The Key (22 page)

She swallows hard.

She comes close to him, puts her hand on his forehead and allows the smoke to well out. She doesn’t even have to enter Gustaf’s consciousness. It is as if she has created a loop around the bundle of his memories and all she has to do is
pull
…

On the walls and floor of the gym, circles of light emit a ghostly glow. Ida stares in terror at Olivia, who is announcing Ida’s love for Gustaf to everyone in the hall. Flashes of lightning. Ida, dying in Gustaf’s arms. His lips against hers as he tries to blow air into her lungs.

Minoo opens her eyes and takes her hand away. Gustaf is as still as a statue. His eyes are fixed on the model of Engelsfors.

‘It was all true,’ he says in the end. ‘Everything you’ve told us is true.’

‘I’ve wanted to tell you,’ Minoo says. ‘I’ve wanted to tell you for such a long time. Rebecka, too, always wanted to tell you. But Matilda said we must not, and urged us not to trust anyone—’

Gustaf interrupts her. ‘You knew all along that she did not take her own life.’

‘Yes,’ Minoo says in a strangled voice.

‘I never want to see you again.’

He says it plainly. As if it was any ordinary sentence.

The adrenaline is rushing into her system. Her arms and hands are shaking.

‘Please,’ she says.

‘Leave, now.’

He looks at her and she knows that she truly has lost him.

She walks towards the stairs. Rickard is speaking but she doesn’t listen. She walks past him. When she opens the door to the kitchen, the first thing she sees is Vicky’s grinning face.

‘Minoo! We were beginning to wonder why Gustaf never came back from the basement,’ she begins teasingly. But her smile fades quickly. ‘Has something happened?’

Minoo doesn’t answer.

The walk back from Gustaf’s house has never felt so long. Ahead of her, the streets seem to stretch like elastic.

Halfway home, she has to stop to vomit into a lilac bush.

She feels no better afterwards.

Pain corrodes her whole being, vibrates throughout her body as she places one foot in front of the other, moving herself step by step towards home.

Lying on her bed, she allows the black smoke to swallow her up until her mind is freed and silenced; until every trace of Minoo Falk Karimi has dissolved and vanished.

A light breeze ruffles the surface of Dammsjön Lake. Linnéa sits in the shade of a tree, looking at Vanessa, who is lying on the sunny side of their blanket. She has turned onto her front to tan her back and has removed her bikini top. Linnéa studies her spine and the contours of her shoulder blades under the skin.

‘I wonder if Michelle and Evelina minded that we left so early?’ Vanessa says.

‘Don’t think so,’ Linnéa replies.

They only stayed half an hour at Mehmet’s reception. Michelle had been absorbed in cuddling his little cousins, while Evelina was being at least as cuddly with her boyfriend.

‘You must meet up with them sometime,’ Vanessa says.

‘I have met them,’ Linnéa says.

Vanessa turns her head to peer up at Linnéa. ‘I meant, like, really get to know them,’ she says. ‘They asked if we’d come with them to Olsson’s Hill tomorrow after assembly. We might hear of any end-of-term parties for later.’

‘Super,’ Linnéa says.

She is determined not to be the kind of girl who wants to be with her girlfriend 24/7 and won’t socialise. All she wishes is that she might at least look forward to going out, because if there’s one thing she’s useless at, it’s faking enthusiasm.

She reaches for the bag of pick ‘n’ mix that Vanessa had placed between them on the blanket. Most of the sweets contain gelatine, but Linnéa doesn’t want to ruin the mood by pointing it out. She roots around and finds a hard, salty liquorice bonbon. The heat has made it go sticky and she licks her fingertips after touching it.

A little further along the beach, someone is playing a song that’s tipped to be the song of the summer. Vanessa is clearly already hooked because she is moving her shoulders and humming along. Linnéa smiles. She can’t hate the song as much as it deserves, now that Vanessa likes it.

She takes another sweet from the bag and scans the people on the beach. Most of them are first and second years, trying to get the first tan of the summer while the school is shut for Graduation Day. And most of them can’t keep their eyes off Linnéa and Vanessa.

Once Vanessa told Michelle, the news spread like wildfire through the school. If Wille hasn’t heard already, he is bound to very soon. For one thing, Lucky is here, sitting some distance away with some boys from the middle school. They are passing a joint between them and Lucky, who seems well into a hash high, is ogling Linnéa and Vanessa. Linnéa waves and he looks away, embarrassed. She remembers how broken he was the night Olivia killed Jonte and wonders how he is these days.

