The lady ran to him with wide eyes. She had seen the kids run into the woods, in a pretty high speed also.
“They must get help, they’re injured!” Yes, the girl was covered with blood. But why he didn’t know. Behind the woman with dark hair, big dark eyes and a thick robe still babbled while Trond gazed at the threes. He looked at the chatting woman, she thought the kids were hurt. And that they maybe should run after them. Behind her a firetruck and an ambulance appeared. Men with red suits ran to them, they wondered if someone was inside the house. Arne’s body ley there, but he couldn’t explain further since it involved the children. So he said he didn’t know, he didn’t know how the fire had started either. At some point he had stood up, told the men in red from the ambulance that he would to and get his jacket in his car. They nodded and let him go, ‘cause they would talk with him further about this. The lady started talking about the children who had ran off when Trond was all the way beside his car, not too far away from the house on fire. The firemen was already at their posts, and tried to put the fire out. It made quite a bit of noise actually, with water, people yelling and sirens. Trond found his car keys in one of the pockets in his pants, thank god for that. And crept in the backseat and found his jacket right away, pulled his arms though it on all four back there.
But then he stopped, the world grew silent while he thought things though. He looked back at everything that was happening, saw his reflection in the window right beside him. He had the keys, the girl was probably critically hurt. What should he do about that?
Trond crept in-between the front seats and sat down behind the wheel. The breathed deeply in and out. How would this look? If he just drove away like this, they would probably think he had set the fire. They will run after his car and yell HEY while Trond probably wouldn’t hear them. Should he do this now?
He sighed while he put the key in the keyhole and twisted it. The engine started right away, and he drove off as fast as he could. He looked at the mirror that a few red people waved and ran, he was so sure they would chase him with their ambulance. But after five minutes has passed and nobody came, he got calmer. He dried off his forehead, the sleeve was slightly wet. A sticking sound was made when he lifted his fingers off the wheel and put them on it again. Trond couldn’t quite believe it himself, he had chickened out of his very own doing. I should at least get something good out of this. He was shameful over what he had done to those children. He had not only scared the heck out of that little girl, but he had parted them. The girl had called his name when she was trapped, how he found her was actually quite mystical. One wouldn’t see the smoke from Arne’s house from that train, was he sure of. Anyway, they were so close, he had seen that right away. De had laid over each other and kissed in a way he hadn’t even seen any adults do. And the boy, he was probably just like her, he was super strong. And not only with the handcuffs, but he had just for a few minutes ago fought against Arne, and he was strong! But the boy had just held him down as if it was nothing. Trond understood while dwelling upon how amazing they were that they probably didn’t need his help. They were strong enough to manage themselves, no doubt about it. But he wanted to try, he wanted to make it good again.
*
Oskar pulled off Eli’s sweater, it was sticky, and glued itself weakly to his skin. Eli began to smile to him again as soon as it was off. Oskar placed his hands on Eli’s shoulders and looked at his upper-body. It was pink, Eli stroked him over his cheek while he said:
“I’m impressed.” Oskar smiled.
“Of what?”
“Of your wings, it took me a long while until I got it.” Oskar touched his hair, to see how sticky it was, looked at his fingers. There was blood on them, they should really get clean soon.
“Maybe it’s because you had no one who could tell you about it, that you had to figure it out by yourself.”
“Yeah that’s probably it.” Eli still had a lot of blood around his mouth, but it seemed to begin to dry out.
“You have lost so much blood.”
“Yes.” Oskar hugged him, the both of them really needed someone to hold onto right now. And they stood like that for a long time without saying anything. Beneath the blood was the smell of Eli, a fresh and sweet scent. The one that had been on the threes when he had passed them, when he was without his Eli. Oskar pulled Eli away from himself and kissed him gently, and Eli as always kissed him back. His lips were still wet, and he felt that it made Eli’s lips tastier. But he tried not to care about that. Sometimes the mess made their kisses a bit funnier. Not now, it wasn’t funny anymore. They had been so close to losing each other, and now they were caressing each other by kissing, for a long time.
“Hello!?” Eli jumped and Oskar tied a strong grip around him.
“It’s him.” Eli whispered while he hugged Oskar even tighter, he seems scared.
“You want me to speak to him or what?” Eli met his eyes.
“I wanna come.” They let go, looked around.
“Hello? Anybody there?” The man shouted yet again. Oskar grabbed the pile of blankets which laid on the floor, and tucked one of them around Eli. And the other one around himself.
