Boy from the Woods (9781311684776) (29 page)

“Great
plan.
” Julia smiled at him.

While Gaby
and Michael were each making their phone calls, Julia got up to
help her grandmother make another big pot of tea in the
kitchen.

“He’s a
special boy, your Michael,” Gran
pointed
out while washing some cups in the sink. “That bright look in his
eyes when he looks at people – it’s like he sees more than the rest
of us do.”

Julia turned around, thoughtlessly plunking
down some teabags on the table. “You think he’s got the same talent
as you? You know, like a second sight or a very sharp
intuition?”

Gran nodded. “It seems
likely.
How else could he have done what
he did today?”

“I don’t know. Dumb luck?”

“Come on, my Julia. You don’t really believe
that.”

“No, not really.”
Julia lifted the kettle from the cooker.
“He just…
knows
things.
Especially about me. What kind of music I like. What I like doing
in my spare time.
He even knows the songs
I wrote. You know, stuff I never even told him about.”

“And it makes you feel uneasy?”

“No! Well, maybe
sometimes. I mean, I want to know how he does it, but at the same
time, I don’t give a damn.
He is
so
in love
with me. What the heck does it matter that he has a way of knowing
things he shouldn’t?”

Grandma slowly nodded. “Well, if you want to
understand him, why don’t you ask him?”

Julia blushed.
“Because I don’t want to scare him off. Maybe
I’m afraid he’ll wake up one day and be like the old Michael again…
the Michael who never had eyes for me.”

“My dear child, of course not. That’s
nonsense. Whyever would that happen?”

“Gee, I don’t
know. What made him realize he was in love with me after
all?
I could just as easily ask him
that
.”

“Well, whatever you decide, it can’t hurt to
ask him what you want to know. If I were you, I’d get it out of the
way if it bothers you.”

Of course her
grandmother was entirely right. Most of the time, Julia managed to
forget how strange the whole situation with Michael actually was,
but sooner or later she’d come back to the same questions running
though her head – questions she’d never get the answer to if she
kept her mouth shut.

When the
pizza delive
ry guy arrived with their
food, Florian, Moritz and Tamara spilled into the hallway after
him, pulling Julia into a big group hug.

“Thanks for
coming,”
Julia said softly amidst the
friendly huddle. “We’re still waiting for news from the
hospital.”

“I ordered
some extra
portions just in case,”
Michael commented, winking at Florian when he looked up to zoom in
on the pizzas.

Moritz
elbowed his boyfriend in the ribs. “You’re burning holes in those
boxes, you glutton.
Is food all you can think
about?”

Florian chuckled.
“Sorry,” he lamely apologized to
Julia.

“No problem,”
she shrugged. “Like Michael said, there’s enough for everyone.
Let’s go to the living room.”

Ta
mara was the first one to
enter, her gaze landing on Gaby sitting on the couch holding hands
with Axel. She opened her mouth to say something, then thought
better of it when her sister shot her a warning glare. Smirking
from ear to ear, Tamara flopped down on the couch right next to the
new couple and poured herself some soda.

Julia sat
down on the other couch, scooting close
r
to Michael when he handed her a plate with a big pizza slice on it.
“I know you’re not very hungry, but you should eat something,” he
said.
“You’ll feel better.”

She nodded
wordlessly, dutifully munching on the salami
-topped slice. When her phone suddenly rang, she put down
her pizza and snatched her cell off the table. It was her mom. Her
hands shaking with nerves, Julia answered the call. “Hey, it’s
me.”

“Hello, honey!”
Ms. Gunther replied cheerfully. “Anne is awake.
She’s still very weak, but she can talk and the doctor said she’s
out of danger. She’ll recover just fine. Detective Spitzer
just left – h
e recorded her
testimony. She’ll be able to testify against Andreas
Mittelmayer.”

“Really? That’s
great!”
Julia exclaimed, meeting her
friends’ eyes with relief. “So they’ll keep him behind bars? Will
you two be home by tonight?”

“No, that’s
too soon. The doctor wants to keep Anne under observation for the
night. I can sleep in the sick ward in the bed next to her, so I’ll
spend the night here too.”

“Great!
That’s good, that you’re allowed to stay close to her. I’ll come to
the hospital first thing in the morning – I’ll call in to
work.”

“Looking forward to it, sweety. Can I talk to
Gran for a bit?”

Julia
handed
the phone to her grandmother with
a smile on her face, then told her friends everything her mom had
said.

“So she’s awake!” Axel
said.
“Good news. That means her abductor
can’t lie his way out of this anymore.”

Tamara shivered. “I can’t
bear to think of what would have happened if you guys hadn’t found
her on time.” She gingerly looked at Julia.
“Did he... was she... did he
touch
her while she was
sedated?”

“I don’t know.” Julia
tried to stop herself from picturing it.
“I’ll hear all about it in the hospital tomorrow. The main
thing is that she’s safe now and she’s awake. We’ll cross the next
bridge when we come to it.”

“Can we visit Anne in the hospital?” Florian
asked.

“You can tomorrow, but I don’t think she’ll
stay there for long. They just wanted to keep her for the night,
just in case.”

Julia exhaled
deeply before sitting back down next to Michael to eat the
res
t of her pizza, her appetite finally
returning.

Michael
slipped an arm around
her shoulders. “You
should probably walk over to the neighbors and tell Thorsten and
his mother the good news too,” he said.

Julia nodded,
feeling her cheeks flush slightly. Why did
Michael
of all people have
to be so considerate toward the boy next door? Thorsten and Michael
seemed to genuinely like each other. Suppose they became friends
–
that
would be awkward. Not to mention problematic.

