"I understand," Dan said, as determined as Tom Cruise in Top Gun. Then he put on the mask.
That's right, Ice…man. I am dangerous.
"Go ahead."
Dan walked past the nurse and gave her a wink, then closed the door behind him. He approached his father in the bed carefully, while he heard sirens and bombs going off outside the window. Jets in the air circled the hospital.
Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby.
Dan approached his father, feeling his heart beat fast. This was the moment in the movie where people would be pulling out their Kleenex. This was the one for the women. A son and his father mending the broken pieces while the world outside was going to hell (but apparently had the time to wait for him to cry out his feelings); this was the time when the protagonist showed his soft side and all the women in the theater wept and thought he was handsome, even when tears rolled across his cheeks. Dan wiped his away. He wasn't so sure Tom Cruise and Bruce Willis ever cried. Dan tried hard to find something clever or cool to say. But there were no words anymore, no more lines.
Dan took a chair and sat down next to the bed. Outside the windows, people were screaming and running around like chickens in a henhouse, cars crashed into each other, and thick smoke from all the fire covered the blue fall sky.
Dan lowered his head and felt how the mask slowly was soaked with his tears, while Tom Cruise's voice spoke in the back of his head:
You don't have time to think up there. If you think, you're dead.
Chapter Thirty
Night became day, and the screaming from Edwina's room soon stopped. Ida had finally fallen asleep and, as the sun's beams hit her from the window and she opened her eyes, she realized her hands had stopped shaking as well. She undressed and took a shower, then put on some new clothes and sat on the bed, not knowing what was going to happen next. Her sleep had been short and uneasy; in her dreams she had constantly seen the woman's face, all bloody and messed up. She had been walking around in the yard next door like she used to, where Ida used to see her, hanging up her laundry to dry, speaking to herself with a low voice, shaking her head like she was angry at someone and didn't dare to tell him face to face, but was preparing, finding the courage and the words to finally confront him.
But, in the dream, she had looked like she did when Ida had seen her on the asphalt. Smeared in blood, her arm twisted, and her eyes lifeless.
Ida had never seen anyone dead before, so it wasn't that strange that she had dreamed about her; no, what was strange was that she had also seen Edwina in her dream. Edwina had been laughing behind the woman's back, pointing fingers at Ida, leaving her with a strange eerie feeling once she woke up. She couldn't stop wondering if Edwina, in any way, could have something to do with the woman's death?
No, that's stupid, superstitious, and silly, she thought to herself and dried off her hair with the towel.
Ida wondered if the man was done in Edwina's room so she could walk out there and get herself something to eat and whether she was supposed to prepare breakfast for everyone. Ida was starving, since she hadn't had anything to eat since they came home last afternoon, but it was okay, she thought. She could lose a couple of pounds, since she felt so fat. It wouldn't do her any harm to lose a little weight; maybe she would get to look like Ann in her class, who was the skinniest and most beautiful girl Ida had ever seen. Ever since she had come into Ida's class a couple of months ago (transferred from a school in Elsinore, a much bigger and trendier town than small insignificant Arnakke), Ida had wanted nothing else in life but to be like her. She was tall, probably a model, Ida thought. She was skinny and had that tanned skin from being on vacation in Southern France for the summer with her family, that Ida imagined had to be just as beautiful as her. Ida had looked at lot in the mirror lately and realized she looked nothing like Ann, much to her regret. That was when she had decided to change herself.
Ida walked to the door and listened, but all was silent. She breathed in and enjoyed the quietness for once.
Then she reached out for the handle and opened the door carefully, not to make a sound. It was just as quiet in the hallway and Ida dared to walk further out and into the kitchen. No one was there, not even Marie-Therese. There were coffee cups on the table, but nothing else. Ida walked into the hallway again and into the living room, hoping to at least find Marie-Therese in there sleeping in front of the TV as she usually did, but no one was there either. Ida felt a pinch in her heart, wondering if Marie-Therese had left her. Had she finally gotten enough of them all and just left? Ida looked at the clock. It was late. It was almost ten. She was too late for school! Marie-Therese never let her miss school. Why didn't she wake her up in time for school like she always did? Did something happen to her? Had something happened to…oh, my God, Sebastian!
