Boy from the Woods (9781311684776)

  The Boy From the Woods

  Jen Minkman

  © 2013 Jen Minkman

  Smashwords Edition

  Front cover photo by Ilya Terentyev

  Cover design by Jen Minkman

  This book is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without the prior permission of the author.

  Mein Ruf ist dünn und leicht,

  verschleiert und fast schüchtern.

  Spürst du mich?

  Ich berühre das Gold

  der Dämmerung des Lebens.

  Ich bin der Engel der dich trägt.

  Du bist mein Kind, mein Stern

  Meine Sonne, Meine Liebe

  Ich sehe durch dich;

  Spürst du mich?

  (German original poem used as lyrics for the song in this book)

  Jen Minkman, 2009

  1.

  Flashing disco lights lit up a sea of faces and clusters of bodies in motion. The air in the school hall was vibrant with the booming pulse of trance music blasting from the speakers. At eleven o’clock at night, the temperature inside the building was stifling, despite the late hour and the open windows.

  Julia Kandolf stood at the edge of the dance floor, her eyes scanning the crowd writhing to the beat. She couldn’t find her friends. Where had Gaby run off to? And where was Axel?

  “Hey, Julia.” The voice startled her. She knew who it belonged to.

  Julia’s heart sped up as she turned around, her gaze settling on the boy behind her. Michael. His trademark cheeky smile made her blink shyly at him.

  “That’s a really nice dress you’re wearing,” he continued when she didn’t respond and just kept staring at him, mouth slightly agape. He gestured at the medieval costume she’d rented for the party.

  Julia swallowed, her mouth turning dry with nerves. “Your costume is really cool, too,” she finally responded, letting her gaze trail down his body. He was immaculately clad in a sexy Napoleon outfit.

  “Wanna dance?” He put down his glass of beer on a table and extended his hand courteously.

  “Y-yes, of course!” she stammered, her stomach giving a lurch. Together, they made their way through the throng of party-goers. From the corner of her eye, Julia finally spotted Gaby on the other side of the hall, giving her an encouraging nod and a thumbs-up before taking out her plastic vampire teeth in order to gobble down some crackers from the snack table. Julia giggled nervously and followed Michael as he pulled her onto the dance floor.

  “Weird, huh? Our senior year finally ending.” He looked at her pensively. “I mean, we’ve spent, like, an entire era at this school. We grew up here. And now we’re here, celebrating our graduation.” Julia felt his arms around her waist and his hand on her lower back as he pulled her a bit closer.

  “Uhm, yeah.” A blush crept up her face. “It’s really great everyone passed their exams, but now we’ll all go to different universities. That’s sort of sad, you know. We might never see each other again.”

  “Well, never say never,” Michael commented breezily. “Don’t forget those wonderful reunions they always organize here.”

  “Yeah. I guess you’re right.” Julia looked up at him, biting her lip. “I wouldn’t mind seeing you again sooner, though,” she whispered almost inaudibly.

  Oh, crap. Had she just said that out loud? Or as loud as she’d dared, anyway. She looked at him insecurely, registering the look of surprise on his face.

  “Me?” he asked, clasping her hand more tightly. “Why?”

  She gulped down the lump in her throat. Her heart was hammering like crazy, despite Gaby’s pep talk and the three glasses of wine she’d downed earlier that night.

  “I, uhm...” she started out, her voice faltering. In the dimly-lit room, she saw a smile tugging at Michael’s lips. That all-too-familiar, teasing, somewhat mocking smile that had made her shy in his presence for the past two years – that had followed her in her dreams, even. He lowered his face closer to hers.

  “I get what you mean. I don’t want to let you out of my sight tonight, either,” he mumbled, his hand trailing up her arm, caressing the sensitive skin of her neck.

  Julia stopped breathing altogether when he came even closer and pressed his lips to hers seductively. His arms pulled her upper body against his chest. He leaned in and kissed her again, more deeply this time.

