{"id":609,"date":"2026-03-27T11:23:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T11:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/?p=609"},"modified":"2026-03-27T11:23:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T11:23:22","slug":"betrayal-part-2-chapter-22-a-new-banner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/?p=609","title":{"rendered":"Betrayal Part 2 – Chapter 22, A New Banner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A soft sigh escaped Lela\u2019s lips. Blinking, she glanced towards the square, grey answering machine. Its flickering red light, that traitorous pulse, was safely concealed beneath my palm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then her eyes darted to the ticking clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nearly midday. I really thought that she would have called by now,\u201d she said, her shoulders slumped, her quiet voice trailing off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s probably exhausted, Le-Le,\u201d I said, my voice slipping out with a honeyed edge. \u201cShe\u2019s barely left his bedside in two days. I\u2019m sure she\u2019ll call as soon as there\u2019s any news.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut what if something\u2019s happened?\u201d Lela\u2019s eyes were wide, the light glinting off the moisture that was beginning to fill them. A slight tremor, starting from her hands, rippled across her body. \u201cThe doctors said he was going to be moved this morning. I need to get to the hospital, what if\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLela!\u201d her name cracked sharply in the air, causing Lela to jerk backwards. Taking a deep breath and smoothing over the edge of my tone, I continued. \u201cLela, I\u2019m sure he\u2019s fine. The doctors said he was doing well. They\u2019re probably just waiting to get him a bed. You know what hospitals are like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stepping into her space, I gently placed a hand on her warm, leather clad shoulder. My gaze locked onto her dark eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI need you too, Lela,\u201d I whispered, my voice coming out as a hushed rasp. \u201cEvery time I close my eyes, I see him. And if it\u2019s not Lars, it\u2019s Rune too. Everywhere I go, I think I see them. Whenever I look around, they\u2019re there, watching me from a window or doorway. I hear their footsteps, can feel their eyes on my back as they follow me down the street. I know it\u2019s stupid, I know it\u2019s all in my head, but I need you, Lela. Asmund\u2019s got Ingrid, who have I got to look after me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I let my hand slide down her arm and took her hand in mine. \u201cWho have I got, Le-Le?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I watched the involuntary twitch at the corner of her mouth, felt her fingers intertwine with mine, while her other hand fiddled with the zip of her jacket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry, babe,\u201d Lela said tenderly, her gaze breaking and dropping to our hands. \u201cI\u2019m being selfish, aren\u2019t I? I\u2019ve been so caught up at the hospital that I didn\u2019t even stop to think what it must be like for you. You\u2019ve always got me. I\u2019ll always be here for you. It\u2019s just with everything that\u2019s happened lately. Firstly, with Lars and what he did to you, and then that drug dealer and Asmund\u2026 I feel like I\u2019m being pulled in every direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry about what happened to Asmund.\u201d I kept my eyes locked on hers, kept my voice steady. \u201cI really didn\u2019t mean for him to get dragged into all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know. It\u2019s not your fault, none of this is.\u201d Her thumb tracing that familiar circle on the back of my hand once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t we have an afternoon, just the two of us?\u201d I said, looking at her through heavily lidded eyes. \u201cHow about a cup of tea, and then we\u2019ll get started on that banner? We\u2019ll be right here, right by the phone, just in case.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tension in Lela\u2019s face finally melted away, replaced with that familiar, serene smile. \u201cHeidi, that\u2019s a great idea. I\u2019ll make the tea while you get things set up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My eyes followed her as she moved toward the kitchen. Mesmerised by the ever-delicate sway of her gait and the quiet patter of her boots on the carpet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the moment she disappeared from view, my attention snapped back to the answering machine, the red light still flickering like a warning beacon that I had to extinguish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My finger, tingling slightly, hovered for a few seconds over the hard, textured plastic of the rewind button. I held my breath, my ears straining against the heavy silence of the room. Suddenly, there it was. The sound of water gushing from the kitchen tap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t just press the button, I slammed it down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The motor hummed into life, whirring the tape backward with a mechanical growl that seemed to echo in my ears. My eyes snapped to the doorway, with my heart pounding a percussive rhythm in my chest, I half expected Lela to appear at any moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tape, just visible through the smoke brown cassette cover, spun in an agonisingly slow blur. Come on\u2026 Another glance at the doorway; it was still empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the