Ida turned and ran to his room. She opened the door and gasped. His bed was empty. Ida felt the room spin and wondered if she was going mad or if it was just the hunger and thirst she felt like sand in her throat. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she searched his small room, even looked in the closet and in the bathroom. But he wasn't there. He was gone. She felt the panic grasp her and had to hold on to the dresser next to her. Maybe it was just the hunger, she thought. After all, she had barely eaten anything all day yesterday in order to lose a little weight. Before she could figure out where everyone had gone off to without her—have they just left me? she had to get something to eat. She couldn't think straight if she didn't get something to eat soon, she thought, and stumbled into the kitchen while the world around her seemed to be spinning faster and faster. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out some orange juice and poured herself half a glass. She drank it greedily and the spinning seemed to slow down after that. She noticed Sebastian's backpack was gone and realized he was probably in school. But who had taken him to the bus? Who had given him breakfast? Ida sighed while thinking that he probably just went without any food. That would be so like him. The thought of Sebastian being safe in school calmed her down a little. She had just overslept, that was all. She poured herself another glass, but the carton was almost empty, and there was only enough to fill up the bottom of the glass.
The thirst seemed to want more than that and she decided to go down to the basement and get another carton from the shelves, where Marie-Therese kept her stock. As she passed Edwina's door, she put her ear to it and listened. Not a sound came from in there either. Ida wondered for a few seconds if she should open the door and see if Edwina had left the house too, but realized she didn't want to know. Then she walked towards the door to the basement and went down the stairs, hurrying, since she was already very late and didn't want to miss any more of her classes.
Chapter Thirty-One
She picked a package of After Eight mint chocolates from the shelf, while Mrs. Hansen stared at her from the counter. Marie-Therese always felt like the woman was following her every move. She put the chocolate in the basket and found a bucket of ice-cream in the freezer. It was all meant for Ida. Marie-Therese wanted to treat her with something special today, give her a treat and the day off. That was why she hadn't woken her up this morning in time for school. Once the Priest had left the house, letting Marie-Therese know that Edwina was pacified for now, asleep in her bed, and that he would be back later that same night, she had walked into Sebastian's room, gotten him out of bed, made him breakfast, and helped him get on the bus. It was a gesture that she had never done, not even once. Now she suddenly regretted not having been there more for her kids. Her kids, yes that sounded good, didn't it? That's what they were. They were her kids. She had taken them in, and now Marie-Therese decided to be the mother she was supposed to be and not just let Ida do all the work. It was about time, most people would probably say, even Marie-Therese herself. Being awake all night listening to the Priest trying to drive the demon out of Edwina, she’d had some sort of epiphany. Marie-Therese had realized how thankful she should be that Sebastian and Ida were so well behaved, and espe
cially Ida needed to be shown some appreciation for all the work she had put in; hell, she practically ran the house. Only twelve years old, and she had taken care of almost everything. It was time for her to be a child again while she still had the chance; in a few years her innocence would be gone and there would be no more chances to just be a kid. So Marie-Therese had given her the day off from school and from homework; she had let her sleep in late, and now she was going to treat her with ice-cream and her favorite chocolate. She was even going to rent a movie for them to watch together, maybe that Top Gun again, she thought, and daydreamed for a few seconds about the hot Tom Cruise.
No, Ida liked fantasy books; Lord knew she read them constantly and lived in a little imaginary world of her own. She would like to watch something else. Maybe that Edward Scissorhands with that new young guy, what was his name, Depp, Johnny Depp, that Marie-Therese had read about in the paper. Was it too scary for Ida? No, probably not. It would do.
No scarier than what she had to listen to all night.
