Have you seen Helga, or heard from her? - Lila
Arnold frowned, confused with the question. Why would Lila be looking for Helga?
Nope. Tried Torvald?
He put his phone down and went and had a shower. He had eaten way too much last night. It was the first time a whole day went by without one text from Annie, but he knew that was only because she wasn't allowed to use the internet or have her phone on "family days". No doubt it would start up again today. He left the shower reluctantly, due to the knocking on the bathroom door. When he got to his room and heard his phone vibrate he picked it up, and felt unnerved. Three more texts. One from Lila, one from Gerald and on from Phoebe.
"Arnold?" he heard his grandfather call, knocking on his bedroom door.
"Just a minute," he called out, quickly throwing on a pair of boxers, shorts and a shirt. He opened the text from Lila, but didn't look at it straight away. Opening the door he saw his grandpa looking at him, concern etched on his face.
"Mr. Sawyer was just on the phone asking if you had heard from Helga," he told him. "Apparently her sister, Olga passed away, and Helga has disappeared."
"Olga died?" Arnold asked, shocked. "How?"
"He didn't say, and I didn't ask," Phil said to him. "So you haven't heard from her?"
Arnold looked down at the message from Lila.
Torvald isn't in town - Lila
Arnold frowned and looked at the other messages. They were also asking him if he had seen Helga or heard from her. He shook his head.
"No, and I don't think I'd be someone she would come too," he said sadly. Everyone he had grown up with still came to him. Except Helga.
"Well, if you do hear from her, or see her, or even maybe know where she could be-"
Arnold switched off. He had an idea . . .
"I'm gonna go for a walk, Grandpa," he said suddenly, grabbing his jacket and rushing past him and down the stairs. Getting his boots on he was out the door, slamming it closed behind him, and off down the street to the bus stop. There was one due in a couple minutes. He waited anxiously, stomping his feet. It was cold. There had been no fresh snow fall since the other day, so it was just wet. Everywhere. Though he noted that some shallow puddles looked to be freezing over.
After what felt like an eternity the bus rolled up. Hoping on he swiped his card and took a seat. He pulled out his phone and text Helga. He wasn't surprised not to get an answer. He sat back and watched the scenery go by. When it came to his stop he hopped off again, swiping his card and calling out a thanks to the driver. He waited til the bus was gone before making his way across the road to the warfs.
Wandering around he looked until he saw her standing at the end of one of them, hair loose and blowing in the wind behind her. He picked up the pace and started to jog towards her. He slowed to a walk when he got closer, not wanting to spook her if she was thinking of throwing herself in. As he did he could hear she was crying. Reaching out he wrapped a hand around her arm and tugged her back a bit.
"Helga?" he asked quietly. "Are you okay? Everyone is worried about you."
Helga just shook her head.
"He's not here," she said.
"Who? Torvald?" he asked. She nodded. "He would be if he could."
"I know," she said, wiping her face. "I just wish he was."
Arnold felt hopeless, a feeling he wasn't used to. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug, and she hugged him back.
"Come on," he said quietly. "Let's get you home."
...
...
On the way home Arnold text Lila, Gerald and Phoebe to tell them that Helga was with him, and he'd explain later. Helga was quiet the whole trip just looking out the window. When they arrived at the Pataki household, Lila was the one who opened the door. Her face was tear-stained, and eyes red-rimmed from crying.
"Oh, Helga!" she cried out, wrapping her arms around her. Arnold stood back and watched in quiet amazement as Helga hugged Lila back. Lila looked at a cold, jacketless Arnold. "Daddy made hot chocolate. Do you want to come in?"
"Sure, if that's okay?" he said, stepping in. He watched as Helga stripped off his jacket and hung it up, and then walked into the kitchen, head down. He turned to Lila.
"What happened?" he whispered.
"Olga passed away last night," she said, her voice catching. "Helga took the phone call this morning. I didn't even know she had gotten up. Dad hadn't told Mr. and Mrs. Pataki yet about Helga taking off."
There was knocking on the door again, and Arnold turned to open it and found Gerald and Phoebe standing there.
"Where's Helga?" she demanded, pushing past everyone and hading straight for her. "Oh, Helga, I'm so sorry!"
Gerald stood back as his girlfriend hugged Helga and burst into tears.
"I'll get some more hot chocolate shall I?" Mr. Sawyer asked. Lila nodded, and followed Phoebe and Helga into the kitchen, the boys trailing behind her. "The Pataki's will be home in a while. They have some paperwork to do at the hospital. It might be best if everyone heads home after this."
Everyone nodded in understanding.
"Has anyone told Torvald?" Helga asked. "I didn't take my phone with me. I haven't told him yet."
Arnold felt a pang at that. No one had.
"Okay, I'll text him after then," she said, picking up her cup and taking a sip.
Everyone else drank their drinks in silence, no one really knowing what to say. When it was finished, Mr. Sawyer took them to the sink ans washed them, then dried them and put them away.