button sprang up with a sharp click that seemed to vibrate through the floor and walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The red light died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t hesitate. Ingrid\u2019s voice was still on that tape, and I needed to erase her completely. My thumb snatched at the small, round \u2018memo\u2019 button, pressing down on it, forcing the tape to begin its slow creep forward once again. This time there was no voice, only the thick silence of the room being pulled onto that thin magnetic strip, overwriting Ingrid\u2019s message and obliterating the last traces of my deception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suddenly, a rustle came from the kitchen! I barely had time to pull my hand away from the machine before the warm scent of spiced apple filled the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lela stepped back into the room, her focus entirely on two steaming mugs. She moved with that effortless grace that always made me feel clumsy and settled the mugs down on the coffee table with a soft clink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She didn\u2019t even glance at the answering machine. Why would she? To her, it was nothing more than a plastic box; she had no idea of the secrets it had only moments ago concealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat smells amazing,\u201d I said, my voice smooth and steady as I moved over to the sofa and sat myself down beside her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as I had finished the tea, I went upstairs and got changed into an old flannel shirt and tracksuit trousers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning to the living room, I set to work, spreading an old sheet that Lela had fished out of the back of a cupboard over the floor. On top of that, I unrolled the heavy black fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I knelt over the cloth with a chalk pencil in my hand, I realised that it was the first time that I\u2019d tried to draw anything since that fateful spring day, almost a year earlier, when Lars\u2019 accusatory words and those damning photos had irreversibly shattered my world. However, my hand moved with practiced ease as I effortlessly began to outline the wolf\u2019s head logo that I knew so well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella\u2019s warm breath gently huffed in my ear as she sat, eyes fixed on me intently, patiently watching me draw. Her tail thumped out a gentle rhythm, a steady swish on the carpet. A warm bubble of satisfaction rose inside me and flared out across my body. My mind transported me back to the sanctuary of that pink bedroom. Back to those days when I would sit cross-legged on my bed with a sketchbook on my lap and a pencil or paintbrush in my hand. Bella would often lie on the floor, looking up at me with her big brown eyes and tail gently wagging from side to side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To my other side knelt Lela. She too had changed and was now wearing an old black t-shirt and jeans, her hair tied back into a ponytail. The denim, once a dark blue, had long since faded to a dusty slate. The knees were worn and the hems frayed. My gaze snagged for a brief moment on a single stray hair that had fallen across her face. It hung down over the ever fading, yellowish brown bruise beneath her eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOk babe, where do you want me to start?\u201d Lela said. A slight warm flush coloured her cheeks as she caught me looking at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you start filling in the lettering?\u201d I gestured with the chalk towards the jagged, bone white outline of the band\u2019s name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lela smiled. Dipping her brush into the pot of white textile paint, she set to work. The gentle sound of a tune that I didn\u2019t recognise hummed from her lips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lela\u2019s sweet melody caressed my ears. It was an enchanting, hypnotic theme that I found myself also humming along to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that tune?\u201d I asked her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lela glanced up at me, her cheeks suddenly reddening. \u201cOh, it\u2019s just a new song that we had been working on. We were hoping to have it ready for the Kjelleren tomorrow night.\u201d Pausing, Lela let out a long, slow sigh before continuing. \u201cI\u2019d almost forgotten about that. I need to phone Gunnar and cancel all our upcoming gigs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGunnar?\u201d I repeated the name as an idea started to take form inside my mind. \u201cLela, don\u2019t you think cancelling is a bit rash? You worked hard for that slot, you can\u2019t give it up now. Giving up on the Kjelleren would be like giving up on Asmund.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHeidi,\u201d Lela raised an eyebrow as she looked at me. \u201cIt\u2019ll be weeks before he\u2019s even going to be able to start thinking about picking up the guitar again, months before he\u2019ll be back on the stage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know,\u201d I said, leaning in closer to her until our shoulders touched. \u201cBut the Kjelleren is the biggest gig you\u2019ve ever had. If you cancel, Gunnar will just give your slot to someone else, and you might never get another chance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, what am I supposed to do with Asmund laid up?\u201d her eyebrow rising higher, her voice tinged with an unusual frustration. \u201cI can\u2019t mess Gunnar around. That\u2019s not fair to him. He\u2019s been good to us. I need to tell him what\u2019s happened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen play solo until Asmund\u2019s ready to get back up there.