  She couldn’t believe this was for real. He was kissing her. He was really kissing her! This was not a daydream – Michael was holding her in his arms.

  Julia melted into him. When he let go of her at last and asked her if she wanted another drink, she was shivering with sheer excitement. Sporting a jubilant smile, she stayed put at the edge of the dance floor, scanning the multitude for Gaby. Her best friend waved at her from the other side of the room and was now giving her two thumbs-up. Julia’s face split into an even stupider grin.

  By the time Michael returned with a beer in each hand, her heartbeat had slowed down to an acceptable rate again. It made her hand steady enough to quickly save her number to his contacts when he handed over his Blackberry.

  2.

  Sunlight and green leaves.

  Those were the first things she saw when she opened her eyes and peered at the sky above through squinted eyelids.

  Julia held still, acutely aware of everything around her – rustling leaves, the fat trunk of the tree against her back. The oak felt steady, reliable, and supportive, the century-old life force in the trunk like an extension of the energy running through her own spinal cord. She was part of something bigger – a dream encompassing the entire forest spreading out around her.

  Every once in a while, she felt the strong urge to come here to rest – or ‘meditate’, as her mom playfully called it. Julia loved venturing out into the woods bordering on the small Salzburg suburb where she lived. People called her loopy for it, but so what? This spot under the ancient oak tree had become her solitary hang-out, the oak being a true friend whenever she felt down and out.

  This was the place she’d come to when her grandpa had passed away. This was where she’d broken down into tears when her parents had announced their divorce and her dad had told her he was moving away to Innsbruck. But this was also the place she went to when she wanted to write poems or write lyrics or sing out loud without being disturbed – or to daydream about the boy who had stolen her heart two years ago, never giving it back.

  Julia opened her eyes wider and let out a heavy sigh. This time, the peaceful atmosphere in the forest wasn’t enough to calm her down. She was waiting for something.

  She paused for a few more beats, then sat up and grabbed her bag. Her heart started to pound as she fumbled around in the front pocket of her messenger bag to fish out her phone.

  Nothing. No new messages.

  With a tortured sigh, she slumped back against the tree, her mind lingering on the boy she couldn’t get out of her head. Michael Kolbe’s handsome face. His radiant, green eyes. The teasing smile on his lips. His lips on her trembling mouth.

  She gulped for breath when her phone abruptly came to life in her hand. ‘Gaby’ flashed across the display, the phone blaring out a ‘Friday I’m In Love’ ringtone by The Cure. The forest seemed to jolt awake too, a bird overhead flying off shrieking indignantly.

  Julia couldn’t help laughing, following the bird in flight with her eyes. “Hiya, Gab,” she answered the phone cheerfully.

  “Hey! Where are you at?” her best friend said. “I called you at home, but your mom said you weren’t in.”

  “Oh, I’m in the forest.”

  “A
h! Getting all cuddly with Mr. Oak, huh?” Gaby knew her too well. Ever since they’d learned the word treehugger in English class last year, she’d been teasing Julia with her ‘unhealthy oak fascination’ – Gaby’s words, not hers.

  “Aren’t you the psychic,” Julia retorted with a grin. “And no, we haven’t hugged today yet. I’d rather wait for one of Michael’s hugs – if he’s ever going to reply to my messages, that is.” She cringed, recoiling from the bitter tone in her own voice.

  Gaby exhaled on the other end of the line. “Why don’t you come to town? You won’t cheer yourself up sitting around talking to trees and feeling sorry for yourself because Asshole Kolbe hasn’t been as communicative as you’d hoped for. I’ll see you in a half hour at Mozartplatz, okay?”

  “A half hour – are you crazy? I’ll have to run like the wind to catch the next bus!”

  “You aced Phys Ed this year,” Gaby said relentlessly. “You’ll manage. And if you get here on time, I’ll buy the two of us Sachertorte from Tomaselli’s. The carbs will brighten your day.”