"I think it's time you all headed home, kids," he told the group. As they were walking away from the house they saw the Pataki's vechile pulling up. Big Bob wasn't looking so big. And Miriam looked like she was going to break. They watched as Mr. Pataki opened her door, and then lifted her out, and carried her up the stairs and into the house.
"Man, that is so sad," Gerald said, shaking his head. "I don't think there could be a worse feeling than your child dying before you."
"Agreed," Arnold said, turning and walking away again.
"Poor Helga," Phoebe said, wrapping her arms around Gerald's waist. She was so much short than he was. "It's going to be intolerable there."
Gerald and Arnold looked at each other in silent agreement, but didn't say anything.
...
...
"They're having the funeral on Saturday at ten," Phoebe said, coming up to Arnold.
"Who's funeral?" Annie asked, coming up behind him. "Who died?"
"Helga's sister, Olga," Arnold said, closing his locker.
"Oh, that would explain why she isn't here, then," Annie stated, looking back over her shoulder. "Arnold, do you want to go to a movie or something?"
"No," he said shortly, walking away.
If Annie and her friends hadn't tried so hard to make her life a nightmare, she'd feel bad for the girl. She looked like she would burst into tears. But then she turned to look at Phoebe, and it went from watery to icy-glare.
"What are you looking at?" she demanded, her voice giving away just how hurt she was by Arnold's rejection. Then she turned around and stormed away.
Phoebe shook her head and turned and walked to class. She had more important things to think and worry about than Annie. She looked up and saw Lila trudging slowly through the hallway. She looked tired. Phoebe gave her a small smile and wave. Lila smiled and waved back as she passed by, but didn't say anything. Helga was absent.
By lunchtime everyone who knew Helga knew that her sister had died. People kept asking Phoebe what happened.
"Aneurysm," she answered. And she wasn't lying. It had been what had killed Olga in the end. In a way it was a blessing, is apparently what Helga's parents had been told. It had taken her parents that much longer to get home because Bob assaulted the specialist who said that to him. He was getting let off the charge, but only because the hospital didn't want a formal complaint.
Helga came back to school on Thursday. She kept her head down, and did her work, trying to ignore all the sympathetic looks she was getting from some students and her teachers. She hated having so much attention on her. She sat there, hoping something insane would happen that would take the spotlight off her.
Lucky for her it came on the Friday.
Carrie lost her captaincy by a majority vote. Coach Wittenberg didn't go against the votes. Out of the group only Annie and another member had voted to keep her as Captain. In a fit of rage Carrie screamed that she "Quits!"
Torvald was the one to tell her. He and some of the other sports groups had witnessed the whole thing.
"Worst part for her though, was that she looked at Annie and Corina to back her up and quit with her, but they didn't," he told her.
"Ouch," Helga said. "That would have sucked."
Torvald frowned. Helga had understandably been very down. He had hoped to bring a smile to her face at least.
"Should you really be back at school?" he asked her. School was over for the day, Olga's funeral was tomorrow. She had gone out and was having a burger with Torvald.
"What else would I be doing with myself?" she asked. "Moping around the house? No thanks, Miriam and Bob have that covered."
He wrapped his big arms around her, and Helga melted into him. She listened to his heart beat in his chest. He was so warm, and strong, and she felt safe. Like nothing could get her.
Except a deep, aching sorrow.
"Come on," he said, standing up. "Let's go."
"Go where?" she asked, standing up and letting him take her hand.
"I don't know, anywhere."
...
...
Torvald had the music in his car blasting so loud it almost completely drowned out Helga's thoughts. Listening to the metal did make her start to feel better though. Eventually he pulled into a carpark and stopped.
"Where are we?" she asked, never having been here before.
"You'll see," he said, giving her a wink. "Oh, and if anyone asks, you eighteen. You just left your i.d at home okay?"
Helga's heart beat faster and harder. But she got out and followed him anyway. She could hear music coming from the building.
"Hey, man," Torvald called out to a guy.
"Hey, long time no see," the guy answered, clasping Torvald's hand. "Where you been?"
"Lady friend," he told the guy with a laugh, wrapping an arm around Helga's shoulders and pulling her into him.
"No way, you got a girlfriend?" the guy asked. "But you said girls were too expensive to bother with!"
"Not this one," he said. "She's fantastic. Plays games with you, drink a beer with you, happy to just cruise around and hang out. And when I do take her out it's nice because she doesn't expect it like some of them do."
"That's because I'm happy with your company," Helga said, wrapping her arms around his waist and looking up at him smiling. Torvald smiled back.
"She's a keeper then, man," the guy said. "In ya go."
Torvald waved to the guy and led Helga into the building. They walked down a long narrow hallway. The music was getting louder and louder, and even more so, when they got to the stairs. Looking down there was a band playing. It was dark, and a little smoky.
"It's called the Metal Factory," Torvald said. "All metal, all the time. Including the live bands."
Helga's eyes went wide. She'd heard of this place, but had never known where it was, let alone been in it!
"Are you serious?" she asked excitedly. Torvald laughed.
"I knew you'd like it," he said, leading her down the stairs. "Let's have some fun!"