Chapter 8:
Lilli followed Peter inside the concert hall. She could feel Mathias nudging her in a nagging way. She turned around. Mathias was glaring at her and mouthing 'tell him'.
Peter raised an eyebrow and looked at her as if saying, 'what are you waiting for?'' Lilli snapped out of her trance and ran up to join him.
They took their seats. Mathias sat behind them. Lukas was sitting with Finland, but he was going to meet up with Mathias later. Lilli scanned the place until she saw Lukas sitting in a balcony seat. And right next to him was Finland himself. She turned to Peter and pointed to where they were.
"Look there he is," she said. Peter looked up toward them and started to feel queasy. "Please let him remember me," he said. Then the concert started. People started to cheer. But Peter sat staring straight ahead. He rung her hands and fidgeted in his seat. Lilli noticed his tension, and patted his knee. "Would you relax? Its gonna be okay," she assured her.
Finally the concert ended and it was time. Lilli stood up. "Well it's time, lets go."
They walked through the crowd toward Tino and Lukas's balcony seats. Peter was all but hyperventilating. "Hey, hey, hey calm down. Deep breaths, come on," Lilli said.
Lukas met up with Mathias. "Well, I hope Finland isn't in a stubborn mood," he said.
Mathias smiled but didn't say anything. "He sure is a lot like him , I guess," Lukas continued.
"Hehe, yeah, you have no idea," he said.
Lilli and Peter were standing outside Finland's door.
"Well this is it," Lilli said. "Wait here while I talk to him. I'll give you the signal to come in."
She turned around to go in, but Peter grabbed her arm. "Lilli," he said. Lilli turned to face him. "Y-yeah?"s he asked.
Peter stared down at the ground. His cheeks were bright red. "Um, well, we-we've been through a lot together, you know, and uh.." he stuttered.
"Yeah," Lilli asked again, anxiously.
"W-well, I…I uh, wh-what I wanna say…um….th-thank you, I guess. Yeah, thank you for everything."
"Oh," Lilli said, almost disappointed. "You're, ah, welcome."
She turned around to go inside, but stopped and faced him again. "Peter, I…"
"Yes?" Peter asked, hopefully.
"Ah, well um, I.."
"Yes?"
"I want to wish ya good luck, I guess."
Before he could answer, Lilli went inside the room, unaware that the door was still open a crack. Then she saw Finland. He was in his seat, his back facing Lilli, reading some book. She took a deep breath.
"Finland, sir?"
Tino turned his head slightly before returning to his book. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"Well no, but uh," Lilli wasn't quite sure what to say. "I, uh found your son. The Micro-nation of Sealand. He's waiting outside to talk to you."
"Ugh," Finland groaned. "Thanks but no thanks. I've seen enough micro-nations of Sealand to last a lifetime." he said.
"B-but it really is him. And we came all the way from Denmark just to see you," Lilli said.
"Yeah well others have come from Timbuktu, all frauds," Finland said.
Lilli bit her lip. This wasn't going well. "But this is different. You see, I actually worked in the capital building and I'm also a country. In fact-"
"Well its not like I haven't heard that before," Tino said.
"Oh, well, uh, you're not going to believe this, you might even think it's funny, maybe, hehe," Lilli said, chuckling nervously. "But actually it's me, Liech-"
"Would you just give it a rest!" Tino yelled. "I don't care how much you trained this boy to look like him, sound like him or act like him. It's never him."
Peter had started listening through the door. Train me? What was he talking about? Lilli and Mathias weren't training him. They were just jogging him memory…weren't they?
"But this time it is him," Lilli said. "For real."
"Please, I've seen your kind before," Finland said. He still hadn't even turn around to look at him. "Con men who hold auditions to find a Sealand look-a-like."
Peter gasped. Con man? Lilli was a con man? She had been holding auditions to find a boy to be Sealand?
"But Finland, it's not that. It's not what you think."
"How much more pain do you plan on inflicting me with for money?" Finland demanded. He still didn't turn around.
Peter's felt tears forming. Money. Of course, it all made sense now. When Lilli saw how much he looked like Sealand, she told him all those lies to get him to unknowingly go along with his scam. She was just using him this whole time. Just for money.
Lilli saw Finland pick up his cell phone. "Are you calling security on me?" she asked.
"No. I already did," Finland said.
At that moment, two huge, buff guys came in and seized Lilli's arms. They lifted her and carried her out. Lilli was struggling with all her might against them.
"Hey, get your hands off of me! I'm telling you Finland, he really is Sealand. He is the micro-nation and if you'd just turn around, you would know!"
The two men threw her out. She landed right at Peter's feet. Lilli looked up to find him staring down at her, furiously. His eyes were filled with tears.
"It was all a lie wasn't it?" he asked.
"No, no," She said.
"You used me? I was just part of your con to get his money?" he asked in disbelief.
"No, er," Lilli tried to say. Peter had walked off.
Lilli went after him. "Look, it might have started out that way But it's all different now, because you really are Sealand. Really, you are."
"Oh, just stop it," Peter yelled angrily. "From the very beginning you lied. And I not only believed you, I actually...ugh!" To think I actually fell for you.
He walked faster. Lilli had to run to keep up with him.
"Peter, look, remember when you were talking about the capital building, and the door in the wall, " dhe said. "Listen to me, that was-"
"NO!"Peter interrupted. "I don't want to hear about anything I said or remembered. Just leave me alone!"
Lilli took his hand. "Peter," but that was all she managed to say before Peter turned around and stomped on her foot with all his might. "OW!" she screamed. She fell to the floor, crippled in pain. Peter disappeared in the crowd.
When she saw Finland come out, hse followed him to his car, hiding in the shadows.
Finland reached his car and climbed into the driver's seat. Once his keys were in the ignition, Lilli came out from nowhere and shoved Tino into the back seat. Then she got in, stepped on the gas and sped forward.
Tino was outraged and somewhat terrified. "What the…who the heck are you? What do you think you're doing?"
"I should think it's obvious, Finland, sir," Lilli said.
"Have you lost your MIND!," he asked. "Stopped this car, now! Stop this car!"
"No. I won't stop this car, not until you listen," Lilli said.
She drove stupidly fast, nearly dodging other cars, pedestrians, and the occasional mailbox. Finally she stopped right outside a little hotel. Their hotel. Lilli turned back to Finland.
"Up there, you see that window?" Lilli pointed. "That's room 206. Our hotel room. Sealand is up there right now and you have to talk to him. I mean just look at him."
"Just go talk to him Please. What more do I have to do to convince you?"
"Why do you keep doing this to me? Why can't you just leave me alone?" Tino asked. "You're making this pain worse. Can't you see that I've given up hope? I have to accept the fact that he's gone. Just like I've accepted long ago that it was…" Tino had to pause to take a deep breath. Lilli didn't say anything. She couldn't. "That it was my entire fault. I let him go and he fell to his death. I promised her I would protect her, and I didn't." Tino reached up to wipe tears away before they fell."And a friend of mine's heart was torn to pieces because of me. Because I failed to safe him. I have to live with that guilt for the rest of my life. And if you don't mind, I'd like to live with it in peace."
Lilli pulled out a music box from her pocket.
"Finland, you recognize this don't you?" he asked.
"Our secret…," Tino said. "Wh-where did you get this?"
Lilli avoided that question. "Look, I know it hurts, believe me. But it's just possible that he's been as lost and alone as you are."
Tino stared at the music box, and then looked up at Lilli.
"You're not going to give up, are you Liechtenstein?" he asked.
Lilli smiled. "Come on Finland, you know me better than that."
Tino took a deep breath, and turned to look up at the window of the hotel room.