Linnéa looks at Vanessa again. Her eyes are closed, as if she has fallen asleep. Linnéa longs to lean forward and kiss her sun-warmed neck, but doesn’t want to seem like an over-eager lapdog.

She is addicted. She wants to touch Vanessa all the time. She, who always used to roll her eyes when couples couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Now she understands them only too well. She needs to be better at hiding how obsessed she is or she might scare Vanessa away.

Linnéa’s mobile pings. She finds it in her handbag and reads Anna-Karin’s text.

‘Vanessa,’ she says. ‘I think we’d better go. Right away.’

At Minoo’s house, Linnéa barely has time to press the doorbell before Anna-Karin opens the door. Her eyes are wide and fearful.

‘Come with me,’ she says. ‘Quickly.’

Linnéa and Vanessa glance at each other before hurrying upstairs behind Anna-Karin. They almost fall over Peppar, who is on his way down.

‘We didn’t understand your text,’ Linnéa says. ‘Is Minoo ill?’

‘Something is wrong but I don’t know what,’ Anna-Karin says. ‘She was like this when I came home.’

She opens the door to Minoo’s room and they troop inside, Linnéa first.

Minoo, still in a sky-blue party dress, is lying on her back on the bed. Her eyes are open but unfocused. The mascara has run down her cheeks.

‘Do you think it could be the demons?’ Anna-Karin says. ‘Could they have taken her over somehow?’

Linnéa sits down on the edge of the bed. She concentrates on trying to reach Minoo’s thoughts. It’s like banging her head against a wall. She is positive about one thing, though. It is Minoo herself who is mounting the defence.

‘No, it’s not the demons,’ Linnéa says, and snaps her fingers in front of Minoo’s eyes.

‘Minoo! Hello!’

No reaction. She grabs Minoo by the shoulders and shakes her.

‘Hello!’

‘Be careful!’ Anna-Karin says.

Linnéa slaps Minoo’s cheek, not very hard but hard enough. Tears well up as she looks at Linnéa.

‘I’m sorry,’ Linnéa says. ‘But it was a slap or a bucket of water.’

‘Go away,’ Minoo mumbles. She curls up with her back towards Linnéa.

Does anyone have a clue what might have happened?
Linnéa thinks, looking at Anna-Karin and Vanessa.

She went to Gustaf’s reception
, Anna-Karin thinks.
That’s all I know
.

Gustaf. Did Minoo tell him how she feels but was rejected? Linnéa can’t believe that Minoo would choose to bare her soul at Gustaf’s party. Or, in fact, tell him at any time.

‘Please, Minoo, tell us what happened,’ Vanessa says in her gentlest voice.

Minoo’s back is shaking now.

‘Forgive me,’ she sobs. ‘I’ve ruined everything … I can’t … I …’

Linnéa cautiously puts her hand on her friend’s arm.

Think it instead
, she pleads.
If it’s easier that way
.

‘You’ll all hate me,’ Minoo sobs.

And then her thoughts come pouring into Linnéa’s head. Every word Minoo uttered to Rickard and Gustaf. Every secret revealed.

The look in Gustaf’s eyes when she had finished. His icy stare. His words.
I don’t ever want to see you again
.

Linnéa tries to fend off Minoo’s feelings of intense self-disgust and backs away mentally.

‘What’s the matter?’ Vanessa asks.

Linnéa feels the self-disgust – for once not her own – start to fade away.

‘She has told Gustaf and Rickard about us,’ she explains.

‘Told them what about us?’ Anna-Karin asks.

‘Everything,’ Linnéa says. ‘Absolutely everything.’

She still can’t get her head round this. Compared to the other Chosen Ones, Minoo has always been the most cautious, the most disciplined. She is the type who always thinks before she acts.

And then she goes and does this. How could Minoo ignore what the Council does to law-breakers?

‘Holy shit,’ Vanessa exclaims. ‘How did the guys take it?’

‘Gustaf hates me,’ Minoo mumbles.

‘Stay cool,’ Linnéa says, making an effort not to sound angry. ‘It’s easily fixable. You can take their memories away again.’

‘I can’t …’ Minoo is sobbing again. ‘I can’t.’

‘Minoo, listen. I know you’re desperately sad now, but think about it,’ Vanessa says, as patiently as if she were talking to Melvin. ‘It’s dangerous for them as well as for us—’

‘They deserve to know the truth,’ Minoo interrupts.