“Hello?” The man still yelled. Oskar started walking towards the sliding door whish was ajar. Eli was right behind him, and soon he grabbed around Oskar’s waist. Let his hands rest on his belly. Oskar became wormer and started smiling to Eli behind him. Eli was exited, but still scared. This man Eli knew now, wasn’t the wigged man. But Oskar wouldn’t imagine that Eli was looking forward to see him again, exactly. He placed one of his hands over Eli’s. Stroked it gently. And then they started walking, he and Eli like a small parade. They pushed the door open and walked to the deem of light.
*
Trond had said hello several times, but nobody had answered. But instead, he had heard sounds, so he still entered. He lit up the small broken window, he just barley fitted through there. Not that he wanted to scratch himself. But he stepped through it, like he had done with Arne. Soon he was inside, and lit around himself. The blankets still hung over the windows, he didn’t quite get why. If it was about privacy, they didn’t exactly have nosy neighbors, actually they didn’t have any. So why was it all there then?
He jumped by a sound behind him, and he turned around quickly. And there he stood, the blond-haired boy he didn’t remember the name of. Trond pointed the flashlight at his face while the boy gave him an nearly expressionless gaze. He had a blanket around himself, and a couple of hands over his stomach. Something Trond soon understood to be of the little girl's. He’s mouth was also somewhat smeared with blood. The boy stroke carefully over the hands on his belly with his very own, before he looked up at Trond again and said:
“What do you want?”
“I wanna help.” Trond replied.
“Why?” The boy asked again. Trond sighed.
“Listen, can’t be talk further in cockpit?” The boy turned his head and looked behind himself, while he whispered:
“Can we?” He got a responds that Trond did not see, and so the boy waved for him to follow while he turned around. The girl let go of him and grabbed his hand instead while they walked. What have I done?
They sat down in the passengerseat and give him a questioning look. They probably didn’t exect after he had seen what he had seen, even wanted anything to do with them. But his guilt was stronger, but he did understand that this might end badly. Trond became nervous.
“Why did you take..” The boy said, then looked at the girl, she nodded and he continued. “Her, why did you take her?”
“I.. It’s.. Grown-up stuff, complicated.” Trond replied, he really didn’t want to explain. He knew he had no good reasons for it.
“I am sure we will understand.” The girl said, she seemed more mature than any child he had met, in her gaze.
“The other man was.. Hm, my cousin, and I, I got paid.” The children nodded, seemed to fully understand.
“Listen, I’m sorry so very much for what I did, I should have known better. My cousin said that you hon’, was a demon. And when you bled so much out of nowhere, when we arrived to his house, yes, so I believed him. Just..”
“Demon child?” Said the boy and smiled to her. She smiled back and stuck out her tongue to him. They started giggling, and Trond couldn’t help but smiling.
“Yes, and I wanna help you because..” Trond clapped his hands against his thighs, how would he put it?
“I wanna do over.” The kids gave him a suspicious look.
“For your continence?” Trond realized it as she said it.
“Yes, I suppose.”
“Not for anything else?” She continued. The boy grabbed her hand. He had been watching in silence, compelled sadly towards her for some reason. If they did want him to help them, he would at least have to know what had happened to them, and not the least, her.
“No, just that.” The girl didn’t take her eyes from him.
“How do you want to help us then?” Trond coughed, thought it was fairly obvious considering where they all were right now.
“You have nowhere to live.”
“Do you live by yourself?” She asked, still with doubt.
“Yes, all alone, and I have a guestroom, and lots of space.”
“Do you have a bathtub?” The boy asked, finally contributing to the conversation. Trond found it to be a weird question, why was it even important?
“Yes, I do.” The kids looked at each other, the boy smiled.
“And I’ve got a shower, so you would get to clean off properly.” Trond said, but when he started thinking this through while the kids made up their minds. What would he do? What did he want with this? I was deep in thought before he noticed that the kids just sat there and stared at each other. As if they listened to something, but they didn’t look up trying to find the sound. But they looked at each other instead.
After a little while with nothing, they bent forward and leaned their heads against each other while smiling. Then the boy looked up, and said:
“We’ll do it.” The girls continued:
“But we need to get dressed, do you mind leaving us?”
“Yes, of course.” Said Trond while he coughed and turned around. He had been standing all the time, and he began to get really tired in his legs.
“Should I pull down the blankets?” He asked while he turned around again.
“Yes okay.” Said the boy while he and the girl stood up behind him. The seat creaked. Trond closed the door as he heard them speak. Then he began to pull down the blankets off the windows.
*
“Oskar, I don’t want to stay there for long. If this man is, well, like Håkan, then.. I don’t want you to experience that.” Oskar stood only in hus underwear when he hugged Eli and said:
“Don’t you ever think about yourself? If he’s like that then the both of us are out of there.” Eli hugged him in return, but winded up tickling him on his back. Oskar giggled while he let go, and Eli continued speaking as hulled off his sticky pants.