She picked up
the phone lying on the table. “I’ll send him a text,” she
mumbled.
“I don’t feel like going out
anymore.”

After
din
ner, her grandmother went back to
Eichet. Tomorrow, she would join Julia for a hospital visit,
hopefully taking Anne and Ms. Gunther back home by noon. Gran had
arranged to borrow her neighbor’s car to transport
everyone.

“How about
it, Gaby-Baby?” Tamara said to her sister while they were piling up
empty plates. “Shall we head home too? I can’t
wait
to hear about the
recent developments in your love life,”

Gaby
instantly turned red. “Don’t be stupid.”

Her sister chuckled. “Oh,
come on.
I was forced to listen to you
trying to inconspicuously bring up Axel in every single
conversation we had all week. Well, guess what – now you can
be
conspicuous
about him! Isn’t it just wonderful?”

Axel popped
up behind them. “Am I hearing this right? You’ve been
gabbing on about me to your sister?” he teased
Gaby.

“Well, yeah,”
Gaby replied clumsily, blushing even redder. “You think that’s
lame?”

“No,” he
said, cracking a shy smile. “I think it’s kind of cute.”

Gaby groaned.
“I’m not
cute
, okay?” she said defiantly,
trying her best at a dark face.

Axel pulled
her into his arms. “No, of course you’re not. Sorry.”
Then he kissed her, cutting off whatever Gaby
was going to say next. She fell silent and leaned into
him.

Julia
couldn’t help but grin like an idiot at the scene
unfolding in front of her. Her best friend had
finally succumbed to True Love – she’d never seen Gaby this
lovey-dovey with anyone.

“Do you all need a ride?” Moritz inquired,
his face doubtful. “I don’t know if that’s gonna fit.”

“She’ll be sitting on Axel’s lap.” Tamara
jabbed a thumb at her sister.

Moritz started to laugh.
“Okay. That’s solved, then.” He turned to Julia.
“Hey, it’s a shame I dropped by under circumstances like
these, but thanks for the hospitality.”

One by one,
her friends left the house until Julia found herself standing in
the hallway with just Michael for company. All of a sudden, she
didn’t know what attitude to adopt. It hadn’t been part of any plan
to be alone with him in a deserted house at night – the only time
that happened before had been back at his place, that one
evening.

Abruptly, she took a step away from him.
“Would you like another drink?” she blurted out. “Or were you about
to go home, too?”

Classic –
s
he’d made it sound as if she couldn’t
wait for him to leave.
Julia cringed
inwardly.

Michael
caught her gaze. “You’re nervous,” he established calmly.
“You want me to leave?”

Gran was
right: he
really
saw more than most people. “N-no, not exactly,”
she stuttered.
“Of course you don’t have to
go.”

He stepped
closer, pulling
her into his chest. “So
you want me to stay?” he asked softly.

She bit her lip. “Not
exactly,” she whispered once more.
“Or,
maybe... gosh, I don’t know.”

He cracked a
smile and kissed her forehead. “Why don’t you just tell me what
you’re thinking?” he said seriously. “Be honest with me. Please,
Julia – it bothers me when you’re afraid to be yourself around
me.”

“I’m
not
afraid
,” she protested. “I just… I don’t want it… to go like the
first time we were alone together.” Her face flushed red when she
heard herself utter the words.

A hurt look crossed Michael’s face. “You
think I just want to stick around to have sex with you?”

Julia
stiffen
ed, shrugging noncommittally. “No.
Of course not.
But… well. It’s possible, right? I just
don’t know.
Sorry.” All her thoughts
jumbled together and she looked up at him, her eyes stinging with
sudden tears. Crap. That was the last thing she needed right now –
another bout of tears.

Shaking his
head in disbelief, Michael hugged her tight. In his arms she
couldn’t stop herself from sobbing again. At the same time, she
calmed down in his embrace. “Please don’t worry so much,” he softly
mumbled into her hair. “The only reason I
want to stay here is because I don’t want to leave you all
by yourself after a horrible day like this.
That’s
all. You can trust me.”
His last few
words sounded almost desperate.
It was obvious how
much she’d upset him.

“I know,” Julia replied
hoarsely, stroking his cheek. “I do.
I do
trust you – I know I can. It’s just so
weird
, this whole
thing.”

“Weird?” he repeated.

Her heart sped up. “Yeah.
You being so different, I mean.
The way
you look at me so differently after the accident.” At last – she’d
said what was bothering her. She was curious to hear his
reaction.

Michael nodded pensively, staring off into
the distance as if looking for the right words to say. “I
understand you,” he said at last. “Julia… I’m not the same person
anymore.”

She
pulled him into the living room, sitting him
down on the couch before taking a seat next to him.
“So why not?” she persisted.

He cleared his
throat.
“When I woke up in the woods, I
saw you. Everything around me felt so
intense
. I’ve never
experienced the world as passionately as I do now.
Colors, scents, music. Everything’s different. I can do more.
I can see more. I
sense
more.”

Julia
silently absorbed his words. Michael’s story reminded her of
a
n old movie she’d seen a few years ago,
featuring John Travolta. He’d been hit by lightning or blasted by a
UFO – she couldn’t remember what it was exactly – and this had
caused him to develop special abilities. Could it be something
similar had happened to Michael? Was that the reason his
personality had changed so much?

“You were reborn,” she whispered.

“Something like that.” He
took her hands in his.
“I know I hurt you
before, but I won’t do that again.
You couldn’t trust
him, but you
can
trust
me.”