‘Don’t you remember how it felt when we were told?’ Linnéa asks. ‘Suddenly, you’re informed that magic is for real, and demons too, and that the world will be destroyed some time soon and—’

‘Of course I do!’

‘But Gustaf and Rickard don’t have anything to balance against all that,’ Linnéa continues. ‘They are not witches. They can’t do a thing. Totally powerless.’

‘He thought all along that Rebecka took her own life and that he was to blame,’ Minoo says, turning to Vanessa. ‘You were there when we gave him the truth serum. You saw how shattered he was. Because he couldn’t bear his feelings of guilt, he even let PE brainwash him for a while.’

‘Do you truly believe that telling him what really happened has made it easier for him?’ Linnéa asks. ‘I’d say not, given how he reacted.’

Vanessa gives her the evil eye but Linnéa doesn’t regret having a go. She knows she’s right.

‘So, it’s suddenly just fine to feed people lies?’ Minoo says. ‘You’re such a hypocrite!’

‘And what are you exactly? Who gave you the fucking right to make such a huge decision?’ Linnéa says harshly. ‘You might at least have talked to us first!’

‘Stop it,’ Vanessa says.

Anna-Karin backs her. ‘Yes, stop it!’

Linnéa will not let Minoo look away.

You are in love with Gustaf
, she thinks.
That is why you can’t think clearly about the situation
.

Minoo stares at her. ‘Neither of them will repeat a word of what I told them.’

‘Are you sure about that?’ Anna-Karin asks.

‘Yes, I am. For one thing, I told them about the Council. They realise what a threat it is. And, besides … don’t you understand, this is just the beginning? Remember what we talked about earlier! Everything is changing. More and more people will be affected.’

She meets Linnéa’s eyes.

‘I take responsibility for what I did. The way I see things,
everyone
ought to be informed. It would undermine the Council’s power, for one thing.’

Linnéa can’t answer. Suddenly,
she
is the cautious, conservative one.

‘I am not going to alter their memories,’ Minoo says. ‘You can’t force me.’

‘No,’ Vanessa says, glancing at Linnéa. ‘It’s a fact, we can’t.’

Minoo turns her back to them again. Suddenly, Linnéa feels a pang of conscience. What if Gustaf had been Vanessa?

I understand why you did it
, Linnéa thinks.

But she has no idea if Minoo is listening.

* * *

Anna-Karin is sitting in bed with her laptop in front of her and the headphones on. She is watching a film with a female lead who is trying to figure out who her father is before she gets married. But Anna-Karin can’t concentrate on the ins and outs of the plot.

She doesn’t quite understand how Minoo’s magic works. Clearly, Minoo can use it as a means of escape. It’s all very worrying. Anna-Karin knows from her own experience how easy it is to misuse magic and how hard it is to admit one’s dependency on it.

She shuts her eyes. Escapes in her own way.

Now, she is with the fox.

This early summer night, he is running among the tall trees. What he feels cannot be put into words. But if she were to try, his mind is urging him to
search, search, search, look, look, search, search, search
.

* * *

Minoo is standing in front of Rebecka and Elias’s graves. The stones gleam faintly in the dark. A few rows further away, there is a third source of light. Ida’s grave.

‘Minoo.’

She turns towards the voice and sees Matilda’s freckled face. Her reddish-blonde hair falls loose over her shoulders; strands are lifted by a light wind that Minoo can’t feel.

‘Everything changes,’ Matilda says. ‘And soon they will change even more.’

Minoo nods. She recognises the truth of this.

‘Have you come to show me something?’ she asks.

Matilda holds a skull in her hands and Minoo takes it from her. It is surprisingly light. She looks into the empty eye sockets.

‘Is this the stranger you told me about?’ she asks.

‘No.’

‘Does it have something to do with death?’

Matilda doesn’t reply. When Minoo looks up she sees that Matilda’s face is streaked with tears.

‘Will someone else die?’

‘There is always someone who must be sacrificed,’ Matilda says. ‘Remember that. Promise me.’

And Minoo knows that she will have forgotten this dream when she wakes up, but Matilda’s words will stay inside her and be there for her when she needs them.

A choir of monks singing in Latin, backed by a synthesiser and sexily whispering female voices, is coming from the Crystal Cave’s loudspeakers. Vanessa eyes the clock on the wall and flicks the duster. Two dolphins are tumbling in a never-ending circular movement in front of the sea horizon painted on the clock face.