time in nearly a year I allowed myself to believe that I was finally safe.
“Are you ok, Heidi? What happened to you?” Lela’s voice was a low whisper, tight with worry.
Trying to speak, vocal cords that were tight and raw tried to form the words, but the only sound that came out of my mouth was a shrill, heart-wrenching sob. The sounds were a mixture of agony, confusion and overwhelming relief.
An immense tidal wave of numbness crashed over me. My legs quivered as the energy drained from my body. I clung to Lela tightly to stop myself from falling. She was my anchor.
“We found her out wandering on the road. She said that someone had attacked her.” I heard Matthias speak, his words muffled in my ears. With my head buried into Lela’s shoulder, the soft fabric of her coat soaked up the tears that now streamed freely from my eyes.
“Is she ok? Has she spoken to the police?” Lela asked.
“I think she’s hurt, but she wouldn’t let us call the police or an ambulance. The only person she wanted to call was you.” Matthias replied.
“She said something about her brother too. He said something that made her think you wouldn’t come, that you’d abandoned her. She seems very confused. I’m not sure that she knows what’s happened.” Clara’s voice added.
Lela pulled back just enough to look down on me, her eyes fixing mine. “I said I would come, didn’t I, babe? Why would you think something silly like that? I’ll always be here, you should know that.” She said before returning her eyes to Clara and Matthias. “Thank you both so much for taking care of her.” Lela’s soft voice seemed to caress my ears.
How could I ever have doubted her? She was my best friend, my sister.
“Come on, babe, I’m going to get you home now. We’ll get you some breakfast, warm you up and then you can tell me everything.”