\u201d I shrugged. \u201cYou\u2019re easily good enough.\u201d I watched Lela\u2019s face closely as I spoke, noticed the muscles twitched as the seed I\u2019d just planted started to take root.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019d want you to play, Lela,\u201d I continued quickly, pressing home my advantage. My words tumbled out before she could think too much more on it. \u201cYou know he would. This has been your dream for as long as I\u2019ve known you. He wouldn\u2019t want you to give it up. Besides, it\u2019s not as if we\u2019re talking about the end of Arctic Howl, is it? He\u2019ll be back up there with you before you know it. You\u2019ll just be keeping things ticking over until he\u2019s well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her eyes dropped to the blank fabric laid out before us, her fingers absently fiddling with the edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Heidi,\u201d she murmured, her voice wavering. \u201cArctic Howl has always been Lela and Asmund. I\u2019m not sure that I can do it on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was my turn to take Lela\u2019s hands in mine, my turn to look her in the eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course you can,\u201d I said firmly. \u201cThink about it, Lela. It\u2019s perfect for everyone. Gunnar won\u2019t have to scramble around to find a replacement, and you\u2019ll keep your slot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I squeezed her hands tightly, pinning her in place with my gaze. \u201cAnd this banner? We\u2019ll finish it together. It\u2019ll be hanging right behind you when you stand up on that stage and perform for Asmund. For Ingrid, too. For me. For all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I raised my hand to her face, my fingers gently brushing the single strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail and tucking it behind her ear. My touch lingered against her skin for a heartbeat too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPerforming for Asmund?\u201d She nodded slowly as the idea started to bloom. \u201cIt\u2019ll be a tribute to him\u2026 to you too. A tribute to the two strongest people I know\u2026\u201d her voice trailing off thoughtfully, her eyes searching mine. \u201cIf I do this\u2026 you\u2019ll come along tomorrow night, won\u2019t you? It would be lovely if Ingrid could be there too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course I\u2019ll come!\u201d I said. \u201cIngrid\u2019s got a lot going on with Asmund, but I\u2019m sure she\u2019ll be there if she can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh no, it\u2019s not that.\u201d Lela said, exhaling a soft, weary breath. \u201cShe just doesn\u2019t like the Kjelleren. She thinks it\u2019s too rough, too loud. She wants us to go back to the quieter bars and pubs that we used to play.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A flutter of dark electricity cracked through my stomach. Was that another chink in the infallible Ingrid\u2019s armour? She wasn\u2019t Lela\u2019s saviour; she was a weight dragging her down. Stifling her creativity and smothering her spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHer heart\u2019s in the right place.\u201d Lela added quickly. \u201cShe\u2019s just looking out for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I could feel a smile creeping across my face as red, twinkling eyes suddenly sparkled in the shadows. They watched us with an eager and intent gaze, listening attentively to every word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cI know she is, and that\u2019s what\u2019s so lovely about her, Lela. I\u2019m so pleased for you that you\u2019ve found someone like her.\u201d My voice sounded cold and hard to my ears. I shifted my weight, turning my shoulders to face Lela. \u201cI\u2019m so happy that you\u2019ve got someone to look after you and support you. Even if it is from a distance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom a distance?\u201d Lela\u2019s head tilted, her voice taking on a strained edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, Le-Le,\u201d I sighed. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean it like that. It\u2019s just that she wants different things from life. She likes quiet restaurants and nights on the sofa in front of a film. She doesn\u2019t want the things that we want. She\u2019s not as creative as we are. She doesn\u2019t have music or art. She doesn\u2019t understand what it\u2019s like to need to be able to express yourself. But that\u2019s alright, she just wants to keep you safe, her little bird in a cage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe just worries about me, that\u2019s all\u2026\u201d Lela\u2019s chest rose as she drew in a deep, ragged breath. \u201cOk, I\u2019ll do it. I\u2019ll call Gunnar and let him know I\u2019ll be playing solo. What would I do without you, babe! I\u2019d be lost in the dark.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A soft sigh escaped Lela\u2019s lips. Blinking, she glanced towards the square, grey answering machine. Its flickering red light, that<\/p>\n

Continue readingBetrayal Part 2 – Chapter 22, A New Banner<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-betrayal-part-2"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Cover-Book-2-NEW-JPG.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=609"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":611,"href":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609\/revisions\/611"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}