Marie-Therese put her groceries on the counter and Mrs. Hansen tapped on the cash-register.
"So, how are things?" she asked.
"Great. Great." Marie-Therese knew she was a terrible liar and tried to add a smile to her lie.
Mrs. Hansen didn't buy it. "So, will we see you at church on Sunday?" she asked.
"I…well…maybe," she said and smiled again.
"Terrible thing with your neighbor, huh?" she asked.
Marie-Therese was relieved that she had changed the focus of the conversation. "Yes, isn't it horrible?"
Mrs. Hansen looked to the sides, like she wanted to make sure no one was listening, even though the entire store was empty except for the two of them. Here it comes, Marie-Therese thought, and just hoped it wasn't about someone she knew well.
"I heard it was that new guy. You know the young couple that just moved in next to you?"
Marie-Therese nodded. "Yes. I knew someone had moved in, but haven't met them yet."
"It was him. He drove the car that smashed into poor Minna," Mrs. Hansen said. "Poor Thomas and their son. Now they're all alone. And Thomas has gotten sick again. The fever is back; at least that's what I have heard."
"That's terrible. Those people have been really hit the last couple of weeks," Marie-Therese said with a sigh.
"He was drinking, you know," Mrs. Hansen continued.
"Who was drinking?" Marie-Therese asked distractedly, thinking she just hoped that no one would think it had anything to do with her or with the fact that all the accidents started happening after Edwina moved in.
"The young man. He came in here earlier in the day, at ten o'clock, and asked where he could buy a beer. I told him to go to Mona's, where I knew Bjorn and Ole would be hanging out at that time of day as well. It must have been on his way back that he hit her with the car. At least, that's what I figured. Now he is in the hospital as well, fighting for his life, and she is sitting by his side."
Marie-Therese took her bags of grocery down from the counter and began to walk towards the door.
"Such a misfortune to both families," Mrs. Hansen said from behind, while shaking her head. "Seems like you're surrounded by tragedies these days, huh?"
Chapter Thirty-Two
Ida flipped the light switch and a bright light from under the ceiling came on. Ida shivered slightly. It was cold in the basement and so dark. She always imagined monsters living in the back, behind the blue door (that was made extra thick as a fire-prevention by the previous owners of the house, after they had a fire start in there from a can of linseed oil that had self-ignited one night and started a fire that soon spread to the rest of the house), leading to the back room where nobody ever went, not even Marie-Therese, not since she said she heard strange noises coming from in there and told Ida to stay out of there as well. What she didn't know was that that only triggered Ida's wild imagination and curiosity.
Ida trembled—a little in fear and a little with delight at the thought of what could be hiding in there—and walked past the blue door towards the shelves by the wall. She wondered again about Sebastian and if he was alright on his own in school without food. The juice-cartons were all put on the top shelf, where Ida couldn't reach them. She stretched as far as she could, but still couldn't get one down. The thirst was killing her. Ida stretched again, but still couldn't reach. She looked around to find something to stand on and spotted a box in the corner that seemed to be stable enough to hold her. She walked past the blue door once again and bent down to start pushing the box across the floor. When she was halfway there, she passed the blue door again, and this time she stopped and stared at it. A cry escaped Ida's throat when she realized it wasn't closed anymore. The door was ajar. She gasped and let go of the box, forgetting all about juice and her mouth dry with thirst. She walked closer, her eyes widening, her hand held out in front of her ready to grab the handle and push it all the way open. Her heart was beating hard in her chest and she was breathing rapidly as she came closer to the door. Then she heard a sound from behind it and she stopped with a small shriek. There was definitely something in there, she thought, and listened. A scraping sound came from behind the door. Scratching, like someone, or something, wanted to get out, out to her.
Ida imagined it was the unicorn from her dreams scraping its horn on the back of the door, trying to come out, trying to get her attention and have her open the door so it could regain its freedom. But what was it doing down here?
No, you have to keep both feet on the ground.