“I just don’t wanna stay in this town for much longer, ok?” Oskar nodded, turned around and picked up a few pieces of clothing from one of the boxes. Eli pulled off his underwear and walked over beside him. Oskar turned his head and gazed upon Eli’s naked body. Eli noticed, poened his arms and said:
“The emperor’s invisible clothing in kids size, duh!” They started laughing while Eli just barley managed to pull on a new pair of underwear, with pants along the way. Eli picked up an used towel when they were all dressed up. He used it to wipe his mouth, and then, just for fun, he did it on Oskar too. Then they hugged again, and they stood there for a while. Eli sighed deeply and relaxed. He thought about all that had happened. Oskar could have been dead, himself could have been dead. Oskar could have been left all alone, lonely, without him. And so could Eli. If Oskar hadn’t managed to make wings, or awaked in time. And the wigged man, he had been so scary. He hugged Oskar even tighter.
“Eli?” Oskar asked, and began to let go.
“We can cuddle in the bathtub, we have to start packing.” Eli laughed.
“Noooo..”
“Yees.” Said Oskar.
“Okay okay, but I just have got to say something first.” Eli said in a hurry.
“What?” Eli waited a few seconds while he enjoyed the hug he still had.
“I love you.” Oskar hugged him a bit tighter again while he sighed.
“I love you too.” He responded, they stood like that for a few more seconds. Then Oskar pushed him away and said:
“It’s time to get started.” While he clapped with his hands a few times. Eli laughed, turned around and grabbed the cubes and the smurfs and all of their other toys, moved them from on top of the boxes to the inside of them.
*
Oskar sat in the backseat, as the car was driving. It had started to snow outside, but when the car drove the snowflakes looked like sparks. That passed quickly. Oskar thought it looked like falling stars. He turned his head away from the window, looked at the car from the inside. By his side sat Eli, who gazed forwards towards the front seats, at the man. Oskar looked at Eli closely, he was in profile. Just like in the memory Oskar had showed him. Where he smelled bad with the cube in his hand. Eli was pretty in profile, and Oskar started smiling. He had smelled like an old fish. Oskar leaned forward, closer to Eli. He turned around to Oskar and asked:
“What?” Oskar leaned back.
“I’ts nothing.”
“Oh com’on, what is it?” Oskar smiled to him, Eli might like this.
“I remember that you used to smell like a rotten fish.” Eli smiled, but didn’t laugh. Therefore, Oskar didn’t either.
“And you’re sitting on the side.” Oskar continued.
“What about it?” Oskar smiled.
“Nothing.” Eli crossed his arms.
“Oskar..” Oskar waved with his arms.
“Fine, I’ll say it. But the you have to..” Oskar grabbed Eli’s shoulders, twisted them forward. Then he grabbed Eli’s head and moved it forward too. So that he was in profile yet again.
“Just like that.. And..” Oskar leaned forward and kissed Eli softly but quickly on the cheek.
“Just that.” Oskar said while laughing and leaning back. Eli gave him a playful smile.
“Soh!!” Said the man in the frond seats. “What’s your names again?”
“My name is Oskar.”
“And I’m Eli.” They started laughing, because they spoke so quickly straight after one another.
“What’s your name?” Oskar asked.
“My name is Trond.” It got quiet for a while after that, and Eli as in profile yet again. Oskar started smiling to himself, Eli turned to him, noticed his little smile. Then Eli moved his hand over Oskar’s.
“For how long exactly have you been homeless?” Trond asked in a: Let’s get this overwith tone of voice.
“Not for too long.” Eli answered and leaned his head on Oskar’s shoulder.
“No? Well that’s good.”
“Yeah sort of..” Said Oskar, who in the meantime had put his arm around Eli. Trond looked back at them for a moment, but he really did have to look at the road.
Oskar felt how tired his head was, not his body. It has a whole lot to walk on, but his head. Everything that had happened with him, and not to mention Eli. He looked over at his loved one, Eli’s eyes looked pretty tired aswell.
Does it matter if he thinks you’re a boy or a girl? Eli had told him before it was just for him to say that Eli was a girl.
It’s just easier that way, we won’t be there for long. He doesn’t need to know. Eli gave him a stubborn gaze.
We need to be careful, watch what you say. We never know what he knows about Blackeberg, even if we’re in Norway. Oskar nodded and sighed. Then he closed his eyes while Eli’s thumb started stroking over his hand gently. Oskar smiled, it felt good.