  “All right, okay,” Julia caved. “I’ll see you soon.” She clicked off and turned around to hug the tree behind her for a second, despite her words to Gaby. She couldn’t leave without doing this. It was her ritual. “Thanks for your support,” she whispered against the bark, pressing a light kiss to the gnarled skin of the oak.

  Her hair was dancing in the wind as she broke out of the tree line, hitching the strap of her bag onto one shoulder and sprinting to the bus stop. The doors were just closing.

  “Grüss Gott,” Julia hiccupped breathlessly as she held the door and yanked it open again. Stepping inside, she flashed her travel card to the driver and made her way to the back seat of the bus – her usual spot. Once the suburb of Birkensiedlung had disappeared from view, she dug up her MP3 player to listen to some Enya. Maybe that would help her relax.

  After a few minutes of staring out the window, Julia realized she had once again pulled her cell phone from her bag, her thumb tentatively stroking the keyboard. Of course, there was no harm in sending Michael a text message, but she’d already sent him one two days ago. And three days ago. And a week ago.

  She was such a loser. Why couldn’t she have waited more patiently? Suppose he was out of town and he’d forgotten to bring his cell phone. Maybe he’d turned it off, or maybe he’d lost his charger. If he ever got round to switching his phone on again, he’d immediately find out that she was Obsessive Stalker Girl.

  She frowned and put the phone away again, leaning back in her seat. Gaby’s Asshole Kolbe remark had made her restless. Of course, her best friend called everyone names constantly. She was probably just kidding, but then again... she had kind of made it sound like Michael was playing her.

  Why was she even listening to Gaby? Her friend didn’t know. And shame on her, Julia, for not having more confidence in the boy who’d stolen her heart – Michael, whose kisses tasted of passion and fire. Michael, who had whispered to her how beautiful she was, as he lay her down on his bed.

  She closed her eyes and bit her lip, feeling her face flood with color. Okay… maybe she should leave out a few details when she talked to Gaby. It all felt too special to divulge everything. Too precious.

  Meanwhile, the bus was driving along the river Salzach, pulling over at the bus stop near the bridge leading to the Old Town. The river was low – June had been an unusually dry month in Austria.

  While ‘The Memory of Trees’ started to trickle through her earbuds, Julia got off the bus and crossed the river. It didn’t take her long, and she got to Mozartplatz by the time she’d agreed to meet up with Gaby. Her gaze swept the square, but she didn’t see her friend anywhere. However, she did spot another familiar face – her cousin Axel was just exiting the bookstore on the corner, carrying a plastic bag crammed full of books.

  “Ax!” she yelled, waving at him to get his attention.

  “Hey, Julia!” He sauntered toward her, his blond curls dancing in the breeze. “How’s life?”

  “Full of surprises, apparently. What are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to fly out to London last night?”

  “I was,” Axel replied with a long face, pushing up the glasses sliding down his nose. “But Florian has a bad case of stomach flu, so we postponed our trip. Uncle Helmut bought our tickets and took aunt Verena on a short city break.”

  “Poor Florian.”

  “And poor me, too. I was literally storing my bag in the overhead compartment already when he suddenly called off, the miscreant.”

  “Yeah, I bet he was hoping for a miraculous recovery. Our eternal optimist.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Ha. I’d call that naive.”

  Julia chuckled. “Sure. So what should we call you – an optimist with life experience?”

  “Ouch, Jules. You want me to run away bawling?” Axel grinned. “Sarcasm bites, you know.”

  “Sorry. Why don’t you drop by O’Malley’s tonight? I might be easier to talk to with a drink in my hand.”

  Axel smiled. “I’ll even buy you one. See you at ten?”

  At that moment, a voice rang out from across the square. “Jules! Hi!” A disheveled Gaby was racing toward them, her dyed-black hair all tangled up and her eyeliner even more smudged than usual. She reached them and extended a purple nail-polished hand to Axel. “Hey there, Axe Effect.”