She heard her teacher's voice in the back of her head and remembered. It was just her imagination. It was all her way of escaping reality; that's all it was. She couldn't let this happen again. It wasn't good for her when she lost touch with reality and went into the world of her own, the world she created. That's what they all told her again and again. She needed to stay in reality and not go off, not lose her foothold.
But what if it is the unicorn? If you don't look, you'll never know, will you? You'll keep wondering if it was really him, won't you?
Ida nodded. She had to find out. She had to see for herself that the unicorn wasn't really there. Another scraping sound drew her closer to the door. She held her breath as she gently pushed the door open. Nothing but darkness greeted her. Ida breathed again. She drew in a sigh of disappointment. It had just been her imagination once again running wild. But, what was that? There was a set of eyes in the darkness, wasn't there? Ida lit up and walked closer. A small set of eyes was staring back at her in the blackness. Could it be? Was it really?
"Is it you?" she whispered, and stepped even closer.
The eyes blinked and moved. "Yes, yes. Oh, God, it's true then." Ida slapped a hand across her mouth in wonder. Finally, finally she could prove to the world that she wasn't crazy; she wasn't losing touch with reality, since this was real. It was real. Exodor, as she had named him, was really there. Ida smiled and walked closer, walked into the darkness of the room, not thinking about how deep in she went. She didn't think about juice, or Sebastian, or even school. All she could think about was the unicorn, her friend Exodor, who had helped her so many times through hardship, who had always shown up to help her when she needed him. She recalled the many times he had shown up at night and taken her away when her father had beaten her mother in the living room while Ida was sleeping in her bed. He had taken her to distant places, distant worlds, where magic lived and where there was no danger. Ida had known him all of her life, but no one ever believed that he was real. Not her teachers or her doctor or that stupid children's psychiatrist who had only wanted to give Ida pills to make her not lose touch with reality, as she put it. But Ida knew he was real; she just knew he kept an eye on her. He had been protecting her all of her life. He was the reason why she hadn't lost touch with reality. He was the reason why she hadn't jumped out in front of that train on that day when she was about to. He had stopped her. She owed everything to him. Without him she would be dead or crazy. But how d
o you explain that to a doctor who has never flown on the back of a dragon or a unicorn? You just can't, now can you? Ida had tried to explain it to the stupid psychiatrist, who claimed she wanted to help her once she had been removed from her parents. They all wanted to help her, they said. So Ida had told her about Exodor, but once she saw the expression on the psychiatrist's thin face, she knew it was wrong; she should never have told her. That was when they began talking about medicine, about medicating her to make her stop escaping reality. Why on earth they wanted her to stop escaping from what was hurting her, she didn't understand. But ever since then, she had kept her friend a secret, and it had been so long since she had last seen him that she was afraid he had forgotten about her. On her worst days, she was afraid those doctors had been right, that he wasn't real. But he was. To her he was as real as anything else in this world.
"Don't be scared," she whispered to the eyes that seemed to back up as she walked closer and closer, holding out her hand towards it, hoping to stroke its muzzle.
"It's just me, Ida."
The glassy eyes stared back at her through the darkness of the room. Suddenly, they seemed not as friendly as Ida had first thought. Ida stopped as she stepped on something. It was cracking under her bare feet. Something was tickling her, touching her feet. The eyes were staring at her, but suddenly they seemed to belong to an animal not much bigger than a cat. Was it just a cat? Ida thought, and bent down towards it. As soon as it jumped her and its teeth penetrated her lip, Ida realized that this was no cat; this was a rat as big as a cat and she was standing in its nest.
Ida screamed and moved her hand to knock the big rat off of her face. She succeeded, but only to realize that more were coming at her now. Another jumped her thigh, while she tasted her own blood running from the wound on her lip. It hurt so badly. Ida tried to knock off the rat that was biting her thigh, gnawing its way through her flesh. She screamed and screamed as more rats started biting her bare leg, and she felt lumps of flesh being ripped from her leg.