  “Hey yourself, Gaby Gloom,” he shot back. “Been crying again? Your make-up is all over your cheeks, you know.”

  “Meh. That joke’s getting old. But you’re right this time. I’ve really been crying. I just had a hotdog with hot curry sauce and it was a bit too spicy for my taste.”

  “You went and got food?” Julia asked in dismay. “I thought you wanted to go for pastries at Tomaselli’s!”

  “Yeah, don’t your parents feed you at home?” Axel chimed in.

  “I’m having my period.” Gaby glowered at him.

  “Okay, I’m not here,” Axel decided, backing away. “See you tonight!” he told Julia before rushing off.

  “That cousin of yours is peculiar,” Gaby concluded, staring at his retreating figure. “But funny.” She threw Julia her widest smile. “Sorry I’m late. I’ll buy you two pastries to make up for it.”

  “Thanks! I’d love that. I sort of forgot to have lunch, actually.”

  The two girls entered Tomaselli’s and made a beeline for a table at the window. Julia dug up her cell phone and glanced at the display for the umpteenth time that day. Still nothing.

  “So tell me – what happened after the graduation party?” Gaby asked, catching Julia sneaking a look at her phone. She patted her friend’s hand over the table. “I want to know everything.”

  Julia bit her lip. Gaby had left for a city-trip to Paris with her parents and sister after graduation, so her best friend wasn’t up-to-date with all of her woes and worries.

  Everything had started at prom – the Masked Ball graduation party that she’d been agonizing over for months. She’d reserved a gorgeous medieval gown at a rental store weeks beforehand, so she could make an indelible impression on Michael with her appearance in costume. It had been the perfect opportunity to catch his eye at last, erasing her previous two years of invisibility. After summer, he would move to Graz to go to college, and she’d probably never see him again. The party had been her last chance.

  It had been a huge relief when Michael showed up stag that evening. And the things that had happened between them had been on her mind ever since.

  Gaby practically drooled over her cake when Julia told her all about Michael asking her to dance. “Yeah, I know, right?! I saw you two. When he started kissing you, I guessed it was time to leave you guys alone and play vampire somewhere else.”

  “Thanks.” Julia smiled weakly, prodding her cake with a pastry fork.

  “Anyway… So, once you saved your number to his contacts…” Gaby prompted her to go on. “What happened after that?”

  “Well, we spent the rest of the ev
ening together. He kissed me one last time under the stars in the school yard before I caught the bus home. The day after, he called me and invited me over for dinner and a movie.”

  Julia slowly turned red when Gaby looked at her inquisitively. “Hmm. Were his parents around?” her friend whispered.

  Michael came from a wealthy family. His parents spent more time at work than at home. “No,” she muttered back.

  Gaby fell silent for a moment. “Aha.” She cocked her head with a small smile, staring at her friend expectantly.

  Julia bit her lip, her face flaming. “It was so wonderful when it happened,” she whispered, staring at her hands. “So beautiful. It was how I’d always imagined it.”

  When she looked back up, tears were pooling in her eyes.

  “So why are you crying?” Gaby said in shock. “Darling, what happened?”

  “Nothing.” Julia sniffed desolately. “That’s the thing. We said goodbye the morning after, and he said we’d talk soon.”

  “And you didn’t hear back from him at all after that?”

  Julia shook her head.

  “Well, what did you tell him that evening?”

  “Just… how I felt about him. What I’d been feeling for him for the past two years. How special he was to me. How I’d wanted to tell him I was in love with him before he moved away.”

  “And what did he say to that?”

  Julia paused for a minute, looking at Gaby with growing doubt. “He said… he never noticed that I liked him so much. That I should have told him before – I had no reason to be so shy and insecure, because I was a beautiful girl,” she haltingly repeated his words.

  He’d caressed her everywhere, slowly undressing her in the dreamy candlelight of his bedroom. And yet, the same candle flames had also turned the two of them into erratic, unpredictable shadows on the wall.